Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambian Youth Day Celebrations—The Hopeless Youth

Share

A Kaponya at Kulima tower

By Wesley Ngwenya

Today March 12, 2010 is youth day–A day we celebrate the youthfulness, share our inspirations and visions for our future. Every year, however, the meetings across the country are characterized with propaganda, useless political speeches and no inspirations whatsoever.

There is very little to celebrate for the many youths in this country. The youths in Zambia are unemployed and less empowered. Walk through the streets of Katondo in Lusaka and you will see how they are just hanging out and trying to sell something for a meal. There are those that are now selling on our main roads of Church Road, Independence Avenue and Great East Road. Unemployment is very evident for everyone living in this country and yet our leaders turn a deaf ear to it.[quote]

There will be many speeches all around the country. Most of them will be the same self glorified speeches on how the government is doing this and that, blah blah blah. Give me a break, the government in this country has little or no feasible programs for the youths. The youths in this country need employment, the youths in this country need access to healthcare, the youths in this country need access to empowerment funds. In simple terms the youths in Zambia simply want to live. Can the government provide those instruments to enable us live?

Sometimes the youths in this country are to blame for the perpetuated cruelty against us. We seem to be shortsighted and want instant gratification. We are taken advantage by politicians who use us so they can get what they want. We dance for them, we throw stones for them, we tell lies for them and do many other unthinkable things for them. We even reject our own fellow youths and instead decide to choose leaders who are three generations ahead of us. What is wrong with the Zambian youths?

If we are to become economically independent then we need to be free thinkers. We, as youths, need to start thinking about our future collectively. It does not make sense for us to be dealing with the same issues for more than four decades now. Let us start addressing the issues that affect us as youths today. When we do that then a lot of issues will start falling in place. We shall have the right leaders in place. We shall have the right policies formulated. We shall have the right laws passed. As we pass this March 12 celebration let us rethink our strategy in addressing the issues that concern us.

To all our leaders, we are sick and tired of the usual politicking at every event. Can we please make this year’s youth celebration a different one? We can make a difference by giving our youths the much needed hope. We need to restore hope and faith in the youths. We need to energize them so they can start thinking fresh things. To all my fellow youths I wish you all happy youth day. Stay strong and stay safe. Adios. [email protected]

35 COMMENTS

  1. SOME MMD members have expressed fear that the ruling party could lose the Mufumbwe seat in North Western Province which fell vacant after the death of parliamentarian Misheck Bonshe receently.
    In an interview on Wednesday, the source said going by what happened at Bonshe’s burial, the ruling party was likely to lose the by-election.The source said UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema stole the show while Vice-President George Kunda was snubbed.“You see, I was there with the Vice-President in Mufumbwe, and I can tell you that things are not good for our party. First of all at church, Kingsway Ministries, the pastor who was there asked the government to explain what they have done for the people and what they will continue to do.This he said in full view of the Vice-President.

  2. The Vice-President was literally snubbed by mourners,” the source said. “Now the defining moment was when people were called to lay wreaths on Honourable Bonshe’s grave. When Vice-President Kunda stood up to lay the wreaths people murmured and gave him a cold shoulder.
    But when it was HH’s turn people got excited and gave him a round of applause. I could see that my Vice-President was humiliated. Some of the mourners even shouted that there was nothing anymore for the MMD in North Western Province.This was said at the funeral in the presence of the Vice-President, just imagine how desperate the situation is for our party!”
    Another source said some mourners hinted that what Kafulafuta MMD parliamentarian George Mpombo had said about Bonshe was true.

  3. “People in Mufumbwe said Mpombo’s statement that government neglected Bonshe is true; that’s the feeling we all have here. Just consider how long it took this government to send Tetamashimba to South Africa for treatment, he was evacuated within hours.

    And when they saw that his health could not improve they brought him back to die at UTH University Teaching Hospital,” the source said. “But people are annoyed that for Honourable Bonshe there was nothing like evacuating him to South Africa for specialist treatment.

