Podcasts about Nyasaland

Host Andrew Martin meets genealogist Helen Brooks for this second episode of Series Nine. Andrew hears how Helen's family history research got started by a button, the importance of writing everything down when your aunt tells stories, and her love of photographs. THE LIFE STORY - GERTRUDE LESTER / SISTER HELENE DU ST. SACRAMENT  Helen's choice of life story is her Great Aunt Gertrude Lester who later became a Catholic nun known as Sister Helene du St. Sacrament within the order Les Filles de la Sagesse.Helen uncovered a story of a woman's rise through her order and her work in Nyasaland (modern-day Malawi), right through to a tragic accident at Croydon Aerodrome on 25th January 1947 which would see Sister Helene make the ultimate sacrifice in a moment of bravery that saved a man's life.With the aerodrome demolished and the site covered in housing, residents in the 1970s are reported as having seen the nuns had return in a ghostly form…THE BRICK WALL - GEORGE WRIGHT Following directly on from her choice of Life Story, Helen has been researching the other people in the plane crash. She's managed to find information on all of them apart from the most significant one (to her) - the man that Sister Helene saved!He's known as George Wright, and in January 1947 he had been de-mobbed from wartime service. She doesn't know his age but assumes that he's in his 20's, but she does know from newspaper reports that he was catching a later flight to Johannesburg, South Africa to find work.Despite her searches, Helen does not know what became of him after the day of the crash.What happened to George Wright after 25th January 1947?Where did he go?If you think that you can help Helen with a research idea or clue, then you can find her on Bluesky, or alternatively you can send us a message and we'll pass it along to her.In the meantime, Andrew and Sándor's offer of help results in a dangerous and tricky manoeuvre...- - - Episode credits:Andrew Martin - Host and ProducerHelen Brooks - GuestJohn Spike - Sándor PetőfiSupport the showThank you for listening! You can sign up to our email newsletter for the latest and behind the scenes news. You can find us on Twitter @FamilyHistPod, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky. If you liked this episode please subscribe for free, or leave a rating or review, or consider giving us a 'tip' to keep the show funded.

Matthew Bannister on Dame Deborah James who raised millions of pounds for cancer research by talking openly about living with - and dying from - bowel cancer. Yves Coppens, the charismatic French palaeontologist who led the team that discovered hominid remains estimated to be 3.2 million years old. Revel Guest OBE, the documentary film producer who became chair of the Hay Literary Festival. Samuel Bhima, the first Malawian to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: Jude Rogers Interviewed guest: Zeresenay Alemseged Interviewed guest: Corisande Albert Interviewed guest: Maliza Bhima Archive clips used: BBC Radio 5 Online, Raising a Glass to Deborah James 28/06/2022; BBC Two, The Making of Mankind - One Small Step 11/05/1981; FRANCE 24 English, Yves Coppens dies at 87 23/06/2022; PBS (US), PBS Ident by Paul Alan Levi; Trans Atlantic Film, Placido 1983; Dreamworks Pictures/ Touchstone Pictures/ Reliance Entertainment, War Horse (2011) Trailer; YouTube/ memoriesofrhodesia, 1957 Royal Tour of Nyasaland 29/10/2015; Meliza Bhima Personal interview archive with Samuel Bhima; BBC Sound Archive, Dr Hastings Banda Interview 27/02/1959.

In 1974, I was an exchange student with AFS (then known as the American Field Service) in Swaziland, southern Africa. I had taken a Drake SPR-4 with me for the months I lived in Swaziland, and I used the receiver to hear a range of stations in Africa and Asia. Stations using shortwave that were a challenge for listeners in North America and other locations were heard at local levels and one of those was the RBC, in what was then called Rhodesia. These recordings on one of the RBC shortwave frequencies were made in Mbabane, Swaziland. Elsewhere on the SW Archive, there are other recordings including one of RBC heard in the United States on shortwave. The QSL card shown here was the older style with an image of an impala, a photo of Salisbury (later Harare). On the back, under a white sticker, an even older name of the radio station, The Broadcasting Corporation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, can still be seen.

