Open Letter to Wynter Kabimba from Kuchunga Simusamba

1. Winter Kamimba should surely stay away from the public as his contributions are very offensive

   • So there people who can tell Kabimba that “fuseke” better than me?
     He just called Kabimba and “*****”. and that Kabimba is “mentally backrupt”.
     Let me text Chilufya Sata this letter..

   • The only person who can tell kabimbwa fuseke,,, and kabimbwa sits down without fitala.. is ba GBM… now ba GBM is scared of ngoshe,, he cant speak

   • It shall be interesting to see how the Past newspaper reacts to this. I have no doubt the shall start on Simusamba and Muhabi following their respective letters. Having said that, It is lunacy to change the carriculum in the way proposed by the PF. Yes, we should be proud and encourage learning of local languages but not in the manner proposed. The local languages, apart from…struggling here (deluding our selves that we are preserving our culture) have nothing to offer and we learn them in the home and neighbourhoods. The PF seem to ignore the simple fact that Zambians have settled across tribal boundaries, including the very teachers they expect to deliver this carriculum. Which of the 73 subjects are you going to teach and what language shall you “dictate” for the CB?

   • @Sattish

     I think you have misunderstood the point raised by the UPND spokes person. Try to go back and consider points 2 and 3 in the letter. These points are very important in way that if not handled properly they have the potential to bring various tribes on a collision course as North Western Lunda and Luvale have already shown us.

     Very soon there shall be more of such conflicts even in areas predominantly considered Bemba areas but heavily habited by Tongas who have migrated from Southern in search for fertile and well watered land for farming. There a lot of such areas in Zambia where you find the whole place is habited by a different migrant tribe. That being the case ,do you really expect that those migrant tribes in the majority to accept a different language in their…

   • @Sattish
     Try to understand the reasons why most people are opposed to the use of local languages as a medium of instruction. The best option is to allow teachers to use local language only to clarify a concept to kids with a low grasp of English language.

     What language will the grade seven exam be set in? Right now kids are failing even after 7 years of learning in English. What more after only 3 years .

     What this policy means is that people in general will not accept to be transferred from one area to another for fear of confusing their children in the absence of financial benefits.I personally think this policy should have gone through a lengthy consultation period coupled with extensive research before implementation.

     This increases number of reasons why PF should be…

   • To me the whole scheme is one of the government’s attempts to divide and rule.
     The use of English language as a medium of instruction really brought us together irrespective which tribe we come from because we easily understood each other .

     I can predict that this move will back on the PF dismally because the teaching fraternity was not consulted and the majority of them are not in favour of it because the policy restricts them to remain in one area if they can speak only one language. Apart from that it will just cause an artificial shortage of teachers.

     Are people going to be allowed to use local language to conduct government and other official businesses as well? If that is the case then other tribes will not fit in other tribal regions.

     PF are campaigning for opposition…

   • Gentlemen lets help HH. Suppose he became President with his of other people and tribes where will Zamba lead to?

     In North Western Province for example the only convincing campaign which has made people not vote for PF is to tell them not to allow Bembas to rule.

     I bet HH has hatred of other tribes in his genes. Why cant UPND make the boy Mweetwa President? That boy is a true Zambian and I can vote for him.

2. The bibles says(Before you remove log from someone’s eye, first remove the one from your eye) So Mr Kabimba sort your own tribal problem in your PF party.

3. Tanzania. Really? I am no fan of Kabimba, but Tanzania is it. Hahahaha! You know, to prove you are not intellectually bankrupt yourself, you need to come up with more credible examples than just Tanzania.

   Badala, English has not given advantage to nobody but blinded people like you who are not ashamed of sacrificing your own local language for English. Please realize that your colonial master succeeded in making you feel inferior when you attempt to be true to yourself.

   Educate us. Have China, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Sweden, France, Russia, in a hurry to change their lingua franca?

   See, the debate should be about which language(s) we should adopt. Switzerland has 4! open your eyes. Promoting English at the expense of our beautiful Zambian languages is the zenith of ignorance.

   • promoting a few languages at the expense of 60 or so other languages is not only the zenith of ignorance but a recipe for anarchy and, we take it a step further, tribal wars. Besides, your English doesnt seem too bad for one who detests the language. People have free will and someone who is not my parent has no right to dictate to me what local language I should learn.

