New book looks at Bingu wa Mutharika’s presidency
Former legal counsel to the Mutharika’s administration releases tell-all, ‘Trappings of Power’

COTTINGHAM, England –. Throughout his riveting new exposé “Trappings of Power: Political Leadership in Africa” (published by AuthorHouse), Z. Allan Ntata draws on his four years as a legal counsel to former Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika to bring readers an unrestricted view of the political scene in Malawi and Africa.

In “Trappings of Power”, Ntata analyses the presidency of Mutharika. He looks at Mutharika ’s relationship with foreign donors and international aid agencies while breaking apart Bingu’s political successes and failures in an attempt to show how power and political success can be a deadly trap. He claims that this success “ensnares African leaders” and makes them “easily forget their mission to serve the people.”

Ntata also looks at the role patronage plays in politics, as well as how culture influences the decisions that leaders make. Through this, he hopes that readers glean an idea at how advisors, and standing culture, tend to contribute to their leaders’ feelings of infallibility.

“The book uncovers lessons on the inner dynamics of power and politics in Africa that will be enlightening to all interested in African politics, specifically,” states Ntata, “and third world political development in general.”

About the Author
Z. Allan Ntata is a Barrister at Law and currently resides in the United Kingdom where he holds a bachelor’s in law from the University of Westminster, a master’s in law from the University of Huddersfield and a post-graduate diploma in professional legal skills from City University, London. He was the legal counsel to the President of the Republic of Malawi and executive secretary to the Malawi National Advisory Council on Strategic Planning. He has also held positions in the United Kingdom as a legal advisor, Australia as a law lecturer and in Malawi as a prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Bureau.