Living By Faith In a Faithless World, Part 5: Living the Impossible, Heb. 11:11-12 By Louie Marsh, 12-12-2021   Living the Impossible Puns   They say nothing is impossible…But i do nothing every day   Why is it impossible to hold a race in Finland? Because in Finland, every line is a Finnish line. . .   The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.   The little girl said, “When I get to Heaven, I will ask Jonah.”   The teacher asked, “What if Jonah went to Hell?”  The little girl replied, “Then you ask him.”       WHEN I LIVE BY FAITH…   1) God will challenge me to BELIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE.   “11By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” (Hebrews 11:11–12, ESV)   Impossible Things Christians Believe:   The All Powerful Creator of the Universe cares about us. God became a man. God in human flesh allowed Himself to be tortured and killed. He did this to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins After being dead for three days, He came back to life in His physical body! He gives us salvation as a gift of His Grace because of Christ's death, burial & resurrection. He answers prayer, changes lives, and gives us his power today!   2) God will challenge me to DO the impossible.   SHOW SLIDE: In WW 2 the "Seabees" had as their slogan, "If it's difficult, it will take a day or two. If it's impossible, it will take a little longer." Here's an example…   SHOW SLIDE: It was October 1958. Legson Kayira was sixteen or seventeen, his mother wasn't sure. His parents were illiterate and didn't know exactly where America was or how far. But they reluctantly gave their blessing to him to make a journey.     He possessed a five-day supply of food, a Bible and Pilgrim's Progress (his two treasures), a small ax for protection, and a blanket. With these, Legson Kayira eagerly set out on the journey of his life. He was going to walk from his tribal village in Nyasaland, north across the wilderness of East Africa to Cairo, where he would board a ship to America to get a college education. Like his role models, Abraham Lincoln and Booker T. Washington, Legson wanted to serve mankind, to make a difference in the world. To realize his goal, he needed a first-rate education. He knew the best place to get it was in America. Forget that Legson didn't have a penny to his name or a way to pay for his ship fare. Forget that he had no idea what college he would attend or if he would even be accepted. Forget that Cairo was 3,000 miles away and in between were hundreds of tribes that spoke more than fifty strange languages, none of which Legson knew. He hadn't always been so determined. As a young boy, he sometimes used his poverty as an excuse for not doing his best at school or for not accomplishing something. Like many of his friends in the village, it was easy for Legson to believe that studying was a waste of time for a poor boy. Then, in books provided by missionaries, he discovered Abraham Lincoln and Booker T. Washington. Their stories inspired him to envision more for his life, and he realized that an education was the first step. After five full days of trekking across the rugged African terrain, Legson had covered only 25 miles. He was already out of food, his water was running out, and he had no money. To travel the distance of 2,975 additional miles seemed impossible. He promised himself that he would not stop until he reached America. Or until I die trying. Sometimes he walked with strangers. Most of the time he walked alone. He entered each new village cautiously, not knowing whether the natives were hostile or friendly. Sometimes he found work and shelter. Many nights he slept under the stars. He foraged for wild fruits and berries and other edible plants. He became thin and weak. A fever struck him and he fell gravely ill. Kind strangers treated him with herbal medicines and offered him a place to rest and convalesce. Weary and demoralized, Legson considered turning back Instead, Legson turned to his two books, reading the familiar words that renewed his faith. He continued on. On January 19, 1960, fifteen months after he began he had crossed nearly a thousand miles to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. He was now growing stronger in body and wiser in the ways of survival. He remained in Kampala for six months, working at odd jobs and spending every spare moment in the library, reading voraciously. In that library he came across an illustrated directory of American colleges. One illustration in particular caught his eye. It was of a stately, yet friendly looking institution, Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington, became the first concrete image in Legson's seemingly impossible quest. He wrote immediately to the school's dean explaining his situation and asking for a scholarship. The dean at Skagit was so impressed with Legson's determination he not only granted him admission but also offered him a scholarship and a job that would pay his room and board. Another piece of Legson's dream had fallen into place - yet still more obstacles blocked his path. Legson needed a passport and a visa, but to get a passport, he had to provide the government with a verified birth date. Worse yet, to get a visa he needed the round-trip fare to the United States. Again, he picked up pen and paper and wrote to the missionaries who had taught him since childhood. They helped to push the passport through government channels. However, Legson still lacked the airfare required for a visa. Undeterred, Legson continued his journey to Cairo believing he would somehow get the money he needed. He was so confident he spent the last of his savings on a pair of shoes so he wouldn't have to walk through the door of Skagit Valley College barefoot. Months passed, and word of his courageous journey began to spread. By the time he reached Khartoum, penniless and exhausted, the legend of Legson Kayira had spanned the ocean between the African continent and Mount Vernon, Washington. The students of Skagit Valley College, with the help of local citizens, sent $650 to cover Legson's fare to America. In December 1960, more than two years after his journey began, Legson Kayira arrived at Skagit Valley College. Carrying his two treasured books, he proudly passed through the towering entrance of the institution. But Legson Kayira didn't stop once he graduated. Continuing his academic journey, he became a professor of political science at Cambridge University in England and a widely respected author. "I learned I was not, as most Africans believed, the victim of my circumstances but the master of them." --Legson Kayira Excerpted from "Unstoppable" Copyright 1998 by Cynthia Kersey   “29By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” (Hebrews 11:29–30, ESV)   SHOW SLIDE: Impossible things God has done at River Church!   This church was said to be impossible by and “expert” in church planting! Many people told me that adding a full time staff member was impossible. Our church has touched lives all over the world!   SHOW SLIDE: Impossible Things He's calling us to do now!   Forgiving and loving those who've hurt you, abused you, opposed you and maybe still do To overcome life long fears. To triumph over the persistent fears that have crippled me all the life. To make an eternal difference in the world today.   HOW SHOULD I REACT TO ALL THIS?  LAUGH!   1) The laughter of ASTONISHED FAITH.   “15And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.” (Genesis 17:15–19, ESV)   What did Abraham do?   He  WORSHIPPED.   He laughed – he reacted HONESTLY.   What Did God do?   He made a bold, UNBELIEVABLE promise.   He reminded Abraham to BELIEVE it.   2) The laughter of DISGUISED DOUBT.   “10The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 14Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”” (Genesis 18:10–15, ESV)   What is Doubt?   One of the common Greek words = “to stand in two ways.”   Doubt is NOT UNBELIEF!   Doubt is to be UNSURE of something.   |__________________|______________________| Unbelief                 Doubt                               Faith     How do we often handle doubt?   We FEAR IT.   WE DENY AND LIE about it.   How does God handle doubt?   “22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”” (Mark 9:22–25, ESV)    He CONFRONTS it.   He CHALLENGES it.   He CHANGES it.   He does not CONDEMN it.   THE RESULTS OF THIS KIND OF FAITH   1) God makes the impossible POSSIBLE AND TRUE in my life.   And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children—a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. Hebrews 11:12 (NLT) It's not often that God speaks through the guy in the next shower stall. But that's exactly what Charif Haddad said happened to him. Haddad, pastor of a new church among people of Middle Eastern descent in Dearborn, Mich., says he struggled with his call to ministry as a teenager in his native Lebanon. During a shower after a soccer game one day, he found himself thinking of all the reasons he couldn't obey: He had a family to raise, a plan to become an engineer, and the obstacles were just too great. "It's impossible to do it financially," he told God. "It's impossible for me to change people's hearts." Then his friend in the next stall, a non-Christian who had not heard his silent prayers, shouted out loud: "What is impossible to man is possible to God." "It made the hair on my neck stand up," Haddad said. "I said, 'Sam, where did those words come from.' He said, 'I don't know. They just came to mind, so I blurted them out.'" That was the beginning of God's intervention, Haddad said. Later he felt God wanted him to serve in the United States, but he didn't see a way for it to happen. "I said, 'Lord, if you want me to serve you, send me to the States. I don't have the visa, I don't have the resources, I don't even have the desire to go." The next day, he received a letter from a church in the United States offering to sponsor him as he pursued his education and ministry. Eventually - after Bible college and seminary - God called him to his current work in Dearborn, Mich. Obedience to God's call also is central to this type of work, says North American Mission Board President Robert E. Reccord: "Answer his call, tell his story and change your world." "When you answer his call, you will inevitably have the opportunity to tell his story," Reccord says. "And when you unapologetically do that, you will change your world." The Christian journey can be seen as an adventure, something that involves risk - and potentially tremendous joy and excitement. "What would your life be like if there were no adventure in it?" he asks. "What would your life be like if there weren't any risk involved in it? Would you ever have learned how to walk?" "Jesus Christ wants you to be a follower who blasts into the future on a flame of the Holy Spirit to chart the unknown, where you have never been before," Reccord says. " Are you ready? Because if you aren't, you're going to miss the great things in life he has for you." "I think we have set up a dualism that's not biblical," he says. "Here's what we've made it sound like: If you are a missionary or if you are minister, you can be called of God. But if you're a plain old laywoman or layman, how can God call you? There is nothing more inaccurate than that." "My question to you," Reccord asks, "is, Are you doing what you're doing because God called you do it?" HOMEWORK: What impossible truth about God am I struggling to believe? How well am I dealing with doubt? What impossible thing is God calling me to do? What can I do this week to begin obeying God's call?