   • Hehehe, here comes another one displaying their ignorance! Beauty of the internet.

     Nobody has a right to force you to speak another language. Are you kidding me? The whiteman did already! As long as you put up a fight against that which defines you as a people, you are perpetually enslaved to him. By design, if I may add.

     I, on the other hand, can speak more than 5 Zambian languages straight faced. Speaking english, you see, is only cool icing!

     Love Zambia, speak Zambian. You can learn English, but only as a supplement to your Lunda, Chewa, Lozi, Chokwe, Namwanga, Bemba, Tonga, Tumbuka, Onde, Luvale, etc.

   • Dude, thats all well and good in theory but tell me why right now the Chinese are scrambling to learn English? Admit it or not, we have come very far as individuals in our professional lives because of our grasp of this global language. You have the luxury of sitting back and calling these people imperialists because you can speak their language and have gotten by because of it. Tell me how far you would have gone in the world or your professional career armed only with the five local languages that you so fluently speak? English is not just cool icing my dear, its what got you to where you are.

   • @Sattish
     Can you tells the 4native languages used in Switerland? From my knowledge, its mainly German and France that make it there. I have had the previllage to travel to all the countries you have listed, except Brazil, China and Russia and despite using native languages, they are equally “good” at providing “access to English” through staff and translated scripts. That together with the fact that Britain colonised a third of the world should tell you just how well positioned you are in this global economy. China is desperate to grasp the language infact so desperate they were accepting grade 12’s from Zambia to teach English there. That not to say we shouldn’t learn local languages and be proud..just not in this lunatic way of making it the mode of language upto grade 4.

   • Dudelove,
     Look at you, you are not doing any better than the Chinese, your mastery of English notwithstanding. Not in any area of development. The Chinese with their poor command of the language are now commanding your economy! What advantage have you over them?

     Around, every American in the know realized that they needed to know Cantonese or Mandolin to compete confidently in the Chinese open market. Chinese language kits flew off the shelves like hot cakes.

     The Chinese don’t see Zambian (or African languages in general) the same way. But they are large and in charge. They can even thumb their nose to the Americans. The reason is simple: They are Chinese – true to themselves no matter who they are dealing with. YOU, on the other hand….? Running from your shadow! Ehe

     And…

   • …its a worry…
     With unlimited access to the internet, you are asking me to tell you the official languages of Switzerland? You surely can be a little more active and find out for yourself. Don’t be lazy!

     What I can tell you is, the four languages represent the major segments of the Swiss population – their heritage.

     You may have been there but I doubt you went there to study the Swiss socio-political environment.

   • Sattish, dude, I feel your argument about China would have held water if they also had 73 tribes.

   • You have mastered the language quite well, please post in your local language, China, France etc have adoped their lingua franca and ours is?

   • I live in Lusaka and i am Soli. My children speak Soli and English. How the hell do want my children to learn in Chewa? Mind you Chewa is widely spoken in Malawi. To my children Chewa is as foreign as is English. Between the two I choose English for my children as the language of instruction because it has a wider International reach and appeal!!! PF stop this non sense or come 2016 I will que up at 03:00hrs to make sure you are booted out of Power.

   • so which languages out of 73 should be official baba. How many people have settled in Solwezi from other regions who should now learn in Kikaonde. Go settle there now and support this policy with your children who were not born there. Who came up with the policy and which schools do their children go to?

   • And that’s were the problem is…you cant compare Zambia which has 73 languages to china which only has Chinese or Tanzania which only uses Swahili…….this will even make tribes like nkoyas to start demanding that they too be given a day on ZNBC

   • It appears Stattish is a slave of ignorance which, it seems, he has failed to shake off, and will never do because of his stubbornness. Some of the countries he’s referring to speak almost one language. For us in Zambia we had to use fall on English because of the multiplicity of languages; we had to find an easy way out of the biblical babel situation. Surely what kind of parents would want their kids to be forced to learn a language that’s not theirs? Let’s be levelheaded here and face the truth.

   • @Sattish post in your local lingo everything you have written especially in one of the chosen ones Chichewa, Icibemba, Luvale, Tonga, Lozi, Kaonde or Lunda. I want to read your post for my children in any one of seven main languages of Zambia. By the way, I do not belong to any one of them.

