Controversial musician Chama Fumba aka Pilato on Monday held discussions with UN Ambassador to Zambia Eric Schultz and discussed the important right of freedom of expression.
Pilato, 31 who is charged with one count of conduct likely to cause the breach of peace after he released a song titled A lungu Anabwera is tomorrow expected in court as trial commences.
Inflammatory visit this, there is a massive shortage of diplomatic etiquette, how many more prisoners has the ambassador visited or earmarked for visiting ? In a country like Zambia accepting such a visit is a self shot in the foot by pilato
1 Mangwamu
There you go exposing your short fuse at work…really???????
My friend the Zambian government trembles at the mention of USA and other donor countries with regards human rights.
What happened to the gay couple tried in Kapili magistrate court when the then US ambassador Mark Storella attended the court hearing? The ruling was reserved and later on ACQUITTED!
Expect this one to follow suit.
Pilato reminds me of Wynter and faeces
And that is exactly one of the problems; as long as a donor country calls it human rights, all wrongs disappear and all other brains should suddenly go on auto pilot and loudly proclaim ‘human rights, human rights’! How clean is the US’s slate of human rights record? Am not necessarily saying pilato is wrong, it is the shenanigans concealed in the visit that worries me
There is nothing wrong with the US ambassador seeing anyone, including Pilato! However, there is everything wrong with arresting and charging Pilato with “defaming the president”. The best way to treat artists is to ignore them! Then whatever they say or sing about is soon forgotten. Zambia – please learn to laugh at yourselves! Pilato is surely expressing himself and the USA, being the epitome of freedom of expression in the world, is merely showing Pilato solidarity. Advice: ignore Pilato, withdraw the charges or else the Government will make him a hero of freedom of expression.
The message is very clear from the United Nations and other cooperating partners that abuse of any Zambian(s) human rights by individuals or GRZ will not be tolerated.
Ignoring Pilato would have been the best way to handle the issue ! Now it might turn out to be embarrassing for the powers that be ! It’s not a slam dunk ! The charges might be thrown out !
All because of greed and silly policies we are misleading the world concerning who Zambians are…drop the charges and behave yourselves govt.!!!
Can we harass the bugger a bit then release him? Better?
Hahaha world is watching if Pilato is jailed. Nice one. Meanwhile the one Davis Chama has not been charged with what I view as the real conduct likely breach peace when he insulted an entire tribe on behalf of he’s party. Not forgetting shooting a man in the buttocks which common sense suggests that he was retreating while being shot. #banana republic
Because this PF government has no direction they are now making Pilato become a big name around the world. Instead of harassing Chama running around with guns this PF government is busying harassing a mere musician who cant kill a person.
There is another important right, the “Freedom of USociation”!
i.e., the freedom you get when you associate with the United States of America..!
this is a month for CHAMAs, PF SG is Chama ,PILATO is also Chama . umwenshi waba CHAMA
You #Mangwamu, your fo-o-lish and useless PF will not be there forever. the USA ambassador has done well to meet Pilato. How will you react if the incoming govt pounces on you for telling the truth. Alungu Anabwera is true. Look at your Lungu, going to South Africa again for for the so called medical review. The great KK goes to UTH and other local hospital and he is alive. shame on you and you fo-olish PF
I expect our sick and beer drinking president to dimiss Chama today and allow the police to arrest him.
Zambia is just like my country Yemen. IT IS A PAWN TO THE DONOR COMMUNITY.
What is the use boasting about 50 years of independence…Show it to me, to the world, to the donors?
You guys are impotent/docile/submissive.
No wonder Chinese and Indians are robbing you with your eyes open?
Do you think General Kanene and J.O.B will produce a reply to this visit?
Americans are some of the most free people on earth. So they get surprised when they find free souls in countries like ours.
The idea was just to go ask Pilato if he is really a Zambian.
Kulibe guys, if pilato has insulted the seating president he should face the law. I just wonder how inferior you guys are to the Americans. When USA say eat poop you wana eat coz USA has said so. USA says marry your fellow man , you follow suit …..what a wretched people you are…be saved from this corruption of inferiority. Shame on you all. Shaaaa.
Press freedom and freedom of expression also comes with responsibility. This boy was cheeky and rude in his song, and that is not right…
The trouble is that the likes of SHULTZ are shooting Black People in the USA – What moral right has SHULTZ to advise on freedom of expression or Human Rights: we should be left to sort out this useless musician. we all have rights including rights not to be insulted in the name of music or POST STORIES
Pilato mwaice, remember the US created Osama bin Laden from nothing? Then several years later the same US turned against ObL, destroyed him and buried him deep in the sea!
Bushe efyo ulefwaya naiwe …?
We should learn to say things as they are, Africans are suffering because they worship their leaders and make dicktators out of them.
Pilatos song is his honest opinion of reality in Zambia.
Any progressive nation should allow freedom of expression and freedom after expression.
But have you ever heard in the developed nations singing about their presidents or leaders in such away , no these people respect the personal freedoms for other people , in zambia it is about abusing any one in power . It is uncalled for to slander leaders just like that
Well, I am from Germany. I do not know the above song…. but there was a song in Germany, when Mr. Schroeder was chancellor. The text translated to english would be about this: Get me another bottle of beer, another bottle of beer, or I am on strike here….
Its going on like this. The Video for this song showed a beer drinking marionette, looking like our chancellor. I tell you, he was not amused. But after a few days, he was lifting a glass of beer and smiling at the cameras to the song. And I tell you, there were songs and comedy on every German leader. If you listen to German radio the first years of Angela Merkel in power, believe me, the poor Lady did not get it nice. But in a democracy, there is a freedom of opinion, so she probably just switched to another radio station ….
All he did was express himself.
Reactions like this will just make the songs worse and less humorous, people will once again start to sing like in 1991 about vintu vamapusikana. Vioneni vimasilu anyway