KAMUZU DAY

On May 14, we celebrate the father of the nation, Kamuzu Banda, who led Nyasaland to independence.

Arrested in 1959 after the proclamation of the state of emergency, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda was one of the leading figures in the movement towards emancipation. He took part in the negotiations for the new Constitution and then in the country's independence on July 6, 1964. After becoming a republic in 1966, Malawi was ruled authoritatively by Banda, its first president for 30 years. The political celebrations take place in the capital.