This book focuses on the great War's effect on Africa in general and Malawi in particular. It describes the outbreak of the war, the recruitment of soldiers, the drafting of porters, the conditions of military life, the conditions on the home front, and the war's end.

The Chiwaya War's basic conclusions are that the First World War was a major turning point in the history of Malawi's peoples, creating the first glimmers of a shared national identity; and that it marked, more than any event before or since, the entry of Malawians into the emerging modern world system far more quickly than likely they, and certainly even the most enlightened British colonial administrators of the time, would have preferred.

The King's African Rifles War Memorial in Zomba has long been a focal point of Malawi memories of the First World War. Now, Chiwaya War Voices offers a fresh perspective, with full transcripts offering a record of memories from survivors who actually recalled the Great War in Malawi.

The King's African Rifles War Memorial in Zomba has long been a focal point of Malawi memories of the First World War. Now, Chiwaya War Echoes offers a fuller view of how Malawi was involved in both twentieth century world wars. These transcripts of askari memories from a Second World War complete a picture of the Malawian role in the British military.