The Northern Rhodesia Congress was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area'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. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

History

In 1940, as the Northern Rhodesia Congress (NRC), also known as the Northern Rhodesia African Congress (NRAC), was formed.

Godwin Lewanika Godwin is an English-language surname with Anglo-Saxon origins. It means ''God's friend'' and is thus equivalent to Theophilus, Jedediah, Amadeus and Reuel. However, the word "Godwin" can also mean "helper of mankind" Surname or only known nam ...

, a

Barotseland Barotseland (Lozi language, Lozi: ''Mubuso Bulozi'') is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of north-western province, southern province, and parts of Lusaka Province, Lusaka, Central Province, Zambia, Central, ...

native from an

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

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 political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. In 1953

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth 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 Northern Rhodesia, British ...

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 separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by people ...

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, often referred to as Labour, is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that sits on the Centre-left politics, centre-left of the political spectrum. The party has been describe ...

. 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 (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

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 (Rhodesia and Nyasaland), Federal Party, which had operated at the fed ...

, 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 President (government title), presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, and was the sole legal party in the country ...

. 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 repr ...

, 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 Socialist parties in Zambia 1948 establishments in Northern Rhodesia 1973 disestablishments in Zambia {{Zambia-stub