​Following in David Livingstone’s footsteps to beautiful Malawi - Susan Dalgety

Dr David Livingstone and author and scholar Petina Gappah, from Zimbabwe, who is working to decolonise the story of revered Scots explorer for the Livingstone Birthplace Museum in Blantyre. PIC: CC/Henry Hakulandaba.

​Livingstone has taken on almost mythical status since his birth. The story of how he made his way out of the cotton factories on the banks of the Clyde – where he started work at the age of ten – to become one of the most famous men of the Victorian era is the stuff of legends.

He was a Christian missionary, scientist, explorer and anti-slavery campaigner. His travels through southern Africa helped open up this magnificent region to the rest of the world – for better and worse. He helped pave the way for colonialism, where countries like Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi were ruled for decades, not by local leaders, but by the British. But while other famous men of that era – particularly Cecil Rhodes who founded the colonies of North and South Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia) – are remembered with contempt, Livingstone is still a hero to many, and nowhere is that more obvious than in Malawi.

Blantyre, its second biggest city, is named after Livingstone’s birthplace and everywhere you go in this beautiful country – known as the Warm Heart of Africa – you will find reminders of Livingstone, from street names to statues. There are even Malawians who will recount stories of how their great great great grandfather met Dr David Livingstone. And Livingstone inspired a friendship between Scotland and Malawi that endures to this day.

Our countries could not be more different. Even with a cost of living crisis, Scotland is a rich country. Malawi is one of the poorest in the world. We dismiss the changes in our climate as nothing more than an inconvenience. In Malawi, the climate emergency is destroying vital farming land and killing people. But despite the economic divide, we share a common humanity which Livingstone, almost alone among the men of the colonial era, recognised.

We have something else in common too. Scotland and Malawi are both beautiful countries to explore. Malawi may be a more exotic destination than the Highlands for a holiday, but if you are planning the trip of a lifetime, you should follow in Livingstone’s footsteps to the shores of Lake Malawi.