Daniel Sharpe Malekebu (March 1, 1889 – October 8, 1978) was a doctor, Baptist missionary, and anti-colonial activist native to Nyasaland (modern Malawi).

"[1][3] In recognition of his important contributions, he received a ceremonial Key to the City of Nashville, the Tennessee Governor's Award for outstanding service, and a Special Letter of Commendation from the White House.

[1][3] On March 1, 1889, Daniel Sharpe Malekebu was born in the village of Chiradzulu, located in the Blantyre District of Nyasaland (modern Malawi).

[2][10] After Delaney returned to the United States in 1905, Malekebu decided to follow her against the will of his parents with hopes to seek a higher education.

[3][11] During his time in Philadelphia, he also accepted a merit position as the chief resident physician at the Mudgett Hospital and Training School for Nurses.

[11][12] From 1918 to 1919, Malekebu studied theology at the Moody Bible Institute and served as an assistant minister at the Olivet Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.

[2][16] But the government detained the couple upon arrival and ordered them to leave the country, enforcing a 1920 policy which inhibited American-educated Africans from returning home.

[1][17] In a 1962 letter to Hastings Banda, Malekebu recalled that he was not permitted to enter because the government believed he would become “another John Chilembwe.

[1][3] In 1922, the Lott Carey Convention placed the couple in Liberia, where Malekebu became a teacher at a mission school called the Ricks Institute.

[1][2] On February 3, 1926, Malekebu and Zeto were welcomed back to Nyasaland with a "cordial" reception from civilians and government officials alike.

[1][3] They reopened the Providence Industrial Mission under "strict" instructions from the National Baptist Convention to "avoid political involvement".

Upon the requests of local chiefs, the PIM supervised the construction of new schools, dormitories, clinics, churches, roads, and bridges.

[16] The PIM continued to expand with outposts throughout Southern Africa in the late 1930s, despite mounting financial constraints due to the Great Depression.

[1] Throughout the 1930s, as Malekebu and Zeto both experienced "bouts of ill health", they sent multiple letters to their Foreign Mission Board requesting assistance and permission to take medical leave.

[1] The Board finally recalled the couple to the United States in the spring of 1938, by which point Zeto had already grown seriously ill.[2][16] In line with the growing trend of native associations springing up throughout Africa, Malekebu inaugurated the Chiradzulu District Native Association (CDNA) in 1929 and became a member of its executive board.

[16] Native associations were required to allow the presence of government officials at their meetings, which limited the scope of the CDNA to relatively "moderate", lawful protests.

[16] Nevertheless, the CDNA managed to address some of the most pressing issues in Nyasaland at the time, including the new system of indirect rule, the collapse of local tobacco prices, land alienation and exploitation of tenant farmers under the thangata system, and the taxation of children which forced many underage girls to resort to child marriage.

[16] In fact, the CDNA collaborated closely with fellow native associations throughout Nyasaland, even planning for eventual unification into a single organization.

[3][16] In the second week of every August, the NBAA held an Annual Assembly in which thousands of ministers and their congregations gathered to sing, pray, and preach in a range of Southern African languages.

"[16] In 1947, Secretary C. C. Adams of the Foreign Mission Board embarked on a tour of the PIM's outstations and participated in the NBAA's Annual Assembly.

"[3] Due to increasing health concerns, Malekebu and Zeto travelled back and forth between Nyasaland and the United States throughout the 1950s.

[1][3] In recognition of his important contributions, Malekebu received a ceremonial Key to the City of Nashville, the Tennessee Governor's Award for outstanding service, and a Special Letter of Commendation from the White House signed by President Lyndon B.

[2][16] Likewise, the National Baptist Convention accused the PIM of misusing and mismanaging Foreign Mission Board funds.

[2][16] Fifteen different creditors sued the National Baptist Convention for failing to pay back loans spent on the PIM, demanding a total of over $15,000.

[2][16] Harvey reported that some ministers of the PIM were indeed mismanaging or embezzling Foreign Mission Board funds which were supposed to finance employee salaries and various projects.

[2] While Malekebu himself was found innocent of financial fraud, he was ultimately held responsible for his failure of oversight as the Chairman of the PIM.

[2][16] In the last month of his life, Malekebu founded a new church called the Independent Baptist Convention, located in Chiradzulu.

[16] To a great extent, Malekebu achieved his goal of building a unified Christian community throughout Southern and East Africa.

[16][21] Malekebu also set an academic and professional precedent for Hastings Banda, the first Prime Minister and President of Malawi.