Blog Post #2: Nationalism and Inequality in Malawi

By: Sam Whitty

            Nationalism is a movement of pride for one's nation and the support of policies in the interest of that nation. Nationalism is the opposite of globalization because globalization works to achieve cooperation between all people in every nation. Zakaria writes in The Post-American World that "countries are [increasingly] less willing to come together to solve common problems" (pg. 34). This is precisely because nationalism fuels competition between countries instead of cooperation. Because countries are not as willing to work together to solve global and national problems, inequality is a serious problem in many countries around the globe.

            Nationalism in Malawi stems from their recent independence from British colonial rule in 1964. After British explorers and Scottish missionaries gradually took control of Malawi in the 19th century, they named the region the Shire Highlands Protectorate and renamed it Nyasaland in 1907 (1). The first British commissioner wore a headband with three stripes on it. The stripes displayed the social hierarchy for all. On top was a white stripe to show white supremacy. Then came a yellow stripe for Indian merchants. On the bottom was a black stripe for the natives (4). Although the British ended the slave trade in 1891, the natives were still discriminated against by the British. They yearned for independence.

[Dr. Hastings Banda, first president of Malawi]

            In 1958, mass protests started to occur against British rule. In only four years of protests and riots, the British agreed to Malawian independence. Malawi became independent on July 6, 1964. With their independence came gigantic waves of nationalism, so strong that Dr. Hastings Banda, a key revolutionary, was able to turn his newfound power into a dictatorship in 1971 (1). 

            With the dictatorship of Banda, the inequality between government officials and its people only deepened. Censorship and violence allowed Banda to take control of the country and live a wealthy lifestyle despite his people on the verge of poverty. Even today, the now democratic Malawi encounters the same problems as its people have not yet recovered from British colonialism and a fearsome dictatorship. In fact, recent years have shown that inequality in Malawi is getting worse. In Malawi, the GINI coefficient, widely considered to be the best measure of inequality, was 0.45 in 2015. Seven years earlier, however, the GINI coefficient was only 0.39. Compared to the 156 other countries measured by the CIA, Malawi has the 31st worst GINI coefficient in the world (3).

            While economic and wealth inequality are major problems in Malawi, an education gap in the country as well. This gap occurs both between rich and poor, and between boys and girls. In Malawi, when one passes secondary school they receive the Malawi School Certificate of Education. The chart above shows how, in rural areas, girls are much less likely to receive their MSCE than boys (5). An even larger disparity is between the richest and poorest children. This is a tremendous problem for a country like Malawi in which fifty percent of the population was in poverty in 2015. Because most of the country is in poverty, it means that most of the country is at a disadvantage when it comes to graduating from secondary school. This severely limits the opportunities that are available to the people of Malawi.

            As other countries endure war and their people flee to other countries, the disparity between rich and poor is not the only problem in Malawi. In the late 20th century, many people from Mozambique fled war and came to Malawi. Although the conditions of the refugee camps were not ideal, they were sometimes better than those of some Malawians (4). Combined with the clashing of two different cultures, fleeing refugees were treated very poorly by Malawians. Even when things started to calm down in Mozambique and refugees left Malawi, more came from other countries such as Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Though not unique to Malawi, the intersection between Malawians and refugees is the cause of some violence in the region. 

            Malawi's descent into dictatorship after gaining independence is a great example of how nationalism can destabilize a nation. While independence was supposed to help natives erase discrimination in the country and rise out of poverty, it ironically did just the opposite. Today, most Malawians are still in poverty, yet instead of helping refugees from other countries, they despise them just as the British despised Malawians. Nationalism may be the root of this unrest, as Malawians feel that they deserve more help than the foreigners that invaded their country. Their concern is well-founded, as inequality in Malawi continues to rise. Reversing this trend will be a difficult task for the relatively new nation.

References

1. “A Brief History of Malawi.” Able Kids Rehab Clinic, 2020, www.ablekidsrehab.org/about/malawi-history.

2. “Dr HK Banda, First President of Malawi.” Wikipedia, 24 July 2014, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Banda.

3. “COUNTRY COMPARISON :: DISTRIBUTION OF FAMILY INCOME - GINI INDEX. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html

4. “Malawi.” Minority Rights Group, 16 Sept. 2015, minorityrights.org/country/malawi.

5. Mussa, Richard, and Winford Henderson Masanjala. “A Dangerous Divide The State of Inequality in Malawi.” Oxfam International, Oxfam International, 26 Nov. 2015, www.oxfam.org/en/research/dangerous-divide-state-inequality-malawi.