DHAXALREEBHIBF2014program

On MalawiIt was a British colony from about 1893 to 1964, and it was called Nyasaland. During this period,Christian missionaries established churches and schools and, in some cases, hospitals in the country.Malawi also has a Muslim population, about 10% of the total population. Islam came through tradeand cultural contacts with the East African coast. The country became independent in 1964 and arepublic in 1966 under the leadership of Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda and his Malawi Congress Party.Dr Banda ruled Malawi as a one-party dictatorship until 1994. Following massive protests fromMalawians and pressure from the international community, Banda agreed to hold a national referendumon the one party-state in 1993, in which Malawians voted overwhelmingly for multiparty democracy.The following year, multiparty elections were held and Banda lost to Bakili Muluzi and his United Democratic Front (UDF). Theelection of Muluzi was particularly significant for the fact, although Malawi is predominantly Christian, Muluzi who is a Muslimwon, suggesting that religion was not a major factor in Malawian politics.Muluzi run the country until 2004 when he stepped down after unsuccessfullytrying to change the constitution so that he could run for an extra term. Hisattempt to change the constitution was opposed strongly by Malawians andthe international community. He handpicked Dr Bingu wa Mutharika tosucceed him and the latter won the 2004 elections, but soon Mutharikafell out with his predecessor and then formed his own party, theDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP). He won the second term in 2009,but died in office in 2012 and was succeeded by the Vice-President,Mrs Joyce Banda, who is the current President of Malawi. She isthe first Malawian woman President and second woman Presidentin Africa. As Mutharika had expelled her from his party, sheascended to the presidency as leader of her own party, the People’s Party(PP) rather than that of the deceased President, which complicated matters greatly initially.Maanso 1 Mpalive Msiska TROPICSMpalive MsiskaTROPICSPoems2014Maanso 1Despite some tension, the transition from Mutharika to Banda was peaceful. The next general electionswill be in May 2014 and the contest for the Presidency is quite stiff. Although, there are still majoreconomic, social and even political problems in the country, Malawi seems to have managed to sustainits multiparty democracy for almost twenty years now. It is largely a peaceful country which is alsohome to Africans from other countries, such as Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo,Nigeria and Zimbabwe, among others.REDSEA-ONLINE.COMWritten by Mpalive-Hangson MsiskaIn 2015, Nigeria will be the Hargeysa International Book Fair Guest Country of the Year!06