The 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference hosted the fourth Emilia Monjowa Lifaka Memorial Lecture on Tuesday to commemorate not only a life well lived, but also to remember what that life stood for.
Delivering the lecture, Mr Marwick Khumalo, a long-serving Member of Parliament of the Kingdom of Eswatini, told delegates that among the best ways to honour Ms Lifaka is by defending democratic institutions and championing women’s political participation – principles she stood for.
Reflecting on her career, Mr Khumalo hailed her as the first African woman in the 106-year history of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to be elected Chairperson. Ms Lifaka was a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon until her death at the age of 62 in 2021.
“Her political DNA is mirrored by her parliamentary grassroots activism that amplified the work of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network in her home country,” Mr Khumalo said. “During her tenure as the Deputy Speaker, the CPA Cameroon Branch became closely associated with the introduction of the CWP Women’s Anthem, which is now sung at CPA conferences across its regions.”
He told delegates that this Anthem is not just a song of celebration, but rather a covenant that advocates for solidarity and the advancement of gender equality in parliaments. “The clarion call found in its lyrics, “All Across the Nations, All around the World, Women are longing to be free”, is meant to give life and meaning to the advocacy work of women parliamentarians. It is premised on promoting the representation of women in the CPA Branches and achieving women’s full and equal participation in the political space and parliamentary leadership.”
He said the anthem is a testament that the best memorial parliamentarians can build for Ms Lifika is not one of stone, but of practice, because she believed that democracy is not a ceremony held every five years, but a daily practice of listening, debating and accounting. “It is therefore fitting that we honour her memory by speaking about the institution in which she believed – Parliament. If we lose the person, we should at least keep her principles alive by strengthening the parliamentary institution she served,” Mr Khumalo said. He noted that a strong parliamentary democracy is often misunderstood as simply majority rule. “Parliament is where the nation talks to itself. When Parliament is weak, the nation whispers. When Parliament is strong, the nation speaks clearly and loudly.”
Mr Khumalo reminded delegates that this is why Parliament's dignity must be restored as a house of scrutiny, not just one that rubber-stamps executive action. “Oversight must not be seen as hostility towards government, but as loyalty to the people.”
He also reminded delegates of Ms Lifaka’s work in mobilising support for the CPA to move from a charity organisation to the legal status of a global interparliamentary body. He said this transition is critical. “Parliament, as the fulcrum of democracy in the Commonwealth, play a critical role in upholding a rules-based international order, fostering unity, reinforcing democratic values and strengthening multilateralism through legislative action, oversight, and diplomacy,” he noted, adding that Ms Lifaka’s political life and parliamentary activism continue to embody the ambitious aspirations of the transformative agenda of the CPA for which she advocated.
With the new legal status, the CPA would be able to engage with wider international bodies, including the United Nations, to address global challenges like climate change, geopolitical uncertainties, economic hardships, and potential risks of artificial intelligence to the human race. Mr Khumalo said the current international landscape,, marred by geopolitical tensions and fragmentation, requires strong parliamentary leadership that consistently applies and observes international law and reinforces democratic values in the Commonwealth and beyond.
Abel Mputing
16 September 2026
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