John Chilembwe (c. 1870–1915) by unknown photographer [with members of his family] © reserved / London Library
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Chilembwe, John (c. 1870–1915)
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Chilembwe, John (c. 1870–1915), Baptist minister and anti-colonial rebel
Michael Twaddle
Chilembwe, John (c. 1870–1915), Baptist minister and anti-colonial rebel, was probably born at Sangano, Chiradzulu, in modern Malawi, of a Yao father (reportedly called Kaundama), and a Mang'anja or Cewa slave mother (reportedly called Nyangu). Very little is known of his early life. He acquired a basic knowledge of English from one of the earliest outposts of Scottish Presbyterian missionaries. In 1892 he became ‘cook boy’ to the recently arrived independent English missionary ...
