The Malawi Leader observed this when he addressed Scottish Parliament, he said the two countries have enjoyed bilateral relationship for one hundred and fifty-nine years. On this, Professor Mutharika said relationship began when David Livingstone arrived in Nyasaland in 1859.

“David Livingstone named one of our cities Blantyre. When we got independence in 1964, we changed the name of the country from Nyasaland to Malawi. We changed all the colonial names of roads, places, towns and everything –but we never changed Blantyre. That tells you how connected we have remained to Scotland.

David Livingstone has a great place in our heart, and a greater place in human history. When God gave the Children of Israel “the Light of the World” that came to Europe, it was Livingstone who carried that Light and brought Christianity to our part of the World,” said President Mutharika.

Since then, Christianity has played a critical role in creating a value system that people share and find societies.

“We share a past; and we share values. As we say in the wisdom of my people: Those who walk the common path can easily share a destination. Now, between us, we have founded the Malawi-Scotland Partnership. This partnership is founded on mutual respect, which is rare and precious given the North-South relations in our world order today.

The mutual respect for our cultures is everywhere. I have seen Scottish people dress in Malawian attire here in Scotland. I have seen humility in people like Collin and Allison Cameron, who speak my language and call themselves Malawians,” added the Malawi Leader.

President Mutharika further said some Scottish people celebrate the spirit of Malawian culture, which he said there is no greater humility than to assume another person’s culture out of free will.

"We have seen Scottish people in Malawian villages, living our life to support our people. We have seen them working with our teachers and feeding a Malawian school child. We have seen them working in farming, in water management, in climate change and economic development.

We have seen Scottish professionals training healthcare providers in mental health problems. Where the mentally ill are feared and stigmatized, Scottish professionals have found a cause. We have seen your surgeons, scholars and civil society organisations doing a great work in Malawi.

We have seen much more than we can tell. I am not surprised that nearly half the population of this country can tell you about a personal friend, or family member, with a connection to Malawi,” explained Professor Mutharika.

The Malawi-Scotland Partnership has become one of the strongest North-South relationships in the World. Such relationships rare and precious in a world where, paradoxically, developed countries like exploiting and manipulating poor countries in the name of supporting them.