Heroes' Day in 2024

When is Heroes' Day?

Heroes' Day is a public holiday in Zambia, observed on the first Monday in July.

This day remembers those Zambians who perished during Zambia's long struggle for independence. The day always forms part of a two-day break as Heroes' Day is immediately followed by Unity Day.

History of Heroes' Day

Though Zambia never descended into open warfare, the period before independence from Britain in 1964, was marked with turmoil and unrest, with violent and fatal suppression of protestors by the colonial rulers.

Heroes' Day was established to remember and honour those who fought in the struggle for freedom.

On the tenth anniversary of independence in 1974, then-president Dr Kenneth Kaunda unveiled the Zambian Freedom Statue in downtown Lusaka. The statue is of Zanco Mpundu Mutembo, a Zambian protestor who was imprisoned. He was told that if he couldn't break free from his chains, he would be shot. The statue depicts the stirring moment that Mutembo defied his captors and managed to break the chains.

The statue has become a focal point during holidays such as Heroes Day and Zambian Independence Day. The statue is also featured on all denominations of Zambia's banknotes.

The day has expanded to include the commemoration of other heroes of Zambia, such as the 18 members of the Zambian soccer team who died in a plane crash in Gabon in 1993.

Heroes' Day and Unity Day coincide with the culmination of the  Zambia International Trade Fair. The Fair began in 1956 as the annual Northern Rhodesia Show.  The show became a national event after Zambia attained Independence in 1964 and later developed its international aspect and its scope widened and gained its new name as the Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF).