Mahatma Gandhi has no influence on Malawi, statue ‘mockery to sovereignty’ – Paper
A petition to stop Blantyre City Council (BCC) and the Indian Government from erecting a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian activist, at Ginnery Corner in Blantyre continues to dominate Malawi media and invoking “unnecessary emotions”.
The anti-Ghandi campaigners – who have todate mobilised about 3 000 signatures online – want the city council to take action and halt all work on the statue immediately.
They have threatened to hold protests if the city will not listen to the call to stop the construction.
As part of the detailed coverage in the leading daily newspaper The Nation carried editorial comment on the matter. titled “Mahatma Ghandi statue mockery to sovereignty.”
The paper question the terms of agreement between the governments of Malawi and India on the statue.
“Who signed on behalf of Malawians? Who authorised use of the public land for the Ghandi statue or bust as India High Commissioner [Suresh Kumar Menon] is putting it?” queries the paper.
It said there are scores of Malawian heroes as as African freedom fighters, including South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela who are much closer home and deserve such honour.
“Surely, Ghandi has no influence on the Malawi nation,” the paper pointed out, criticising Malawi government that it went “too far” by accepting the Indian Government conditionality to put the Ghandi memorial in such a prime area, without consulting the citizenry.
“Malawi is an independent sovereign State with own icons deserving such honour. If the Ghandi statue is a conditionality for the convention centre project, that is undermining the Malawian integrity and sovereignty,” reads the paper.
In the 1 300 word petition titled ‘Stop Erecting Racist Mahatma Gandhi’s Statue at Ginnery Corner’, anti-Ghandi campaigners states that as citizens of Malawi born out of black African descent, they were appalled with Blantyre City Council’s decision to erect Gandhi’s statue in Blantyre.
Reads the petition in part: “When it comes to Gandhi, we cannot deny that he is of historical importance to India and to the world as a symbol of activism. However, Gandhi has a questionable background and character for Malawi to honour him with a statue.”
Gandhi, a globally revered civil right activist, was born in India in 1869 and died in 1948, but literature published after his death has depicted him as a racist.
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Kutigulitsa kwa amwenyetu uku. kwinaku tiona amwenye akuvala nawo uniform za a police ndi asilikali. Mu parliament analiwa kale.
We don’t need statues we need development projects. Mahayana Gandhi, no doubt a powerful political figure for India…but not for Malawi
Please erect in that spot a statue of Masauko Chipembere , Chakufwa Chihana or Kanyama Chiume. These are relevant political figures for Malawi.
How many statues of Africans do they have in India? There are far more important British political figures who shaped the politics and development of Malawi. We should have thought about them. Not Mahatma Gandhi! Who is Mahatma Gandi in the politics of Malawi?
Sometimes Poverty makes someone stop thinking can Malawian in India do that? Malawi is worse as malawi our thinking is very sloppy
Dziko lomvetsa chisoni ndi lochititsa manyazi. This statue ibweretsa mavuto pa ubale was Malawi ndi India as people will protest and target its demolishing. Iyi ndi misala yoza kamba ka kuledzera ndi ndalama zakuba
I am at pains to understand the logic of BCC to erect a Statue of Mahatma Ghandi along the Highway and deliberately so close to the Muslim mosque or was it a coincidence. What kind of conditions are they, that in order for the Government of India to fund the building of a convention centre in Blantyre , they BCC must accept the erection of the statue at such a vantage point. Why didn’t they choose to erect the statue or bust as some smart arse wants to call it at the convention centre or better still call the convention centre Mahatma Ghandi convention.centre. You would discover that probably nobody was going to question such a rationale.Africans we will always play second fiddle. Why 54 years after Independence. We are a shame. OR WAS someone given something to chew. As is always the case with all Indian deals. Excuse I am not racist. It’s fact.
Put up the statue. I will throw white paint on it then dump some feces on it. The reason I’ll first paint it white is so that you can see the feces clearly.
Re-colonisation of Africa. In particular my motherland. Cry my beloved country. Cry. We have come so low that even India, I mean India can colonise us in this day, time and age. Truly a “shit-hole” country.
