Kenneth Kaunda, Father of Modern Zambia, Dies at 97

JOHANNESBURG - The man known as Zambia's founding father has died at the age of 97. Kenneth Kaunda was one of the last of a dying generation of liberation leaders who saw their countries through a triumphant and turbulent period in African history.  

Kaunda rose to power during Africa's heady post-independence period, when dozens of former European colonies gained their freedom. He served as the first president of the southern African nation of Zambia, after it gained independence from Britain in 1964. He held the post until 1991.   Zambia's government said Kaunda died Thursday afternoon in a hospital in the capital, Lusaka. His staff said he had been admitted days earlier with pneumonia.   In a statement, Zambian President Edgar Lungu declared 21 days of national mourning in honor of the man he described as the "beloved founding father."