By E. Munshya wa Munshya
To treat a topic of this nature, a definition of terms is in order. Being of Congolese origin or heritage is a complex notion. However, in this article I use it to describe Zambian citizens with sufficient Congolese connections such as culture, tribe, family, and origins. I do not wish to use this term to describe the Luba-Lunda migrations, but to latter migrations of peoples at least after the 1950s.
Two of Zambia’s neighbours have left an indelible mark on Zambian culture and national identity. These two countries are Malawi and Congo DR. In an earlier article, I had already pointed out the influence that Malawi and her diaspora has had on Zambian political and cultural life. It is time, therefore, for me to turn to the Congo.
The Congo DR shares a 2000-kilometer border with Zambia. None of the other eight (or nine) neighbours comes close to this length. Additionally, over half of Zambia’s urban towns are within 200 kilometers of the Congolese border. Zambia shares more tribes with the Congo than any other neighbouring country. The ethnic groups that are found on both sides of the border stretch from Mwinilunga to Mwansabombwe. Among these ethnic groups are the Lunda, Luvale, Kaonde, Lamba, Lala, Ushi, and the Lunda (Kazembe). The Bemba language, spoken in more provinces of Zambia, is the staple language for much of the Congo’s Katanga province. In fact, Katanga’s major city “Lubumbashi wa Ntanshi” is a Bemba term. Historically, many Zambian tribes claim Congolese origin. That is most of them are descended from an ancient Luba-Lunda Kingdom. These tribes are as sparse as the Bemba in Northern Province to some Lozi speaking peoples within Western Province.
However, in spite of all these realities, it is quite surprising that not many people in Zambia publicly admit to Congolese heritage, origin or connections. I will begin by taking politicians as an example.
Politicians
When President Frederick Chiluba was running for the presidency in 1990, he was asked whether he had any Congolese connections. His answer was to the effect that his only Congolese connection was that of ancient African history, in which his people, the Chishinga migrated from the Luba-Lunda empire to their current location along the river Luapula. By giving this answer, Chiluba refused any modern Congolese connections. He instead used the same ancient argument that his only connections to the Congo belonged to the 1800s.
Notwithstanding this position, however, any person who has been to Musangu or to Mwense cannot be surprised at just how close these places are to the Congolese border. And indeed, any serious student of history will discover that Chiluba’s refusal to be connected to the Congo is a serious inconsistency. Chiluba did have the Congolese connection which he refused to admit to. But why did he? This article seeks to provide part of that answer.
President Levy Mwanawasa was born of a Lenje father and a Lamba mother (Mama Miriam Mokola). For many Zambians, they may need reminding that the Lamba people exist in both Zambia and the Congo. In fact, the Congo has more Lamba speaking peoples than Zambia. The Lambas occupy much of the Congolese pedicle and they stretch from Lubumbashi down through the pedicle to Sakania. In Zambia, the Lamba are mainly on the Copperbelt.
In Amos Malupenga’s biography of President Levy Mwanawasa, he neglects to mention any Congolese connections that Mama Miriam Mokola had. The only Congolese reference that Malupenga alludes to in his book is that the young Levy was flown to Kinshasa for medical attention after a burning accident he suffered as a child. However, throughout his life, Levy Mwanawasa refused any Congolese connections. But I should here provide a few hints that may indicate that Mwanawasa too had clear connections to the Congo, which he refused to admit to.
Mwanawasa’s mother lived in the Congo after she got divorced from Levy’s father. And he, as a student at Chiwala, did visit her on the other side of the border. Malupenga mentioned nearly all the places Mama Mokola lived in, except for one place. According to Malupenga, Mama Mokola lived in Ndola, Mufulira, Ndola rural and “another village which now has ceased to exist.” It is a village without a name. Malupenga conveniently, left out the name of this village, either because he was not told about it (it was hidden from him), or knew about it and chose not to mention it for some reason. I submit that this village has disappeared from Malupenga’s book because in reality it is on the other side of the border-it is in the Congo. This village should in all probability be between Mokambo and Sakania across the border.