This week Sam and Daniel are joined by Professor A.C. Grayling. The video version of this conversation can be found here on our YouTube channel 12 hours after the audio version goes live. Together we talk about history, ethics, morality, and religion. This is an insightful conversation and one that I found helped to link some major areas together now that I am on the other side of religion. A.C. Grayling's Bio: Anthony Clifford Grayling CBE FRSA FRSL is a British philosopher and author. He was born in Northern Rhodesia and spent most of his childhood there and in Nyasaland. In 2011 he founded and became the first Master of New College of the Humanities, an independent undergraduate college in London. You can find/follow Professor Grayling: Twitter Website Humanists UK Resources mentioned in/after this conversation: The Good Book by A.C. Grayling: The God Argument by A.C. Grayling The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey Father and Son by Edmund Gosse You can find/follow Daniel here: Twitter We hope you enjoy our show. When Belief Dies aims to honestly reflect on faith, religion and life. Your support via Patreon enables us to cover the costs of running this show and look to the future to make things even better as we build upon what we already have in the works. Please take a look and consider giving. Alternatively, you can support the show with a one-off gift via PayPal or Bitcoin. Use the following link to navigate to the website, to find us on social media and anywhere else we might be present online. #Podcast #Deconstruction #God #Agnostic #Christian #Atheism #Apologetics #Audio #Question #Exvangelical #Deconversion #SecularGrace #Exchristian

