Page 48 - 2020 SoM Journal Vol 73 No 1 FINAL_Neat

40 The Society of Malawi Journal

pamphlet with Harry Nkumbula, a leading Zambian nationalist, that denounced
16
movement toward Federation.
By the early 1950s, Banda was known to a number of prominent Western
academics studying African affairs, including George Shepperson, Thomas
17
Hodgkin, and Ned Munger. The Federal government even decided not to ban
Shepperson’s co-authored history of the 1915 Chilembwe Uprising, Independent
African, published in 1958, in part because it relied on Banda as an oral history
18
source and did not want him to derive propaganda value from a prohibition.
Wightwick was one of the Rhodesian right-wing’s more intellectually inclined
members; his ignorance concerning Banda’s background augured Rhodesia’s
impending descent into armed conflict following the 1965 Unilateral Declaration
of Independence.
The MCP publication, Malawi News, gave short shrift to Wightwick’s
salacious comments. The second page of its editorial comment fleetingly
mentioned the remarks as one of several indications of panic among whites that
Banda would soon rule Nyasaland. 19 The paper made no effort to refute the
charges and the party as a whole, confident that the attacks indicated that
momentum was on its side, scarcely bothered to discredit Wightwick. However,
the Federation’s black press and the nationalists in Southern Rhodesia took up this
mantle.

Investigation by the Press:
Although Banda routinely denigrated the Federation’s press, the media
20
made little effort to amplify Wightwick’s unsubstantiated comments. In fact,
the African Newspapers Ltd. stable which published several titles throughout the
Federation targeting a black audience, went to considerable lengths to exculpate
Banda from Wightwick’s accusation. While the company was considered to have
been sympathetic to the Federal government, reporters from Bwalo la Nyasaland,
the African Newspaper title in Nyasaland, undertook a significant investigation to

16 Hastings K. Banda, Harry Nkumbula, Federation in Central Africa (London:
Self-published, 1949.)
17 George Shepperson, “Memories of Dr Banda,” Society of Malawi Journal,
Vol. 51, No. 1 (1998), 74; Ned Munger, Touched by Africa (Pasadena: Castle
Press, 1983), 246.
18 National Archives of Zimbabwe, MS 841/19/3 (Malcolm Barrow Papers),
September 3, 1958, “Report on ‘Independent African’ by Shepperson and
Price.”
19 “Editorial Comment: Panic Among White Settlers.” Malawi News, April 23,
1960.
20 “Protest from Dr Banda.” Central African Examiner, January 17, 1959.