Rose Chibambo
Encyclopedia
Rose Lomathinda Chibambo (born 8 September 1928) was a prominent politician in the British
Protectorate of Nyasaland
in the years leading up to independence as the state of Malawi
in 1964, and immediately after. .
Rose Chibambo organized Malawian women in their political fight against the British as a political force to be reckoned with alongside their menfolk in the push for independence. She was imprisoned in 1959, while pregnant with her 5th child, along with other Malawians whom the Federal government felt were a threat to British rule. She gave birth while imprisoned and was not released till a year later. After Malawi gained independence, Rose Chibambo was the first woman minister in the new cabinet. When she fell out with Dr. Hastings Banda
she was forced into exile for thirty years, returning after the restoration of democracy
on September 8, 1928 when Nyasaland
was still a protectorate
under British colonial rule.
In 1947, she married Edwin Chibambo, formerly a teacher and now a civil servant.
Her husband was the son of the Reverend Yesaya Chibambo, one of the first Africans in the protectorate to be ordained as a Christian minister. In 1948 her husband was posted to the Zomba Public Works department. She completed her secondary education at night school in Zomba in 1948 while pregnant with her first child. She had another child in 1951, and four more later. The youngest was born in 1961.
(NAC) politics during the controversy over the colonial government's plan to make Nyasaland part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
, which the NAC saw as a betrayal of the agreement by the government to put the interests of Africans first. She decided that women should be more involved in the struggle, and began to organize her friends in Zomba, mostly the wives of civil servants. Some issues were specific to women, such as the fact that in some stores women could only do their shopping through a wicket, and that elderly women were not examined in private in the hospitals, but in rooms filled with women of all ages.
She once stated: "[Y]ou know, we are the mothers. We are the ones who bring out children and these children are employed by Wenela [in South Africa
] at that time. They go to Wenela and most of them die there. They don't come back alive. And then there's a lot of oppression. There's this thangata
and with that federation, unfortunately for them, that time, they had already started removing people in the areas where they thought it was best for Europeans or it was best for farming ... They wanted to make room for Europeans to settle. I said, you can see all these things. Now, we are being removed in our rural areas. We are being pushed here and there. And the women understood. They said, oh yes, then we must do something".
In 1953 Edwin Chibambo was transferred to Blantyre
, according to Rose because of his political activities. Rose Chibambo joined the local NAC branch and was elected treasurer, the first woman to hold a senior position in the NAC. In Blantyre, she joined forces with Vera Chirwa
to form the Nyasaland African Women's League, closely associated with the NAC.
Executives of the Women's League would select fabric from which they made matching outfits. The purpose was to show solidarity at public occasions, identifying members as a group.
She respected the moderate leaders of the NAC but thought some, including the President J.R.N. Chinyama, had been too cautious. In Chinyama's case this might be since he remembered his father's execution after the Chilembe
uprising of 1915. She rejected federation and in the later part of 1955 she was among those who called for the withdrawal of the NAC members Manowa Chirwa and Clement Kumbikano from the Federal parliament in Salisbury. At the 30 March 1956 annual general meeting in Blantyre the delegates from Johannesburg
supported her position on non-cooperation with the Federal government, although she had been pessimistic that they would be given a hearing.
In 1956, Rose Chibambo organized a group of women to protest when the NAC president James Frederick Sangala
and secretary T.D.T. Banda were arrested for sedition. Her group was arrested and fined after they travelled by bus to the High Court in Zomba singing:
In a 1999 interview, Rose described the use of song at the women's meetings. She said "In most cases, our singing, like in the woman's league, we would take some of the songs sung in the villages, then we put in political words to suit the occasion... There wasn't any particular person at that time, that this was the one who composed those songs for us to sing. No, it was just general singing. Just as we are here. You could start a song, and our songs in most cases, our African songs, they are traditional. They are not difficult to sing. We could easily pick it up, and then we would all sing". She was quite clear that singing and dancing was not the primary purpose of the women's meetings. She said "I had this feeling ... women should be part and parcel of the whole movement, even of running the country. Women should be involved in decision making. That was my aim".
was elected President of the Congress, and began to tour the country speaking out for independence. In 1958, Chibambo organized the League of Malawi Women. The group used the profits from a monopoly on the sale of millet beer to fund their activities. With growing tension between the NAC and the colonial authorities, in a January 1959 Congress meeting it was agreed that if Banda was arrested or deported a general strike would be called. Rose Chibambo would become a member of a four-person executive committee to conduct the affairs of the congress in Banda's absence.
On 3 March 1959, the governor Robert Armitage
declared a state of emergency. Over the next 24 hours, almost all the MCP leaders were arrested.
In April 1959, Jet
magazine reported: "The top woman leader of the outlawed African National Congress, Mrs. Rose Chibambo, 29, who was arrested after giving birth to her fifth child, has taken the infant with her to jail".
She had been allowed to remain at liberty until the child was born. The British later accepted that independence for Nysasaland was inevitable, and released Hastings Banda in March 1960.
Banda was appointed Life President of the Malawi Congress Party
(MCP), the successor to the NAC. The MCP swept the elections to the Legislative Council in 1961.
Rose Chibambo won the Mzimba South seat in the 1963 elections and was made Deputy Minister for Hospitals, Prisons and Social Welfare. On 1 February 1963, Nyasaland gained self-governance, and Banda was appointed Prime Minister. The country became independent as Malawi
in 1964. Elections to the National Assembly scheduled for May 1964 were dropped since the MCP was the only party to nominate candidates, and they took their seats unopposed.
Issues included Banda's decision to charge for health services and to move slowly in Africanization of the civil service. This was coupled with a general feeling that Banda was becoming increasingly autocratic. Chibambo was dismissed from the cabinet the next day. Banda declared that the rebel leaders were traitors to the state and threats to national security. Chibambo and the others were suspended from the party, which prevented them from attending party meetings and prevented members of the party from attending their meetings, giving Banda full control of the MCP. She and her husband faced constant harassment until they fled to Zambia
in 1965, where they faced the challenge of starting a new life.
Rose Chibambo returned to Malawi in 1994.
She became a businesswoman in Mzuzu
, and was prominent in politics and church activities. She was a member of Church Action Relief Development, which assists the orphans of victims of HIV/AIDS, the Christian Service Committee, the Malawi Council of Churches and the Interdenominational Support Group for Prisoners.
met Rose Chibambo and honored her, naming a street in Mzuzu City after her.
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
Protectorate of Nyasaland
Nyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
in the years leading up to independence as the state of Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
in 1964, and immediately after. .
Rose Chibambo organized Malawian women in their political fight against the British as a political force to be reckoned with alongside their menfolk in the push for independence. She was imprisoned in 1959, while pregnant with her 5th child, along with other Malawians whom the Federal government felt were a threat to British rule. She gave birth while imprisoned and was not released till a year later. After Malawi gained independence, Rose Chibambo was the first woman minister in the new cabinet. When she fell out with Dr. Hastings Banda
Hastings Banda
Hastings Kamuzu Banda was the leader of Malawi and its predecessor state, Nyasaland, from 1961 to 1994. After receiving much of his education overseas, Banda returned to his home country to speak against colonialism and advocate for independence...
she was forced into exile for thirty years, returning after the restoration of democracy
Background
Rose Lomathinda Chibambo was born in Kafukule, Mzimba DistrictMzimba District
Mzimba is a district in the Northern Region of Malawi. The capital is Mzimba. The district covers an area of 10,430 km.² and has a population of 610,944.-Government:...
on September 8, 1928 when Nyasaland
Nyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
was still a protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
under British colonial rule.
In 1947, she married Edwin Chibambo, formerly a teacher and now a civil servant.
Her husband was the son of the Reverend Yesaya Chibambo, one of the first Africans in the protectorate to be ordained as a Christian minister. In 1948 her husband was posted to the Zomba Public Works department. She completed her secondary education at night school in Zomba in 1948 while pregnant with her first child. She had another child in 1951, and four more later. The youngest was born in 1961.
