Zambia’s “founding father,” Kenneth Kaunda, who died last week in Lusaka at the age of 97, was the last of the first generation of African leaders who fought for the liberation of their countries. A devout Christian and ascetic Gandhian pacifist, Kaunda led Zambia to independence in 1964, governing the country for 27 years until 1991.

He was born in Lubwa in Zambia’s northern province in 1924. His parents had emigrated from Malawi (then Nyasaland) so that his father — David, a priest — could take up a teaching job. His mother, Helen, became one of the first black female teachers in Northern Rhodesia. The precocious Kenneth attended Lubwa Church of Scotland mission school before joining the elite Munali secondary school in Lusaka...

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