The University Archives recently received a significant new collection of personal papers relating to twentieth century African history. Peter Mackay (1926-2013) was a key figure in the liberation movements of a number of Southern African nations. Born into a Scottish family with strong links to Stirling, Mackay served in the Scots Guards before emigrating to Rhodesia in 1948. His archive provides a comprehensive record of a remarkable life. It documents his involvement in the independence campaigns in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi), his journals, notebooks and correspondence preserving a detailed account of his life as a writer and political activist. The archive also includes thousands of photographs taken by Mackay during his travels around Africa which provide a stunning visual record of a continent during a period of great change.
Mackay lived in Zimbabwe until his death in 2013. It was his wish that the University of Stirling become the custodians of his papers. With the generous support of his family the archive was packed into 28 large crates, trunks and filing cabinets and transported to Stirling. We have now launched our first crowdfunding campaign to support the cataloguing, conservation and digitisation of this remarkable collection. We hope you can help us in reaching our target! Further details can be found at:
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/petermackay/
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