4. AWE ICI CACILA, MWABAPWA SANA BA KABIMBA!!!!

5. Clearly Sattish u have a very shallow thinking. You cannot compare Italian or Spanish to bemba or nyamja. Do u have direct translations from bemba to English,such as a dictionary? Do u also realise that all zambian languages do not contain words suCh as corruption or on a lighter note,simple words like maintenance? These words cannot be translated directly from English to any other zambian lanGuage and you want to use them For teaching young children?I see zambians going backwards

   • You always run to stupid examples like that. The persons who translated your King James version to Nyanja Bemba did not have that problem. And you, in this 2014 you find yourself incompetent to provide a word for it? How does that make your language inferior anyway?

     Don’t be lazy!

   • Hey, Zambians, are we going to disarm our security forces of their modern weaponry and replace them with spears, axes, drums ( i.e. for communicating)? Am so proud of our culture that I would love to see all motorrised vehicles and aeroplanes taken out so we can go back to walking. Do away with european clothes and go back to back cloth and animal skins. Do away with chemical fertilisers, redraw the map of Zambia to pre-colonial times – barotseland and other states restored etc…. Quite interesting. You can hate a person (british) but do not throw away all the good things you have learnt from them. We have integrated and urbanised so much as tribes that it is not feasible to designate a particular language to any part of Zambia with the exception of very rural remote parts of Zambia!!

   • …let me say this…

     No body, I repeat, nobody is suggesting going back and dropping everything that we think was introduced to us by the white colonial master. Nobody is even suggesting that English must not be learned. However, not at the expense of our languages.

     Go any family gathering and listen to the conversation. Children are speaking very poor English and we seem to be comfortable with it. Such poor English and none of their mother tongue. None!

     What kind of ignorance is that?

     By the way, most of the things you think came with the whites were actually stolen from here, improved on and brought back to us. Check your history for facts on that. You would be amazed!

6. Sattish, all the countries you have mentioned do not have 60 languages. Swaziland has very few if am not mistaken not more than three. Which languages are going to be omitted? No matter how small my tribe may seem to be, I would feel very bad if I was forced to learn another language at the expense of mine. It would make me look as if am inferior.
   So then my suggestion is Bemba must be omitted, maybe even yours Mr Sattish. To me if not handled properly this as potential to breed tribal conflicts.

   • Steve,
     What is sad about your perspective is this that any Zambian language should not be allowed to overshadow your small language, but a foreign one.

     You did not learn English because you wanted to, but because your ancestors where forced to perceive English as superior to our beautiful languages. Subsequently, it became a norm and was passed on to you.

     Do you feel uncomfortable that English has drowned the language of your small tribe to the blink of extinction? But you seem to have made up your mind that you would be hypertensives if that were Luvale, Tonga, or Chewa.

     What does that say about your love of self and country?

   • One thing we all know is that there will always be a margin of error in whatever path we take. The extent is what we should measure!

     Has this been done!? I dont think so!

     All of you have good points!!

     Now it’s time to put our heads together and think of solutions and not just shooting things down!!

     So, to ask the simple question?! Which language therefore can be used as the Lingua Franca in Zambia!?!? Maybe let’s start slowly!

7. Atase,Simusamba u are dull and childish.Going by yo choice of words u must be one of these demons that insult here and at yo demonic Watcdog.Yo letter is full of cowardice.U don’t need to insult to prove yo point.I C AMNESIA & MENTAL BUNKRACY IN U.

   • My friend!

     The term ‘Useful *****’ isn’t an insult!

8. Sorry Bankracy

9. Utulo my God! lt is bankruptcy

   • hahaha! You’re funny!

10. A piece of advice to UPND. Please avoid insulting language. That is a sign of serious weakness and signs that you may not accomodate democracy when you come to power. HH, watch out. Be above board if you really want to provide an option from the ‘independence era politicians” in UNIP and MMD.

    • Please redirect your advice to the Paya Farmer cohort comprising the chief “insulter” Cumbu CNP, the uncouth Summer and Namakando of the PAST.

11. …and PF, of course.

