(Atlanta) – On Thursday, April 5, former Zambian President Rupiah Banda paid his respects and visited the Crypt of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King in Atlanta, Georgia. As he laid a wreath, His Excellency said, “On behalf of His Excellency Michael Sata, former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, in memory of President Levy Mwanawasa, on behalf of all Zambians, and as an honored guest of Boston University, I lay this wrath in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr., as an example of a human rights activist who inspired Africans in their quest for freedom.”
President Banda was accompanied by Ambassador Charles Stith, director of the Boston University African Presidential Center, and Reverend Bernice King, daughter of the slain civil rights leader.
President Banda is visiting Atlanta primarily to conduct lectures at Morehouse College, a member of BU’s African Presidential Center’s Universities Collaborative. President Banda will also visit the Carter Center, having been the head of a recent Carter Center election monitoring delegation to the Democratic Republic Congo.
President Rupiah Banda is the Eighth President-in-Residence at Boston University’s African Presidential Center, and will fill this role through the fall. As President-in-Residence, President Banda follows such notables as former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, President Q. Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana, President Antonio Monteiro, former president of Cape Verde, and Mo Ibrahim prize-winner President Festus Gontebanye Mogae, former president of Botswana. President Banda will also conduct lectures at other schools that are part of the Center’s Universities Collaborative, including Elizabeth City State University, the University of Dar es Salaam, and the University of Ghana, Legon. He will be traveling within the United States and Africa to discuss his experiences as President, trends of democratization, and the current state of African politics. He will also join other former heads of state at the African Presidential Center’s upcoming African Presidential Roundtable, to be hosted at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, May 23-25, 2012.
The African President-in-Residence program is an initiative of the African Presidential Center at Boston University and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The African Presidential Center has taken an unprecedented approach to studying democratization and free-market reform in Africa. Through this residency program for former democratically elected African leaders, the African Presidential Center provides a forum for sharing the insights and expertise of past and present heads of state and government. The African Presidential Center’s other initiatives include its internationally renowned African Leaders State of Africa Report, as well as its annual policy forum, the African Presidential Roundtable.
Ndiye vamene vibaba ka Mmembe vintu va so. So chizakajinya maningi apa.
walasa!
President for all Zambians! RB for life. Your Excellence you forgot FTJ in your speech, so sorry but next time HE
Reading M’membe’s editorial yesterday and how he twisted the lecture conducted by RB,I really feel sorry for followers of his ‘gospel’.The guy is a hard core sadist and and at the rate he is hating on RB and the recognition he(RB) is enjoying..I wont be shocked if the man along Bwinjmfumu collapses with envy.M’membe thought the international community is so gullible like his followers that they will fall for his lies, and trial-by-headline on RB alas,he has no influence on the international scene.
You can say that again. It is not easy being Mmembe. He loves to hate. He loves to hate, I am sure he would have been a gestapo had he lived in Hitler’s time.
uyo nga ewalipo ninshi twasendele ichikombe,ino nshita nga tuli ne mpali six,six
How can ignore the best Zambian president ever FTJ Chiluba?
Imagine that but I am sure he misspoke!
RB enjoys travelling.
I have no coment.
Oulala,RB you came here down south and didn’t drop in on me? Its fine though,i give it up to you for the superb economy you left unlike those clueless amateurs running the boat aground.Bring me some mosi next time.
The more Mmembe hates RB, the greater GOD will keep blessing RB with Peace. It is clear Mmembe is still trouibled for failing to land Mangande the presidency. Good job RB !!
God bless you RB… We are solid behind you. You have shown that you are a true leader.
He should also find time to come and lay wreaths on the graves of the 19 Lozis who died at no other than his behest.
Great president keep up your good work
We love you RB. Keep up the good work. The mmembes and Ukwas and their blind followers are very jealous.
RB come 2016 you can challenge MCS..you will win..or if he called for elections now..
LT, Please take your work seriously, first you got it right, ‘he laid a wreath’ and two lines down you quote Mr Banda as having said, ‘I lay this ‘wrath’ in memory of Martin Luther King Jr’. Are you implying that Mr Banda was expressing his anger at MLK Jr?
Nice one RB show the americans that we Zambians are democratic and peace loving people. MLK was a great man and deserves to be honoured.
