Youth Week in 1980s

Youth Week in 1980s

At the peak of Dr Banda's rule, Youth rally became a tradition in the lives of students in Blantyre.

One student was beaten severely on the rehearsals day for displaying a wrong card on Kamuzu's picture.

The student was sat on Kamuzu's lower lip.  They immediately changed him after that episode.

More at risk were those sat and displaying Kamuzu's eyes. During earlier displays days before,  those on Kamuzu's eyes, on student presented the eye upside down. 

We don't know the fate of that student. The MYPs;  Magwaya, Kamanga et al sat at the VIP coordinated the displays.

On the actual day, everything went well. Kamuzu's picture was done well, only one student took long to put up his board. And  he was sat on Kamuzu's nose.

The official MC handled the issue well, she gave a good narration that the students doing the displays were young but well trained, they take their time. 

The whole stadium was anxious while the student was flapping the sheets to find the correct display

Moments later, the student on  Kamuzu's nose held up the right display card solving the last jigsaw puzzle of Kamuzu's picture to the relief of the whole stadium.

The MC finally remarked, "Can you give a round of applause to these young students for they great work they have done."

The whole stadium cheered, even Kamuzu himself laughed while clapping hands proud of the young students and himself.

At that time no-one in the open stands was allowed  to go to the toilet when Kamuzu was about to speak.

Those who were students at time could not forget Demoubray Kaitano  of Blantyre Secondary School and Tony Bismarck of Chichiri Secondary School. 

These were legends. 

At that time when the MYPs had stopped anyone in the open stands to go to the toilet, that was the time when Demoubray Kaitano of BSS  stood up to go to the toilet. 

BSS used to sit at the top of the stand. Below them were HHI, Chichiri, Our Lady, Soche Hill, Stella Maris etc. 

The Malawi Youth Leaguers and  MYP turned him back everytime he made an attempt to go down the stands.

Demoubray had other ideas.

He feigned and illness and the Red Cross came running with a stretcher up the stand carrying Demoubray on the stretcher down the  stand  rushing him to the Red Cross first  aid  treatment area below Nyumba ya Magalasi within the Stadium.

BSS students knew there was nothing wrong with Demoubray. 

He just pulled that out of nowhere while the whole stand was panicking.

20 minutes later, Demoubray came walking and as soon as the BSS students saw him at the bottom of the stand they started cheering him. 

The whole stand stood up to give him a special round of applause 🙌  shouting his name as if he scored a goal. 

This was a rare moment when students  had chance to stand up and stretch their legs.

Demoubray gave them one. 

Legend had it that even Kamuzu would ask if he saw such incident and officials would explain to him, "That's one of the famous students and students/peers cheering him." 

Anyway ,what has happened was that, Demoubray wanted to go to the toilet and he succeeded when everybody failed.

With his antics, he managed to go to the toilet, was given panado, a bottle of fanta and a bun (meal meal) thanks to the Red Cross  and a standing ovation while returning to the Secondary students stands was an icing on the cake. 

That was Demoubray for you during the  peak Kamuzu days.

The MYPs- Youth League just shook their heads  in disbelief.