Charles Matinga
Encyclopedia
Charles Jameson Matinga was a politician in Nyasaland
before the colony obtained independence from the British
.
He was elected President-General of the Nyasaland African Congress
in 1945, after the death of Levi Zililo Mumba
.
In 1950 he was thrown out of office. Later he formed a pro-government party. After Malawi
achieved independence in 1963 he was forced into exile.
, and ran a brick-making business on the side. He was a member of the Free Church of Scotland
Mission and an active member of the Blantyre Native Association.
In a 1943 speech, Matinga praised the earlier missionaries who had come to the country before 1914 and worked to help Africans advance, but said that later arrivals had brought racist ideas and prejudices and had failed to promote African interests.
He also strongly criticised the administration for failing to meet African demands for advancement. However, he continued to believe in working within the system to improve it rather than in rebellion against the system.
Charles Matinga was elected first Vice-President of the Congress at the first general meeting in October 1944, with Levi Mumba being elected President-General.
Charles Wesley Mlanga, editor of the Blantyre newspaper Zo-Ona, was elected Secretary General and James Dixon Phiri, a clerk in the Public Works Department, was elected assistant secretary-general.
When Mumba died in January 1945, Matinga was elected to succeed him as President, with the Reverend Charles Chinula as Vice-President.
Matinga surprised the government by raising the issue of land grievances, and demanding African majority representation on the Legislative Council and other administrative bodies.
Dr. Hastings Banda
, who had a practice in London
at the time, was a supporter of Congress. Banda wrote to Matinga in March 1945 saying that he would support the Congress in England
by giving lectures and talking to influential people whom he knew such as Sir Arthur Creech Jones
and Rita Hinden. He asked that Matinga keep him informed of events in Nyasaland so they could work together to the common goal. However, according to Banda, Matinga was determined to go his own way and even refused an offer by Banda to pay for a permanent organizer for the Congress. Possible Matinga saw Banda as a potential rival.
In the 1930s the concept of a Federation of the colonies of Southern Rhodesia
, Northern Rhodesia
and Nyasaland had been proposed, and the idea gained increased support in the 1940s among the colonial administrators. This was seen as a betrayal by NAC leaders such as Matinga and James Frederick Sangala
, who thought the Colonial Office was discarding the principle that African interests were paramount, instead favoring White colonists.
After federation was discussed in more detail at the second Victoria Falls conference in 1949, Matinga wrote Banda in London asking for support in fighting federalism.
The NAC decided to send a delegation to London to meet the Colonial Secretary and discuss provisions for educating Africans in Nyasaland, and by May 1947 had raised enough funds to send two members, Matinga and the Vice-President Charles Chinula. In London they would be joined by Hastings Banda. In November 1947 they were told that the Secretary of State would receive them. Matinga left for Cape Town to take the ship to the United Kingdom, but took the Secretary General of Congress, Andrew Mponda, rather than Chinula.
The party met with Arthur Creech Jones, now the Labour Party
's Secretary of State, and gained agreement on the importance of secondary education. This led to establishment of a new secondary school at Dedza
in 1951.
It was also agreed to establish a teachers training college as Domasi
.
Matinga's action in taking his protege Mponda with him rather than Chinula caused widespread anger among the NAC members, compounded by accusations that Matinga had misused NAC funds on the trip, and by Matinga's failure to attend NAC meetings and report on the trip after he had returned. Sangala managed to prevent police action regarding the funds. But Matinga did not report to Congress until the spring of 1949, and then gave only a verbal summary.
When the delegates asked for a full written report, Matinga walked out. The NAC was no longer an effective organization.
Under pressure from Congress delegates, Sangala (who had been one of the original prime movers in organizing the NAC), called a conference on 1 January 1950. Matinga surprised everyone by attending and chairing the first session of the meeting. However, the meeting resolved to dismiss him for abuse of funds. Sangala was forced into desperate efforts to recreate the Congress, arranging a session in August 1950 at which he was elected Vice President and James Chinyama became President.
became a reality in 1953, against strong opposition from NAC members, some of whom were arrested.
Charles Matinga, Andrew Mponda and Orton Ching'oli Chirwa formed the Nyasaland Progressive Association, dedicated to working within the new reality of the federation.
Matinga became a Federal Member of Parliament.
In 1957 and early 1958 the Governor of Nyasaland, Sir Robert Armitage
, was attempting to formulate a view of how to evolve the government of the protectorate which he could present to the Colonial Office when he went on leave to London.
