8. Perhaps the most central figure in Malawi's post-colonial history was its polarizing national leader from 1963 to 1993. Who was this nationalist who held the titles of Prime Minister and President for Life?
From Quiz Miscellaneous Malawi
Answer:
Hastings Banda
Banda left Malawi in 1925 to study in Britain. He earned his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1941. While practicing medicine, he associated with other African expatriates like Kenyan nationalist Jomo Kenyatta and Ghanan leader Kwame Nkrumah. Along with these and other African activists, Banda took part in 1946's Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, a gathering that would plant the seeds of nationalism and independence for many African countries. Banda returned to Malawi in 1958, heading up the Nyasaland African Congress, later known as the Malawi Congress Party. Though initially jailed by the British for, ostensibly, inciting riots in his homeland, Banda was released in 1960 to negotiate for Malawian self-rule. He was elected Prime Minister in 1963 and declared Malawi an independent republic in 1966. In 1970, he declared himself President for Life, a title he would hold into the 1990s. Banda's business dealings alone accounted for 10% of Malawi's gross domestic product at the height of his influence.