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Chamber and committees

150th Anniversary of the Founding of Blantyre in Malawi

  • Submitted by: Clare Haughey, Rutherglen and Cambuslang, Scottish National Party
  • Date lodged: Friday, 14 August 2026
  • Motion type: Members' Business Motion
  • Motion reference: S7M-00862
  • Current status: Achieved cross-party support

That the Parliament congratulates Blantyre, in Malawi, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, to be celebrated in October 2026; understands that the city was founded on 23 October 1876 by Scottish missionaries, and was named after Blantyre in Scotland, the birthplace of the explorer David Livingstone; recognises that Scotland and Malawi share a deep historical friendship dating back to Livingstone's explorations in the region; highlights the publication of the book by Jonathan Waters, Blantyre: Urban Evolution – A Photographic History, which chronicles the city's people, places and transformation since 1876, and pays tribute to the many individuals, businesses, third sector organisations, including the Scotland Malawi Partnership and Rutherglen-based Classrooms for Malawi, schools and universities and governments that have maintained the links between the two countries over the past century and a half.


Supported by: Heather Anderson, Jackie Baillie, Colin Beattie, Gary Bouse, Jamie Langan, Fulton MacGregor, Liam McArthur, Stuart McMillan, Paul Sweeney