In September he met with T.D.T. Banda and other NAC leaders who were pushing for an elected legislative council composed primarily of Africans. He met Charles Matinga's Progressive Party on 20 February 1958, and sensed that they did not feel Africans were ready to run the government, but wanted nominated representatives to work with the government. He summarised the views of Matinga's party as: "In other words they wanted a lot of friendly Africans and Europeans to collaborate with friendly officials. But, of course, politics cannot be this easily organized".
After independence in 1963, people felt bitterly about men such as Matinda who they felt were traitors for having supported the colonial rulers during the struggle for independence.
Matinga left Nyasaland and settled in Southern Rhodesia.
In 1973, the exiled "Capricorns" who had sided with white-led pro-federation parties - Matinga, Matthews Phiri and Manoah Chirwa - asked President Hastings Banda to be allowed to return to Malawi. Banda asked delegates at the annual MCP convention what they thought about the request. However, he became furious with some who proposed allowing their return, and accused them of sympathy with rebels.
Nyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
before the colony obtained independence from the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
He was elected President-General of the Nyasaland African Congress
Nyasaland African Congress
The Nyasaland African Congress was an organization that evolved into a political party in Nyasaland during the colonial period. The NAC was suppressed in 1959, but was succeeded in 1960 by the Malawi Congress Party, which went to on decisively win the first universal suffrage elections in 1961,...
in 1945, after the death of Levi Zililo Mumba
Levi Zililo Mumba
Levi Zililo Mumba was a leading local politician and the first President of the Nyasaland African Congress during the period of British colonial rule in Nyasaland, which became the independent state of Malawi in 1964....
.
In 1950 he was thrown out of office. Later he formed a pro-government party. After Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
achieved independence in 1963 he was forced into exile.
Background
Charles Matinga had a long career in the civil service, based in BlantyreBlantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
, and ran a brick-making business on the side. He was a member of the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)
Free Church of Scotland is that part of the original Free Church of Scotland that remained outside of the union with the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1900...
Mission and an active member of the Blantyre Native Association.
In a 1943 speech, Matinga praised the earlier missionaries who had come to the country before 1914 and worked to help Africans advance, but said that later arrivals had brought racist ideas and prejudices and had failed to promote African interests.
He also strongly criticised the administration for failing to meet African demands for advancement. However, he continued to believe in working within the system to improve it rather than in rebellion against the system.
NAC leader
Africans had been represented in the Protectorate of Nyasaland by the Native Administration of chiefs and headmen, and by local Native Associations. The Nyasaland African Congress (NAC), formed in 1943/1944 was the first organization that attempted to work at a national level.Charles Matinga was elected first Vice-President of the Congress at the first general meeting in October 1944, with Levi Mumba being elected President-General.
Charles Wesley Mlanga, editor of the Blantyre newspaper Zo-Ona, was elected Secretary General and James Dixon Phiri, a clerk in the Public Works Department, was elected assistant secretary-general.
When Mumba died in January 1945, Matinga was elected to succeed him as President, with the Reverend Charles Chinula as Vice-President.
Matinga surprised the government by raising the issue of land grievances, and demanding African majority representation on the Legislative Council and other administrative bodies.
Dr. Hastings Banda
Hastings Banda
Hastings Kamuzu Banda was the leader of Malawi and its predecessor state, Nyasaland, from 1961 to 1994. After receiving much of his education overseas, Banda returned to his home country to speak against colonialism and advocate for independence...
, who had a practice in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the time, was a supporter of Congress. Banda wrote to Matinga in March 1945 saying that he would support the Congress in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by giving lectures and talking to influential people whom he knew such as Sir Arthur Creech Jones
Arthur Creech Jones
Arthur Creech Jones was a British trade union official and politician. Originally a civil servant, his imprisonment as a conscientious objector during the First World War forced him to change careers. A protégé of Ernest Bevin, he was elected to Parliament in 1935 and served in the Colonial Office...
and Rita Hinden. He asked that Matinga keep him informed of events in Nyasaland so they could work together to the common goal. However, according to Banda, Matinga was determined to go his own way and even refused an offer by Banda to pay for a permanent organizer for the Congress. Possible Matinga saw Banda as a potential rival.
