[1][2][3] Zomba Central Prison was built in 1935 during the British colonial era in Malawi (then known as Nyasaland).

It was designed to hold 340 prisoners and was intended to serve as a maximum-security facility for the country.

[3][5] The prison is the location of the musical collaboration Zomba Prison Project, a 20-track compilation produced by Ian Brennan and his wife Italian photographer Marilena Umuhoza Delli and released in 2015 by Six Degrees Records featuring recordings of compositions and performances by inmates at the prison.

[7] Brennan and Delli, returned to the prison twice more in 2016 to compile a second album titled I Will Not Stop Singing.

In recent years, there have been efforts to improve conditions and reduce overcrowding, but the prison remains one of the most notorious in Malawi.