John Lwanda

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John Lloyd Chipembere Lwanda (born 1949) is a Malawian medical doctor, writer, poet, researcher, publisher, and music producer. [1] [2] He is a published author and also a publisher of books and music. [3] He was an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow Department of Primary Care until 2005. Lwanda did his history and social science PhD at the University of Edinburgh's Centre of African Studies. [4]

Contents

Education

Lwanda was educated in Zimbabwe (1956–1958), Malawi (1958–1969) and Scotland at Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian schools and colleges. He spent a politically and musically influential elective year in the US in 1974. Though he had intended to pursue the arts, his father advised him to take up medicine. Graduating in medicine in 1976, he specialised in paediatrics before turning to adult general medicine.

Career

He has worked as a census enumerator for the Malawi National Census 1966 and as a clerk in the Ministry of Education between 1967 and 1968 under Brian McLaughlin. [1] At the University of Malawi (1969–1970) he was a senior laboratory assistant working under Professors Peter Mwanza and Margaret Kalk. He has studied and worked in Scotland since 1970 and, briefly, Malawi as a government doctor and lecturer at the college of medicine. He has also worked in various medical fields since. He is currently a general medical practitioner in Lanarkshire and is an honorary senior research fellow in the institute of health and wellbeing, school of politics and social science, Glasgow University. [1] Although his first article was published in Moni magazine in 1965, he only began working regularly as a freelance writer and journalist from 1981. He, by default, became a music and book researcher and publisher in 1988. [1] Between 1991 and 1994 he was involved in the activism that led to a multiparty dispensation in Malawi [5] Lwanda describes music as his first love [6]

Publishing career

Pamtondo

Pamtondo was set up in 1988 by John Lwanda and George Claver with the aim of recording and disseminating Malawi music. [7] It recorded and issued a number of releases of Malawi music, including recordings by Kasambwe, Alan Namoko and Chimvu, Saleta Phiri and AB Sounds, CheChamba, Kamwendo Brothers Band, as well as co-operating on some compilations.

Pamvision

Since 1994 Pamvision has been making Malawian music video recordings and films. The first recording was of Chief Chipoka Band (1994). [7] Over twenty five different acts, ranging from gospel through popular music to traditional, have been video recorded, mostly for academic research. These include the Malawi National Dance Troupe, the Mount Sinai Choir (contemporary urban gospel), Sambangoma Dance Troupe (urban traditional dance and music troupe), Bondo Village Nyau Group (Chewa traditional dance and music), Kwandege Cultural Troupe, Chileka (traditional village ensemble), and the Mchinji Ingoma Troupe (Ngoni traditional dance and music).

Dudu Nsomba Publications

Established in 1993, Dudu Nsomba Publications publishes books on Malawi and Africa. Dudu Nsomba supports the Copyright Society of Malawi. The first book was Kamuzu Banda of Malawi (1993). [7]

Books Edited and Published by Dudu Nsomba
  • Cry of the Fish Eagle by Wilfred Plumbe, 1997. ISBN   0-9522233-9-2
  • Living my destiny by Austin C Mkandawire, 1997. ISBN   0-9522233-3-3
  • Living dangerously by Patrick O'Malley, 1998 ISBN   0-9532396-1-6
  • Yoranivyoto by Felix Mnthali, 1998 ISBN   0-9532396-0-8.
  • Suffering in Silence by Emily Mkamanga, 2000. ISBN   0-9522233-7-6
  • The state and the labour movement in Malawi by Almiton Zeleza Manda, 2000 ISBN   0-9522233-6-8
  • Old Watering Holes: Mayo to Serabu by Hilary Lyons, 2001. ISBN   0-9522233-8-4
  • Malawian choral compositions by Mjura Mkandawire, 2011. ISBN   978-0-9532396-7-2
  • The trial of Jack Mapanje: a play by Steven Ndhlovu, 2009. ISBN   9780952223351
  • Mistaken identity by Richard Duwa, 2009. ISBN   978-0-9532396-3-4
  • Yuraia Chatonda Chirwa: the faithful servant by Austin Mkandawire ISBN   0953239624

Published works

Books

Book chapters

Journal articles

Family

Lwanda, who sometimes describes himself as a subsistence farmer, has three grand children: Evelyn Onani, Muliko, and Tazilwa.

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