The last two sections on administrative and legal issues are specific and only relevanl
in the American context. These sections cover the interpretation of the American legal
system as it affects and applies to the administration of American mental health institutions
and rehabilitative programmes. For somebody outside the American system it is difficult
to understand the implications and dynamics involved, and to later on adopt and implement
some of the recommendations made.
Overall, the book needs to be used with caution and discretion. For teaching and research
purposes the book offers some useful but limited chapters and sections. Chapters 11 and12
are highly recommended and the whole section on rehabilitation is useful. The frrst two
sections on epidemiology and clinical pathology may be used for the general understanding
of mental health and disability issues, together with other well established and proven
references. The book is rich in bibliographic references which could be used for fruitful
research.
Reviewed by A Madhaka, School of Social Work, Harare.
References
Seligman M E P (1974) "Depression and Learned Helplessness" in R J Friedman andM
M Katz (eds) The Psychology of Depression: Contemporary Theory and Research,
Winston-Wiley, Washington IX.
Seligman M E P (1973) "Fall into Helplessness" in Psychology Today, June, 17,43-48.
Magomero. Portrait of an African VlIIage, Landeg White, John McCracken, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, 1987 (271pp, US$14,95).
This book is a compelling historical portrait of an African village in the southern region of
one of Africa's poorest countries, Malawi. The author takes the reader through 126 years
of startling events in the lives of a few hundred men and women who are made powerless
by events obeyond their control and the poverty they live in. The book has two major
aspects. the frrst is Magomero, as a place in which historians in recent years have focused
on the slave trade, Christian missions and their impact, colonialism and ethnicity, land
alienation in a plantation economy, resistance and the rise of nationalism, peasant cash
cropping and the mobilisation oflabour, the struggle forresources between men and women,
and the perpetuation of poverty in the period after Independence. The second aspect, as
stated in the Preface, is an attempt by the author to record the changes that have occurred
in the economy, in custom, in political and personal relationships, and the village's
changing relationships witll the broader Malawian and Southern Mrican context since 1859.
The village story also shows the contradictions between Livingstone's Christian doctrine as
a way of establishing legitimate trade and commerce in the region, and the African
perception of Christianity as a way to attain self dignity, as seen through the person of John
Chilembwe.
The frrstpartofthebook covers the period between 1859to 1863. In this part the author
provides a clear but lengthy description of the area, even distances from one important pllk:e
to another are given, and the origin and meaning of village names made clear. The problem
with this part of the book tends to be in this description. Too many names of geophysical
features, tribes and individuals are given, making it difficult to master them - particularly
as this may not be of value to a non-historian. In this chapter the author shows tliat the
BoolcReviews 111
materialdata compiled by the early missionaries was dependent on their individual
perceptionof the situation and their temperaments. This has implications for the credibility
of individual accounts of any given situation. especially if that account is the only one
available.
Thesecond part of the book deals with settler efforts to acquire land in the region. The
IlIlhor indicates how land ownership changed from communal ownecship to individual
OwnelWp. Njenjema's quest for land made him realise that a certain Major Bruce owned
the 1m:!that he intended to settle on. The British public had become economically
conscious,apart from their Christian motives as shown through Livingstone. White also
sOOwed that the missionaries at this time did not actively restrict slave traders.
White's description of Buchanan's activities regarding land acquisition for some
British based sources of funding indicates that the people of Magomero were involved with
apeop1efaraheadof them inlegal and military terms. Huge acreages ofland changed hands,
althoughchiefs were only custodians of land belonging to the entire community. This
developmentof the land issue and theresultantcolonial polices gave rise to much discontent.
Throughthe activities of Alexander Livingstone Bruce's activities in the acquisition ofland.
and the confrontation he has with John Chilembwe in particular, Whire shows how the
Christiandoctrine was in opposition to the intended objective of enlightening the black
poop1e. Livingstone called for legitimate trade and commerce, and saw a need to educate
local converts as a way of establishing Christianity. John Chilembwe saw Christianity as
awayof achieving the rights and dignity that the Magomero people were losing.
In the third part of the book White tries to show how men and women struggled silently
foreconomicpower. It appeared men were dependent on the women's lineage, but as the
effectof European civilisation took hold men would try and assert themselves. All this is
occurringat a time that Magomero is linked to the outside world through immigrants from
SouthAfrica, the horizons that education has given to some people and a general mobility
ofthepeoplethrough the railway. Chilembwe' s ideas were being appreciated. and both the
colonialsettlers on the plantations and the Magomero villagers registered progress in a
nwnber of issues.
The last chapter of the book. covering the period 1945 to 1985, opens up with Bruce
sellingtheMagomero estate at last, and of govermnent action to discourage buyers as a way
ofpreventingfurther political troubles over the land. As in previous chaptcn White gives
alotofdetail. Such detail, unless required for specific purposes, is quickly browsed through.
Thegeneral trend in this chapter indicated more state involvement in the activities of
Magomero.In the 19508 the African National Congress of Northern Rhodesia had become
veryactivethrough people like Dr H Kamuzu Banda and Harry Nkurnbula. Inthis decade
and those that followed nationalisalion and the affairs of Magomero become highly
influencedby external events from both within and without.
Magomerois a masterpiece of historical writing from an author with a novelist's talent
forstory writing, a poetical enthusiasm to vividly portray the sentiments of people md
places. Throughout the book. White incorporates a wide range of social, political md
economic changes in Malawi as seen through the eyes of ordinary men and women whose
poverty denies their contribution to African history. The book is recommended for
professionaland general reading use.
Reviewedby A Zimunya, Research Assistant. School of Social Work. Harare.