Evening star., 1960-05-19
-AUT MASALAND
BY SMITH HEMPSTONE
Contributing Writer


Hastings "Kamuzu" Banda. a
political messiah recruited by
mail. appears to have enor-
nous power in this Scotland
sized Central African British
protectorate.
But the 54-year-old Ameri-
can-educated firebrand. who
calls himself "an extremists
extremist" may well be no
more than a captive leader. an
oracle to be invoked by the
younger and more radical
king-making nationalists who
surround him.
Whatever he is. he is the
center of a storm that is likely
to break in the fall
Mr., Banda's personal history
has been extraordinary.
He earned his nickname of
Little Root" from the fact
that a Witchdoctor's prescrip-
tion cured his mothers bar
renneSS, as his Christian
name he adopted that OF a
missionary whom he ad-
mired. At the age of II. his
education apparently finished
The was not considered bright
enough for a Church of Scot
land scholarship. he set off
on foot. as have so many other
men of this beautiful but i'm
poveriShed annual budget.
S23 millionD land OF noun
tainS and lakes. on the 1000
mile walk to the El Dorado OF
South Africa.
In the Union. Mr.. Banda
worked for eight years as an
interpreter at a gold mine
outside Johannesburg. He
studied in his spare time and,
after hearing a lecture by the
late DR.. James Aggrey. an
American Negro educator. he
determined to make his way
TO the United States. With
the help of a Methodist mis-
sionary, he reached New York
in 1926 with SIS in his pocket.
In the next IA years Mr..
Banda worked his way through
an Ohio high school, the Uni
versity of Chicago and Nash
ville's Meharry Medical
School.
Having qualified as a doc
tor, he returned to Britain
and soon built up a 4,000-
patient practice in London.
In 1855 the teetotaling. nom
smoking bachelor went to
Ghana, where he was to re-
main for three years. At this
time Nyasaland'S radical Afri-
can leaders-M. w. K. Chiume,
H. B Chipembere and others
realized that none Of them
had the personal prestige to
rally mass support against
federation with hated, white
dominated Southern RhodeSia.
What was needed was some
one to grip the Imagination
Of the Superstitious NyaSas.
The young radicals. employ
ing in letters the blatant fat
terry to which Mr.. Banda is
susceptible, convinced him
that he was destined to be
Nyasaland'S savior. On July Z.
1858, Hastings Banda returned
to the land he had left 40
years before, proclaiming him.
self as Moses come home to
my people"
The story of the increasing
violence of the now banned
African National Conference
of which he was president, of
the alleged plot to aSsaSinate
the governor and to kill NyaSa-
lands whites, of the disorders
which resulted in the deaths
of 81 Africans and the impriS-
onment of 1850 others in
cluding the doctor, and Of his
recent release and triumphant
return to America is we'll
known.
Radicals at Work
But what has yet to be
determined is whether the
stumpy, bowler-wearing ego
tist controls events in NyaSa-
land or is only the mouth
piece of a radical clique which
employs him now as a symbol
and will discard him when
Nyasaland'S revolution" is
won, either over the confer
ence table or through more
unpleasant methods.
Although Mr.. Banda does
understand and speak a bit
of Chinyanja. his lack of flu
ency must act as bar to his
control both of the 100000
member Malawi Congress.
which was created for him by
his supporters while he was
imprisoned, and of the masses
as whole.
His lieutenantS run the
. party and make the basic de-
ciSions, consulting Mr.. Banda
only when the prestige of a
personal pronouncement is re-
quired. Thus it was that Mr..
Banda, according to the COM
mission, was never informed
of the secret meeting at
which the government charges
the murder plot was planned.
Quick and forecful action
on Mr.. BandaS part could
still save the revolution for
the moderate nationalistS.
But the party'S extremist
wing is rapidly brushing aside
the better educated and more
moderate men who should be
Mr.. Banda'S advisers. secur-
ing the key posts for them
selves.
To the detriment of Nyasa-
lands future, Mr.. Banda,
80. -. A. - :. 4