Kasungu

Kasungu
Kasungu
Location in Malawi
Coordinates:
Country  Malawi
Region Central Region
District Kasungu District
Elevation[1] 4,403 ft (1,342 m)
Population (2008 est.)[2]
 • Total 59,696
Time zone +2

Kasungu is a town in the Kasungu District of the Central Region of Malawi. The population of Kasungu is estimated to be 59,696 as of 2008.[2] Kasungu is approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) north-west of the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe, and is 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Kasungu National Park.[3] The main industry in Kasungu is tobacco-growing.[4]

Contents

History

A farm close to Kasungu was the birthplace of the first President of Malawi, Hastings Banda.[4]

Geography and climate

Kasungu is in central Malawi, lying at a height of 1,342 metres (4,403 ft). It has a "warm tropical climate" and a rainy season that lasts from November–December to March–April.[1] The dry season lasts from May to October.[3] The town receives, on average, between 500 millimetres (20 in)–1,200 millimetres (47 in) rainfall each year.[1]

Demographics

Year Population[2]
1987 11,591
1998 26,137
2008 (est.) 59,696

Language

Chichewa is the language spoken in Kasungu.[5]

Facilities

Transport

Kasungu is served by buses and minibuses that travel to Lilongwe and Mzuzu.[3] In June 2008, Central East Africa Railways announced plans to extend the rail line from Lilongwe to Kasungu.[6]

Amenities

There are guesthouses, bars, restaurants, a supermarket and a petrol station in Kasungu; according to Lonely Planet, there are "no major attractions" in Kasungu.[3] In June 2008, there was a petrol shortage in Kasungu, causing an increase in the sale of black market fuel.[7] In May 2006, a branch of the Opportunity Bank of Malawi opened in Kasungu.[8]

Emergency services

Kasungu has a police station.[9] The town is also home to a 179-bed government-funded district hospital. The hospital is often overcrowded, and suffers from a lack of nurses and anti-retroviral drugs.[10][11] The hospital's 13-bed paediatric department can receive over 100 patients, leaving some patients on the floor.[12] UNICEF-Hamburg has sent over US$6000 to train care-workers in Kasungu.[13]

Land and economy

The land in Kasungu lacks nutrients and water, and is mostly "sand veld";[4] the Kasungu area is suffering from depleted forests.[14] A tribal chief stated in 2004 that over 250,000 people in Kasungu own no land.[15] Tobacco is the only cash crop grown in Kasungu,[1] and the area has been described as a "tobacco heartland" by Xinhua News Agency.[16] The opening of Kasungu National Park in 1970 has increased tourism in the area.[4] Due to their poverty, most residents of Kasungu live in houses made of hand-made dung bricks, covered by roofs of straw or corrugated iron.[17] According to AllAfrica, Kasungu is a "child labour hotspot."[18]

Politics

Kasungu is a "stronghold" of the Malawi Congress Party.[19] The Member of the Malawian Parliament for Kasungu Central is Carrington Jimu.[20] The MP for Kasungu North North West is Rodger Sithole,[21] and the MP for Kasungu North West is Gerald Jere.[22]

Foreign links

Kaluluma School in Kasungu has formed a relationship with Greenford High School, Southall, England.[23] A church in Kasungu also formed a relationship with two churches near Peterborough, England in 2001. Parishioners from the two churches have travelled to Kasungu several times and have built a new church and a fish farm. In February 2008, the church group built a maize mill in Kasungu.[17]

Notable events

Famine and disease

Over 100 people died in a famine in 2002, according to official estimates; Kasungu was the worst affected area in Malawi.[24] In 2005 a famine occurred in Malawi, affecting 4.2 million Malawians. The efforts to distribute food to the needy were concentrated in Kasungu.[25] During 2004 and 2005, there was an outbreak of cholera, with eight people recorded to have suffered the disease.[26]

June 2003 riots

In June 2003, Kasungu Muslims rioted with police, after five Malawians, suspected of being al-Qaeda operatives, were arrested and taken into United States custody. One demonstrator was treated for "serious gunshot wounds".[16][27]

Evacuation of President

In May 2005, Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika evacuated to a palace in Kasungu after he claimed that the presidential palace in Lilongwe was haunted by "evil spirits".[28][29]