Za u Maliseche zeni zeni !!
let us continue as we did with kamuzu building the statue in Lilongwe and his graveyard, the mpumulo wabata and others as long as we feel it good for our nation.
i have noted concerns raised but one point I would like to point out is that probably we Malawians have failed to honour our heros as Indians are doing. I hop if we can learn a lesson from our friends and start erecting for our heros. I have seen such statues being erected in many countries but too they have their own heros. we should not espect india or any other nations to give us money to elect a statues for our heroes. it seems we want our devepment parters to assist on each and every issue. let be proud like our friends. we can also be allowed to erect one in india if Malawian government decides to do the same in india if we have the money like the statue of kamuzu. let us not confront Indians for electing a statue for their loved one because we have fialed to do so for heroes.
As Malawi was approaching its independence the Indian people were already independent there weren’t any India bound students on scholarships and any other form of training in the fields liberation skills which means throughout our history Gandhi is a remote figure. He has nothing to assist in appreciating our sovereignty. Moreover Malawi has a coterie of luminaries in our history some were demonized decampaigned by Kamuzu our dictator. We were third class people in our own nation the Barattiya Hindu never lifted their hand in defence of the Nyasa indigenes. What immediate material gains does Malawi get from erection of this strange artefact? Nelson Mandela has his place in South Africa why import his statue into Malawi. Malawi has adequate heroes from whom our people can learn and emulate their contributions
Mahatma Ghandi is reknowned for thinking that Indians are superior human beings than blacks. When he lived in South Africa, he said the under listed quote:
“Ours is our continued fight against a degradation sought to be inflicted upon us by Europeans who desire to degrade us to the level of KAFFIR whose occupation is hunting, whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife and then pass his life in indolence and nakedness.”
This is why our brothers and sisters in Ghana protested that no Mahtma Ghandi statue should be erected in Accra because the Euroasian was dam racist.Why should we tolerate putting statues of a racist in our country.
we have ours like Chakufwa chihana………
Unlike our own African heroes,he never fought for blacks,calling them insolent and was against settling them close to Indian communities.Is that not racism?Let India put Chilembwe,Kamuzu,Mandela statues in Dehli first.
inu azapanga statue uyu wabino. banji mupanga zimenezi
Wabino meaning what? lipo Malawi anadya Ghandi statute omewo? Tenga statute ika kwanu India haa.
Why not erect one of Kamuzu or Chilembwe. Typical of the DPP
NOT Kamuzu, please.
True,Kamuzu freed us from colonialism only to bring in a system worse than what he had fought.Not Kamuzu.I do not think he apologised for doing right.Chilembwe,Chihana,Chipembere,Silombela,Chisiza and many others who lost their lives or were at Dzaleka rotting.We have so many
We have so many people to celebrate in Malawi such as John Chilembwe, Kamuzu etc. we do not need one Indian man somewhere…. even if we were to consider that we have people like Mandera, Kenyatta and others. Please Malawians let’s not accept this to happen!!!!
Meanwhile Malawi Govt has agreed with India to erect a John Chilembwe statue in Mumbai .KKKKKKKKKK
Why did the BCC cut down trees that have been there for decades? In Blantyre there is not even a statue of John Chilembwe. Gandhi NEVER mentioned Malawi or Nyasaland. That spineless CEO sitting at BCC should go. This is pathetic. Is there a statue of ANY of a Malawian In Bombay?
Is Malawi a sovereign state? Do Malawians recognise fellow Malawians of Africans apart from naming them in Road projects? Wakwiya akagumule afterall enafe sitimachiona
Malawi ndi panja penipeni bolanso chimbuzi chokumba sure! Whether you are funding it or not what does this gandhi to do with malawians? What is the meaning of the statue? If those indians wants to see it why cant they be allowed to elect it in their yards? Too much corruption wina wadya zammanja
We need good hospitals, schools, infrastructure, access to clean water, NOT STATUES PLEASE!!!! Our priorities are soooooo messed up !!!!
mukufuna inda ikumangileni a Malawi munakhala bwanji? basi kukacha kukhalila kupempha mpaka azungu atopa nanu ngani neba wokhalira kupempha nchele ndi soda yemwe amakutopesani
Akayika mwamakani ife tikachichotsa ndi usiku akachipeza chi Ghandi chaocho chili chitangona mu highway
But brother, you must let me shit on it first before you remove it. Ndikaikepo manyi basi pa statue please
Pride will not take us anywhere. Munthu wabwinobwino amatha Kupanga uhule olo kuphika kachasu kuti apeze fees yamwana nde mukuti chani?