Frances reads five letters, written in 1909 by Edmund, Annie May, Avice, Aldwyn and Enid.Edmund takes far too long to write his Budget letter and reckons his siblings are going to miss him out of the next round.Annie May begs the siblings - Please don't put Edmund on the black list - I think she was lonely and really needed the family contact.Avice describes the wealthy Brooks family some more as well as her life as a govvie, and she hopes Mother, recuperating in Folkestone, is enjoying the splendid weather.Aldwyn has been to visit Neville in Pretoria, and is now on a steam ship traveling back to Nyasaland. He posts his letter back to England in the mailbag of a steamer, on the mighty Zambezi, which is going downstream , whilst Aldwyn's steamer is going upstream.  Close your eyes and just imagine the scene.And Enid provides all the news about Mother being ill, having an operation, most of the family getting influenza, then Hazel getting measles whilst Mother goes to Folkestone for the sea air and Enid and her family then go to North Wales to take the sea air there.May says baby Leslie cries all the time, Edmund says he is an ugly baby, but Enid says baby Leslie (my grandfather) is a fine specimen. Thank goodness for kind aunties.And the Navy at Plymouth already know that a war with Germany is coming. Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Or email me if you have found this podcast interesting, machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Edmund's letter, 25th April 1909 : 2:46May's letter, 29th April: 8:20Avice's letter, 7th May: 11:27Aldwyn's letter, 12th March: 17:09Notes on Aldwyn's letter: 28:02Enid's letter, 9th May: 35:39Notes on Enid's letter: 41:58

