The Maravi Post

BLANTYRE—The decision to move the National Archives from the colonial capital Zomba to the capital Lilongwe is touched a raw nerve among some people.

“We feel having the archives in Zomba is historical and moving it to Lilongwe isn’t fair as so many things were moved to Lilongwe and this has left Zomba with no pride,” says Zione Mayawo, a member of Friends of Zomba.

“Having the archives [in Zomba] was the little pride we had,” she said.

But Tourism, Parks and Wildlife Minister Daniel Liwimbi said the move was necessary to protect the materials.

“Plans are there to transfer the facility to Lilongwe as so that it is central and people from as far as Chitipa are also able to access the information from the office," said Liwimbi.

He said that for the sake of tourism “we want the offices to be in Lilongwe and we want to construct a state of art building that will artistically store the country’s information.

“You know these days storage of materials has gone digital. We want to move with the times,” he said.

Liwimbi, whose department will be at the forefront in designing the new facility, said plans are also in the pipeline to move the Department of Antiquities in Zomba and the museums in Chichiri and Mandala in Blantyre to the capital.

"We hope to get financial support in the coming financial year. The move is also aimed at good management apart from easy access for all Malawians," he said.

Supporting the move, Acting Deputy Director of Culture Joel Thaulo said the National Archives isn’t secure where it is now and that the temperature get too high in some rooms, which isn’t ideal for storage.

But Mayawo of the Friends of Zomba said the suggested improvements could as well have been made to the facilities in Zomba.
---
©2012 The Maravi Post. Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment

• < Prev