KENNETH KAUNDA THE MAN BEHIND THE SIGNATURE SUIT

Kenneth David Kaunda a.k.a. KK born April 28, 1924, was the first President of Independent Zambia from 1964-1991

Kaunda was educated at Lubwa Mission School and Munali Secondary School. He became a school teacher at Lubwa in 1943, rising to the post of headmaster from 1944-47. Kenneth Kaunda came to power in 1964, on the crest of a wave of liberation movements which saw many African countries gain independence from European colonial powers. During the 1968 elections Kenneth Kaunda banned all political opposition and in 1972 Zambia became a one party state.

Kaunda with his trademark white handkerchief, a symbol of his power and humility. He rates US Presidents John F Kennedy and Jimmy Carter as among the most impressive men.

Economic troubles and increasing international pressure to bring more democracy to Africa forced Kaunda to change the rules that kept him in power. People who had been afraid to criticize him were now emboldened to challenge his competence. His close friend Julius Nyerere had stepped down from the republican presidency in Tanzania in 1985 and was quietly encouraging Kaunda to follow suit. Pressure for a return to multiparty politics increased, and Kaunda voluntarily yielded and called for multiparty elections in 1991, in which the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) won. Kaunda left office with the inauguration of MMD leader Fredrick Chiluba as president on November 2, 1991.

In 1991 Dr. Kaunda, having lost the Presidential election, founded the Kenneth Kaunda Peace Foundation, dedicated to the establishment of peace and conflict resolution on the continent.

Out of power, he was arrested and detained by the army that had been loyal to him for 27 years, over an alleged involvement in a coup plot. His political rallies were brutally broken up. While he escaped an assassination attempt, one of his most ambitious sons, Major Wezi Kaunda, was murdered, in what he described as a political assassination. He wept in public.

Kaunda had initially retired after his election defeat to President Chiluba in 1991, but changed his mind in time for the 1996 General Election. His hopes of bouncing back to power were, however, dashed when President Chiluba responded with a constitutional amendment that barred him from vying for the presidency, ostensibly on the grounds that his parents were born in Malawi.

These days he devotes much of his time to the battle against poverty and the spread of Aids, one of the biggest threats facing the region. Dr Kaunda lost one of his sons to Aids in 1986, and was, perhaps, the first African leader to go public about the scourge. He called a press conference at State House, Lusaka, and announced that his son, Masuzyo, had died of Aids.

He is the author of: Black Government, 1961; Zambia Shall Be Free, 1962; A Humanist in Africa (with Colin Morris), 1966; Humanism in Zambia and its Implementation, 1967; Human in Zambia Part II; Letter to My Children, 1977; Kaunda on Violence, 1980.

Married to Betty Banda in 1946, Dr. Kaunda is the father of ten children, seven of whom are living.

KK strumming on his guitar and singing his heart out...now this is what I call retirement

KK IN HIS INFINITE WISDOM

"Ambition never comes to an end."

"The power which establishes a state is violence; the power which maintains it is violence; the power which eventually overthrows it is violence."

"The inability of those in power to still the voices of their own consciences is the great force leading to change."

THOMAS MAPFUMO

Thomas Tafirenyika Mukanya Mapfumo was born on July 2nd 1945 near the town of Marondera in Zimbabwe. Even though his parents where staying in the capital city of Salisbury (Currently known as Harare), Thomas stayed with his grandparents in rural areas. Both his grandparents where avid traditional musicians. Thomas learned Shona music at an early age. His grandmother insisted on bringing him to some of the beer parties she was invited to play and sing. Shona music is participatory music. Unlike western music where a few musicians perform for a large audience, the Shona concept is one of every member participating in their own capacity. Mapfumo learned by playing and singing with the traditional masters.

As a young boy in the village, Thomas did what all youngsters in the rural areas do, graze cattle and goats, help grandparents in the fields, perform domestic chores and all activities that make living in the village an unforgettable experience.

Thomas later moved in with his parents in Salisbury a.k.a. Harare where he attended school. In contrast to life in the village, he was now exposed to radio, and television, media that he had no access to living in the village. Through these media, Mapfumo was exposed to other kinds of music. He was able to listen to music from South Africa, Zaire, USA, UK and many other parts of the world. Before long Mapfumo had a list of favorite regional and international musicians: Franco, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Frank Sinatra and many others.After school Mapfumo would spend time practicing cover songs of his favorite musicians. He particularly idolized Nat King Cole and Elvis Presley.

His upbringing had given him enough exposure to explore a new direction in his career. A local African comedian who called himself, Charles Dee Ray Tiger had recorded a Shona song called Shungu Dzinondibaya in which he made fun of a rich man who lost his wealth overnight. Mapfumo took this song very seriously. He liked it so much that he decided to record it. Without any recording equipment or recording budget, Mapfumo recorded the song on tape. The tape fell in the hands of an entrepreneur who made it into a single on vinyl. To his amazement, Mapfumo heard his own voice on record while visiting a record store in Highfield, outside Harare. The record was very successful. This was Mapfumo's endorsement that he can succeed as a Shona musician.

In 1972, Mapfumo moved to a mining town and started a band called the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band. The band got paid for entertaining the miners, but had to work day jobs as well, including tending chickens in a "chicken run," hence the name.

Mapfumo songs decried alcoholism, AIDS, domestic violence, and people's devotion to foreign things-all prices that Mapfumo felt Zimbabweans had paid for abandoning their ancient culture. In the late '90s, Mapfumo increasingly focused his ire on the country's leaders, who he felt had failed the people. The state radio briefly refused to play critical songs from his 1999 album, Chimurenga Explosion, notably "Disaster".

In April 2000, the government received an electoral setback with the election of a substantial number of opposition candidates to the parliament. Among their reactions to this were threats against Mapfumo, and trumped up charges that he had bought stolen cars. A few months later, Mapfumo quietly moved his family out of the country to Oregon, where they currently reside. Mapfumo continues to record incendiary music, to have it banned. He would return to Zimbabwe and play for his loyal fans, risking arrest and harassment each time. However, as of 2005 he realized the situation to be dangerous and has not been to Zimbabwe.

MORE INFORMATION
Thomas Mapfumo Calabash Music
Thomas Mapfumo Real World Records