Mpasu the writer sleeps

I have always been a writer. Writing is my hobby. I do not do it for commercial purposes.” These were the words Sam Mpasu used to describe his writing career in an interview with The Nation in 2015.

Many Malawians knew him as a politician, but Sam Mpasu was something more than a politician. He was an accomplished writer. His three books, Nobody’s Friend, Political Prisoner 3/75 and The Hare and Other FolkT ales were a clear indication of the writer that he was. And yesterday morning he slept forever.

Reacting to his death, writer and publisher Alfred Msadala said Mpasu was a deep and creative writer whose works mentored him to take writing seriously.

“He did not sit me down to mentor me, his works did. His writing style was addictive to the reader. He was able to use words to create vivid images in the minds of his readers. He used realism in that he was able to put whatever experience he had in his life to reflect in his writing with great clarity,” said Msadala.

Msadala added that Mpasu was also one of the country’s great writers who were the pioneers of prose writing.

“It’s unfortunate that he was never celebrated here in Malawi as a writer. During a national book fair in Zimbabwe, his book, Nobody’s Friend, was billed as one of the top 100 books and they revered his works,” he added.

Another up-and-coming writer Aubrey Chinguwo said Mpasu’s writing was unique.

“The simplicity and sophistication in Mpasu’s writing is seen best in his book Political Prisoner 3/75. His writing is not only intriguing, but also a treasure of our history,” said Chinguwo.

Political Prisoner 3/75 chronicles his time at Mikuyu Prison between 1975 and 1977. His arrest came after he wrote Nobody’s Friend, a book the one party State security machinery felt was a direct attack on former president Hastings Kamuzu Banda regime. In The Hare and Other Stories, he brings out folklore to point out today’s social realities. n