What do you think?
Rate this book
Malawi A Place Apart
‘It is the stranger who comes with a sharper blade’, claims one Malawian adage. But stranger
Asbjørn Eidhammer is not. He worked tirelessly with Malawians for more than eight years as
Norwegian ambassador to Malawi during politically difficult times. Malawi – A Place Apart is
a unique and welcome update of the story of the nation examined from the point of view of a
highly observant outsider. His subtle exposure of the sometimes hidden economic
mismanagement is particularly poignant when people are crying out for open societies
everywhere. – Professor Jack Mapanje, author of Of Chameleons and Gods
Combining aspects of history, cultural studies, personal memoir and opinion, this
rarely published and hard hitting perspective from a former senior member of the
donor community analyses the past, current and future prospects of Malawi
politics and economics. The book proves yet again the adage that ‘sometimes the
mlendo (visitor) has the sharper [analytical] knife’ with its examination of the
issues of politics, poverty and the relationship — or lack of it — between Malawi
and its development partners. Throughout it all the author’s love for the ‘Warm
heart of Africa’ shines through and all who love Malawi will be stimulated and
enriched by this book. – Dr John Lwanda, author of Kamuzu Banda of
A Study in Promise, Power and Legacy.
With an insightful and understanding gaze, Asbjørn expresses the nuances of Malawi only a caring
visitor can. Full of unmitigated hope and constructive critique, the book concisely paints a tender
portrait of a country. Perhaps in equal measure, Malawi offers hope and despair — a sense of
contradiction that she embodies so well. It is this sense that Asbjørn carefully and lovingly portrays
in this book. Over 50 years since independence from British rule, Malawi is debating the way
forward. Discourses, some structured others not, abound. Asbjørn’s book is a necessary addition. –
Muti Michael Phoya, author of Malawi, Lake of Stars
Asbjørn Eidhammer is a Norwegian political scientist, activist, and diplomat. He served as the
Norwegian Ambassador to Malawi from 1999 to 2004 and from 2011 to 2014. Between his
missions to Malawi, he was Director of Evaluation at the Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation for five years. From 1981 to 1984, he was President of the Norwegian Council for
Southern Africa, Norway’s anti-apartheid movement. He has published books in Norwegian
about politics and development in Africa and Malawi.
Asbjørn Eidhammer is not. He worked tirelessly with Malawians for more than eight years as
Norwegian ambassador to Malawi during politically difficult times. Malawi – A Place Apart is
a unique and welcome update of the story of the nation examined from the point of view of a
highly observant outsider. His subtle exposure of the sometimes hidden economic
mismanagement is particularly poignant when people are crying out for open societies
everywhere. – Professor Jack Mapanje, author of Of Chameleons and Gods
Combining aspects of history, cultural studies, personal memoir and opinion, this
rarely published and hard hitting perspective from a former senior member of the
donor community analyses the past, current and future prospects of Malawi
politics and economics. The book proves yet again the adage that ‘sometimes the
mlendo (visitor) has the sharper [analytical] knife’ with its examination of the
issues of politics, poverty and the relationship — or lack of it — between Malawi
and its development partners. Throughout it all the author’s love for the ‘Warm
heart of Africa’ shines through and all who love Malawi will be stimulated and
enriched by this book. – Dr John Lwanda, author of Kamuzu Banda of
A Study in Promise, Power and Legacy.
With an insightful and understanding gaze, Asbjørn expresses the nuances of Malawi only a caring
visitor can. Full of unmitigated hope and constructive critique, the book concisely paints a tender
portrait of a country. Perhaps in equal measure, Malawi offers hope and despair — a sense of
contradiction that she embodies so well. It is this sense that Asbjørn carefully and lovingly portrays
in this book. Over 50 years since independence from British rule, Malawi is debating the way
forward. Discourses, some structured others not, abound. Asbjørn’s book is a necessary addition. –
Muti Michael Phoya, author of Malawi, Lake of Stars
Asbjørn Eidhammer is a Norwegian political scientist, activist, and diplomat. He served as the
Norwegian Ambassador to Malawi from 1999 to 2004 and from 2011 to 2014. Between his
missions to Malawi, he was Director of Evaluation at the Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation for five years. From 1981 to 1984, he was President of the Norwegian Council for
Southern Africa, Norway’s anti-apartheid movement. He has published books in Norwegian
about politics and development in Africa and Malawi.
- GenresAfricaMalawiNonfiction
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 28, 2017
16 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 25, 2018
The author was the Norwegian ambassador to Malawi from 1999 to 2004 and 2011 to 2014. In his book he displays a detailed knowledge of Malawi, its history, people, politicians, donor countries and the challenges being faced. He also has a great appreciation of Malawain and African literature and includes a sample of Malawain poetry at the start of each chapter.
While the book focuses on Malawi, the observations he makes on the challenges of a once colonised nation faced with poverty, an economy based on subsistence farming, climate change and corruption are relevant to most states.
