Added 6 July 2008
23 December 2007
Message From archivist Ann Thomson: The three months Archive Project in the Society of Malawi Library at Mandala House is almost over. A slightly longer period would have been beneficial. In the time, I have grouped the Archives by subject and put everything in labelled boxes--to protect from heat and dust and to make finding things easier. There will be simple lists of the holdings to help visitors and the volunteers who work in the library and archives. The system is straightforward and it should be possible for new material acquired to be added with out difficulty. I have enjoyed my stay in Malawi, and hope that I may be able to return in the not-too-distant future to see how things are progressing.
Membership Update: The Society has enjoyed a very good year indeed for new members joining both in Malawi and overseas. This is most encouraging, and we hope that the trend will continue.
3 October 2007 - For three months, Anne Thomson, from Newnham college, University of Cambridge UK who is the Archivist there, has been able, by dint of several sources of funding, to travel to Malawi and help us in the Library to sort out the Archives. She is willing to answer queries where she can while here and is available on the Society email address.
23 July 2007 - Reprint from THE NATION newspaper highlighting the interesting history of Rosemary Argente, author of upcoming memoir Always With You detailing 10 generations of Malawian ancestry
21 March 2007 - The visit of our Volunteer Archivist from the UK (Cambridge) has been confirmed! Ms Anne Thomson, who will be with us for three months from September will help the Archives at Mandala House to become streamlined!
Arthur Schwarz - A remarkable journey
January 2007 - The death of Arthur Schwarz in January marks the passing of the greatest friend and most loyal supporter of The Society. Those who knew him well remember the many facets of his character; his warmth, readiness to impart information and his passion for the history and, indeed, the future of Malawi. His humour and candour remained with him always.
A few days before leaving for the U.K. he visited the library, as he did every week, to wish us good luck for the New Year and his considerable support and advice will be greatly missed by us all.
Our heartfelt condolences go to his family.
Born in Bonn, the son of a Jewish family, Arthur's community was torn apart during the dark days of the 1930's and ideas of following his father into medicine were replaced with flight and a new life overseas. After escaping to Switzerland he arrived with his parents in Cyprus and attended the International School. After a short period of calm the family was evacuated in 1941 on a tramp steamer to Palestine. Soon on the move again, they joined a group of refugees on a journey via Cairo, Durban and six days by train to then Nyasaland. Arthur's career had an inauspicious start when he was dismissed from an engineering company of which he would subsequently become a director. A season working as a clerk for the "Native Tobacco Board" followed before Arthur arrived at Nyasa Tea Estates in 1942. He worked in the tea industry for 60 years and once 'retired' took on organic farming and in his 80s planted a banana farm.