12. The hypocrisy is damning… these same people who formulated this policy send their kids to International Schools in Lusaka and elsewhere outside the country to learn, you guessed it, English. They teach their own kids in their homes, English, from day 1 of their birth. I grew up in remote Kalabo and I had no trouble learning how to speak my native Lozi and I had to learn English in school. The idea that I would have been much smarter than I am if I learned in Lozi is a fallacy. Right now we should formulate policies that would improve kids’s early learning foundation, such as cognitive dvelopment, analytical thinking, etc. none of which has anything to do with language (well not to a huge extend).

    • In fact we should probably be introducing other international languages such as French, Spanish and perhaps soon Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese).
      We might as well invent our own ‘alphabet’ and not insisting on using the ‘English’ alphabet… we should perhaps go back and teach them how to wear animal skins, misisi and Liziba (The Lozis would know these).
      Maybe why not start broadcasting everything in the local languages; start debating proceedings in local languages and scrap the English in the offices. That would really enable kids appreciate the local languages. Anything short is mere hypocrisy.

    • @Manerick

      Spot on. The PF and their ill thought out policies are in cuckoo land.

      The only good thing about this policy is that PF is de-campaigning itself and indirectly supporting the opposition parties.

    • Mav!

      What shocks me is they say a child is able to learn 3 – 4 languages! What is so hard about learning even just that 1 which would English!?

      Reason is simple in the case of rural areas! English is rarely spoken! It’s a rural area! They live simple lives that don’t really require the use of English!

      Why shoud they be subjected to learning in their languages, (Some which are not even their languages) and then come back and “toture” them to learn English afterwards!!?!?!? Doesn’t make sense! And if we decided to go all the way to Grade 12 with local languages,…which languages will be used at your few universities?!?

      I speak English, but it doesn’t mean i’ve thrown away my local language!! Lets be realistic! Mental slavery has nothing to do wih language!!

    • I support u 100%…teach a language as a subject, not science in Icibemba.

13. It’ s true, the guys in government are up to something fishy and therefore, need not to be trusted with their new setup of education carriculum. They want to promote the idea locally but deep in their minds and because they have got access to handling a lot of money, they want to be sending their children to better schools outside the country where English is taught as the main subject and language. In the process, they want to disadvantage as many children as possible locally thereby creating a gap so that only their children again will be the sole players in government in the years ahead. Fellow Zambians, don’t forget that you are dealing with crooks so be careful. HH and his team have got valid points which need a lot of consideration.

    • Walasa

14. Zambia will regret with the teaching of local languages. This is only good in countries where the education system where illiterate is very low. Countries like Sweden they can teach in Swedish because all the pupils are assured at least to go to college and even University. Now with our system where most end up in grade 7, this means system will produce many graduates at grade 7 and grade 12 who cannot even speak English. How can now these compete survival with those in cities who finish colleges and university with a good command for English or those from upper class who take their children to private schools where English is spoken. This is in fact Animal farm. All these politicians advocating for teaching local languages they take their children to private Schools and for University.

15. Rightly said.
    My Kids wont be part of learning languages infiltrated with insults and taken to normal.
    We meet at secondary school.

16. Did Portuguese come from Brasil?!

    No.

    But it’s their official language!

    I agree with Kuchunga on this one! As a medium of instruction for 4 years only to switch back to English later on,….!?! Thats a bit strange to me!

    Every one has a fundamental right to identity.

    What they can perhaps do is not make English MANDATORY at Grade 12 exams. We have seen cases where pupils have gotten distinctions in Science, Math and other subjects only to get a satisfactory in ENglish! If they can pass the other subjects then it means they have the required understanding of English. What they can do is to make the local languages MANDATORY at Grade 7! It must be requirement that you pass those! Not perfect, but surely better than what they want to do!!

