Rare Earths, a new anthology of Malawian poetry, has been released with work by Professor Jack Mapanje, who died on 4 November in the United Kingdom aged 82, The Times reports. The book is on sale on Amazon.
It brings together poets from several generations, including Mapanje, David Rubadiri, Steve Chimombo and Mashallo Samilo.
Key facts
- Rare Earths, a Malawian poetry anthology, is out on Amazon
- It includes Jack Mapanje, who died in the UK on 4 November, aged 82
- Poems cover Mulanje, Lake Malawi, Cyclone Freddy, love and loss
Some of the poets in the book
Jack MapanjeDavid RubadiriKen LipengaSteve ChimomboBenedicto Wokomaatani MalungaQ MaleweziStella ChipasulaFrank ChipasulaZondiwe MbanoAnthony NazombeSambalikagwa MvonaHoffman AipiraEdson MpinaMashallo Samilo
What the poets say
Writer and former Cabinet minister Ken Lipenga, whose poems are in the book, wrote on his Facebook page that its “arrival is especially poignant following the passing of Jack Mapanje, whose work appears in its pages.” He called the anthology “a fitting tribute to the enduring life of poetry”.
Samilo said it “creates a sacred space where the dead and the living, the exiled and the rooted, speak to one another across the boundaries of time.” A version of those words is printed on the cover.
What is inside
The title has two meanings, The Times says: the wealth of the land, from Mulanje and Sapitwa to the Shire, Zomba, Likoma and Lake Malawi, and the poets themselves. The poems deal with deforestation, Cyclone Freddy, political disappointment and personal loss, and also celebrate love, family and everyday life at home.
Remembering Mapanje
Mapanje’s poetry got him jailed under one-party rule, and the campaign to free him made him known around the world, Nation Online reports. His son Lunda confirmed his death, Malawi24 reported.
He is survived by his wife, three children and five grandchildren. Burial arrangements have not yet been announced.
Read more about the era Mapanje wrote against in our profile of Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