  4. I hate those same old speeches too. If only for once these people would stop:-@ and start acting on important issues. Sports recreation clubs is something GRZ should think about too for my fellow Zambian yourths. Happy Yourth day:)>-

  5. Fellow patriotic and well informed MMD members,where is our party heading,the reports coming from Mufumbwe are worrying,lets not cheat ourselves,we can win in eastern province,but north western is going to be a huge battle,people are starting to see through our leadership and their lies,we cant fool them anymore

  6. Your article poses some interesting questions. We should not blame the youths for their predicament. If you are hungry, your first instinct is to survive. If it means throwing stones or dancing, so be it. I think it is unfair to blame the less educated, unemployed youths for learning how to survive. The blame should be placed on all those of us without a social conscious. The caption says it all ‘Kaponya’ – very demeaning and indeed our justification for looking at our youth with eyes full of contempt. My son travelled with me to Zambia last year and a youth older than him was calling him ‘boss’ just because he speaks english and was well dressed – it is not fair or right. My son was shocked. Political leaders will never address these inequalities – they need dancers and stone…

  7. Wesley ulinshimbi unlike that populist in Kyambalesa.I especially agree with you on”We even reject our own fellow youths and instead decide to choose leaders who are three generations ahead of us. What is wrong with the Zambian youths?”
    Some have already dicarded Young Chipimo even before his manifesto is ready but sing praise for old populist in Sata despite his stinking CV and glaring inconsistency.

  8. The youth in Zambia are not hopeless, they are just helpless. Every young person has hope and dreams but someone has to cultivate that hope and give them guidance.

  9. If this fool has not been waisting GRZ money on international trips, maybe there could have been something monies left for youth development. But alas it’s party time for the leader(s).

  10. Good Afternoon

    There is nothing wrong with the Zambian youths. It is not their fault that they are born into a lopsided environment. Nevertheless, they do what they do to get by but they still need to be empowered – and not only in terms of employment.
    # 11 Ichalo Lifupa has said it already: Recreation facilities like sports clubs, games, hobby and other creativity promoting events are in short supply all over Zambia.

    What is to stop the youths from getting 8-x and ~X( and :-t if the government is %-( to their cause?

    [-x blame them for the next robbery. 8->

  11. Guys, this is another day for those in GVMT to IBA.Imagine stelling pa malilo ya kwa LEVY MHSRP.Even today you shall here how much has been spent on this day.And the minister is just hd the on :)):))

  12. On “To all my fellow youths I wish you all happy youth day. Stay strong and stay safe.” Thanks Brother Wesley Ngwenya and I wish you the same stuff above.

    On “Sometimes the youths in this country are to blame for the perpetuated cruelty against us. We seem to be shortsighted and want instant gratification.” This is only truth. When I look around me in Zed, I that youths want quick money, quick school marks and sadly do little work that requires such rewards.

    How I hope our attitude as Youths will be that of hard work and stopping to depend on our parents and others for whatever little money and other things we need.

    Be blessed all and take decision 2011 seriously for Zambia’s development.
    _
    Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…

  13. Just to remind voters across Zambia on the happenings in the recent past, the close to Youth Zambian political party President of Zambia hopeful HH (Hakainde Hichilema) has gained ground and is making head way to become Zambian President by God’s grace.

    This is evidenced on the ground and also in the media where “According to the situation we found the UPND has gained ground and we should expect another embarrassment like what happened in Solwezi. So, we are really worried as a party about what will happen in Mufumbwe” appeared in today’s POST Newspaper.

    Take care and keep well.
    _
    Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

  14. How do you call someone kayonya without getting their permission which i’m this Wesley Ngwenya fellow didn’t even bother to do, Nigga you are a reflection of Rupiah’govt.

  15. Youth is a very delicate time in one’s life. We end up with either a useful citizen or otherwise just by the way we handle them. It is the duty of all the grown ups to ensure that the youth of today are guided and nurtured into useful citizens of tomorrow for goodness’ sake & the future of the nation will be bright.

  16. @ Senior Citizn, Eastern is gonna be an uphill battle! Reading between the lines the statement made MMD Spokesperson, Dora Siliya, that people n eastern province are slowly losing confidence in MMD, because of poor workmanship on developmental project in the province, is but a wake up call. It’s about time you went back to the drawing board. Don’t take some of these saets for granted and sit back on your laurels. I am not sure, whether the constitution is gonna be ready by 2011. Or else Sata is gonna cause you guys sleepless nights!

  17. Senior Citizen, That is when your eyes are opening and you can see those your “Our leaders with their lies”. I pity you. Ba Daddy Mwadya Mweka lost it years back. Your party has reached a point of No Return. So ba bwana, beta jump ship before you sink.

    VIVA Pact!!! Viva. Milanzi April 29 here we come so that Ba Senior Citizen & Co bakabule ukwa kubutukila.

