Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2008
The immediate origins of the democratic elections held in Malawi in 1994, which brought to an end over 30 years of political dominance by President Kamuzu Banda and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), lie in the unprecedented events which shook the entire nation in 1992. Although that turbulent year was characterised by industrial action, serious urban riots, student demonstrations, the emergence of new domestic political groupings, and the Government's agreement to hold a national referendum on the future of the one-party system in the country, in retrospect perhaps what was most remarkable about these developments was that they were sparked off by the Catholic Church, and that their momentum was sustained at crucial stages by other Christian denominations in Malawi.1
1 The influence of Christian churches in the contemporary democratic transformation of much of Africa has yet to be properly addressed by scholars, although the evidence is mounting that they are continuing to play a significant rôle. For the reported pressure placed upon the régime in Maputo by the Vatican prior to the national elections in Mozambique, , see The Herald (Harare), 17 11 1994.Google Scholar
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18 ‘Joint Report of the Board of World Mission and Unity’, 19 May 1992.
19 The precise extent of abuses of human rights in Malawi has always been difficult to ascertain, but the fact that they were widely believed to be numerous by Malawians themselves was important. However, documented cases are widely available. See, for example, Africa Confidential, 24, 11, 1983, and 30, 25, 1989.Google Scholar
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28 Lwanda, op. cit. p. 290. I myself received prior warning of the existence of the letter from a Malawian friend who taught in Luchenza.
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50 Much of the information here is drawn from my own experiences since I witnessed the entire affair at first hand.
51 Conversations with students and members of staff who witnessed what happened. Also Woods, loc. cit. p. 19.
52 I attended the SCOM conference, and the hounding of students as reported in the press was somewhat exaggerated. See Ankomah, Baffour, ‘The Shame of Malawi’, in New African (London), 305, 1993, p. 8.Google Scholar
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91 The Pastoral Letter talked about indiscipline in schools, but admitted that this was partly due to a breakdown of parental authority. Also, The Monitor, 29 June 1993.
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