Unity Is Not Conformity—Celebrating Diversity Of Chilima’s Two Separate Memorials

Two separate locations. Two different expressions of grief. But one powerful, unbreakable message: love, unity, and healing.

On the first anniversary of the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others, Malawi stood still in solemn remembrance. From the misty hills of Viphya Plantation to the sacred grounds of Nsipe Parish in Ntcheu, the nation came together—though not in one place, certainly in one spirit.

There were two memorial events, and yet no contradiction. No competition. No confusion. Just different rhythms of the same aching heartbeat.

At Lunjika Turn-off in Mzimba, President Lazarus Chakwera stood under heavy skies near the very site where the military plane carrying the Vice-President and others met its cruel end. For the first time since the crash, he walked those haunted grounds, laying wreaths with the grace and sorrow of a leader bearing the grief of a nation. He spoke not only to mourners, but to the soul of a country that is still learning how to grieve, how to remember, and how to move forward.

“This is about respecting the lives of the departed,” the President said. “It brings special comfort to the bereaved families.”

Then, miles away in Chilima’s hometown of Nsipe, the air was thick with remembrance, reverence, and tears. The Catholic parish where he was laid to rest became a sacred sanctuary for family, close friends, and many who saw him not just as a politician, but as one of their own. The Eucharist became a balm for broken hearts; tears flowed freely, especially from his wife Mary and son Sean. And in a touching moment of innocence and strength, it was Chilima’s youngest daughter, Elizabeth, who held them both, silently reminding the country what resilience looks like.

Some might have asked: why two memorials?

But that question misses the point entirely.

Unity was not betrayed by having two separate ceremonies. It was, in fact, affirmed. Because unity is not conformity. True unity isn’t everyone standing in one place, saying the same words, at the same time. True unity is a shared heartbeat across distance. It’s honoring the same spirit in different ways. It’s mourning in your own tongue, on your own terms, yet echoing the same cry of loss and love.

What happened on June 10, 2024, was a national tragedy—one of the darkest chapters in recent memory. It took away leaders, servants, and patriots. The crash didn’t discriminate; neither should our remembrance.

In both Mzimba and Nsipe, speakers recalled the late Chilima’s character: a man of conviction, a servant leader, a patriot who believed in peace, unity, and hard work. Bishop Yohane Nyirenda called him “a beacon of youthful energy,” while his sister, Tiwonge Phiri, urged Malawians to live by the values he embodied. “Let’s continue doing what he was doing, including charity work,” she said with unwavering sincerity.

Minister of Local Government Richard Chimwendo Banda spoke of plans to erect a national monument at the crash site. A place not only of remembrance, but of learning—for this generation and those to come. “It will inspire future leaders,” he said. “It will remind duty bearers to prepare, to plan, to act.”

At both sites, the sermons hit the same note: the tragedy was not just about loss, but about legacy. What will we do with the lessons they left behind? How do we live lives worthy of those we have lost?

Chilima’s legacy cannot be confined to a single location. It lives on in the prayers at Lunjika, in the songs at Nsipe, in the naming of a road, in the lighting of candles, and in the resolve of every Malawian who chooses unity over division, love over bitterness, and progress over paralysis.

Former Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe put it simply, “Attention to detail was his middle name. If we are going to honour SKC, let’s do that.”

Indeed. Let us not be distracted by the superficial differences. Let us not think that love expressed in two places is any less true. In fact, it’s more complete. Because this is Malawi—a tapestry of tribes, tongues, traditions and truths. And that is our strength, not our shame.

Unity is not conformity. It never was. And on this difficult but important anniversary, we remembered Saulos Chilima and his fellow heroes exactly how they would have wanted: together, even if apart.

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