Frances reads four letters, written by Arthur, Aldwyn, Vera and Edmund in January and February 1909.Arthur has been to Rame Head for sketching and bird watching; this time he has lost some brand-new paintbrushes there.Arthur has a new boy at Garfield House School, Watson major, who is very loquacious. The personality of interesting schoolboys never fails to entertain the members of the Budget.Aldwyn writes one more letter, before returning by ship to Africa. He looks forward to re-joining the Budget in his next holiday, which should be in 1913, and he hopes the Budget will still be thriving. He describes the many gifts he is taking back to Nyasaland.Vera describes the siblings accompanying Aldwyn to Southampton to see him off on the SS Norman and she also describes how she and Avice are mad on roller skating.Edmund writes about his dog called Satan and The Church Lads' Brigade, who are forming a black-face minstrel troop;  Annie May has solved Cuthbert's riddle about what can go up and down the chimney. And Edmund fails to mention their baby, who will be born in just a few days.Machell Cox Budget letters is on Twitter - @CoxLetters.  Or email me if you have enjoyed this podcast, and tell me your family history story – machellcoxletters@gmail.comAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library. Intro: 00:00Correspondence: 2:32Arthur's letter, 26th January 1909 : 16:02Notes on Arthur's letter: 26:40Aldwyn's letter, 4th February: 32:03Notes on Aldwyn's letter: 39:15Vera's letter, 11th February and notes: 44:17Edmund's letter, 19th February and notes: 50:54

Frances reads Aldwyn's long 1908 letter from Africa, the first instalment of his journey from Kota Kota on the shores of Lake Nyasa, back to England. Kota Kota is now called Nkhotakota, the lake is called Lake Malawi and the country formerly known as Nyasaland is now Malawi.Aldwyn steams south across the lake on the SS Chauncy Maples; he then travels by several other forms of transport to the coast at Chinde, which is at the mouth of the Zambezi River, in Mozambique. Then he boards a ship, the SS Herzog, ending up in the Mission hospital in Zanzibar, in Tanzania.He started his journey on 31st July 1908; and the Archdeacon said the Itinerarium before they left. Aldwyn doesn't get to London until October 5th.If you have never heard of a machila before, and would like to know what one looks like, some photos will go up on Twitter - @CoxLettersIf you enjoyed this podcast or have any questions, you can email Frances  - machellcoxletters@gmail.comIf you have heard of the Itinerarium before, and know more, please email Frances!100 Years of Cox is also on Twitter - @CoxLettersAll content is subject to copyright, and belongs to both Frances Thompson and the Bodleian Library.Intro: 00:00Aldwyn's letter, 2nd August 1908 - 2:44On the River Shire - 6:50The Zambezi River - 9:12The SS Herzog - 11:02Notes on Aldwyn's letter - 12:54Notes part 2 - 19:30

It is May 1908 and Frances reads letters written by Bernard, Wilfred, Cuthbert, Arthur, Vera and Aldwyn.The older family are: Enid, Edmund, Arthur, Neville and Wilfred. The 5 members of the younger family are: Bernard, Aldwyn, Cuthbert, Avice and Vera. Enid, Bernard and Arthur travel to Hallam Fields in Derbyshire, for May and Edmund's wedding celebrations. The women wear fabulous hats, the working-class locals are entranced by the wealthy visitors, and Edmund and Arthur set up booby traps in the Parsonage. Cuthbert sets out the route for Berkhamsted School's cross country run, using bags of paper. Vera sits in the garden at Longton Avenue in Sydenham to write her letter, wearing a light blue cotton frock and a Liberty Panama hat; it is a hot day in June and she is surrounded by furniture in the garden, as the whole house is being spring cleaned. There is discussion about characters and graphology and who the expert handwriting analyser might be. Wilfred (working as a road builder) writes from O'Kanagan Falls in British Columbia, and Aldwyn (the Anglican missionary in Africa) writes from Kota Kota in Nyasaland, (now Malawi). Why not check out - @CoxLetters - on Twitter.  Or email me and tell me where you are listening from – machellcoxletters@gmail.comIntro - 00:00Bernard's letter, 10 May 1908 - 2:12Notes on Bernard's letter - 12:55Wilfred's letter, 19 April (Canada) - 16:00Notes on Wilfred's letter - 26:55Cuthbert's letter 18 May - 29:00Notes on Cuthbert's letter - 35:14Arthur's letter, 20 May - 37:55Notes on Arthur's letter - 47:02Vera's letter, 1 June - 50:00Aldwyn's letter, 29 March (Nyasaland) - 56:03

