John Chilembwe Day 2025, 2026 and 2027 in Malawi

Every 15 January is “John Chilembwe Day” in Malawi. This is a day when the earliest hero of Malawi’s independence movement is remembered. His portrait was long on the back of all Malawi currency notes and is still on the 2000 and 500 Kwacha notes.

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2025	15 Jan	Wed	John Chilembwe Day
2026	15 Jan	Thu	John Chilembwe Day
2027	15 Jan	Fri	John Chilembwe Day
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

John Chilembwe was a Baptist pastor, teacher, and missionary who trained in the U.S. but returned to his native Nyasaland, now Malawi, to serve his God and his people. He soon became embroiled in the conflict to promote the rights of African plantation workers as well as the political and social rights of Malawi’s black population.

When World War I erupted in the early 1900’s, Chilembwe organised a revolt against British colonial rule. It failed, but when Malawi finally did gain its independence in 1964, Chilembwe’s legacy was immediately looked backed to and honoured, as it still is today every 15 January.

Previous Years

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2024	15 Jan	Mon	John Chilembwe Day
2023	15 Jan	Sun	John Chilembwe Day
	16 Jan	Mon	John Chilembwe Day Holiday