17. KWENA MWE BENA ZAMBIA BOMO MWAMPAPISHA SANA. MULEFWAYA UKULA FUNDISHA ABANA BENU MU FITUNDU FYENU? TA MWAKWATA NE NSONI? NINSHI MULE BOMFESHA ICHINGELESHI PAKULEMBA PANO PENE PA BLOG YA BA SUNGU? IFITUNDU FYESU TWALIFISHIBA KALE. KU NG’ANDA TULANDA MU FINWA FYESU. PAKWANGALA NAPO TULANDA MU FINWA FYESU. LILYA TWATWALA ABANA KU MASUKULU NAKO MUTILE ATI TU BA FUNDE NAKABILI MUFINWA FYESU? ALYO PAKU FWAYA AMACHITO BAFWAYA WAISHIBA KO ICHISUNGU. NOMBA NGA WAISHIBAFYE ICHINWA CHENU, AWE MUKWAI, NENCHITO TAWAKAIMONE. BUSHE, LIMBI NIMUKUTILA PANTU BAKATEKA NABO TABAISHIBISHA ICHISUNGU. ELYO BAISANGA MU STATE HOUSE. KANSHI ICHISUNGU KULI BENA TACHABA NE NCHITO. WE BULANDA WE. SO ABAICHE BAKELASAMBILILA AMASHIWI PAMO NGA UMUBONGOBONGO (ARM), UMUSANGATILE(FORE ARM). ELYO LWANYA LWATI NA PAA…!!

18. When one goes to study in China, it is mandatory to learn Chinese before you venture into the course. If English is the familiar language in Rhodespark, then English will be the term of reference. If Nyanja is the familiar language in Chibolya, then Nyanja will be their term of reference. Why confuse yourselves. Simple English and others are interpreting it differently

19. UNLESS TEACHING IN ENGLISH HAS ANY PROBLEMS. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO CHANGE THE WAY THINGS HAVE BEEN? MANY OF OUR PEOPLE HAVE FAILED TO FIND COLLEGE ADMISSION OR JOBS BECAUSE THEY HAVE FAILED ENGLISH. THE SIMPLE REASON BEING THAT THERE WAS NO ONE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO SPEAK ENGLISH. AND NOW THE ONLY CHANCE THEY HAVE TO LEARN ENGLISH YOU WANT TO DESTROY IT BY TEACHING THEM VERNACULAR LANGUAGE AGAIN. THE LANGUAGE WICH THEY ALREADY KNOW? OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE THE WHOLE WORLD TO KNOW MY LANGUAGE BEMBA, ALL THE COMPUTERS TO BE CONFIGURED TO BEMBA. ALL THE TECHNICAL TERMS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO BE CONVERTED TO BEMBA. BUT WHEN WILL THAT BE? AND WHAT BECOMES OF MY CHILDREN NOW, IF THEY DONT LEARN A LANGUAGE THAT EXPOSES THEM AND MAKES THEM COMPETITIVE ON THE GLOBE?

20. The UNESCO report by Shay Linehan of 2004 says children should be instructed in the language they are “FAMILIAR” with – Not LOCAL language. So if my child is familiar with English, he should be taught in English. If the other child is familiar with chichewa he should be taught in Chichewa etc…..Not this crap the PF is peddling???

21. I thank God for internet tho some pipo may condemn it, I do not know how life would have been without our views known. As it is we have no voice in the post paper, daily or neither nor times everything has been governised. I do not know if these people know that we are their masters, where do they put us, have they just dropped from the sky and found themselves where they are? They have completely forgotten what we did to make them who they a, they want to turn as around like there comfortable chairs, is it not good that we are 73 tribes but can be able to communicate to each other. English is the only language that can unite us. Let it be taught at an early age along with our local languages so that they are not a let down when their time to govern comes.

22. Even Mr Sata’s childrens won’t accept to be instructed in bemba because they firstly started learning in bisa.Can also childrens of Guy Scott accept to be instructed in vernacular while all along they were used being instructed in English? This education policy is for making pupils of poor zambians to be more poorer & dull. Its not inclusive to the childrens of rich people.

23. @Sattish…i feel you my dear! Bt take the example in the letter luvale-lunda conflict,whats the way forward in your opinion.bear in mind that such situations are almost found in all the provinces. I have no objection taking a local language as a subject bt making it a basic tool for instruction to kids uuumm…i have my reservation. Our languages have similarites bt each one (tribe) has cultural identity.As kids learn,they are also taught cultural values, i suppose. Take a simple example, a teacher gives a homework on interpretation of symbols, a luvale kid learning lunda, asks his luvale parents for help.the answer given might be different from a lunda kid because of cultural background. Sattish, we might end up in a cultural identity crisis. Government should rather encourage learning…

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