Mulungushi
Encyclopedia
Mulungushi is the name of a river (and a small town nearby) in central Zambia
which has taken on a symbolic and historical meaning synonymous with the independence and identity of the nation, and has been given to a number of events, localities, buildings and organisations, including:
, nationalists who had broken away from the Zambian African National Congress
wanted to convene a conference under the banner of a new party, the United National Independence Party
(UNIP) on future directions and how to achieve independence
, in a place where they would not be under the eye of the colonial
authorities. A site was chosen on a rocky area by the Mulungushi River north of Broken Hill (Kabwe
) where up to 2000 participants could meet in the open air and camp in temporary shelters, where there was a good supply of water. The conference led to the UNIP under the leadership of Kenneth Kaunda
becoming the major party of independence, and thereafter the Mulungushi Rock was used for UNIP party conferences and for major policy speeches such as the Mulungushi Declaration or Mulungushi Reforms in 1968. Later it became known as the 'Mulungushi Rock of Authority' and it has been used by other political parties for their party conferences and major speeches.
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
which has taken on a symbolic and historical meaning synonymous with the independence and identity of the nation, and has been given to a number of events, localities, buildings and organisations, including:
- the Mulungushi Rock of Authority (see below);
- the Mulungushi Declaration, a policy statement made by PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Kenneth KaundaKenneth KaundaKenneth David Kaunda, known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.-Early life:Kaunda was the youngest of eight children. He was born at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali, Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia...
in 1968 on the nationalisation of the means of production; - Mulungushi Village, a suburb of LusakaLusakaLusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
; - Mulungushi Hall, an international conference and convention centre, used also as an official reception centre by the Zambian government, and the site of several conferences and negotiations of the independence and anti-apartheid movements in southern Africa;
- Mulungushi House, a large office building in Lusaka, home to government departments and businesses;
- Mulungushi College in KabweKabweKabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province with a population estimated at 210,000. Formerly named Broken Hill, it was founded when the Broken Hill lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902. Kabwe also has a claim to being the birthplace of Zambian politics...
; - a number of businesses, such as Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles Ltd;
- several roads.
Other uses and links
- Mulungushi RiverMulungushi RiverThe Mulungushi River in central Zambia is a tributary of the Lunsemfwa River and the Luangwa River, and a part of the Zambezi River basin. It rises on the plateau north-west of Kabwe and flows south-east into the Luangwa Rift Valley where it joins the Lunsemfwa.The river is the site of the...
, the origin of the name - Mulungushi Dam, a dam on that river
- The Mulungushi River area was also the site of a training camp for ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an (ZIPRAZIPRAZimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Second Chimurenga against white minority rule in the former Rhodesia....
) freedom fighters in the 1970s sometimes referred to as the 'Mulungushi camp' but this was not an official name and it was not related to the Zambian use of the name.
Mulungushi Rock
In 1960 in the then Northern RhodesiaNorthern 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...
, nationalists who had broken away from the Zambian African National Congress
Zambian African National Congress
The Zambian African National Congress was a political organisation dedicated to promoting the rights of black people in Zambia. ZANC was formed in 1958, following a split from the Northern Rhodesian African National Congress. The president of ZANC was Kenneth Kaunda. In 1959 the party was banned...
wanted to convene a conference under the banner of a new party, the United National Independence Party
United National Independence Party
The United National Independence Party is a political party in Zambia. It governed that country from 1964 to 1991 under the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda....
(UNIP) on future directions and how to achieve independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
, in a place where they would not be under the eye of the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
authorities. A site was chosen on a rocky area by the Mulungushi River north of Broken Hill (Kabwe
Kabwe
Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province with a population estimated at 210,000. Formerly named Broken Hill, it was founded when the Broken Hill lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902. Kabwe also has a claim to being the birthplace of Zambian politics...
) where up to 2000 participants could meet in the open air and camp in temporary shelters, where there was a good supply of water. The conference led to the UNIP under the leadership of Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda, known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.-Early life:Kaunda was the youngest of eight children. He was born at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali, Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia...
becoming the major party of independence, and thereafter the Mulungushi Rock was used for UNIP party conferences and for major policy speeches such as the Mulungushi Declaration or Mulungushi Reforms in 1968. Later it became known as the 'Mulungushi Rock of Authority' and it has been used by other political parties for their party conferences and major speeches.