  18. Umusungu wa black says, jumping ship or is it jetisonning is not the solution! What we need is a young, dynamic and proactive leadership! We need a complete overhaul in Party Leadership in almost all parties! A democratically elected leadership at that! Today is youth day, and we constantly hear, irritatingly and boringly so, that “the you are the leaders of tomorrow”. Which tomorrow, if not today for heavens sake! And we don’t need to form new parties, we need to fight it through the rank and file of the existing political parties! I wonder why the youths are not as active and revolutionery(positive) as the youths of our pre-independence and the pre-third republic days? Is it that we are directing our energies and our hard earned resources to providing the ever elusive bread & butter?

  19. Ba Prof, I agree with you. We need to rebuild Zed from ground up and we don’t need to form new parties. We have more than enough But I strongly believe, proper deveopment does not lie with MMD. They are parthetically shortsighted and visionless, incurably greedy and worst of all they retrogresive. RB is so determined to drag us back to thru their reckless spending and massive borrowing as well as UNIP type of govt. Can you imagine the shock I had at the Zambian Embassy in Pretoria, The plaque says “Officially Opened by HE Rupiah Bwezani Banda blah blah blah” when this building has been standing even before I came here (RSA) in 2000 and not even a coat of paint has been applied. Let them go.

  20. What is the meaning of Kaponya? The guy on the pic looks cool, probably happier than most “rich” people i know, he looks so innocent. I only wish he could wake up and look around him, liter scattered all over the place, no jobs, no rights, selfish leaders, poor health services, etc… etc.. what a nation!

    Quote:- J F Rutherford- All false riches consisting of money, houses and lands acquired by selfish means at the cost of others and thereafter used selfishly, are almost always used for the oppression of other persons.
    Quote:- J Marti A selfish man is a thief!:)>-

  21. A Zambian youth has nothing to celebrate youth day for.our govt has no plan for the youth & this is a govt that should be kicked out in 2011.for once Senior Citizen can see the writing on the wall.

  22. The real senior citizen is a hard core MMD zealot.The above contributions are from someone else not him.Wrong as it is but i think its kinda fun and makes me laugh.

  23. #3,4,7 You are stupid and a fool to try and impersonate the only Senior Citizen on the blog.This is youth day and not Bonse’s burial.In any case such a thing never happened at Bonshe’s burial. If you think HH is popular in mufumbwe why not wait for the Bye Election? Nabanoko nishilu pakufyala we mbwawe. The senior citisen has been making serious contributions then you want to bring your rubbish under his name choose your name Chikala

  24. Number 27 lets keep our emotions under control -no need to insult -and ofcourse its unacceptable to impersonate,secondly to say senior citizen has made serius contributions to this blog isnt exactly correct,what SC has done on almost daily basis is defending/praising his masters/employers in lusaka blindly which is his democratic right coz thats how he gets his daily bread.

  25. LT or Ngwenya, ….. dignify the young man in the picture by naming him. He has a name. I am sure he can be traced. ‘Kaponya’ is a degrading trade name. I find it an unacceptable tag.
    Given an opportunity to develop, this youth would shock the nation with beauty and strength that lie deep within him.

  26. Senior Citizen’s observations are to the point. He has hit the nail on the head and has managed to drive it home. MMD tactics should change. It is a gimmick that they want to start by -election in Eastern and end up in N/W province but the writing is on the wall. Nice observation citizen.

  27. We need objective blogging/ analysis in Zambia. Normally when a story/news comes out most of the blogging is based on which party ones supports and not on objective analysis based on a story. You will find the pro MMD’s seeing and defending everything in the eyes of the mmd, the pro opposition seeing and defending everything in the eyes of the opposition and we seem to miss objectivity in our analysis of the news or story. If Zambia needs to develop we need to be objective in our analysis , may the Lord deliver Zambia from subjectivity. God bless Zambia and may he bless all the bloggers.

  28. The energetic youths I saw at the youth day celebrations are different from the old guys I see every day posing as political party youth Chairmen,

  29. #31: That is a cadre of spin doctors employed by politicians to preempt, debunk, fabricate and extort, contort, manipulate, exagerate, sugarcoat, camouflage issues of national nature. And they are vetted through a very rigorous process and end up being paid well. Essentially, they are hired liars.

    What is sad is that they are paid by our tax kwacha.

  30. Dear citizens of all ages,
    It is the case that so much of what Africa primarily needs is…….Leadership! As Dr. David Livingstone long ago wrote to England….”do not send me men who will ask where the roads are but send me men who will make their own roads!”
    Indeed, LEADERSHIP, sincere and strong, is the what Zambia and Africa desperately needs……let us demand it! God bless Africa!

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading