ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the development of archives in Malawi and seeks to find out if there are any gaps in the archival record. How, if any, did the gaps come about and what is the magnitude of such gaps? The chapter presents a number of incidents that show that, at different times, Malawi’s records have been externalised, damaged accidentally by fire and termites, destroyed by a cyclone, lost due to poor management, and destroyed deliberately by the state. These incidents have created permanent gaps in the archival record, which will never be filled, thereby creating permanent silences in the record. The chapter also demonstrates that for 30 years the state created a temporary silence in the archive by imposing strict access conditions that were almost similar to closing the archive altogether. Finally, the chapter presents another temporary silence in the archive resulting from the inability to provide access to archival records covering the period 1950–1990 due to existing institutional challenges.
