Zambians Give Handkerchief Salute to Fallen Statesman Kaunda

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA - Mourners waving white handkerchiefs, Kenneth Kaunda's trademark symbol, paid tribute Friday at a memorial service for Zambia's first president, who died last month aged 97, as VIPs hailed him as one of southern Africa's great statesmen.

Neatly distanced in compliance with COVID rules, scores of Zambians stood on the terraces of the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, swaying to dirges and solemn music played by a military band. A hero of the struggle against white-minority rule, Kaunda died on June 17 at a military hospital where he had been admitted with pneumonia. He always carried a white handkerchief -- an item that he said symbolized love and peace, and which he started carrying while incarcerated during the struggle for independence.