Research Areas

Trauma and memory studies, genocide studies, childhood studies, child soldier narratives, African life writing, digital media,

Profile

Nick Mdika Tembo is Professor of English at the University of Malawi’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. He has held a range of distinguished fellowships, including a Research Fellowship in the Department of English at the University of the Free State (2019–2026), the Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Rhodes University (2017–2018), and the Claude Ake Visiting Chair at the Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden (2024). He is the editor of Trauma in the Age of Social Media in Sub-Saharan Africa: Narrative and Representation (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025) and the author of In the Aftermath of a National Tragedy: Excavating Memories of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi (Uppsala/Nordic Africa Institute, 2025). Tembo’s research lies at the intersection of trauma and memory studies, with particular emphasis on African life writing, genocide studies, childhood and child soldier narratives, and the cultural and ethical implications of digital media in contemporary African contexts.

Publications

• Book
  Trauma in the Age of Social Media in Sub Saharan Africa: Narrative and Representation (2025)
  

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• Refereed Monograph
  In the Aftermath of a National Tragedy: Excavating Memories of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi (2025)
  

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• Journal Article
  Girls at War, Girls in War: Three Female African Child Soldier Narratives (2024)
  

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• Textbook Approved By Moe
  Practice Social Studies - Students Book 4 (2016)
  

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• Textbook Approved By Moe
  Practice Social Studies - Students Book 3 (2016)
  

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• Textbook Approved By Moe
  Practice Social Studies - Teacher's Guide Book 4 (2016)
  

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• Textbook Approved By Moe
  Practice Social Studies - Teachers Guide Book 3 (2016)
  

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