THE INDIAN
COMMUNITY IN MALAWI
HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE COUNTRY’S POLITICAL
AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
By Paul Chiudza Banda*
I
ndia and Malawi share long historical roots
dating back to the era of British colonial
rule in both countries. While India’s
colonization took place in the mid-18th century,
Malawi’s turn (then known as the Nyasaland
Protectorate) occurred in the late 19th century.
That shared history has often meant that despite
the two countries being thousands of miles
apart, their peoples have had similar historical
trajectories, both during the colonial and post-
colonial periods, addressed in this article. I will
focus on the following thematic areas: (a)when
and why did Indians begin to come to Malawi;
(b) what roles did they play during the colonial
period; (c) the roles they played during the fi ght
for independence; and (d) the roles they have
played in Malawi’s post-colonial political and
economic development.
22 • INDIA-MALAWI • 2019
Signifi cant Indian migration into what is
now Malawi began to appear at the end of the
19th century and early 20th century. The Indian
migrants came as an appendage of British
colonial rule. Many of the migrants did so to seek
economic opportunities in British Central Africa
(now Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). Just like
the European migrants of the time, the Indians
were enticed by the hope that more mineral
resources would be discovered to the north of
South Africa (the so-called ‘New Rand’). While
the ‘New Rand’ was not discovered, the Indians
found a niche and began to operate their own
businesses, serving as middlemen traders, in the
wholesale and retail markets, serving Malawians
with European manufactured goods.
As British rule became entrenched in
Malawi, the colonial officials often looked