Welcome to Lilongwe, the capital and largest city of Malawi, named after the Lilongwe River. It lies in the country's central region, not far from the borders with Mozambique and Zambia. Lilongwe began modestly, set up as a local centre by the leader Njewa around 1902, and its place at the meeting of several major roads made it a market town for the fertile Central Region Plateau. In 1975 it replaced Zomba as Malawi's capital. Our tour follows the story of the nation's first president, with a stop to meet some rescued wild animals along the way.
Kamuzu Mausoleum
Photo: Malawiana · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsWe begin at the Kamuzu Mausoleum in Kamuzu Memorial Park, the resting place of Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda, the first president of Malawi, who led the country to independence. Banda was born in 1898 and ruled from 1961 to 1994. He died in 1997 at the age of 99. The mausoleum stands on the Presidential Way, right beside the parliament building.
Lilongwe Wildlife Centre
Photo: nesnad · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNow step into the green calm of the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, a sanctuary within Lilongwe National Park, founded in 2007 by the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust and the Born Free Foundation. It is best known for its animal rescue work. Wild animals in need are cared for here, and those that recover through rehabilitation are released back into protected areas under carefully monitored conditions. It is a rare chance to see conservation at work right in the middle of a capital city.
Malawi Parliament Building
Photo: MsTingaK · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the city centre stands the Malawi Parliament Building, seat of the National Assembly, the country's supreme legislative body. It was planned to replace an older parliament building that had become too small. The Malawian government funded the project, with support from China. Construction officially began in February 2009, and the building was inaugurated in May 2010, in a ceremony attended by all members of the Malawian Cabinet.
Kamuzu Palace
We end at Kamuzu Palace, formerly the New State House, official residence of the President of Malawi. Hastings Kamuzu Banda had it built in 1975 in a Persian-inspired brick style, on an estate of about 200 acres with its own supermarket, school and staff housing. The surprise is how little it was lived in at first. Banda reportedly stayed there only briefly, and his successor, Bakili Muluzi, refused to move in, calling it an obscene extravagance. Later it was renamed to honour Banda.
Lomakuume