It doesn’t matter what I feel, what satanist Mmembe feels, what Sata feels, what PF feels, what jealous PF cadres feel, the fact is RB worked hard for that American recognition. He cried for mother Zambia knowing that now PF were coming in to destroy the economy – sure enough we now have a Minister of Commerce Bob Sichinga who thinks rebasing the Kwacha will strengthen it to 1964 levels!! After RB cried for mother Zambia on TV he proceeeded to hand over the instruments of power to Sata. There is no way PF and Sata can match RB. RB left a very healthy economy and health foreign reserves which PF are now busy spending like it’s a party everyday. RB is more educated than Sata and the entire PF put together. PF, SATA, MMEMBE and all PF CADRES – YOU WILL DIE FROM ENVY and JEALOUSY.
I guess the truth some may find hard to swallow is whether you support him or not, he is working in this capacity as an ambassador for our nation and that is a good thing. And no it doesn’t affect home perceptions of wrongs or rights under his presidency but it’s not worth developing ulcers over if you feel he has unfinished business at home. Neither is the constant gloating by his ‘fans’ tasteful. Get a grip peeps on both sides of the coin. Zed must move on and you are all needed in the future not the past. God bless Zed.
A good dog deserves a good bone…viva RB God b wit u
And most importantly that is a lovely picture. Poignant.
I wish I had voted for you but anyways we voted for Sata and he has four more years to go. The problem is that Sata a good man but is surrounded by the devil himself, Mmembe and cronies (engulfed in fact). HE MCS is failing to shake off this hold. I pray night and day that he wakes up and rules, as he promised in accordance with the ten commandments and he will be the best president. HE MCS will then be able to even consult the past cabinet on how best to achieve results for the nation. Right now Mmembe cannot allow that. he wants everyone locked up with or without evidence and keys to jails dropped in the sea. If he had a way he would put all perceived corrupters on a plane and shoot it down over the Atlantic ocean.
Sadist homos must be feeling really bad. Well done RB you are a true statesman. Let them wallow in their prettiness and jealousy. As for Mutembo, he too will soon be a Mutembo- no evil lasts forever.
The good lord never allows his children to suffer in vain- the Malawians can testify.
Always a Great ambassador for our great nation! Keep up the good work RB! enjoy your retirement and seek more knowledge!! No amount of putdowns by Kabimba will match your achievements!! Kabimba forgets that Zambia was a shell in 1991….and it has taken 20 good years of sacrifices to steer the economic back on track. Whether you hate MMD or not please give the MMD credit!! Some of us were there…but young ones dont argue you were not there!!
What an embarassment for Zambia as well as Africa. President R. Banda laying a wreath on whose grave??? Martin luther King stood for and died for rich ideals unlike President R. Banda. And what speech. Lets be real. Thank you to President Kaunda and the US, UK and EU envoys R. B was ‘persuaded’ pressured to accept defeat in the general eletion. Otherwise he was ready to steal the election. Please show some love for Africa. Ambassador Charles Stith, show some real love for Africa. Your ingnorance on Zambia is quite offending. Any one who loves and cares about Zambia and has been alive and watching, knows that President Banda under MMD, after the death of President Mwanawasa led the most toxic corrupt government., bad governance and strong sense of irresponsiblity.
Mr. Kaembe Mwale, speak for yourself. We all have alot of negatives against most Zambian presidents so that is your opinion. My opinion differs greatly from you.
How RB plundered zambia America knows nothing about this man how he robbed the poor today they chose to honour him
RB,God bles you.U had a heart for Zambia than these clueles membezi,full of beans.Truely,evn me,i hav never seen a righteos man forsaken .God saw something in RB that hateful pipo cant see.
born a leader
RB has courage,integrity and humor.He is a decent man who relinquished power once his term ended.He was not drunk with the heady feeling of being driven in a motorcade.It is more than could be said of a lot of commanders in chief.You bloggers are like attack dogs on sitting presidents and go soft on retired presidents.
every single single usage connected with conventional audra Louboutin developer realizes that the typical Louboutin has factors such as trademark double G horse and small bit theme. audra Louboutin keeps become acquire among the 1 of one of the most basically-named developer among the modern life-style due to its targeted friendly characters of delicious printed, Luxury not to mention arousing. as you may know, audra Louboutin developer consist of the broad range of basically-named law firms that happen to be loved with an incredible method of getting theme the ladies adore audra Louboutin position, audra Louboutin storage compartments not to mention arm Louboutin wrist watches and a lot more.