On 1 May 1873 in the village of Chief Chitambo, the famed explorer David Livingstone, in search of the source of the Nile and Congo rivers, passed away from fever. He was 60 years old.
On 1 May 1973 about 1.000 people, led by Kenneth D. Kaunda, President of Zambia, made a special pilgrimage to Chief Chitambo’s old village, Chipundu, to pay tribute to the Scottish missionary‐explorer. On a hill overlooking grassy plains flooded annually by the waters of Lake Bangweulu, the President unveiled a plaque to the memory of Livingstone.
Two of the explorer’s great‐granddaughters took part in the ceremonies in a forest clearing dominated by a 20‐foot high stone monument surmounted by a black cross, erected in 1902 to replace the beetle‐ravaged tree next to which Dr. Livingstone’s heart was buried by faithful followers.
Details
- Date of Issue: 1 May 1973
- Date Withdrawn:
- Date Invalidated:
- Designer: John Waddington of Kirkstall Ltd, Leeds, England
- Printer: Format International Security Printers Pty Ltd
- Process: Lithography
- Paper:
- Watermark: None
- Perf: 13.5
- Cylinders:
- Sheet:
- Quantity:
Subjects
- 3n – “Dr Livingstone, I Presume…”
- 4n – “Blessed are they…”
- 9n – Exploration Mosi-oa-Tunya – Victoria Falls
- 10n – Heal This Open Sore
- 15n – Serving Mankind
- 25n – His Heart Was Buried at Chitambo under this tree
References
- New York Times: Zambia Honors Dr. Livingstone on 100th Anniversary of His Death (1973)
