Thursday, March 28, 2024

50 Years Of Achievements: Why Zambians Should Be Proud

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ZNS displays : ZAMBIA GOLDEN JUBILEE
ZNS displays : ZAMBIA GOLDEN JUBILEE

As we celebrate our 50th independence, I would like to point us to the harsh treatment we have placed on our mother land and the criticism we make of her economic, political and social achievements. In the last 50 years, we have criticized harshly; condemned relentlessly that Zambia has achieved nothing. That Zambia should have done more progress than we see now in our country. So much so that in a recent article by Wesley Ngwenya entitled, 500 years of colonization or 50 years of Independence? He argues that “If Zambians, today, were given a choice between 500 years of colonization that came with clean water, decent housing, freedom of expression, good education, good healthcare, jobs, and decent living standards (under the leadership of our colonizers) or 50 years of independence that came with cholera, no jobs, [bad] politicians, [bad] police, bad schools, terrible infrastructure and deplorable living standards very likely many would opt for the former (a better life under our colonizers).”

[pullquote]We have in fact under-celebrated our achievements and measured ourselves with a ruler that was never designed for our success and progress.[/pullquote]

He points out to several “short-comings” of the last 50 years and renders a prosecutory attack on Zambia that we would be better off colonized than being independent citizen. This is the harsh treatment that we have placed on our country; a country that operates in a world in which her former colonizers are leaders, a country that has to deal with political ideologies inorganic to the prevailing social conscious of its people.

The defense for these unjustified attacks on Zambia should be granted and a motion put in place for the sons and daughters of the Zambia to create a defense for our country. We have in fact under-celebrated our achievements and measured ourselves with a ruler that was never designed for our success and progress. We have harshly judged our progress and political development with measurements that in their creation and sustenance have never been to retain our pride.

Mr. Ngwenya suggests that “African markets would have long integrated. The truth is Africans don’t like each other. African-Americans don’t like Africans and vice-versa. Tribes within African countries don’t like each other or pretend to like each other. They cannot work together. However, if we would have been governed by non-Africans we would have integrated politically and economically.

This is in contrast to the efforts that African countries have done. Contrary to his perception European countries and North Americans, after more than 400 to 1000 years of self-rule have not integrated as he has suggested. In fact, the current war in Ukraine is over this same integration that we have been judged against. Political integration and economic integration are not expedited processes; in fact they are organic elements of progress often resulting in the migration of people across the world. Zambians recently started traveling abroad and as a result are adding fuel to economic integration as they arrange business transactions between Zambia and their adopted countries. So what level of integration would we achieve in 50 years compared to countries that have been independent for more than 500 years; this is not the right measurement to use when judging our country’s success with global economic integration.

Democracy would have matured. If we would have just let nature take its course we would have a matured democracy today. We are talking about having a continent with a solid constitution, strong legislature, and freedom of speech/assembly and with rule of law. Most African countries have been independent for more than half a century and yet they are not democratic at all. Worse still, they are very poor,” Mr Ngwenya writes.

Zambia, honestly, has attained a level of political progress only Greek philosophers would fantasize about; keep in mind this is an achievement coming from a group of people who were once colonized and injected with ideas that were not part of their ancestral consciousness. Zambia in 1964 was a congregation of different units of people who realized the inorganic reality of being ruled by men and women whose blood didn’t cover the soil that occupied the land that we now call Zambia. Yet, the full equilibrium of justice was upon us and men and women had the audacity to envision a free people, a free unified people of different cultures considered Zambians. Our forefathers had to envision a reality that before them never existed yet the mental faculties associated with that creation were in full gear. We found dignity in being free men and women, in having the undeniable rights that come with that freedom; and yet we still want to render a verdict at 50 years that Zambia has achieved nothing?

[pullquote]The very political systems we have experimented with, and thrived in, are political institutions that never existed in our cultures. Democracy, whatever its benefits, was never used to govern societies in Africa[/pullquote]

The very political systems we have experimented with, and thrived in, are political institutions that never existed in our cultures. Democracy, whatever its benefits, was never used to govern societies in Africa- yet as the world become modern and implemented these social theories Africans adapted and started re-adjusting their cultures to accommodate the new political thoughts that were to govern the future and STILL we place a verdict that we have not done enough in the last 50 years? After independence in 1964, our comrades surrounding our country were engulfed in violence, they were engulfed in internal struggle- struggles that wiped out generations of natural born Africans simply because they saw our country and hoped to achieve the dignity that came with self-rule- the self-rule in which men and women deductively conclude that their work and efforts are investments for their posterity and NOT the posterity of another people. We retained peace, we gave political impetus to our comrades in South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to be FREE MEN AND WOMEN; bestowed BY THEIR CREATOR with undeniable rights among them are life, LIBERTY and the pursuit of happiness. Yet we still place a harsh judgment on mother Zambia?

