Page 56 - Number 2 2021 Volume 74

44 The Society of Malaŵi Journal

Catherine Chipembere: mother, politician, teacher, activist

Raf Mbwana and John Lwanda

Catherine Chipembere

Sometimes the word hero or heroine denotes someone who has
singlehandedly achieved some spectacular feat. But we see heroes every day in
different forms, most notably women who are just ordinary human beings but
phenomenal in the sacrifices they make for their families and communities. In this
series of short articles, we will take time to celebrate these women who, in their
prime found themselves at the mercy of the one-party state machinery, a system
that suppressed various freedoms.
Although we were usually told and taught about the men, Mary Chokani,
Gertrude Rubadiri, Vera Chirwa, and Catherine Chipembere and many others,
bravely stood side by side with their husbands, showing great courage and
determination to see change. The list of these brave women is long.
In 2021, Malawi lost some of these notable women including Mrs
Gertrude Rubadiri, Mrs Grace Chokani, (wife of one of the first Cabinet Minister
in Dr Banda’s government) and Mrs Towera Mhango, who was Dunduzu
Chisiza’s wife. Our unsung heroine in this article will be Catherine Chipembere.
Catherine was born Catherine Mary Ajizinga Ambali in 1935 in Domasi,
1
Nyasaland. Her father was teaching in Domasi at Jeanes Training Centre. As is
the case for many Likoma and Malindi Nyanjas, the Ambalis came from Mtengula
in Mozambique and migrated to Likoma Island. Typical of the Nyanjas then, her
father was a teacher. Due to the influence of the then missionaries, many mission

1 Chipembere, H. M. (Edited and introduced by Rotberg, R. I.) 2002: Hero of the
nation: Chipembere of Malawi. Zomba: Kachere, page 156 – 157.