The Director for Malawi Legal Aid Bureau, Trouble Kalua, has applauded the launch of the Forensic Linguistics/Law Enforcement Discourse Programme at Mzuzu university (Mzuni Online), saying it will make a valuable contribution to the administration of justice in Malawi.
The official launch of the postgraduate program was between September 19th and 20th, 2023 in Mzuzu.
According to Kalua, the programme will add value to understanding the language of the Court for the benefit of Court users in Malawi.
“There is a distinction between the English language and the language used in Court. What this programme will train is valuable in understanding the linguistics relating to Court processes, especially for the layman and people with challenges in hearing,” added Kalua.
Attending the event along with the Director were other stakeholders from the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, MZUNI members of staff and postgraduate students.
Guest of honor at the launch was Professor Monwabisi Knowledge Ralarala, who is Professor of Forensic Linguistics and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.
Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Precious Madula has since described the launch of the programme as a huge milestone that MZUNI has made since its inception in 1997.
In addition to introducing the program and a Seminar Series, three books were unveiled: "Language, Crime and Courts in Contemporary Africa and Beyond," "Language and the Law: Global Perspectives in Forensic Linguistics from Africa and Beyond," and "New Frontiers in Forensic Linguistics: Themes and Perspectives in Language and the Law in Africa and Beyond."
Notably, this Postgraduate program enrolled its inaugural cohort earlier this year, marking its uniqueness as the first of its kind in Malawi.
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