Malawains seem to be extremely friendly, resilient and progressive. Well educated leaders, empowered women and initial success in combating HIV/AIDs provide some hope for the future. I found this book very easy to read, well referenced and with the author coming from a non-coloniser country it gives a more independent and unbiased view of an African country.
While the book focuses on Malawi, the observations he makes on the challenges of a once colonised nation faced with poverty, an economy based on subsistence farming, climate change and corruption are relevant to most states.
Malawains seem to be extremely friendly, resilient and progressive. Well educated leaders, empowered women and initial success in combating HIV/AIDs provide some hope for the future. I found this book very easy to read, well referenced and with the author coming from a non-coloniser country it gives a more independent and unbiased view of an African country.
August 14, 2022
Our unrealistic assumptions about the capacity in partner countries like Malawi are a result of the way we think about state-building. In 2010, the Dutch researcher Louise Wiuff Moe strongly criticised this way of thinking. We set up the ideal of an efficient and democratic state. From a normative perspective we then ask: what is lacking or missing, and what is needed to achieve the ideal state of affairs? By taking the ideal as a starting point, we miss the dynamics of the real world. Instead of looking for what is missing, we should look for what is there already and build on that, she says.
Although tighter editorial work could have perhaps prevented some repetitions, which I suspect are due to the author piecing together papers he wrote on different aspects of the country, I think this is a very good place to start any investigation of Malawi. This is not least because of the evident passion Asbjørn Eidhammer breathes into this book and his clear love of this part of Africa. Particularly interesting for me were the chapters on culture (in verse we live) political elections and history of the people, the tribes and the attempt at gender and minorities equality. The crux of the book however is the donor partners Vs government relationship, one that tends to be skewed in favour of the donor mentality. The author argues for a change in the thinking dynamics to accommodate specific Malawian issues, including climate change, tribal allegiances, cultural taboos, the culture of fatalism, time and spacial constraints, gender imbalance, educational goals, and poverty. A change is needed so that the approach to donations is tied to a more realistic longer term set of goals.
Although tighter editorial work could have perhaps prevented some repetitions, which I suspect are due to the author piecing together papers he wrote on different aspects of the country, I think this is a very good place to start any investigation of Malawi. This is not least because of the evident passion Asbjørn Eidhammer breathes into this book and his clear love of this part of Africa. Particularly interesting for me were the chapters on culture (in verse we live) political elections and history of the people, the tribes and the attempt at gender and minorities equality. The crux of the book however is the donor partners Vs government relationship, one that tends to be skewed in favour of the donor mentality. The author argues for a change in the thinking dynamics to accommodate specific Malawian issues, including climate change, tribal allegiances, cultural taboos, the culture of fatalism, time and spacial constraints, gender imbalance, educational goals, and poverty. A change is needed so that the approach to donations is tied to a more realistic longer term set of goals.
March 20, 2018
Asborn Eidhammer had a couple tours of duty as a Norwegian Ambassador to Malawi. He has written a very informative book on the country. He combines history, politics, economics and the arts in this book, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about Malawi.
Back in 2015, I read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba, which encouraged me to pick up other books on Malawi.
Back in 2015, I read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba, which encouraged me to pick up other books on Malawi.
July 21, 2019
A great overview for anyone seeking to spend time in Malawi - this is one of those books that may lose a reader with no context, or bore a reader with too much. For me, it was just right. I do feel that the book both benefitted and suffered from the author's diplomatic position. While a balanced portrayal - a large portion of the book focused on top leaders and the political history up to and after independence, including the shift to multi-party rule. This left single chapters or less to explore the economy, poverty, and the plight of the health sector. I could see the need for a "people's view" book to accompany this to provide a fuller picture. That small criticism aside, it is reader-friendly, and offers multiple perspectives to issues where people are locked into one view or another.
February 18, 2019
This book provides good information on the history of Malawi, but I felt it is written in parts like a Wikipedia article. There is a lot of name-dropping and sometimes a lack of a red thread which can be a little confusing. I would have loved to see some more reflection and deeper insights (instead of just lining up events) on the countries politics and economics, especially with the authors background as the Norwegian ambassador giving him a lot of first hand experience in Malawi. Nevertheless, i am happy to have read this and learned some more about the history of Malawi.
November 27, 2017
Well researched but not very well written, he clearly doesn't want to offend anyone
February 21, 2019
Such a nice read. It gives a good overview of Malawi both of the history and some thoughts about its future.
September 4, 2021
I was re-reading this book. Its amazing how despite the time that has passed, the analysis is still reflective of Malawi today.
August 15, 2021
A wonderful introduction to Malawi written by the former Norwegian Ambassador to Malawi who lived in the country for eight years. Covers the history of the country from precolonial roots to today and then reviews Malawian politics, economics, literature, and issues around development aid. Clearly written with a love for the people of Malawi, Eidhammer sees the country in generally optimistic terms, as a mostly tolerant (except unfortunately in LGBTQ+ issues) and successful (though imperfect) democracy. Though he cautions that democracy and peace should not be taken as given due to the risks inherent in being one of the poorest countries of the world.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews