Chakufwa Chihana

Chakufwa Chihana (23 April 1939 – 12 June 2006) was a Malawia human rights activist, pro-democracy advocate, trade unionist and later, politician. He served as the Second Vice President in Malawi. He is credited as the 'father of Malawian democracy' in Malawi. He was the leader of Malawi's first underground political movement that pressed dictator and President Kamuzu Banda to call for a referendum on political pluralism. He was the first person to also openly challenge Banda's rule. He was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1992.

Early Life & Career

Chihana was born in Mhuju Village, Kawiluwilu, in the Northern Region of Nyasaland,(Colonial Malawi). His father died when he was young and he was raised by his mother, an activist for local women. After secondary school, he worked for the colonial government and became active in the 4000-strong Commercial General Union, a Trade Union. In 1958, he became the union's publicity secretary and magazine editor. The following year, aged 21, he was made secretary-general of the Trade Union. He was active in campaigns involving Malawi Railways and the Imperial Tobacco group. He studied at Oslo and Dubrovnik universities and received a Masters in Politics at Bradford University. He worked as a lecturer at the University of Botswana. In 1985, he became a co-founder and secretary- general of the Southern Africa trade union coordinating council.

Political Activism

Anti Colonial Struggle

Chihana joined the Malawi Congress party (MCP) that was spearheading the anti-federation(Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland) anti-colonial British rule in Nyasaland. By the end of 1963 the federation had collapsed and Kamuzu Banda was prime minister of the newly independent Malawi. As Banda began to consolidate his power after his presidency, Chihana continued to be pro independent trade unions and pro-democray and as a result Chihana was dismissed from the MCP. He was ordered in to internal exile and assaulted. He escaped secretly in to Kenya, through help of a Roman Catholic Priest. He continued to criticize Kamuzu Banda in Kenya while working as an adviser to the Kenya Federation of Labour.

Political Exile & Arrest

He was a dissident during the rule of President Hastings Banda and consequently spent much of the 1970s and 1980s either in detention or in exile.As a trade union leader and pro-democracy activist, Chihana was detained upon his abduction and subsequent return from exile from Kenya in 1970. During his seven year sentence he was tortured, including five years spent in solitary confinement. He was released in 1977 as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience but continued to protest against one party rule.

Work with SATUCC

He continued to work with Trade Unions in Southern Africa and by 1985, he became the co-founder and secretary- general of the Southern Africa trade union coordinating council.

Second Exile & Arrest

In 1992, he returned to Malawi after his exile and was arrested and sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labor for sedition. He was released on June 13, June 1993 on the day before of Malawi's referendum to decide on multi-party rule in part due to the US vice president, Al Gore, who had summoned the Malawian ambassador to the White House to protest at his detention and call for the introduction of democracy. In the referendum, Malawians overwhelmingly voted for a multi-party political system.

Through his efforts with the Alliance for Democracy, he was instrumental in Banda's agreement to a referendum, held on 17 June 1993, in which one-party rule was decisively rejected. He openly challenged Banda's dictatorship and Chihana was quoted to have said that, "democracy is irreversible now in Malawi. We are going to have a new Malawi, and no one can stop the change." in the follow up to the elections.

Rise of Political Parties and Foundation of AFORD

He was the founder and leader of the political movement Alliance for Democracy which became a political party once it became legal to establish political parties in Malawi. Other parties formed then as well including Bakili Muluzi's United Democratic Front (UDF). In the ensuing general election Banda's party, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), lost power to Bakili Muluzi's United Democratic Front (UDF), with Chihana's new political party, the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), placed third. Ironically, in spite of Chihana's prominence as the leader of democracy in Malawi, the leader lost elections to the charismatic Bakili Muluzi who had been living outside of the country. Muluzi became the first democratically elected president of Malawi but appointed Chihana as the Second Vice President under his administration.

Political career

Chihana served as Vice-President under President Bakili Muluzi from 1994 to 1996 and again from 2003 to 2004.

Legacy and Death

He died after a brain tumor operation in Johannesburg, South Africa at the age of 67. He received a state funeral upon his death in 2006. He is survived by his wife Christina Chihana, son Enoch Chihana and two daughters.

He died in Johannesburg, South Africa on 12 June 2006.

Awards

• Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award - 1992

External links

• Nation obituary
• Scotsman obituary