The ten Machell Cox siblings continue writing Budget letters to each other, discussing a variety of subjects.Enid is married to Cyril, a Schools Inspector, and is a wealthy Edwardian matron, in Liverpool. Edmund is a poor Anglican curate in Derbyshire, soon to marry May, my g-g-grandmother.Arthur, married to Dorothy, is Headmaster of Garfield House prep school in Plymouth. Neville works for the railways in Pretoria, South Africa. Wilfred lives in British Columbia, Canada. He has been a schoolmaster, but is currently building roads and grubbing stumps. Bernard is a London stockbroker, living at home, in Sydenham. Aldwyn is an Anglican priest in Nyasaland (now Malawi). Cuthbert is a schoolmaster at Berkhamsted School. Avice is housekeeper at Arthur's school in Plymouth. And Vera, when not playing hockey, assists her father in writing and editing his books, and looks after the aging parents, at home, in Sydenham, south London. Cuthbert is grumpy – Berkhamsted school has an influenza epidemic, everyone is ill, a Schools Inspection is underway and he is annoyed at Enid criticising his spelling.Arthur describes the search for new servants at Garfield House, as well as expressing his dismay that his favourite newspaper, The Tribune, has closed.Vera explains how wearing long skirts prevents good stickwork in Ladies' hockey and Vera and Bernard go to watch the Oxford-Cambridge boat race.Enid goes to Aintree to watch the Grand National, and they sit in a stand of seats on a barge on the canal.  And Enid and Cyril have a telephone installed in their house, for the first time. And Avice, Bernard and Cuthbert go to Branscombe in Devon for a few days to check out a boarding house and the landlady, to see if it would do for the whole family for their upcoming August summer holidays. Of course, there are no photos or online reviews to help you choose your holiday accommodation in 1908. Intro - 00:00Cuthbert's letter, 30 March - 2:40Notes on Cuthbert's letter - 8:20Arthur's letter, 8 March - 11:08Notes on Arthur's letter - 23:18Vera's letter, 2 April - 27:52Avice's letter, 26 April - 35:50Enid's letter, 30 April - 41:10

During the 1950s, as Britain attempted to hold on to its African colonies, it had to deal with the ambitions of white colonial settlers for domination of the black population on a more explicitly racist model of government, exemplified by apartheid South Africa and the growing force of black nationalism. The British attempted to foster 'moderate' African leaders who might be compliant in a new state, the Central African Federation, which incorporated North and South Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Outmanoeuvred at every turn by the white settlers, the British were forced to accept defeat and see the break up of their federation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Frances Thompson reads 9 letters, written from March to May in 1907. 9 letters from 9 siblings.Bernard is in Sydenham; Cuthbert is on holiday in the Lake District; Arthur is on holiday at Terrington, near York; Neville is in South Africa; Vera and Avice are both in Plymouth; Edmund is in Derbyshire; Enid is on holiday in France; Aldwyn is in Malawi. Wilfred (who is in Canada) is the only sibling without a letter in this edition of the Budget. Nine letters from nine siblings - this is going to be a long one; go for a walk or maybe go and get a cup of tea. If you need a reminder, there are 5 siblings in 'the older family' - in order - Enid, Edmund, Arthur, Neville, Wilfred.The 5 siblings in 'the younger family' are Bernard, Aldwyn, Cuthbert, Avice and Vera. You can contact Frances by email - machellcoxletters@gmail.com, or on Twitter @CoxLettersIntro - 00:00Bernard's letter, 16 April 1907 - 1:58Cuthbert's letter, 20 April - 5:58Arthur's letter, 25 April - 15:51Neville's letter (Pretoria) 31 March - 22:07Vera's Letter, 4 May - 30:48Edmund's letter, 9 May - 35:00Avice's letter, 15 May - 39:41Enid's letter, 28 May - 45:42Aldwyn's letter (Nyasaland) 16 March - 51:21 