The reason why Malupenga did not mention the Congo is because the Congo is a toxic heritage. Many Zambians of Congolese origin simply refuse to be connected to the Congo. That is they do not want to admit to this heritage publicly.
Additionally, the fact that the young Levy was flown to Kinshasa gives the idea that his family should have been connected to the Congo more than we are made to believe. No Zambian, without sufficient connections to Kinshasa would send their child to seek medical attention in Kinshasa in 1960. As such, Levy Mwanawasa did have sufficient Congolese connections.
In the 2006 elections, the MMD featured two very interesting candidates. One is Jerry Mukonkela for Chingola and the other is Goodward Mulubwa for Matero. Mukonkela was more forthcoming about his “Congolese” accent. A Lunda with strong Congolese heritage, Mukonkela spent some time defending his “Swahili” accent and refusing any connections to the Congo. Goodward Mulubwa also faced the same situation. A successful businessman, he addressed the Congolese suspicions by refusing any link to the Congo. From his name, you could tell he is Ushi from Luapula Province.
The above-mentioned denials typical of politicians are also true for many Zambians from different strata of society. But why do Zambians of Congolese origin or connections refuse Congolese identity. The answer is steeped in history and in the Kaunda Era demonization of everything Congolese. The following paragraphs provide part of the answer.
The Kaunda Era demonization of everything Congolese
The first reason is with the way imperialists partitioned Africa and the identity they fostered upon Africans. Armed with a stencil and a ruler, junior Belgian and British civil servants drew a map of Africa, and then demarcated it according to their wishes. They divided up families and did not care about how the new borders would impact on a nephew east of the Luapula River. In the modern geo-political states, this demarcation has caused a false sense of citizenship that has frequently led to African tribes perceiving their own tribesmen as foreigners simply because Queen Victoria and her counterpart King Leopold II decided so. This matter requires further exploration latter.
The second reason has to do with what happened at independence. Zambia’s independence came at a time that the Congo was at war. Congo DR got her independence from Belgium in 1960. However, just months into her independence the Southern Province of Katanga seceded from the mainland, and declared independence. Katanga Governor Moise Tshombe’s military and political prowess provided a serious conundrum for Northern Rhodesian Prime Minister Kenneth Kaunda.
Kaunda believed that Tshombe had recruited his soldiers from tribes that would constitute a future nation of Zambia. If left unchecked, this would bring instability for a newly independent Zambia. Additionally, Whites in Southern Rhodesia wanted to create a federation of three countries: Southern Rhodesia, Katanga and Barotseland. Kaunda was already dealing with the Barotseland crisis and did not want any further complications. Cleary in such a political set-up there was no way Kaunda was going to be friendly to Tshombe and his Katangese agenda. These political issues would create serious suspicions on Kaunda’s part for everything Katangese or Congolese. He became suspicious of his northern neighbour such that after Zambia’s independence, Kaunda’s government would treat the Congo as enemy number one.
The third reason came as a consequence of Kaunda’s policy towards the Congo. He would treat the nation itself as an enemy. Ironically, he never extended this enmity to Malawi. Could it be that he was kinder to Malawi because they were his kith and kin? What should surprise most historians is that while KK was maintaining such animosity towards Congo, his Malawian counterpart was partnering with Apartheid South Africa. In spite of this partnership between Kamuzu Banda and the South African regime, not once did Kaunda treat Kamuzu or Malawi as an enemy.
In promoting anti-Congo policies, Kaunda ostracised many Zambians of Congolese origin. Following the enactment of the 1966 National Registration Act, many Zambians of Malawian origin easily acquired green National Registration Cards. However, this was not the case for those Zambians with Congolese heritage. Additionally, Kaunda deployed an active army on the Congolese border. There were more soldiers at Konkola, Mokambo and Chembe than those stationed at Chirundu to fight Ian Smith’s incursions into Zambia.
The National Registration Act of 1966 and its implications upon Zambians’ self-identity of citizenship should be the focus of another study. Suffice here to state that the Act itself got so misunderstood that even those who qualified to be citizens of Zambia could not do so because of this misconstruction.
