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46 The Society of Malaŵi Journal

were Fort Lister and Pangomani. It had been established as an administrative
centre (Boma) in 1891 and along with Fort Lister, it was the only place named in
the vicinity of the Mulanje Massif on an 1897 map of the Shire Highlands. Over
a period of time Fort Anderson changed location and in due course became the
current Mulanje Boma and township. It had a brief and, from this distant
perspective, somewhat confusing history.
The original Fort Anderson was one of 55 establishments built by the
British Administration in British Central Africa to reduce slave trading and
raiding, and also combat the threat from Portuguese East Africa.
In an article entitled “A listing of the British Colonial Forts, Military
Encampments and Fortified Bomas of Malawi” in the Society of Malawi Journal
Vol 51 No 2 of 1998 the Malawi Army official historian, Colonel James Njoloma,
stated that Fort Anderson was established to protect British trade interests and
control along the Quelimane Route as there was raiding across the PEA border by
Chief Matipwiri.
He further stated that Fort Anderson had three different locations in its
short life. The first fort was sited at MAKUALA, the second fort was sited at
MWINGA while the third fort was located at CHIPOKA VILLAGE. The first two sites
were abandoned while the third evolved into Mulanje town. These three sites are
a considerable distance apart and the story is not quite as clear cut as described by
Colonel James Njoloma.
Makuala
I have been unable to find this name on any maps. It may have been the
name of a local chief with the name being changed after his death. There is a map
of the Shire Highlands in Harry Johnston’s British Central Africa, dated 1897,
compiled from surveys by Capt. Sclater, Sir Harry Johnston, Mr Alfred Sharpe,
Lt Colonel Edwards and the surveyors of BCA with additions from the maps of
Mr Oscar Beringer. This shows ‘Fort Anderson’ as lying some way south of the
Church of Scotland Mission, south of the Likabula River and north of the Mloza
River. There is no mention of the word Makaula near the location of the fort and
there are no other place names on the map in the Mulanje area: at that time Fort
Anderson was indeed the only place of note - the European ‘capital’ of the district.
Sir Harry Johnston states that Forts Lister and Anderson were established in 1893
to guard the north and south ends of Mulanje against the troublesome chief
Matipwiri on the south east border of the district and another more local chief
called Makanda. The forts were named respectively after Sir Villiers Lister and
Sir Percy Anderson, Foreign Office dignitaries who had supported the initiative
to help suppress the slave trade.
Former Provincial Commissioner Bill Rangeley writing in the 1950s had
a slightly different perspective on the evolution of the two forts. He contended
that Fort Anderson was established as an administrative boma in 1891 with Fort
Lister following in 1893. Rangeley also refers to the original fort as being located