In Unreasonable Histories: Nativism, Multiracial Lives, and the Genealogical Imagination in British Africa (Duke University Press, 2014), Christopher J. Lee recovers the forgotten experiences of multiracial peoples in the British colonies of Nyasaland, Southern and Northern Rhodesia. By carefully reading fragmented correspondence, colonial reports, periodicals and oral testimonies, the author traces the development of Anglo-African, Euro-African and Eurafrican identities that complicated colonial concepts of native and non-native. In light of their ambiguous status, multiracial individuals were generally marginalized and lived in a legal limbo. This led them to redefine kinship ties and political allegiances with the goal of improving their economic and social prospects. Ultimately, the book questions the analytical categories inherited both from colonial and nationalist historiographies and argues that they obscure the social, cultural and intellectual diversity that informs what it means to be African. Esperanza Brizuela-Garcia is Associate Professor of History at Montclair State University. She specializes in modern intellectual history of Africa, historiography, World history and Philosophy of History. She is the co-author of African Histories: New Sources and New Techniques for Studying African Pasts (Pearson, 2011). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Unreasonable Histories: Nativism, Multiracial Lives, and the Genealogical Imagination in British Africa (Duke University Press, 2014), Christopher J. Lee recovers the forgotten experiences of multiracial peoples in the British colonies of Nyasaland, Southern and Northern Rhodesia. By carefully reading fragmented correspondence, colonial reports, periodicals and oral testimonies, the author traces the development of Anglo-African, Euro-African and Eurafrican identities that complicated colonial concepts of native and non-native. In light of their ambiguous status, multiracial individuals were generally marginalized and lived in a legal limbo. This led them to redefine kinship ties and political allegiances with the goal of improving their economic and social prospects. Ultimately, the book questions the analytical categories inherited both from colonial and nationalist historiographies and argues that they obscure the social, cultural and intellectual diversity that informs what it means to be African. Esperanza Brizuela-Garcia is Associate Professor of History at Montclair State University. She specializes in modern intellectual history of Africa, historiography, World history and Philosophy of History. She is the co-author of African Histories: New Sources and New Techniques for Studying African Pasts (Pearson, 2011). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Unreasonable Histories: Nativism, Multiracial Lives, and the Genealogical Imagination in British Africa (Duke University Press, 2014), Christopher J. Lee recovers the forgotten experiences of multiracial peoples in the British colonies of Nyasaland, Southern and Northern Rhodesia. By carefully reading fragmented correspondence, colonial reports, periodicals and oral testimonies, the author traces the development of Anglo-African, Euro-African and Eurafrican identities that complicated colonial concepts of native and non-native. In light of their ambiguous status, multiracial individuals were generally marginalized and lived in a legal limbo. This led them to redefine kinship ties and political allegiances with the goal of improving their economic and social prospects. Ultimately, the book questions the analytical categories inherited both from colonial and nationalist historiographies and argues that they obscure the social, cultural and intellectual diversity that informs what it means to be African. Esperanza Brizuela-Garcia is Associate Professor of History at Montclair State University. She specializes in modern intellectual history of Africa, historiography, World history and Philosophy of History. She is the co-author of African Histories: New Sources and New Techniques for Studying African Pasts (Pearson, 2011). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Unreasonable Histories: Nativism, Multiracial Lives, and the Genealogical Imagination in British Africa (Duke University Press, 2014), Christopher J. Lee recovers the forgotten experiences of multiracial peoples in the British colonies of Nyasaland, Southern and Northern Rhodesia. By carefully reading fragmented correspondence, colonial reports, periodicals and oral testimonies, the author traces the development of Anglo-African, Euro-African and Eurafrican identities that complicated colonial concepts of native and non-native. In light of their ambiguous status, multiracial individuals were generally marginalized and lived in a legal limbo. This led them to redefine kinship ties and political allegiances with the goal of improving their economic and social prospects. Ultimately, the book questions the analytical categories inherited both from colonial and nationalist historiographies and argues that they obscure the social, cultural and intellectual diversity that informs what it means to be African. Esperanza Brizuela-Garcia is Associate Professor of History at Montclair State University. She specializes in modern intellectual history of Africa, historiography, World history and Philosophy of History. She is the co-author of African Histories: New Sources and New Techniques for Studying African Pasts (Pearson, 2011). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Unreasonable Histories: Nativism, Multiracial Lives, and the Genealogical Imagination in British Africa (Duke University Press, 2014), Christopher J. Lee recovers the forgotten experiences of multiracial peoples in the British colonies of Nyasaland, Southern and Northern Rhodesia. By carefully reading fragmented correspondence, colonial reports, periodicals and oral testimonies, the author traces the development of Anglo-African, Euro-African and Eurafrican identities that complicated colonial concepts of native and non-native. In light of their ambiguous status, multiracial individuals were generally marginalized and lived in a legal limbo. This led them to redefine kinship ties and political allegiances with the goal of improving their economic and social prospects. Ultimately, the book questions the analytical categories inherited both from colonial and nationalist historiographies and argues that they obscure the social, cultural and intellectual diversity that informs what it means to be African. Esperanza Brizuela-Garcia is Associate Professor of History at Montclair State University. She specializes in modern intellectual history of Africa, historiography, World history and Philosophy of History. She is the co-author of African Histories: New Sources and New Techniques for Studying African Pasts (Pearson, 2011). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have been asked by the Scotland Malawi Mental Health Project to prepare a short series of podcasts to act as a component of the training programme for psychiatrists at the College of Medicine in Malawi. Like much of the less developed world, Malawi has limited resources for specialist psychiatric care: the ratio of psychiatrists per head of population is less than 1% of that in Western Europe. The two series of podcasts already broadcast have been used to help train clinicians and nurses in Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa, including Malawi. The practice of psychiatry in a colonial setting is surprisingly varied. Even within British colonies around the world, those who received psychiatric care, where they were treated, and to what ends was significantly different. Other European colonies were different again. So colonial psychiatry, as practised between the 18th century and the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, is a rich and varied topic. I want to narrow it down. I’m going to stick to Anglophone southern and eastern Africa, between the 1880s and 1960s, because that covers the geographical and cultural area in which Malawi is located. Between 1891 and 1964, when it became independent, Malawi was the British Protectorate of Nyasaland. Up to the middle of the nineteenth century the old world shared many of the characteristics we shall encounter in African colonies between the 1880s and 1960s. I’m going to set out 8 key similarities. I then explain what changed in Britain and Ireland over the last two centuries. Finally, I’ll summarise the distinctive experience of southern Africa under colonization, which I’ll explain in detail next time. Image: Eket, Nigeria. Copyright Robin Hammond, Condemned, ( http://www.witnesschange.org )