Zambians of Congolese heritage were the biggest casualties of this Act. It is therefore interesting to note that the Supreme Court used Chabala Kafupi’s testimony in the Lewanika v Chiluba to clarify the Act. In essence a Congolese born Chabala Kafupi who claimed to be Chiluba’s father qualified for Zambian citizenship not because of acquiring an NRC, but on the basis of his being present in Zambia at independence. It is quite unusual that Mr. Chabala Kafupi of clear Congolese heritage mustered enough strength to state this fact in the Supreme Court. But he is the exception.
The fourth reason was that Kaunda enacted an economic embargo against the Congo and consequently against the Lambas, the Ushis, the Lalas and the Lundas and their relatives across the border. Instead of encouraging trade and commerce between the Congo and Zambia, Kaunda banned the export of goods to Lubumbashi. The only, way out for Zambians to profit from lucrative business between Congo and Zambia was by “smuggling through Bilanga.” This was a dangerous way of doing business as many Zambians got killed by Kaunda’s soldiers. It is for economists to calculate how much money Zambia could have made out of trade with Congo. It is only now that government is exploiting the Congo’s business potential.
Fifth, Kaunda deployed a severe academic embargo upon Zambians. Children in Zambian schools were taught very little about Congo DR. In fact, some Zambians were shocked to learn in 1986 that some Congolese are Bemba speaking. This was when Zambia played Congo in a football match in which one of the Congo players was named Kasongo Kabwe – a typical Bemba name. It is no doubt that to date very few in Zambia know that Bemba is one of the Congo’s widely spoken local languages. In fact, only two radio stations in Africa broadcast in the Bemba language – ZNBC and Radio Congo.
Kaunda’s academic embargo also manifested itself in William Banda’s testimony against Chiluba in the famous Lewanika and others v Chiluba case. Chiluba’s connection to the Congo may have been undeniable, but then Banda went for the overkill in the testimony. Banda told the Supreme Court that he had known Chiluba as a young man who hailed from Congo and spoke the Lingala language. Banda’s testimony was probably both true and false. He might have been right that Chiluba may have had sufficient Congolese connections, but by claiming that Chiluba then spoke Lingala, he fed into a false assumption that all Congolese speak Lingala or that all Congolese are “Kasais”. Indeed if Chiluba had those Congolese connections, they could have been derived from the Bemba speaking region of Katanga near the Luapula River and not anywhere near Kinshasa where Lingala is the staple language.
But William Takere Banda is not alone in this misconception of everything Congolese. Here are some facts that might be helpful. The Bemba language is one of the widely spoken languages in Katanga. Bemba speaking peoples, however, have experienced serious problems in terms of political or cultural progression in the Congo. To date Lunda Bululu is the only Bemba speaking person to have ascended to the position of Prime Minister for the Congolese republic. In Katanga itself, Moise Katumbi is the first Bemba to be governor. Before, Katumbi, Bemba-speaking Kunda Kisenga Milundu served as Katanga deputy-governor in a power sharing government after the death of Laurent Kabila. It is now becoming a possibility that Katumbi might as well be the first Bemba-speaking President of the Congo DR.
continued in part 2
Munsha wamunsha you are useless. Before elections you wrote artcles stating the PF will lose but see who is similing. RB or MCS.
how can I believe this article. Null null null. You are just like many zambians more talk much but less results. More phds/master in engineering yet you call a Chinese person to make a road for you. Very useless Zambian
Speaking about Chiluba being Congolese, go ask Vincent Malambo who represented him in the courts of law. in due seek footage from ZNBC interview after the case was disposed.
mufumya kwisa data bamambala? Ka nice history kaaaa!!!
Interesting! So they are spreading to Zambia….lol
Usless we living in a modern world,
intersting story to read
it’s a nice story though i don’t know the source of the story.to my i understanding of this article,we all came from congo no wonder Katumbi is Keeping our players.yabaaaaaaaaaaa.kulaloleshafye.
But the name Ka tumbi = ka dead body…God!!!
This guy is mu caloured Jewish/africa mix.
