Kenneth Kaunda: Zambia hold memorial for dia first president

Zambia don hold memorial service for dia first president, Kenneth Kaunda, wit 21 gun salute and display by dia air force.

Kaunda die last month, aged 97, after im suffer from pneumonia.

Im be one of di last generation of African rulers wey fight colonial rule, and become president after Zambia gain independence for 1964.

Dem hold di service for stadium wey dey di capital, Lusaka, as foreign dignitaries attend to paying tributes.

Inside di stadium, many Zambians also wave white handkerchiefs as tribute to di former leader wey dey always carry one.

After im death, di government declare three weeks of national mourning, dem suspend all forms of entertainment. Dem also carry e body go round di country for members of di public to pay their respects.

Zambia President Edgar Lungu don also declare public holidays for di days of di memorial and di funeral - wey dem go hold in private next week.

Among those wey bin dey Friday ceremony include leaders of Kenya and Ghana, as well as South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Kaunda - wey many sabi as KK - bin be strong supporter of efforts to end apartheid for South Africa. Im bin also be leading supporter of liberation movements for Mozambique and for Zimbabwe.

African Union chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat wey attend di ceremony tok say Kaunda na "giant among men" and "di last of di founding fathers wey deliver independence to more than just e own land".

"If not for di selfless efforts of im generation I no go stand before you today as di African Union for no exist," oga Mahamat add. "We forever dey indebted to Kenneth Kaunda and di pipo of Zambia."

Kaunda rise to prominence as key figure for den Northern Rhodesia independence movement from Britain for 1950s.

Some pipo bin nickname as "Africa Gandhi" for e non-violent approach to activism.

As head of di left-leaning United National Independence Party (UNIP), Kaunda den lead di country through decades of one-party rule.

But im popularity for home reduce as im become increasingly autocratic, and e step down after e lose multi-party elections for 1991.

For later life, Kaunda turn e attention to di fight against HIV after one of e sons, Masuzyo, die from Aids-related disease.

"We fight colonialism. We must now use di same zeal to fight Aids, wey dey threaten to wipe out Africa," im tell Reuters news agency for 2002.