John Chilembwe | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).png) Chilembwe in 1914, one year before his death | |
| Born | June 1871 |
| Died | 03 February 1915 (age 43) |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Alma mater | Virginia Theological Seminary and College |
| Years active | 1899–1915 |
| Known for | Chilembwe uprising |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Church | Baptist |
| Ordained | Lynchburg, Virginia, 1899 |
John Chilembwe (June 1871 – 3 February 1915) was a Baptist pastor, educator and revolutionary who trained as a minister in the United States, returning to Nyasaland in 1901. He was an early figure in the resistance to colonialism in Nyasaland (Malawi), opposing both the treatment of Africans working in agriculture on European-owned plantations and the colonial government's failure to promote the social and political advancement of Africans. Soon after the outbreak of the First World War, Chilembwe organised an unsuccessful armed uprising against colonial rule. Today, Chilembwe is celebrated as a hero of independence in some African countries, and John Chilembwe Day is observed annually on 15 January in Malawi.