OMG I never knew most of these things. You’ve got to love history really. WOW
Nowonder they want to teka in zambia forever
all zed are foreigners, Tonga from Namibia, Easterners Ngoni…. from south frica, benawanga from Tanzania
I am Congolese origin so what ba fikala
So you eat human beings! stop using abusive words my brother.
KAUNDA disliked bakaboke becoz of long hands. go to chingola and see how many roads have concrete barriers. who is the cause, baka sai.
My Dad’s mother(My grandmother) was Lamba(from Lyanshya). Its so interesting reading about them. kept me wondering also why we knew so little about Congo DR(Zaire). I used to love History in high school but got bored with all the white people’s history which I could not relate to at all….
This is great stuff to read.Its intersteing how we carry sentiments without knowing the origin.Thanks for the wonderful insight.Ignore the backward bloggers who can’t read the wealth of info provided but rush to insult.
Thanks, learn a lot from this article…good work, keep it up !
Are these accusation to Chiluba, Kaunda Mwanawasa verified? Chiluba is not even around to defend himself. Mushya is a UPND cadre who sees tribe and ethnics groups in anything. You should see his facebook postings always waiting to attack the PF.
what are you telling us about the bembas. you want them to take charge of Congo also as they have done here in Zambia?
Nice article ba Munshya.But one correction ,it is not two but three radio stations that broadcast in bemba in Africa.The third one is Radio chengelo in kitwe.
How about the ones in Lubemba like Radio Mano (I think)?
Munshya Wa Munshya, no one disputes what you have written. History is there and all us from Northern, Luapula and N/Western provinces are aware of were they came from which is Kola in Angola, then we settled in Congo and immigrated to where we are now in Zambia. I don`t know which school you went to where History was not taught.I have a book Imilandu Yaba Bemba which was written a long time ago, this book explains and teaches us where we came from.Only one tribe that I have not read to have originated some where and that is Tonga!!! Even the writer himself is from Congo.
Damn and many thanks @Chimutali. We mfumu yabene, where can I get a copy because I used to have one in primary school in the 70’s but it got lost along the path to adulthood. Ngo Lulumbi lwa mulanda na Pano Chalo. Any idea where these books can be procured from?
Interesting and refreshing article. More of this type of journalism please!
Munshya, are you saying that just because Mwanawasa was flown to Kinshasa as a kid, and his mother MIGHT, big might, have lived in congo then the old man must have connection to Congo? Seems like speculation to me! Sata was flown to Indian when he was sick recently, so should we also think he has some Indian origin or connection? .Your claims on Mwanawasa are baseless to say the least. You have not proved anything on Mwanawasa all you have done is tell us that Levy visited Congo as a child and so did many Zambian children. We all know that you are Congolese and your agenda is to promote your Country, but please brother stop looking for “relationships” in Zambians.
Some bloggers are toxic!
Nice one Munshya. I am a northerner with congolese connections.
Mwanawasa was very pron to accidents.i did not know the mother tried to burn him when he was young. May be that is why he never bought her a car and she ended up dying in a minibus fire accident.
Good one indeed. Yes we all know where we originated. Bemba speaking people from Congo and its really true .
The write is a Congolese who wants to apeal to many weak Zambians for sympasy, NO waitaya no Presidential seat for anyone with Congolese blood mambalas
Interesting and quiet in depth write-up indeed. We are still learning our history. This should be the kind of postings that should appear more on this page. I am a mixed grill bemba with a malawian grandfather on my father’s side and would love to read similar articles about the tonga,s lozis, ngonis, mbundas, toka-leya, Luchazi’s etc.
E. Munshya wa Munshya KEEP IT UP. THESE KINDS OF ARTICLES ARE EDUCATIVE AND CAN UNITE PEOPLE.
This is the reason why our footballers are playing for TP MAZEMBE, most of us originated from there. We are just one people, stop stigmatizing our neighbours from congo who are living in Zambia. White people are the ones who separeted us by putting these borders.
This is the best response yet.
Accusations, opinions, imagination and damn right fantasising. There is source of information or referencing for us to verify the content of the article. This is a rubbish article.
