Malawian Resistance Literature

This book explores the development and features of Malawian poetry of resistance, which arguably began with the establishment of the Malawi Writers Group in 1970 and thrived thereafter as a significant literary force in African literature from the 1980s to the 1990s. The group’s employment of subversion, orality, and various other poetic techniques that mocked tyranny set apart their expressive styles and identities both in Africa and on a global scale. During Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s presidency, creative literature encountered censorship targeting works that were critical of the government. This resulted in the incarceration and coercion of writers who voiced concerns regarding the infringement of human rights. This study examines the literary works of Malawi’s second generation poets, who are also referred to as part of Africa’s third generation writers. Its objective is to present their work alongside the literary contributions of their contemporaries who have authored fiction, in addition to highlighting the promising endeavors of the younger generation of Malawian speculative fiction writers and artists. This initiative seeks to link the two generations to the oral tradition and the zeitgeist.