HASTINGS KAMUZU BANDA and the MARGINALIZATION of WOMEN in MALAWI, 1964-1994 by Patrick Enso
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ABSTRACT THE INVENTED TRADITION: HASTINGS KAMUZU BANDA AND THE MARGINALIZATION OF WOMEN IN MALAWI, 1964-1994 by Patrick Enson Mwanjawala This study examines how President Banda controlled women of Malawi and manipulated their powers to create and sustain one man’s political institution, which lasted for 30 years. Banda invented a tradition that exploited women’s power to build and maintain an image of himself as a heroic figure. The study addresses the following questions: What defined Banda’s invented tradition? How did Banda invent a tradition? How did the invented tradition minimize women’s political power? The data from the Malawi National Archives, Indiana University archives and the Pro-Quest newspapers display that: President Banda adopted kingship style of leadership from pre-colonial Africa. He also adopted the Scottish church leadership, which referred to the biblical principles of the Old Testament in addressing the question of female rule. Banda invented Malawi’s tradition by combining the two leadership systems. These two systems inserted male dominance in the tradition of Banda, which later facilitated the marginalization of women’s power politically, socially, and economically. For 30 years of his reign, women became worshipers and supporters of Banda and very few male politicians. They danced and praised Banda merely for his presence until the 1990s. Women in 1992, however, challenged the very same image they supported for years. THE INVENTED TRADITION: HASTINGS KAMUZU BANDA AND THE MARGINALIZATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS, 1964-1994 Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Patrick Enson Mwanjawala Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2020 Advisor: Dr. Nishani Frazier Reader: Dr Andrew Offenburger Reader: Dr. Naaborle Sackeyfio ©2020 Patrick Enson Mwanjawala This Thesis titled THE INVENTED TRADITION: HASTINGS KAMUZU BANDA AND THE MARGINALIZATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICS, 1964-1994 by Patrick Enson Mwanjawala has been approved for publication by The College of Arts and Science and Department of History ______________________________ Nishani Frazier ______________________________________________________ Andrew Offenburger _______________________________________________________ Naaborle Sackeyfio Table of Contents Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………..i List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………..iii Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………iv Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………...v Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..1 1.1 Theoretical Framework………………………………………………………………….4 1.2 Research Methodologies…………………………………………………………………7 1.3 Chapter Breakdown…………………………………………………………………….9 Chapter One:…………………………………………………………………………………..12 The History of Women’s Power in Malawi…………………………………………………..12 2.1 Matrilinealinity and Women’s Power in the Pre-colonial Era…………………………...13 2.2 Women and Colonialism in Malawi, 1891-196………………………………………….17 2.2.1 Colonial Capitalism and Women………………………………………………………17 2.2.2 Labor migration and Gendered divisions………………………………………………19 2.2.3. Colonial education and Gendered division……………………………………………21 2.2.4. The First World War and Gendered difference………………………………………..22 2.2.5. Christianity versus Women’s Power…………………………………………………..24 Chapter Two:…………………………………………………………………………………. 28 Banda’s Invented Tradition…………………………………………………………………..28 3.1. Restoration of the Old African Institutions and Invention of tradition………………….28 3.1.1 Restoring African Past………………………………………………………………….28 3.1.2 Banda and the Road to Independence………………………………………………….31 3.1.3 The Restoration of Malawi and the invention of tradition……………………………..34 3.2. The Scottish Church Leadership and Invention of Malawi’s Tradition…………………44 Chapter Three………………………………………………………………………………….47 The Invented Tradition and Women in Malawi……………………………………………..47 4.1. Women as Political Tools………………………………………………………………..50 4.1. 1 Performative Arts: Singing and Dancing……………………………………………...50 4.1.2 Spies: Ears and Eyes of Banda…………………………………………………………54 4.1.3 Appointment……………………………………………………………………………56 4.2. Women’s Political “Benefits”…………………………………………………………...58 i 4.2.1 Free Air trip…………………………………………………………………………….58 4.2.2 Free Hospital Charges………………………………………………………………….60 4.2.3 Catering Schools……………………………………………………………………….61 4.3 Benefits Not Real………………………………………………………………………...62 4.3.1 Empowerment vs Women’s Limited Power…………………………………………...62 4.3.2 Protection……………………………………………………………………………….63 Conclusion:……………………………………………………………………………………..66 The Resurrection of the Women’s Power……………………………………………………66 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………72 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………..84 