Accusations, opinions, imagination and damn right fantasising. There is no source of information or referencing for us to verify the content of the article. This is a rubbish article.
Hmm. Let’s just rub out all the lines drawn by rulers with rulers and show Katanga some love :) Zed has always done well as a place of refuge. Bismarck, Leopold, Henry Stanley and that depraved guy he worked for whose name I can never remember (the one who left a lot of heads on stakes) etc. paved the way for a country that really deserves a break. There are people across the ocean who wish they knew their roots for sure. Kinda ironic :)
How interesting, so where do I start looking for my lost relative? your seem to have so much information.
This is what happens when bush mouse Munshya goes to town; he thinks he understands townfolk.
Munshya, whatever your name is – a simple question: “Who drew the present borders & THUS IN-ALIENATED OUR FAMILIES????”
Toxic??? Do you know what the word means???? pick up a simple dictionary!
A bit of history, Majority of NORTH WESTERN, COPPERBELT, LUAPULA & NORTHERN provinces have a HERITAGE FROM THE LUBA-LUNDA KINGDOM which originated from present day DRC! YOU ARE PROBABLY MISINFORMED THAT WE DENY OUR RICH HERITAGE!! Only small minded individuals who are misinformed would deny that fact!!
I have relatives as far west as Kolwezi, in Lubumbashi & a bit further north!
I take it you relate your “Toxic” notion to the fact that zedians seem to have detested the behaviour of Congolese ever since our borders were drawn for us by the colonialists!
Reason:……..
Reason: Since Congo gained its independence from Belgium, they’ve had political instability, which has resulted in poverty for a very long time. This led to cross-border thieving by Congolese, THUS THEIR EARNING A BAD NAME WITH Zedians! Thus TOXICITY was brought about by the elements of instability & propagated by western influence who had everything to gain from the rich mineral wealth of the Congo whilst it maintained its instability. The fallout of all this led to “bad behaviour” of the Congolese, RATHER A SMALL PROPORTION OF CONGOLESE!!!
One would have thought an educated Munsha, for is it, Phd’s etc , you would have been more analytical & enumerated something close to factual – RATHER THAN MISSED THE POINT & gone on to write an essay that’s “off the patch!!”
Well done. Although the article says something worth noting about Zambia/DRC relations in recent history, it is short on factual evidence. I am from Mufulira, a short distance from the border town of Mokambo. We dreaded going that far, for Zaire was a true danger zone to us. Sometime back, I went home and the center roads had been blocked because of bandits from across the border. Kaunda was also was embittered by the alleged complicity of Tshombe and Kasavubu in Lumumba’s untimely demise. And he hated their support of ANC in Zambia. However, I have not met anyone who said the Congolese were unaccomplished. They have made great strides as intellectuals. You are looking for African culture, go to the DRC. Their music is to die for: eg. Papa Wemba, Madilu System, B. Kanam(a). Toxic?
Another thing, is that becoz of our constitution & the prevailing political climate, MOST OF ZAMBIANS – becoz of being unsure of how our CONSTITUTION WOULD BE INTERPRETTED have chosen to keep quiet about our connections – this is in fact akin to the current dilemma in western province, where it is argued that the Lozi’s are not originally from western province but from further south & just happened to conquer the weaker tribes they found! ( sorry I digressed)
SO IT HAS BEEN FOR POLITICAL EXPEDIENCE & the toxic “thieving” tag that it is no surprise people would rather keep quiet ( just as, many “American Germans” would have kept quiet after the second world war!!)
Meant “ALIENATED” rather than “IN-ALIENATED” in the first post!!
That Munshya Chap s very useless.these are stupid chaps what to raise dust where there is no need.I would be hapy to know is academic background.This is a modern world,work hard and you can be what ever you want to be regardless of tribe.Maybe to remind you,all my three sisters are married to Tongas and concidentally all my brothers includig myself are married to Lozis and Tongas and we live in harmony.Otherwise with your articles you might cause acrimony and bring another Rwanda Genocide.Let me warn you,you will be responsible and answerable in the Hague.Careful.
