Malawi has had evidence of human inhabitants from as far back as 50,000 years ago, although its written history does not start until around the 13th century. Then, it was dominated by Bantu-speaking people until around the 18th century. Following that period, the British colonized Malawi from 1891 to 1964, with its independence day on July 6, 1964.
The first president of modern-day Malawi was Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who was made president for life. He introduced many improvements to Malawian society, from transportation networks to agricultural subsidies, but was ousted in an election by Bakili Muluzi in 1994.
With President Muluzi in power, Malawi experienced greater democracy and freedoms of speech and made many allies internationally. However, during the famine of 2001, Muluzi did not manage the resources of the countries well, and was ousted a few years later by Bingu wa Mutharika in 2004.
President Mutharika was known for reducing corruption in the government and aiding farmers in his first term, but much of his progress slowed during his second term. He dealt with protests harshly and far too violently, and the international community stopped giving him aid because of his human rights violations.
The next president of Malawi was Joyce Banda, who restored a lot of the relationships that President Mutharika had ruptured abroad. However, the majority of the country still remains in poverty and the political sphere still remains corrupt, with President Mutharika taking over the presidency once again. Since June 28, 2020, the current president is Lazarus Chakwera.