Nyasaland African Congress leader
In 1952, Rose became aware of Nyasaland African CongressNyasaland African Congress
The Nyasaland African Congress was an organization that evolved into a political party in Nyasaland during the colonial period. The NAC was suppressed in 1959, but was succeeded in 1960 by the Malawi Congress Party, which went to on decisively win the first universal suffrage elections in 1961,...
(NAC) politics during the controversy over the colonial government's plan to make Nyasaland part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation , was a semi-independent state in southern Africa that existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, comprising the former self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia,...
, which the NAC saw as a betrayal of the agreement by the government to put the interests of Africans first. She decided that women should be more involved in the struggle, and began to organize her friends in Zomba, mostly the wives of civil servants. Some issues were specific to women, such as the fact that in some stores women could only do their shopping through a wicket, and that elderly women were not examined in private in the hospitals, but in rooms filled with women of all ages.
She once stated: "[Y]ou know, we are the mothers. We are the ones who bring out children and these children are employed by Wenela [in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
] at that time. They go to Wenela and most of them die there. They don't come back alive. And then there's a lot of oppression. There's this thangata
Thangata
"Thangata" is the Congolese term for work without compensation. It was used during the Belgian colonization of the Congo when the Belgian colonists would frequently order native Congolese to do menial labor for no material gain....
and with that federation, unfortunately for them, that time, they had already started removing people in the areas where they thought it was best for Europeans or it was best for farming ... They wanted to make room for Europeans to settle. I said, you can see all these things. Now, we are being removed in our rural areas. We are being pushed here and there. And the women understood. They said, oh yes, then we must do something".
In 1953 Edwin Chibambo was transferred to Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
, according to Rose because of his political activities. Rose Chibambo joined the local NAC branch and was elected treasurer, the first woman to hold a senior position in the NAC. In Blantyre, she joined forces with Vera Chirwa
Vera Chirwa
Vera Mlangazua Chirwa is a Malawian born lawyer and human and civil rights activist. She was Malawi's first female lawyer and a founding member of the Malawi Congress Party. She fought for multiparty democratic rule in Malawi and was charged with treason, tried and sentenced to death by the...
to form the Nyasaland African Women's League, closely associated with the NAC.
Executives of the Women's League would select fabric from which they made matching outfits. The purpose was to show solidarity at public occasions, identifying members as a group.
She respected the moderate leaders of the NAC but thought some, including the President J.R.N. Chinyama, had been too cautious. In Chinyama's case this might be since he remembered his father's execution after the Chilembe
John Chilembwe
Reverend John Chilembwe was a Baptist educator and an early figure in resistance to colonialism in Nyasaland, now Malawi. Today John Chilembwe is celebrated as a hero for independence, and John Chilembwe Day is observed annually on January 15 in Malawi.-Early Life and Education:Chilembwe attended...
uprising of 1915. She rejected federation and in the later part of 1955 she was among those who called for the withdrawal of the NAC members Manowa Chirwa and Clement Kumbikano from the Federal parliament in Salisbury. At the 30 March 1956 annual general meeting in Blantyre the delegates from Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
supported her position on non-cooperation with the Federal government, although she had been pessimistic that they would be given a hearing.
In 1956, Rose Chibambo organized a group of women to protest when the NAC president James Frederick Sangala
James Frederick Sangala
James Frederick Sangala was a founding member of the Nyasaland African Congress during the period of British colonial rule.Sangala was given the nickname "Pyagusi", which means "one who perseveres"....
and secretary T.D.T. Banda were arrested for sedition. Her group was arrested and fined after they travelled by bus to the High Court in Zomba singing:
-
- "War! War! War today!
We are going to have war.
We don't want, we don't want, we don't want federation.
We want freedom today!"
- "War! War! War today!
In a 1999 interview, Rose described the use of song at the women's meetings. She said "In most cases, our singing, like in the woman's league, we would take some of the songs sung in the villages, then we put in political words to suit the occasion... There wasn't any particular person at that time, that this was the one who composed those songs for us to sing. No, it was just general singing. Just as we are here. You could start a song, and our songs in most cases, our African songs, they are traditional. They are not difficult to sing. We could easily pick it up, and then we would all sing". She was quite clear that singing and dancing was not the primary purpose of the women's meetings. She said "I had this feeling ... women should be part and parcel of the whole movement, even of running the country. Women should be involved in decision making. That was my aim".
