The Northern Rhodesia Congress was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

History

The Northern Rhodesia Congress party was formed in 1940, as the Northern Rhodesia Congress (NRC) or Northern Rhodesia African Congress (NRAC). Godwin Lewanika, a

Barotseland Barotseland ( Lozi: Mubuso Bulozi) is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of eastern and northern provinces of Zambia and the whole of Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga Province. It is the homeland of the ...

native from an

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

background, became the first president. "Northern Rhodesia Congress", Britannica.com, 2011, web:
EB-NRC
It was the first African political party in the country. NRC had its roots in the Federation of Welfare Societies, active between 1940 and 1946. In 1951 the party adopted the name Northern Rhodesian African National Congress (NRANC) under the presidency of

Harry Nkumbula Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula (15 January 1916 – 8 October 1983)African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. In 1953

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Dissat ...

became the general secretary of the organization. The NRANC was the leading force of Northern Rhodesian nationalism in the 1950s. It opposed federation, and boycotted shops where the

Colour Bar Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Internati ...

was implemented. In 1955 Nkumbula was imprisoned for possessing banned literature. In 1957 he visited London, gaining some support from the

British Labour Party The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...

. In 1958 the party was divided on whether to participate in the

1959 Northern Rhodesian general election General elections were held in Northern Rhodesia on 20 March 1959,"Racial Issue In N. Rhodesia Elections: African Boycott", ''The Times'', 12 March 1959, p11, Issue 54407 although voting did not take place in two constituencies until 9 April. The ...

, in which only a minority of the black population was allowed to vote. The more

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

Kaunda broke away, and formed the Zambia African National Congress, which was banned in 1959. The NRANC won a single seat in the elections. In the 1962 general elections the party won seven seats, becoming the third-largest faction in the Legislative Assembly and held the balance of power. Prior to the elections Nkumbula had made a secret electoral pact with the

United Federal Party The United Federal Party (UFP) was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. History The UFP was formed in November 1957 by a merger of the Federal Party, which had operated at the federal level, and the Southern Rhodesian ...

, but decided to form a government with the

United National Independence Party The United National Independence Party (UNIP) is a political party in Zambia. It governed the country from 1964 to 1991 under the socialist presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, and was the sole legal party in the country between 1973 and 1990. On 4 A ...

. The party won ten seats in the 1964 general elections, and following independence, was renamed the Zambian African National Congress. Nkumbula ran for president in the 1968 general elections, finishing second to Kaunda with 18% of the vote. The party won 23 of the 110 seats in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

, remaining the main opposition party. In 1973 the party was banned,Zambia: Defunct parties
EISA as the country became a one-party state.

References

Banned socialist parties Defunct political parties in Zambia Political parties established in 1948 Political parties disestablished in 1973 1948 establishments in Northern Rhodesia 1973 disestablishments in Zambia {{Zambia-stub