Methodology
Provenance & Ethical Considerations
These interviews were conducted between 2006 and 2023 as part of the team’s separate research projects, ranging from MA to PhD to second book projects. Henry Dee curated a set of labor testimonials from the South African National Archives, focusing mostly on the 1920s.
Aligned with the Oral History Association’s Principles and Best Practices from 2009 and 2018 and given the challenges of translating legal language into Malawian languages and in a context of varied literacies, verbal informed consent was sought from all participants. (Macdonald 2024) All gave their permission for their names to be used in publication. Julie Weise, having conceived of this project, sought specific permission to include interviews and other contextual materials on this website in 2022-2023.
Today, former migrant workers struggle for recognition and, in some cases, compensation for their labor and injuries. This was reflected in our interviews where interviewees repeatedly expressed a desire for their stories to be shared with the public and preserved for their families and communities. To date, no public-facing project has shared this history.
In some cases, migrant labor contracts and identification cards are available on the site with the permission of interviewees. Similar documents are available in Malawian government archives. These documents do contain limited amounts of personal information, but are long expired and are types of identification that are no longer in use.
Public Engagement
This site is optimized for viewing on mobile phones with limited cellular bandwidth in order to increase its accessibility in Malawi and beyond. The collaborators have shared the site with interviewees who have messaging apps; in other cases, interviews were conducted before such contact information was available. The site has also been shared with organizations advocating for the payment of bonuses, pensions, and worker’s compensation to former mineworkers. Given the dearth of easily accessible primary historical sources about any aspect of Malawian history, we encourage educational use of the site, which has already begun both inside and outside Malawi.
Copyright & Permissions
You may use the contents of this site for educational purposes without seeking permission. We request that you undertake that use with consideration for the individuals who shared their stories and provide a citation for this site.
All other rights are reserved. Please contact mfgaede@uoregon.edu with questions about use.
Takedown Request
The oral histories and contextual materials made available on Matchona have been collected for the benefit of scholars, students, and the families and communities of those who have shared their stories. We have made every effort to accurately and respectfully present the contents of the interviews in Chichewa and in translation.
Please note that we are unable to take action against third parties who have obtained materials unethically or unlawfully and are using them in ways that contravene our own policies and ethics.
If materials are taken down in the future, we are unable to retroactively retract the educational permissions that existed while those materials were available on Matchona. For example, we cannot require a podcast excerpting an oral history be taken down.
If you have a concern about any of the materials on Matchona, please contact mfgaede@uoregon.edu.
Pempho Lochotsa
Mbiri za pakamwa ndi zolembedwa zimene zatoledwa, kusungidwa mosamala zomwe zikupezeka pa Matchona, zachitika ndi cholinga chofuna kuthandizira akatswiri, ophunzira ndi ma banja a anthu amene asunga ndi kugawana nafe pa ma pamacheza athu.
Tinayesetsa mwandongosolo ndi mwa ulemu wake kupereka zonze tapeza pa macheza athu mu Chichewa komanso ndi momasuliridwa mu chizungu.
Chonde dziwani kuti sitingathe kuchitako kanthu motsutsana ndi anthu ena omwe adapeza zinthu mosayenera kapena mosaloledwa ndipo akudzigwiritsa ntchitomu njira zosemphana ndi mfundozathu.
Ngati zida kapena zipangizo zidzachotsedwa mtsongolomu, ife sitingathe kubwezeretsa zilolezo zomwe zidalipo pomwe ziipangizo zinalipo pa Matchona. Mwachitsanzo, ife sitingathe kuteroko kuchotsa podikasiti yomwe ndi yotulutsa mbiri yapakamwa.
Koma ngati muli ndi nkhawa ndi chilichonse mwazinthu zomwe zili pa Matchona, chonde lemberani awa: mfgaede@uoregon.edu.
Harmful Content
The materials contained within Matchona reflect the personal viewpoints, recollections, and opinions of former migrant workers and their families who participated in oral history interviews from 2006-2023, as well as individuals who contributed to colonial documentation in the early 20th century. As such, you may encounter offensive language, overt expressions of bigotry or bias, outdated cultural or geographical references, and / or stereotypes. Such content is often important to document as evidence of past and present injustices and is presented here out of a desire to preserve these oft-forgotten stories and increase their accessibility via digital presentation.
We welcome feedback. If you have information, questions, or concerns about the contents of Matchona, please email jweise@uoregon.edu.