'Honourary Architect' Returns to Malawi's Kamuzu Palace
At 92, Chitalo navigated the impressive edifice she first envisioned before construction even began.
LILONGWE, Malawi - "She is truly an honorary architect," President Lazarus Chakwera said as 92-year-old Madame Edda Chitalo returned to Malawi's Kamuzu Palace on Friday, nearly five decades after she chose the location for the presidential residence, writes Winston Mwale.
Chakwera honored Chitalo, calling her visit a "thrill" and praising her role in Malawi history.
"Before Kamuzu Palace came into being, an eminent woman known as Madame Edda Chitalo was tasked by father and founder - Ngwazi Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda - to choose a location suitable for a Presidential Palace in what was then a very new capital city," the president said.
After careful consideration, Chitalo selected the palace site south east of the Lilongwe River in the 1960s.
She returned Friday for the first time since that decision.
"I was equally thrilled that the eminent citizen was back at the State House to share indelible memories of what it took to give the nation an infrastructure masterpiece that has over the decades become a symbol of national purpose and unity," Chakwera said.
Now 48 years later, Chitalo walked the halls of the iconic building she helped conceive through her choice of location.
Chakwera praised her as an "honourary architect" of the palace that has housed Malawi presidents for generations.
At 92, Chitalo navigated the impressive edifice she first envisioned before construction even began.
Her audience with the president allowed her to recount memories of the palace's origins.
"She is truly an honorary architect of Kamuzu Palace," Chakwera said.
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