MALAWI’S MINISTER OF LABOUR ENG. VITUMBIKO MUMBA IS VISITING JAMAICA. HE IS ACCOMPANIED BY REGGAE AND DANCEHALL ARTISTS FROM MALAWI NAMELY BORN AFRIKAN AND ANNIE MATUMBI.
LOST HISTORY FOUNDATION HAS WRITTEN A LETTER TO THE HON. MINISTER:
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Dear Honorable Minister, Eng. Vitumbiko Mumba,
We hope this note finds you well as you are enjoying your visit to the Island of Jamaica. As you engage with government officials, artists, and the media, we wish to share some historical connections between Malawi and Jamaica that may enrich your discussions and foster deeper understanding between our two countries.
The historical ties between Malawi and Jamaica may trace back to the time of John Chilembwe and the 1915 Nyasaland Uprising. A British man called Robert Ryall Grant, served as Chief Justice in Nyasaland during this period. He presided over cases involving John Chilembwe’s lieutenants, sentencing some to death for treason and others for sedition. Ryall Grant was later transferred to Jamaica, where in March 1934, as Chief Justice, he presided over a sedition case against Leonard Howell, the first person in the world to identify himself as a Rastafarian.
Additionally, Marcus Garvey, Jamaica’s National Hero, and his followers drew inspiration from the Nyasaland Uprising of 1915. John Chilembwe’s resistance to colonial oppression resonated deeply with Garvey’s movement.
In turn, Garvey’s philosophy and activism inspired the struggle against colonialism in Nyasaland. Notably, some founding members of the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC), such as Issa Lawrence McDonald and George Mwase, were Garveyites. The NAC, established in 1944, eventually metamorphosed into the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) in 1959—the very party where you recently vied for the position of Vice President during its convention in August 2024.
The Malawi Congress Party and the Republic of Malawi adopted the colors of the Pan-African flag to represent both the party and the republic. This pan African flag was adopted by Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in August 1920 in New York at its convention. This enduring legacy symbolizes the shared heritage and ideological solidarity between the two countries.
Another significant connection occurred in October 1997 when Malawi welcomed Jamaican reggae artists for the first time during the Reggae Unite Africa Tour. Organized by Jamaican entrepreneur Ras Bob Morgan, the tour featured three concerts in Malawi. Bunny Wailer was initially scheduled as the main performer but withdrew at the last minute, to the disappointment of many eager fans.
This would have been Bunny Wailer’s first visit to Africa, a milestone he unfortunately never achieved before his passing. Unlike his fellow Wailers, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer never set foot on the continent.
Nonetheless, the Reggae Unite Africa Tour influenced the rise of Rastafari in Malawi, particularly the beginning of Rastafari congregations in Zomba and Lilongwe, cementing reggae’s cultural and spiritual impact on the country.
Additionally, there is another significant historical connection between Malawi and Jamaica.
In 1896, Malawi’s national hero, John Chilembwe—commemorated annually on January 15th—cofounded an organization called the African Christian Union (ACU) alongside Rev. Joseph Booth and others.
The ACU adopted the phrase “Africa for Africans” as guiding policy. Decades later, in August 1920, Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) adopted the same words as a slogan and added the words “at Home and Abroad.”
This highlights a remarkable historical point: the phrase “Africa for Africans” was first embraced and advocated by John Chilembwe and his colleagues in Nyasaland (Malawi) before it gained global prominence through Jamaica’s Marcus Garvey and the UNIA.
These highlights are a testament to the profound historical and cultural connections that bind Malawi and Jamaica.
A forthcoming book by the Lost History Foundation, titled The History of Rastafari in Malawi, delves further into these connections. We would be honored to have you as the guest of honor at the book’s launch, and we are delighted to book your participation in advance!
We wish you a successful and productive visit to Jamaica and look forward to your continued contributions to strengthening the ties between the two countries.