Country, every commentator on history has an angle they emphasise. It is a good academic discourse we may each enrich. Im just worried that often Zambia creates a ‘German-like’ phobia where a person like Obama and Sarkozy would never be President if they declared their heritage. The Constitutional parentage clause is a case in point
Countrymen, how many of us have declared our HIV/AIDS heritage? If not why? There lies the answer to Munshya’s article
Munsha wa munsha, your story is half baked. Why dont you ask the relatives for Mama Milliam Mokola so that you get the truth. You cant leave so many un answered questions like that. For your own imformation Mirriam Mokola was born from a Lenje woman and Lamba man and their families are easily traced.
Corrections some inacuracies in the article:
1. It is not Lubumbashi wa ntanshi, but Kamalondo wa ntanshi. The neighborhood still exists in Lubumbashi.
2. Lubumbashi derives from the “Lubumbashi” river.
3. The name Katanga derives from the Lamba traditional chief Katanga. 4. A lot of Zambians left Northern Rhodesia for Katanga (Congo) during the colonial area when living conditions were slightly better. However, they returned to Zambia when the the latter became independent.
Very interesting..
I have a number of friends from DRC.
It is a pit that these people are hated so much. Just look at the comments after the Zambian Driver was burnt at the border this year. No wonder there are hiding their originals.
What pipo say about them is so wicked hence the silence. Most of these people are hard working trying to make a living.
Whats wrong with having Congolese heritage, all the Zambian tribes save for the Lenje ( who first settled In Zambia circ. 1200) are of Congolese heritage. The Congo was a wonderful civilisation and ecology plundered by the European ( First the Portuguese, British, Belgians etc) instigated slave trade. And in modern times the Congo supplies all electronic devices with their vital heat resistant components ( Iphones, Intel chips, Computers, Aeroplane engines etc) quite frankly only a fool would begin to suggest that any connection with the Congo is toxic..The above article by Munsha is A LOAD OF CRAP!!!
I enjoyed the article thanks, you have some deep knowledge of history. Congo is a monster of a country with thousands of tribes and languages that no one has even compiled completely. There are tribes in those forests that no one even knows about. We need historians like munshya , we need to make blockbuster movies about african history, e.g take that luba lunda kingdom, it must have been something great, what are its origins? who were the major players? How advanced was their knowledge of warfare etc? All this is our history.
Look at the bazungus and their tu ma films like troy, king arthur, the patriot, gladiator etc, its all from their history. We need to make films like that from african history, people must know that these stories were there, great stories. The only film thats been made is that of shaka zulu but its nothing compared to the whole of southern african history. Just as an example, when the ngonis running away from shaka kep on going north and met the bembas, then they fought to a stalemate, I ask myself how could a hardened elite ngoni army be stopped by the bembas unless the bembas themselves were extremely good at warfare? And that my friends is history which needs to be told.
No black african country existed before the Kongo existed and you all come from there. Leopold king of belgians confirmed to his european counterparts when sharing african cake in germany”There was a presence of well run or adnmistrated community that exist already in some part of africa and that was the Great Kongo. Not any other country. You all come from there and give motherland some respect. with due respect what was other country called before Bismark summit? respect your beautiful culture and learn to love. Kongo is a mother of all black african countries. In fact it was the only well administered nation like then(1885) said King Leopold of belgium. Do your research and there even a film about this.
Food for though this should advise you Africans.
Wow, i didn’t know bembe is widely spoken in Congo, good article.
Some of the responses on this blog really exposes the ignorance of many people(and I say that with love). We should be questioning what is being taught in our African schools to our children. How is it that so many people here don’t know that there are Bembas in Congo? All over Africa there is this kind of phenomena of cross border ethnicities. There are Yorubas in Nigeria and neighbouring Benin; Asantes in Ghana and neighbouring Ivory Coast; Swazis in Swaziland and in South Africa; Masaai in Kenya and in Tanzania. There are many more examples. It’s time to shake off this colonial legacy and move into a new day. All eyes are on Africa now, lets take control of what is ours and stop this silly bickering.