New Exhibition - Lessons from Lake Malawi: Fisheries Governance in the Colonial Era
Discover the hidden history and complex legacies of colonial-era fisheries in Lake Malawi. This new exhibition explores how two distinct fisheries management regimes developed simultaneously in Lake Malawi in the mid-twentieth century: the lake-wide system imposed by British colonial authorities, and the community-based approach developed by Senior Chief Makanjira around Mbenji Island.
Through a detailed display including archival photographs and recorded interviews, visitors will voyage between the colonial government’s centralised, scientifically-driven regime and Senior Chief Makanjira’s community-based management system at Mbenji Island. The exhibition reveals how these competing approaches to fisheries knowledge - one imposed through colonial authority and scientific expertise, the other rooted in local leadership and ecological knowledge - created lasting legacies that continue to shape environmental governance today.
The exhibition will launch with a public event, supported by the Scotland-Malawi Partnership, on Tuesday 12 August 2025 featuring a roundtable discussion and reception with members of the research team.
The exhibition will then run during August and September 2025 at the David Livingstone Birthplace, and is free to attend.
Launch Event Agenda
This is the agenda for the free event on Tuesday 12 August 2025:
- 14:30 Welcome and Overview
- 14:45 Panel Discussion
- 15:30 Q&A
- 16:00 Networking Reception
- 16:30 Finish
Note: These are UK times and Malawi time is one hour later.
How To Attend Free - If you wish to attend in person you can book online and if you wish to attend via online please e-mail info@dltrust.org.uk to request your free invite link.
Further Information
For more information, please visit https://www.colonialfisheries.com or e-mail info@dltrust.org.uk and we would be happy to help.
Thanks
This exhibition and launch event are support by the Scotland-Malawi Partnership.
