The mini celebrations will be held on the July 5 before the main event in the Capital City, Lilongwe, on 6 July.

Chairperson for the Committee, Joseph Mwanamvekha, who is also Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism on Monday, told the media at a press briefing in Lilongwe that the events in the cities have been organized to make the celebrations inclusive.

“We would like the people in the Southern, Northern and Eastern Regions to join us in marking our 53rd Independence Day celebrations. This is why we have organized these events in the cities,” said Mwanamvekha.

He said in the Southern Region, there will be military parades in Zomba and Blantyre which will be followed by a free family music at Gynkana Club in Zomba and around Independence Arch in Blantyre.

In Lilongwe, the military parade will take place from Crossroads complex to the memorial tower at area 18 which will climax with a live music performance by the Black Missionaries Band later in the evening. Mzuzu will also hold a military parade amongst other functions.

On 6 July, there will be interdenominational prayers at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) starting from 10 O’clock in the morning which will be graced by President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.

According to Mwanamvekha, the prayers are aimed at thanking God for the bumper harvest this year.

“The theme for this year’s commemoration is: Thanking God for a season of plenty. We want to celebrate the good rains and the bumper harvest that Malawi has experienced in the 2016/17 farming season. Malawi is one of the blessed countries as some countries have not done that well,” said Mwanamvekha.

The other scheduled event to celebrate the day is a football match that will take place between Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers at the Bingu National Stadium.

Malawi attained independence from the Britain on the 6th of July, 1964 and became a Republic on the 6th July, 1966 with the late Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda becoming the first President of Malawi.