Zoe Grove, PhD student at Keele University, presents her research on the history of the Central African Federation, especially looking at the issues of cross-border migration and the movement of ideas.

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the poet Dr Jack Mapanje who is one of the most important living African poets. He was born into a poor household in a typical African village in 1944, when Malawi (then Nyasaland) was a British colony, but while he was still a child it became part of the Central African Federation, together with Northern and Southern Rhodesia. Jack started writing poems, inspired by his despair at the political woes besetting his country. Although his book, Of Chameleons and Gods, was only sold in one book shop in Malawi, it won considerable acclaim around the world and was awarded the Rotterdam International Poetry Prize. He was ambitious and set up a writers group within his own University and, although he knew it was dangerous, felt compelled to continue with his writing. He was arrested in 1987 while drinking in a bar. The World Service broadcast a news item about Mapanje's arrest the following day and his cause was taken up by writers' groups and activists across the world. Dr Mapanje was held without charge or trial in Mikuyu Prison for more than three years, scarcely aware of the international campaign to free him. When he was finally released, again it was without warning or explanation. Believing his life was still in danger, he fled with his wife and children to Britain. He has lived here ever since and now lectures at the University of Newcastle. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]Favourite track: Ave Maria by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Luxury: A guitar

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the poet Dr Jack Mapanje who is one of the most important living African poets. He was born into a poor household in a typical African village in 1944, when Malawi (then Nyasaland) was a British colony, but while he was still a child it became part of the Central African Federation, together with Northern and Southern Rhodesia. Jack started writing poems, inspired by his despair at the political woes besetting his country. Although his book, Of Chameleons and Gods, was only sold in one book shop in Malawi, it won considerable acclaim around the world and was awarded the Rotterdam International Poetry Prize. He was ambitious and set up a writers group within his own University and, although he knew it was dangerous, felt compelled to continue with his writing. He was arrested in 1987 while drinking in a bar. The World Service broadcast a news item about Mapanje's arrest the following day and his cause was taken up by writers' groups and activists across the world. Dr Mapanje was held without charge or trial in Mikuyu Prison for more than three years, scarcely aware of the international campaign to free him. When he was finally released, again it was without warning or explanation. Believing his life was still in danger, he fled with his wife and children to Britain. He has lived here ever since and now lectures at the University of Newcastle. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Ave Maria by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Luxury: A guitar