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Hastings Kamuzu Banda (c. March or April 1898 – 25 November 1997) was the leader of Malawi from 1961 to 1994 (for the first three years of his rule, until it achieved independence in 1964, Malawi was the British protectorate of Nyasaland). After receiving much of his education overseas, Banda returned to his home country (then British Nyasaland) to speak against colonialism and advocate for independence. In 1963, he was formally appointed prime minister of Nyasaland and led the country to independence as Malawi a year later. Two years later, he proclaimed Malawi a republic with himself as president. He consolidated power and later declared Malawi a one-party state under the Malawi Congress Party (MCP). In 1970, the MCP made him the party's President for Life. In 1971, he became President for Life of Malawi itself. As a leader of the pro-Western bloc in Africa, he received support from the West during the Cold War.〔Kalinga, Owen J.M. (2012). ''Historical Dictionary of Malawi'', Fourth Edition, p. 12〕 He generally supported women's rights, improved the country's infrastructure, and maintained a good educational system relative to other African countries, but he also presided over one of the most repressive regimes in Africa. His government regularly tortured and murdered political opponents. Human rights groups estimate that at least 6,000 people were killed, tortured and jailed without trial.〔(Malawi Tries Ex-Dictator in Murder : Africa: Aging autocrat is one of few among continent's tyrants to face justice for regime's abuses ), 21 May 1995 L.A. Times.〕 According to at least one estimate, as many as 18,000 people were killed during his rule.〔17 May 1994 Denver Rocky Mountain News〕〔3 Dec 1997 Dallas Morning News〕 He also faced scorn for maintaining full diplomatic relations with apartheid-era South Africa. By 1993, he was facing international pressure and widespread protest. A referendum ended his one-party state, and a special assembly ended his life-term presidency and stripped him of most of his powers. Banda ran for president in the democratic elections which followed and was defeated. He died in South Africa in 1997. His legacy remains controversial, with some hailing him as a national and African hero, while others denounce him as a tyrant and as a corrupt leader. ==Early life== Kamuzu Banda was born near Kasungu in Malawi (then British Central Africa) to Mphonongo Banda and Akupingamnyama Phiri. His date of birth is unknown, as it took place when there was no birth registration. When presented with evidence of certain tribal customs by a friend, Dr. Donal Brody, Banda said that "No one knows the hour, the date, the month or the year in which I was born, although I now accept the evidence that you give me; March or April 1898."〔 The name Kamuzu means "a little root" and was given to him because he was conceived after his mother had been given root herbs by a medicine man to cure infertility. His surname, Banda, means "a small hut". He took the Christian name of Hastings after being baptised into the Church of Scotland, naming himself after John Hastings, a Scottish missionary working near his village whom he admired. The prefix doctor was earned through his education.〔 Around 1915–16, Banda left home on foot with Hanock Msokera Phiri, an uncle who had been a teacher at the nearby Livingstonia mission school, for Hartley, Southern Rhodesia (now Chegutu, Zimbabwe). In 1917, he left on foot for Johannesburg in South Africa. He worked at the Witwatersrand Deep Mine on the Transvaal Reef for several years. During this time, he met Bishop W. T. Vernon of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), who offered to pay his tuition fee at a Methodist school in the United States if he could pay his own passage.〔 In 1925, he left for New York. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hastings Banda」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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