We are in Kasungu, join us
We are in Kasungu. In case you forgot, Kasungu is the home Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Malawi’s founding president, the first life president of Malawi, the first life president but second president of the once mighty Malawi Congress Party, the first chancellor of the University of Malawi,the founder of the Kamuzu Academy, the first destroyer of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and first unmarried president in Africa.
Kamuzu Banda was above all, the first and only Ngwazi and very proud of his Chewa ancestry and his Kasungu home. The other district Kamuzu fondly talk about was Nkhata Bay. Up to now we don’t know why. Kasungu is also home to no lesser mortals such as chief Kaomba who replaced Chief Mwase, Gogo Jenala, Katola Phiri, Aaron Gadama, Jumani Kamuzu Banda, journalists, tobacco farmers, and Kazombo Mwale. Yes, Kasungu is also home to one of the most talented Nyau performers, Gule wachokera kwa Njombwa.
Kasungu also gave birth to some of the best and most courageous Malawian writers, Onjezerani Kenani and Joji Kasakule.
In case you did not know. It was in Kasungu that Kamuzu was expelled from school allegedly for cheating during exams, which might explain why he grew to loathe the Livingstonia Synod until he died.
Before 1994, Kasungu was as feared as Dedza was because in these two districts, even the grass could hear and report you to the aging Malawi Youth League and Malawi Young Pioneers, the police, and the party Orton Chirwa and his colleagues founded and registered while Kamuzu was in jail. Even today, politicians have to come here, literally to seek the support of Kamuzu’s spirit for them to win elections. Muluzi has been here, Mutharika was here, Joyce Banda was here, Chakwera was here, and we are here.
Kasungu provides evidence that despite his political terrorism, Kamuzu did not necessarily favour his home district at the expense of other districts. Unlike kaNgwazi, the Ngwazi tried to please every district, except districts such as Nkhata Bay, Rumphi and Karonga, which produced the largest number of Kamuzu’s real and perceived enemies and rebels. If you went to the remote areas of Kasungu 25 years ago, you saw nothing that distinguished it from rural Mangochi or Machinga, Zomba, Mzimba or Nsanje. The same is true today.
We have elected to be here because this is a nice place. We like the expansive flatlands, light-blue hills, and the scenic greenery that the tobacco crop offers during this time of the year. We are here so that we visit Chatoloma, Chisemphere, Kamuzu Academy, and the Nkhotakota National Park. We plan follow the Bua River through the Nkhotakota National Park, home of marauding lions, gigantic elephants, Ntchira and Mpasa. We will also go KwaChulu and the Kasungu National Park. We will also visit Chiwengo village to find out why Jumani Kamuzu Banda was deported from his fatherland.
We will be lodged at Kasungu Inn, one of the sturdy places Kamuzu Banda built across the nation to promote tourism. Other inns were and still are at Chinthechi and Chitipa among other strategic locations. We are lodged here, at Kasungu Inn, because, in case our all wheel all-terrain vehicle, the VW Amailoko, develops a fault we can easily jump into Account Number’s Coach, which predictably comes here from Mpoto and Blantyre through Cashgate City. We will be here at Kasungu Inn because we do not want to support cashgate related businesses.
We arrived here last Monday, but since yesterday, Sheikh Jean-Philippe LePoisson, SC (retired) and our leader of delegation and expedition, Abiti Joyce Befu also known as MG 33, have not been on talking terms.
We have tried to reconcile them. We have failed. Even the Inn keeper has failed.
“Unechidempete? Chitsilu chotheratu? Chindele chakufikapo? Me? Thanks to Kaliyati’s marriage and sex law, no man will exploit any woman. You associate with me you marry me by repute or association or whatever Kaliyati’s law provides,” MG 33 shouted.
“But I don’t love you!”Jean-Philippe said, exasperatedly.
“Love? What’s love got to do with marriage? We have associated for over two years and by repute we are legally married. Mbiribasi, banja lakwana! Clear, mister playboy?” MG 33 challenged.
