Undule: Chilembwe and Sauka families suffering, honour Malawi heroes

Many Malawians have inspired and energized me, great sons and daughters of the land who sacrificed for the sake of the progress, unity and peace we are enjoying today. The likes of John Chilembwe, Michael Sauka, Henry Chipembere, Attati Mpakati, Dudunzu and Yatuta Chisiza, Lutegano Mwahimba, Alan Namoko, Bakili Muluzi, Chakufwa Chihana, Kamuzu Banda minus his human rights side and many others have been my inspiration for their great contributions to our nation.

John Chilembwe descendants with the so called house.
John Chilembwe descendants with the so called house.
Micheal Sauka Tombstone built by sympathisers.
Micheal Sauka Tombstone built by sympathisers.

The question I have always asked is how do we honour these former champions? I know this will be a point of debate. But why I am saying this. Few years ago I tried to trace the descendants of two great Malawians John Chilembwe and Michael Sauka.T his took me to Zomba and Balaka where I met the descendants and families of John Chilembwe and Michael Sauka.

My interest in the two Malawians is unquestionable. Chilembwe is the talk of Malawi, he is on our bank notes and has his special day to remember him.

For Michael Sauka I don’t know how I can describe him because his composition which is the National Anthem is sung thousands times every day in our schools, on national events, radios and TVs. Unfortuntely it seems people know more of Anthem than the man behind it.

One interest thing about the National Anthem is that what Michal Sauka prophesied is the character of Malawi and Malawians. Poverty, hunger, disease, hate, anger, jealous, evny all these are the orders of the day.

Malawians are always angry and bitter, everwhere you see faces of vengeance, their language is if I don’t have it nobody else shouldnt have it, definitely I will give you problems. To me Michael Sauka was just another unsung Prophet. May His Soul Rest in Peace.

The most unfortunate and sad things is that the nation has never been interested in tracing the descendants or families of the two great Malawians .I have never heard anywhere whether at a rally or any national event or meeting talking about John Chilembwe descendants and yet they live a miserable poor life somewhere in Zomba.

And for Michael Sauka it’s sad that while his composition is sung everyday and night nationally nobody cared building him a tombstone until two Malawians built him as an honour.

My question is how can we have John Chilembwe day, his face on bank notes, being taught in schools and yet we can’t have interest in tracing his roots? I admire this man ,how can someone in those years challenge the British? Nobody dared do that to the British Empire but we had our own John Chilembwe. He was just a rare breed missing in this modern generation as our current generation is full of traitors, pretenders , fear of sacrificing nd just waiting to enjoy the sweat of others.

Honestly if we are to genuinely honour our great sons and daughters then we need to do more than just the lip service or paper work. Just holding traditional national events, teach history about them, sing the national anthem daily while their descendants and families are in dire poverty is an insult to their national contribution.

Let the nation have a direction on how to honour former champions!

  • Undule Mwakasungula, the former director of Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and now a human rights columnist on Nyasa Times

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nick
nick
8 years ago

Yes, Undule. Malawi needs a sense of its own history but you are wrong to search for heroes. No-one will agree with your choice. People sometimes do heroic THINGS (thank God) but HEROES don’t exist in real life!
A History of Modern Malawi, which is constantly revised by impartial scholars in the face of new evidence, is the great need in Malawi.

ndadabwa
8 years ago

a makonyola ndimu a chitsiru nchito yanu kunena mabodza mu ofesi . galu iwe

Petrozee
Petrozee
8 years ago

Aliyense adzadya thukutha lake. Ngati ali aulesi let them rot in their goddammed poverty. MOre over their forefathers led us to this misery we are facing nowlike cashgate, bad leaders, at least azungu adali ndi integrity tidakangoasiya azitilamulira ndikukhala part ya Great Britain osati Malawi ya moto where every leader in the past has been stealing our coffers and lave us poorer than the previus government.

Petrozee
Petrozee
8 years ago

Aliyense adzadya thukutha lake. Ngati ali aulesi let them rot in their goddammed poverty

Mapwevupwevu
Mapwevupwevu
8 years ago

I think Undule akudwala!

Then we should also pay for Dossi and Gwanda for their laziness?

Chipapwuche
Chipapwuche
8 years ago

I consider the “sense” Undule has presented here lacking sense. Why Why should the government pay the descendants for the contributions of their forefathers? Chilembwe and Sauka were honored and we can’t afford to keep honoring them down to descendants. When Sauka composed the song,we are aware there was a competition and his emerged the best? Did he get anything? What are the descendants doing to earn a living? As for Chilembwe,I wouldn’t join those that argue that he made no contribution but rather ask for details on what he exactly did to earn our recognition. We have his face… Read more »

joke
joke
8 years ago

The descendants have responsiblity to emulate from their hero and continue living the legacy by hard work to improve their lives just as their forefathers

Honourable Chanamuna
Honourable Chanamuna
8 years ago

Kodi mmesa munthu akakuika face yako pa ndalama umalandira ka ngachepe? I thought azibale a nijoh anawapatsa kena kake kkkkkk ku SA Mandela ali pa ZAR and adadyapo ka ngachepe just to say thank u

ndugumvwinya
ndugumvwinya
8 years ago

this is promoting laziness

Keen Observer
8 years ago

I don’t need to read the whole story, just the headline brings the whole me in agreement. I think Mr Undule, you have brought a very good subject & I urge you to do a follow up story hence you have got a platform . I think it will also be a very good idea if you to take this story alone to the print meadia as well as the radios & TV stations. The sight of the Chilembwes with the so called house as you have correctly put is disgusting. Someone whose face is on our money, really? I… Read more »

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