Hastings Banda period
In July 1958, Dr. Hastings BandaHastings Banda
Hastings Kamuzu Banda was the leader of Malawi and its predecessor state, Nyasaland, from 1961 to 1994. After receiving much of his education overseas, Banda returned to his home country to speak against colonialism and advocate for independence...
was elected President of the Congress, and began to tour the country speaking out for independence. In 1958, Chibambo organized the League of Malawi Women. The group used the profits from a monopoly on the sale of millet beer to fund their activities. With growing tension between the NAC and the colonial authorities, in a January 1959 Congress meeting it was agreed that if Banda was arrested or deported a general strike would be called. Rose Chibambo would become a member of a four-person executive committee to conduct the affairs of the congress in Banda's absence.
On 3 March 1959, the governor Robert Armitage
Robert Perceval Armitage
Robert Perceval Armitage was a British colonial administrator who held senior positions in Kenya and the Gold Coast, and was Governor of Cyprus and then Nyasaland during the period when the former British colonies were gaining independence.-Early years:Armitage was born on 21 December 1906 in...
declared a state of emergency. Over the next 24 hours, almost all the MCP leaders were arrested.
In April 1959, Jet
Jet (magazine)
Jet is an American weekly marketed toward African-American readers, founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine reported: "The top woman leader of the outlawed African National Congress, Mrs. Rose Chibambo, 29, who was arrested after giving birth to her fifth child, has taken the infant with her to jail".
She had been allowed to remain at liberty until the child was born. The British later accepted that independence for Nysasaland was inevitable, and released Hastings Banda in March 1960.
Banda was appointed Life President of the Malawi Congress Party
Malawi Congress Party
The Malawi Congress Party is a political party in Malawi.It was the successor to the Nyasaland African Congress , which was banned in 1959.The MCP was founded by Hastings Banda and other NAC leaders in 1960....
(MCP), the successor to the NAC. The MCP swept the elections to the Legislative Council in 1961.
Rose Chibambo won the Mzimba South seat in the 1963 elections and was made Deputy Minister for Hospitals, Prisons and Social Welfare. On 1 February 1963, Nyasaland gained self-governance, and Banda was appointed Prime Minister. The country became independent as Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
in 1964. Elections to the National Assembly scheduled for May 1964 were dropped since the MCP was the only party to nominate candidates, and they took their seats unopposed.
Dismissal and later career
On 7 September 1964 there was a cabinet crisis in which Chibambo and others opposed Hastings Banda.Issues included Banda's decision to charge for health services and to move slowly in Africanization of the civil service. This was coupled with a general feeling that Banda was becoming increasingly autocratic. Chibambo was dismissed from the cabinet the next day. Banda declared that the rebel leaders were traitors to the state and threats to national security. Chibambo and the others were suspended from the party, which prevented them from attending party meetings and prevented members of the party from attending their meetings, giving Banda full control of the MCP. She and her husband faced constant harassment until they fled to Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
in 1965, where they faced the challenge of starting a new life.
Rose Chibambo returned to Malawi in 1994.
She became a businesswoman in Mzuzu
Mzuzu
Mzuzu is the capital of Malawi's Northern Region and is the third largest city, by population, in Malawi. The City has 128,432 residents plus 20,000 commuters with about 1.7 million people living around the outskirts of the city...
, and was prominent in politics and church activities. She was a member of Church Action Relief Development, which assists the orphans of victims of HIV/AIDS, the Christian Service Committee, the Malawi Council of Churches and the Interdenominational Support Group for Prisoners.
Legacy
In 2009 the Prime Minister Bingu wa MutharikaBingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika is a Malawi economist who is President of Malawi. He took office on 24 May 2004 after winning a disputed presidential election...
met Rose Chibambo and honored her, naming a street in Mzuzu City after her.