Today, March 3, 2026, Malawi observes Martyrs Day, a public holiday that honors the political heroes who gave their lives in the struggle against British colonialism.

Martyrs Day is a significant event in Malawi’s history, commemorating the sacrifices made by the country’s freedom fighters.

The day is observed on March 3rd or the following Monday if it falls on a weekend.

The history of Martyrs Day dates back to 1891 when Britain established the British Central Africa Protectorate, which included present-day Malawi.

The protectorate was later renamed Nyasaland in 1907.

In the 1950s, Malawians began to resist British colonial rule, leading to the formation of the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC), which emerged as the strongest voice for Malawians.

The NAC’s protests against British rule intensified in early 1959, prompting the British to declare a state of emergency on March 3rd, 1959.

This led to the arrest of prominent Malawian nationalists and widespread protests.

At Nkhata Bay, a confrontation between protesters and British soldiers resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people, with 51 Malawians killed and over 1,300 detained during the state of emergency.

Malawi gained independence in July 1964, and the events of March 1959 are seen as a crucial step towards nationhood. President Kamuza Banda emphasized the significance of Martyrs Day in his 1974 address.

The day is marked by speeches from politicians and church services, where Malawians offer prayers for the departed freedom fighters.

By Stevie Kauka

When we talk of martyrs to many the first thing that comes to mind is the Christians who died for their belief in Jesus Christ and Christianity, and closer to AFRICA the martyrs of Uganda, to which most catholic and Anglican churches and establishments derive their names to signify the importance of the actions of the martyrs, St Kizzito, Charles Lwangwa, St Luke, St Denis among others.

But who is a martyr? To put it simply a martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to comply, obey, and follow what they believed in or a moral particular cause.

Further explanation states that it is a person who suffers very much or is killed because of their religious or political or a believable just cause. These should not be confused with rebellion although, to a smaller extent, it may link.

…. Martyrdom can be described also as a politically and spiritually explosive performance, done or that happens to achieve a justifiable end.

The questions I would like to ask and try to answer are, do martyrs matter, are they worthy of really remembering, are they worthy to be put in the annals of history. ? And by extension to the above questions do our martyrs closer home Malawi matter worth spending time and thinking about?

I believe they matter take for example our martyrs of Malawi, as the 3rd March was declared a public holiday to remember them.

One would wonder whether martyrs matter anymore and whether the day 3rd March is relevant after this long time? since what the martyrs died for was their own choice, however going deep into the matter one would have a different opinion and surmise that the event should be used to address many more serious national issues and celebrated as a national event.

.it should be noted from the outset that John Chilembwe and his uprising of 1915 is considered the first Independence Martyr.

The Chilembwe uprising was a rebellion against British colonial rule in Nyasaland (modern-day Malawi) in January 1915. It was led by John Chilembwe, who was educated in America and had seen the black American way of life and their struggles. The uprising was based around his church in the village of Mbombwe in Chilazulo.

It was centered on the black middle class and encouraged by grievances against the colonial system, including forced labor commonly known as Thangata, discrimination, and the new demands on the indigenous population caused by the outbreak of World War I. It is recorded that 40 people were executed by the Police and many more were arrested in the revolt aftermath.

Although the rebellion did not itself achieve lasting success, it is commonly cited as a watershed moment in Nyasaland’s history.

The rebellion had lasting effects on the British system of administration in Nyasaland and some reform was enacted in its aftermath.

Today, the uprising of 1915 is celebrated annually and Chilembwe himself is considered a national hero and martyr.
The climax of this discussion is the martyrs of 1959 mostly those who died in Nkhatabay.

Over the years Malawians have had different views on this day and issue (Martyrs Day) some positive for the day others negative, for example on 3rd March 2016 during an interview – Veteran Politician Robson Chirwa decried Martyrs Day’s loss of its significance.

“Well Kamuzu was a disciplinarian and he knew what this day meant to the Malawi nation … “My plea is that this day should be declared as a National Day of Mourning as it was the case … Very few can do that in the current political world.’ To this end, he was simply signifying that martyrs do matter in society and Malawi in particular.