In the 1930s the concept of a Federation of the colonies of Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
, Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
and Nyasaland had been proposed, and the idea gained increased support in the 1940s among the colonial administrators. This was seen as a betrayal by NAC leaders such as Matinga and James Frederick Sangala
James Frederick Sangala
James Frederick Sangala was a founding member of the Nyasaland African Congress during the period of British colonial rule.Sangala was given the nickname "Pyagusi", which means "one who perseveres"....
, who thought the Colonial Office was discarding the principle that African interests were paramount, instead favoring White colonists.
After federation was discussed in more detail at the second Victoria Falls conference in 1949, Matinga wrote Banda in London asking for support in fighting federalism.
The NAC decided to send a delegation to London to meet the Colonial Secretary and discuss provisions for educating Africans in Nyasaland, and by May 1947 had raised enough funds to send two members, Matinga and the Vice-President Charles Chinula. In London they would be joined by Hastings Banda. In November 1947 they were told that the Secretary of State would receive them. Matinga left for Cape Town to take the ship to the United Kingdom, but took the Secretary General of Congress, Andrew Mponda, rather than Chinula.
The party met with Arthur Creech Jones, now the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's Secretary of State, and gained agreement on the importance of secondary education. This led to establishment of a new secondary school at Dedza
Dedza
Dedza is the main township of Dedza District in the Central Region of Malawi.Dedza is located about 85 km south of Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, off the M1 road to Blantyre at a point where a trans-African highway from Johannesburg enters the country....
in 1951.
It was also agreed to establish a teachers training college as Domasi
Domasi
Domasi is a community in Malawi to the northeast of Zomba.It is the location of the Domasi College of Education.The Shallow Well Project funded by the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana in Urbana, Illinois, United States is providing safe drinking water for the villages around Domasi. As of 2004,...
.
Matinga's action in taking his protege Mponda with him rather than Chinula caused widespread anger among the NAC members, compounded by accusations that Matinga had misused NAC funds on the trip, and by Matinga's failure to attend NAC meetings and report on the trip after he had returned. Sangala managed to prevent police action regarding the funds. But Matinga did not report to Congress until the spring of 1949, and then gave only a verbal summary.
When the delegates asked for a full written report, Matinga walked out. The NAC was no longer an effective organization.
Under pressure from Congress delegates, Sangala (who had been one of the original prime movers in organizing the NAC), called a conference on 1 January 1950. Matinga surprised everyone by attending and chairing the first session of the meeting. However, the meeting resolved to dismiss him for abuse of funds. Sangala was forced into desperate efforts to recreate the Congress, arranging a session in August 1950 at which he was elected Vice President and James Chinyama became President.
Later career
The Federation of Rhodesia and NyasalandFederation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation , was a semi-independent state in southern Africa that existed from 1953 to the end of 1963, comprising the former self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia and the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia,...
became a reality in 1953, against strong opposition from NAC members, some of whom were arrested.
Charles Matinga, Andrew Mponda and Orton Ching'oli Chirwa formed the Nyasaland Progressive Association, dedicated to working within the new reality of the federation.
Matinga became a Federal Member of Parliament.
In 1957 and early 1958 the Governor of Nyasaland, Sir Robert Armitage
Robert Perceval Armitage
Robert Perceval Armitage was a British colonial administrator who held senior positions in Kenya and the Gold Coast, and was Governor of Cyprus and then Nyasaland during the period when the former British colonies were gaining independence.-Early years:Armitage was born on 21 December 1906 in...
, was attempting to formulate a view of how to evolve the government of the protectorate which he could present to the Colonial Office when he went on leave to London.
In September he met with T.D.T. Banda and other NAC leaders who were pushing for an elected legislative council composed primarily of Africans. He met Charles Matinga's Progressive Party on 20 February 1958, and sensed that they did not feel Africans were ready to run the government, but wanted nominated representatives to work with the government. He summarised the views of Matinga's party as: "In other words they wanted a lot of friendly Africans and Europeans to collaborate with friendly officials. But, of course, politics cannot be this easily organized".
After independence in 1963, people felt bitterly about men such as Matinda who they felt were traitors for having supported the colonial rulers during the struggle for independence.
Matinga left Nyasaland and settled in Southern Rhodesia.
In 1973, the exiled "Capricorns" who had sided with white-led pro-federation parties - Matinga, Matthews Phiri and Manoah Chirwa - asked President Hastings Banda to be allowed to return to Malawi. Banda asked delegates at the annual MCP convention what they thought about the request. However, he became furious with some who proposed allowing their return, and accused them of sympathy with rebels.