Chess championships

In January 2008, the African Junior Chess Championships were held at the Kamuzu Academy in Kasungu.[30] The academy, which The Nyasa Times describes as "highly regarded" and "Eton in the bush", was founded by the first President of Malawi, Hastings Banda.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Thangata, Paul H.; Hildebrand, Peter E.; Gladwin, Christina H. (2002). "Modeling Agroforestry Adoption and Household Decision Making in Malawi". African Studies Quarterly. University of Florida. http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v6/v6i1a11.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  2. ^ a b c "World Gazetteer: Malawi: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&dat=32&srt=pnan&col=dq&geo=-150. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  3. ^ a b c d Murphy, Alan; Armstrong, Kate; Firestone, Matthew D.; Fitzpatrick, Mary (2007). Lonely Planet Southern Africa: Join the Safari. Lonely Planet. p. 196. ISBN 1740597451. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Zo1sg8FnF2gC&printsec=frontcover#PPA196,M1. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  4. ^ a b c d "Kasungu". Encyclopaedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/313110/Kasungu. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  5. ^ Baldauf, Richard B.; Kaplan, Robert (2004). Language Planning and Policy in Africa: Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. p. 21. ISBN 1853597252. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nVrsAmvjhNQC&printsec=frontcover#PPA21,M1. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  6. ^ Msiska, Karen (2008-06-23). "CEAR promises to compliment Shire-Zambezi Waterway". The Daily Times. http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=10023. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  7. ^ Moyo, Judith (2008-06-16). "Motorists stranded as fuel pumps run dry". Nyasa Times. Archived from the original on 2008-06-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20080624225207/http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/572.html. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  8. ^ "Oibm Kasungu Branch Opens Today". AllAfrica. 2006-09-05. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-128307602.html. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  9. ^ "Malawi: The Wider Angle". AllAfrica. 2002-09-02. http://allafrica.com/stories/200209030145.html. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  10. ^ Bosely, Sarah (2003-02-18). "Athenase Kiromera, doctor". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/feb/18/aids.sarahboseley6. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  11. ^ Bosely, Sarah (2004-02-16). "One small miracle brings hope to thousands threatened by Aids". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/feb/16/aids.sarahboseley. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  12. ^ Riotta, Gianni (2004-12-09). "Tra gli orfani nel Paese dell’Aids" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Esteri/2004/12_Dicembre/09/malawi_riotta.shtml. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  13. ^ "Unicef: Wo die Spenden bleiben" (in German). Die Welt. 2002-06-13. http://www.welt.de/print-welt/article394372/Unicef_Wo_die_Spenden_bleiben.html. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  14. ^ Kitabu, Gerald (2007-12-24). "Alternative source of income may help to protect forest". IPP Media. Archived from the original on 2008-06-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20080624023544/http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2007/12/24/104897.html. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  15. ^ "Traditional leader says 250,000 people in central Malawi landless.". Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 2004-11-11. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14375544_ITM. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  16. ^ a b "Malawi police fire on Muslim demonstrators". Xinhua News Agency. 2003-06-30. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-104517251.html. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
  17. ^ a b "Lent is about giving something back for Canon Malcolm". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. 2008-02-04. http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Lent-is-about-giving-something.3738770.jp. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
  18. ^ "Malawi: Story Workshop Fights Child Labour". AllAfrica. 2002-12-11. http://allafrica.com/stories/200212110106.html. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  19. ^ "Malawi police arrest 12 persons for electoral violence.". Panafrican News Agency. 2004-11-23. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14589444_ITM. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  20. ^ "Malawi: MP Quizzes Govt Over Stadium Funds". AllAfrica. 2006-04-27. http://allafrica.com/stories/200604270073.html. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  21. ^ "Malawi: MPs Defection Detrimental to Democracy - Kadzamira". AllAfrica. 2006-01-25. http://allafrica.com/stories/200601250289.html. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
  22. ^ Kashoti, Dickson (2008-06-18). "Gondwe throws out 50% salary hike for teachers". The Daily Times. http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=10000. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  23. ^ O'Leary, Sarah (2008-02-16). "Teachers fly out for charity". Ealing Times. http://www.ealingtimes.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.2049522.0.teachers_fly_out_for_charity.php. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
  24. ^ Tenthani, Raphael (2002-05-14). "Malawi's 'worst-ever' famine". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1985765.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  25. ^ "Malawi se enfrenta una crisis alimentaria que durará varios meses". El Mundo. 2005-09-15. http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/09/13/solidaridad/1126611123.html. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  26. ^ "Report on cholera outbreak in Malawi". MIJ FM. 2005-01-24. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=107D39A242A3853B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  27. ^ Tenthani, Raphael (2003-07-02). "Malawi Muslim group condemns violence in protests of Al-Qaida arrests". Associated Press. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-75039611.html. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
  28. ^ "President flees 'haunted' home". News24. 2005-03-12. http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1675564,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
  29. ^ "Un mundo raro - Ahuyentan fantasmas del palacio presidencial al mandatario de Malaui" (in Spanish). El Universal. 2005-03-17. http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/noticia.html?id_nota=273215&tabla=notas. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
  30. ^ Herbert, Allan (2008-01-20). "UWI celebrating 60th anniversary". The Barbados Advocate. http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=34392. Retrieved 2008-07-22. 
  31. ^ "Malawi’s Bingu: Eliminating dissent Kamuzu style". The Nyasa Times. 2008-06-10. http://www.nyasatimes.com/index.php?news=533. Retrieved 2008-07-22.