Reading Time: 3 minutesTime and again, I have heard or read the sweeping claim that black Africa has contributed nothing of significance to world civilisation. For some non-Africans, this conviction appears so deeply entrenched that whenever historical evidence emerges pointing to African ingenuity or achievement, it is instinctively dismissed as fabrication or, if reluctantly acknowledged, attributed to some […]

Reading Time: 3 minutesIn 2014, a Belgian gentleman in his late fifties made a determined search for me in Blantyre. Unfortunately, his efforts proved fruitless because I was then based in Lilongwe, serving a three-year contract with the Government. Time and again, he called at the Polytechnic, where he had been assured he would find me. Eventually, a

Reading Time: 3 minutesA few years ago, I built a prototype electric bell based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. I wound a length of fine wire many times around two steel nails, turning them into simple electromagnets that would attract a metal strip, fixed at one end, whenever current from a battery was applied. As the strip

Reading Time: 3 minutesIn Malawi’s produce markets, an astonishing variety of fruit is sold throughout the year, although its availability is dictated entirely by the seasons. One season brings an abundance of mangoes, which remain plentiful for several months. During the same period, masuku (Uapaca kirkiana) also make their appearance. Earlier in the year, another cherished local delicacy—the

Reading Time: 3 minutesLast week, I travelled to Nkhoma to attend the unveiling ceremony of the tombstone of the late Rev Dr Mgawi, an occasion that carried deep personal and communal significance. Almost a fortnight before my journey, I contacted an acquaintance who lives at Nkhoma and asked whether he could provide me with the telephone number of

Reading Time: 3 minutesMy brother-in-law, who married the sister immediately older than me, left his home in Chigumula, Blantyre, nearly two years ago and relocated to Nkhoma to live with and care for his ageing father. It was a decision rooted in family responsibility and affection, and one that has enabled him to spend invaluable time with a

Reading Time: 3 minutesOne of the enduring pleasures of growing up in an African society is the opportunity to participate in communal music-making. Long before radios, televisions, and mobile phones became commonplace, singing provided both entertainment and companionship. It emerged naturally from everyday life and accompanied people through the ordinary routines of the day. Men sang while cultivating

Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat began as a bold dream within the Faculty of Engineering at Makerere University has today blossomed into one of Africa’s most inspiring industrial success stories. Kiira Motors Corporation, the Ugandan automotive company born out of that vision, now stands as a powerful symbol of African innovation. Among its most celebrated achievements is the Kayoola

Reading Time: 3 minutesThere are nations in this world blessed with few natural resources, yet they maintain vibrant economies through strong export sectors. Their prosperity is built not on mineral wealth or fertile land, but on the ingenuity and enterprise of their people. Japan is a striking example. According to 2020 statistics, the country’s leading export earnings came

Reading Time: 3 minutesNo nation has ever attained meaningful development without a citizenry possessed of innovation and enterprise. A glance through the history of Britain, for instance, reveals a long procession of ingenious minds: men such as Jethro Tull, who invented the seed drill; George Stephenson, the pioneering father of the railway; and Michael Faraday, whose groundbreaking work