However, others have the view that it is a waste of time to remember the fallen martyrs, as they believe things could have changed anyway. (This category perhaps lacks details and a background as to why the martyrs should matter;)

Malawians had been living under oppression under laws that were against their favor as owners of the land and they started mobilizing themselves to seek justice and freedom.

In retaliation, the British Government arrested Malawians “Operation Sunrise was the name given to a police and military action conducted by the authorities in the Central African country of Nyasaland (now known as Malawi) on March 3, 1959, to detain and intern 350 individuals who were considered a potential threat to law and order. 33 Innocent People lost their lives on this particular day and by 4th March several Malawians were arrested and detained.

The British government was calling for tolerance to which the people tolerated all they could but after some time they said enough was enough “Now it’s their turn to tolerate and be ridiculed” Personally I find it unreasonable for the British to expect from Malawians tolerance and win-win situations what they were entirely unwilling to give.

To further signify the importance of the martyrs, in 2015 third of March, martyrs’ Day was commemorated in Nkhata Bay district the day was a Tuesday, and to show that Malawi still considers the martyrs with a strong conviction and that they matter a call for the then Malawi’s colonial master, Britain was made to compensate 33 families whose relatives died after being massacred by colonial forces in Nkhata Bay district.

At a somber ceremony which was graced by the late and former Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, and Development, late Dr. Goodall Gondwe as a guest of honor, Nkhata Bay Central parliamentarian Ralph Mhone then asked Britain to compensate the families of the deceased since it is their authorities who commissioned the massacre of the 33 people.

“The 33 deceased families here are mourning year in and year out. As you all might be aware, in the process of killing their relatives, they created a lot of challenges for families because some of those killed were breadwinners.

“It should also be borne in mind that apart from creating economic and social challenges to such families, the mere fact that they were innocently killed warrants compensation from those responsible,” said Mhone.

The parliamentarian further asked the Malawi Government to take the MV Mpasa ship to Nkhata Bay district. The ship was used by colonial masters to detain the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC) supporters on 3 March 1959, a situation which prompted a mob of Malawians to angrily call for their release and the resultant massacre.

Efforts have been made or rather are still being made to make sure the martyrs are compensated for their deaths for a cause.

To this end Malawians of goodwill must feel that actions through death were necessary to their cause, furthering the truth and their sacrifices cannot be simply a private matter between themselves and their deity, but to the nation as a whole.

It is a fact that with time things do change and facts become twisted to suit a particular sect of society for their selfish ends but the fact remains that the issues happened that qualify the so-called victims to be martyrs and to be the pages of history of Malawi as issues that matter.

To know that they matter perhaps we need to see it in the rights and privileges we enjoy today as a people of Malawi their self-belief shaped the course of the nation, it should not be looked upon as an occasion for complacent acquiescence that sits uneasily with martyrdom.

Further to that, we need to see in the action of the martyrs an opening up of the possibility of a deeper understanding of what peace and freedoms are, that peace and freedom are not inevitable, but often come at a cost and heavy price as paid by the 1915 uprising of Chilazulo and the 1959 massacre in Nkhatabay.

This is not only a cost paid first and foremost by a God who loves us so much that he died for us on the cross, but is also paid by his followers who are prepared to follow in his steps, to offer up their lives to uphold the peace and freedom of their consciences and so to protect the peace and freedom of ours.

There is no dispute that their selfless act in making sure their voices were heard makes us proud and proud we must be.

In times of concord and merry-making, at least some of us risk forgetting the martyrs in the sense that matters, but in so doing we risk forgetting the cost that has been paid for our peace and freedom and so risk devaluing the peace and freedom we enjoy.

We thank God for the grace of all martyrs and let us celebrate our peace and our freedom with something of the gratitude that they deserve.

Further to that to show that we care and that they matter, every year prayers remembering the martyrs are held and the day is a public holiday. Memorial pillars have been erected to signify the importance of the martyrs.

Did they die in vain, did they shade blood in vain, are we wasting our energies in remembering them? Should we remember them as foot soldiers?

In my view, they did not die in vain. It is therefore important that they be remembered every year and perhaps a video documentary be done for future generations to understand what it was.