Did you expect the India govt to construct Mandela or Chilembwe statue in Malawi? When was Malawi denied to Construct your Chilembwe or Kamuzu statue in India?
Why are we Africans including Malawians such a racist race as all being mentioned as fit to be put there are black people.
These Malawians of Indian decent we always redicule have also sacrificed for this nation too. Do you know that the railway line from Beira to Limbe was constructed by Indian slaves but have you heard say anything?
Read about Gandhi first and you will know how he hated blacks.Indian Malawians are our brothers but not Gandhi.Slaves are not willing workers,you should have said volunteers,maybe
true . we need to think about the positive side….
Che Wanimiliyoni mwadya za amwenye kagwereni uko. The day amwenyewa azayambe kutilola kukwata their daughters, that’s the day we will stop being racist to them. Basopu!
Where does this come up from?? What has it got to do with blacks getting married to amwenye??! Getting married is someones personal choice not yours!!
If they don’t wanna get married to you..why is your arse burning?! Hmm.. just because the mwenye boys get married to the Malawian girls here.. well you must stop your Sisters then!!
Seems you’ve never stepped out of Malawi, around the world i have met couples ” black and Indian” happily married. Have you ever asked yourself why?? A person with a narrow mind as you will never understand!
I’m a mwenye and Malawian, was born here.. 4th generation here!!!!
Regarding Uganda, Indians were chased right, what happened after that, they started calling back the Indians to start up fresh! I have lived there aswel!
As you say mwenyes ill treat the locals, really !! Keep in mind not all five fingers are the same!! I am running a big firm, alot of local Malawians and afew expatriates work for me and every second day the workers are caught stealing despite being given an excellent salary package, so will it be right for me to say all Malawians are thieves??! No because i have so many Honest employees too.
Not only that i grew up with Malawians and my best friend is a Malawian.!
Its high time you pull your head out of your Arse and start thinking straight!!!
YES I AM A MWENYE AND I’M MALAWIAN.
Bless Malawi.
So you think that’s enough justification for “Gandhi statute in Malawi”? This is big time thinking like a chicken……………………………………!!
No sense at all why here even the mwenyes are ill treating malawians day in day out . Ndiye ndi chitipindulira chiyani ife akaike kwao
Much ado about nothing.
Shree Hindu madness in the midst of our suffering by corrupt thieving Indians..Take that stupid half naked racist to your Hindu temple ,I will uproot it and shove it inside Kumar’s arse…mwatitola kwambiri amwenye..You have given me an extra reason to hate you more and a good reason not to vote for this clueless American teacher..MXiii..We should Idi Amini all Indians before we run out of space
We have crazy political characters in Malawi, who go to India and sign these crazy ideas after being peppered down with Indian chillies. Somebody must be responsible for this, and for the City of Blantyre to accent to this? I see corruption at a very grand scale.
Wina anamuika tsabola ku maliseche ndekuti.
kodi mukuti zimenezi zachokera pati?wat does malawi hs to do with gandi?mufuna mungotibweretsera matsoka mdziko mwathu the other side tiziona cha ku india the otherside chi building chinanso chosakhala bwino nde tizidandaula malawi sikuenda bwino mukubweletsa milungu yoipa muno,,hiyaaaa chisamangidwe chimenecho akachiike kwaoko if its aid apite nayo
But which human being does not have questionable character to deserve a statue. Kamuzu, Chilembwe Mandela, Martin Luther King, etc. all had “questionable” characters. I don’t support the statue but I don’t buy the arguments.
Dziko ndi wanu statue ndi wathu
Kikikikiki
No statue. No Conference Center or Cultural Centre. No Upgrading of Road. Please we other priorities right now, don’t send us into the streets.