Northern Rhodesian African National Congress

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Godwin Lewanika (left) with the Indian politician Ranganath Ramachandra Diwakar

The North Rhodesian African National Congress (African National Congress for short) is a political party in Zambia that was founded in 1948 as the North Rhodesian National Congress and was the country's first political party. At its head stood as chairman (1948–1951) the social scientist Godwin Lewanika , who was also a close confidante of Chief Yeta III. was.

Prehistory and Development

Its roots are in the welfare organizations of the black Africans in the Copperbelt , which had merged in 1946 under the direction of Dauti Yamba to form the Federation of African Welfare Societies . Its establishment was politically exploited because the British colonial government upheld a trade union ban. The black workers' strike in 1930 was voted in these charities.

1951 came in place of the unpopular Lewanika now Harry Nkumbula in the chairmanship of the party. He had studied pedagogy in London and other subjects at the London School of Economics . During his top function, which lasted until 1953, there was an extensive increase in membership as well as a strong politicization against the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland brought about by Great Britain . Together with Kenneth Kaunda and other members, the party took on increasingly militant features.

There were connections of the North Rhodesian African National Congress for South African African National Congress ( African National Congress ). In 1953, Kenneth Kaunda became the party's general secretary. In 1955, Kaunda and Nkumbula were imprisoned for possession of prohibited literature, including Gandhi's writings on Nonviolent Resistance. After their end in 1957 they were free again and were able to accept an invitation to the Labor Party's Commonwealth Conference in London. In the following year the Northern Rhodesian ANC rejected the proposals for a constitution for Northern Rhodesia. Instead, the party presented its own proposals for equal representation of blacks and whites in the future Legislative Council. In December, the government put its constitutional proposal into effect, Nkumbula accepted the new situation and ran for a seat in parliament. That led the party into a crisis.

In the course of this development, the party was divided over the question of whether to take part in the legislative elections, in which only a minority of the black population was eligible to vote. Kenneth Kaunda advocated a consistent position and established with his followers the Zambian African National Congress ( Zambian African National Congress ). Its camp turned against the new constitution. However, Nkumbula had won his mandate. The other candidates recommended that their supporters vote in favor of the Dominion Party.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ronald Segal: Political Africa. A Who's Who of Personalities and Parties . Frederick A. Praeger, London 1961, pp. 154-155.
  2. ^ A b c Ronald Segal: Political Africa . 1961, pp. 385-386.
  3. ^ Ronald Segal: Political Africa . 1961, pp. 211-212.