The Order of the Lion was, at one point, the highest state order, and the second highest honour bestowed by the government of

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

History

The order was established by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Hastings Kamuzu Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the prime minister and later president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm). In 1966, the country became a republic and ...

in 1967. It was the second highest honour to be bestowed by the government of the Republic of Malawi under

Hastings Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the prime minister and later president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm). In 1966, the country became a republic and ...

's presidential dictatorship (1966-94). The order consisted of five classes plus a medal, to be awarded "For distinguished and outstanding services to the people of Malawi". Banda announced the creation of the order, as well as a number of other new awards, in July 1966, as Malawi was declared a republic. The announcement was given at Zomba, the capital of

at the time. Malawian civilians and military personnel, as well as foreigners, were all eligible for award of the order. However, in 2008, after deliberations that had lasted for three years, the Malawian government decided to deactivate the Order of the Lion, although appointees to the order were still allowed to wear the insignia of their grade. Dr HK Banda, first president of Malawi

Description

The ribbon of the order is red, with two golden stripes running down each side. The Medal of the Order of the Lion is a cross, with a central medallion featuring an image of a lion's face, encircled by a red banner on which the Malawian motto, "Unity and Freedom." is written. The medals of higher grades of the order feature the same medallion, superimposed onto a green enameled cross. The grades of Grand Commander and Grand Officer also receive a badge, again featuring the lion medallion, superimposed onto stars. The Grand Commander's badge features twelve rays extending between the points of a twelve-pointed star, and the Grand Officer's badge features a ten-pointed star with points alternating in length, and is itself superimposed on an inverted pentagon.

Notable recipients

Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. B ...

* Cecilia Kadzamira *

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

* Chiang Kai-shek *

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Franz Josef Strauss Franz Josef Strauss ( ; 6 September 1915 – 3 October 1988) was a German politician. He was the long-time chairman of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) from 1961 until 1988, member of the federal cabinet in different positions betwee ...

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

* Leonard Massey * Nelson Mandela

References

{{Orders, decorations, and medals of Malawi Orders, decorations, and medals of Malawi Awards established in 1967 1967 establishments in Malawi Awards disestablished in 2008