In conclusion, it is my considered view that the martyrs matter as the events of March 1959 triggered the wheels of change, this should be noted that it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back as from that moment the colonial masters knew that there was no turning back discussions started of giving freedom to the owners of the land. This then means the martyrs did not die in vain.

The question is would we have done the same if we were in their shoes? Would we have continued to chicken out, or we would have sacrificed our lives for future generations?

The author is a Fellow of IPMM who writes on various topics in his capacity

By Dr. Charles NDHLOVU

Dr. Charles Ndhlovu graduated with a Doctorate in Social Communication specializing in Communication Theology at the Pontifical University of Salesianum in Rome – Italy. You may find his publications on the website: charlesndhlovu.wordpress.com; also found on Youtube (Fr. Charles Ndhlovu – Mkhalirachiuta). He is the owner, proprietor and founder of Emmaus.  He is on linkedin and on academia.

The role of each person is to realize oneself as a person and become conscious of one’s essential transcendence.  The tragedy in our lives and in history is when persons devalue and degrade themselves to the level of natural self-preservation.

The person must wake up and realize his or her greatness and uphold this greatness or transcendence.  In other words, a person must go beyond placing herself or himself as the centre, or as being the sum total of life.

There are also times when the human being must sacrifice themselves in order to maintain their moral integrity.  For example; the martyrdom of Maximilian Kolbe, exemplifies how he sacrificed his life in order to preserve his moral integrity and save other human beings.  Such type of death is valuable and has meaning especially in this case where Kolbe voluntarily gave up his life for the sake of another person.  In a way, this is the highest way of fulfilling oneself as a human being.  Kolbe, a prisoner, when faced with the prospect of seeing someone getting shot down in prison, stepped forward to sacrifice himself and be shot dead on behalf of the other.

This shows that we cannot only reduce a human being to naturalistic terms – of self-perpetuation.  Personhood has an absolute end in itself.  This assertion is based on the fact that a human person conceives and follows his or her natural inclinations, can go and transcend his nature and has the ability as well to sacrifice himself or herself on behalf of other people.  This is the absoluteness of personhood but this is done in freedom.

A person can decide what he or she wants to do with his life.  This in a way is linked to the concept of freedom.  A person is free to decide the direction of his life.  The problem however that we have now is that in the age of technological civilisation, the age of profit making and capitalism, all that matters at times seems to be limited to making of profit.  To an extent that what does not make profit is seen as meaningless and not important at all. 

As such, the ability of the person to transcend his or her self-centredness to the point of sacrificing oneself can be overshadowed and not be given much value.  In this sacrifice of oneself for others, we see the greatness of the person, the absolute nature of the person and the special dignity of the human person, who has the capacity to give himself or herself for the sake of others.

The most important yardstick and measure for ultimate truth therefore is not politics, economy or history.  These are not the yardsticks for personhood, not even important marks for framing morality.  The example of the sacrifice of Kolbe who gave up his life as a martyr is a clear example of the difference between what politicians or historians value as opposed to the highest act of the person which is the act of sacrifice.

Kolbe as a person decided to do what was right regardless of the consequences that he would incur in turn.  Human persons therefore are not only preoccupied with thoughts of their own survival.  Human beings are not survival machines who must survive at all costs.

On the contrary, human beings have the freedom to sacrifice their lives in martyrdom and it is in martyrdom that the ultimate truth about the human person is found.  The dignity of the person is not in doing survival acts but in making acts of sacrifice. 

However this act of sacrifice is done and given in freedom.  It is in this way that we can overcome the dichotomy that is usually seen between freedom and human nature.

There are characteristics, traits and appetites that belong to the human person which we do not have to destroy but the human person has to integrate these in a social and human way in life. 

Therefore, freedom is not just something exercised outside the nature of the human person but the person is constituted of both freedom and nature, self-centredness of the person and transcendence of the person. 

This relationship between freedom and nature, between the self-centredness of the person and the self-transcendence of the person shows the dignity of the person. This is what we celebrate today somehow that some of our own people sacrificed their natural instincts for self-perpetuation but were able to give themselves up for the sake of our independence and freedom. 

This land of Malawi has seen so many brave Malawians who stood firm in the face of injustice and oppression – our martyrs – our heroes.  We remember and celebrate their lives today!