ii List of Figures Fig 1. Banda received full promise of loyalty. Fig. 2. Loyalty to Banda. Fig. 3. Women dancing. Fig. 4. Alice Ntholo appointed as Deputy Minister of Agriculture. Fig. 5. Officials of the Malawi Women’s League in Wales. Fig. 6. Banda visited Queens Elizabeth Hospital. Fig. 7. Women at catering schools. iii Dedication To my Parents and Marilouise Petersen iv Acknowledgements This thesis went through the hands of individuals with different capacities. As such, I am deeply grateful to acknowledge them all. Firstly, I give thanks to my advisor Nishani Frazier and research committee members; Andrew Offenburger, and Naaborle Sackeyfio for their insights that brought this thesis to completion. Their guidance and support helped finetune my research work to reach this far. Dr. Osaak Ollumwullah, the former advisor, also deserves special recognition for his guidance and constructive criticism that greatly shaped the picture of my thesis before his retirement. I humbly acknowledge Marilouise Petersen for her support and encouragement in my academic journey. She maintained her support in every situation. This product also owes debts to Lisa Gilman. She personally spared her time, despite her busy schedule, to provide mentorship that built confidence in me. She shared her published and unpublished materials that greatly channeled this work to a specific direction. I record my gratitude to members of the Malawi National Archives in Zomba for allowing me to review archived materials that enriched this thesis. On the same note, I also extend my gratitude to every individual who assisted me in the course of data collection in Malawi. Special thanks to Kondwani Kamanga for the research assistance in the northern region of Malawi. Lastly, I give thanks to friends and family here in the US and in Malawi. v Introduction This study examines how President Hastings Kamuzu Banda controlled women and manipulated their powers in the post-colonial Malawi, 1964- 1994. Malawi, a Pennsylvania like- country, occupies the space in the Southeastern part of Sub-Saharan Africa. It borders Tanzania to the northeast, Zambia to the west and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. This country, formerly named Nyasaland, became the target of European colonialism like other African countries. Europeans launched colonialism in Africa in the 19th century following the Berlin conference of 1884-1885. In this conference, major countries such as Britain, Germany, the superpower of that time, Italy, France, and Portugal partitioned Africa to meet their social- economic interest. 1 Germany, Britain, and France shared most of the territories in Africa, leaving few under the sovereignty of Portugal and Belgium. Specifically, the British government colonized an extended space in the North and South-East of Africa while France dwelled largely in the West of the continent. As a southeastern territory, Malawi, therefore, became the British protectorate in 1891. For the next 70 years, the people of Malawi operated under British colonial rule. In 1964, however, the British colonial authority granted independence to Malawi under the rulership of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who exercised the one-party system until 1994. For 30 years, Banda manipulated women’s power to sustain his authority. 2 Hastings Kamuzu Banda invented a tradition that exploited women’s power to build and maintain an image of himself as a heroic figure, which became an object of praise throughout the one-party system. The concept of tradition refers to repetitive activities that depict past life. 3 People adopt the practices of their ancestors, which become part of their identity. The frequent observation of the past practices leads to a specified definition of their tradition. For example, some people uphold the consumption of their ancestors’ food products. Such an act convinces them to consider the 1 J.B. Ramage. “The Partition of Africa.” The Sewanee Review 7, no.2. (1899): 221. www.jstor.org/stable/2758042. 2 Matriarchal powers refer to the influence that women possessed in determining the future of their societies. It originated from the matrilineal system existed in specific groups of people in central and southern Malawi extending to other tribes in Mozambique, Zambia and Kenya. The matrilineal system traced its lineage from the female line and through this way, it added authority to the female population. Women in this system held influential positions which qualified them to participate in decision- making process regarding the future of their societies. They acted as female chiefs, senior queens, chief-priestess and advisors in chief. See works by Jessica Johnson. “Matriliny” the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology. (eds) F-Stein, S. Lazar, M. Candea, H. Diemberger, J. Robbins, A. Sanchez & R. Sasch. (2016). 1-2. http://doi.org/10.29164/16matriliny.