In the last 50 years we have operated, and continue to operate, in a world in which our initial existence was that of slaves; we have implemented political ideologies that initially justified our enslavement and we have thrived. Conflict was the norm on the continent of Africa and in the world at large the years after independence (1964-1991) yet Zambia was the beacon, the zenith and the hallmark of peace. Mozambique at its independence decided to put the AK 47 on its flag as a reflection of its struggle towards independence we CHOSE the EAGLE not as a reflection of our struggle but the possibility of the height that our nation would go to as the majestic eagle rules the skies. When African countries were characterized with internal violence after gaining independence, we achieved multiparty democracy. In 2014 we all hold different political views by virtue of that freedom that we gained 50 years ago; and yet we choose to prosecute our country?

Much of the criticism placed on Zambia has to deal with comparative economics, in which the prosecutor points out the state of different countries as a reflection of what Zambia should have been but forgets to also address the history characterizing the economic “achievements” of those country. Often prosecutors of mother Zambia point out to countries like the USA as standards of national development.In defense of mother Zambia, if she colonized an entire continent, enslaved millions of millions of people for free labor, and exploited other societies for their natural resources I’m sure mother Zambia would equally be advanced in all economic aspects.

50years after independence the countries ruled by Europeans were still lynching black men and women from trees, women were second class citizens, only a few wealthy land owners could even dream of sending their children to school: 50 years after independence each and every Zambian woman can vote, we have built far much more accessibility to public education than all the European nations combined the time they celebrated their 50th anniversary for self-rule, class division is not as rampant as the European societies in their early days of freedom and our STAR continues to be brighter. Economically we operate in a geo-existence that was designed by the very men and women who once colonized us. We operate in a world in which our most cherished commodity is priced by people who once only saw us as a source of their inputs of production. Mother Zambia despite those shortcomings continues to march towards the future with the fearlessness of the elephants that occupy the beautiful savannah that we call our home; YET WE STILL CHOOSE NOT BE PROUD.

We should not be harsh on our country- in the last 50 years with all the obstacles that naturally come with a new nation we have THRIVED; we have dealt with political disagreements ( a norm in any society practicing democracy), we have been a victim of an epidemic that wiped an entire generation ( we lost the entire generation who entered adulthood in the 1990s), we have been victims of economic warfare in which the rules are not written by us ( IMF and World Bank conditionalities). We operate economically, politically and socially in a hostile environment and we have achieved more than a majority of the nations in the world 50 years into their independence England, USA and many European countries.

LET US NOT BE HARSH ON OURSELVES. Every time you wish to be harsh on Zambia and her children called Zambians take your passport and look at the picture in the passport and tremble at the resilience, the audacity of the achievement that mother Zambia has given us. SO YES we should be celebrating and not prosecuting our country and our people. I defiantly stand in the defense of the progress and achievements that mother Zambia has made in the last 50 years and when you consider that the entire world once existed to subjugate us; you will marvel and be in awe of what is now Zambia. My motivation henceforth is the pride we will give to our children who will celebrate Zambia when she turns 100. NEVER IN ZAMBIA’S history was a generation so gifted to structure the future with as much authority as our generation. It is my duty, NOW, to create a set of achievements that that the next generation will point out to as reasons to celebrate the same way that our fathers gave us the many reasons that we are celebrating now!! Let’s not shortchange ourselves. WE DESERVE TO CELEBRATE AND BE PROUD. The next 50 years are a creation of the ideas, actions, efforts that you and I will make as we enter the future. The next 50 years BELONG TO US! We are the Next 50 years!! Congratulations to Zambia and her children; YOU ALL HAVE DONE WELL. HAPPY 50TH INDEPENDENCE!!”

By George Mtonga

32 COMMENTS

  1. How do you celebrate and lift that metal pipe in that picture?

    What has freedom got to do with that subtle punishment.

    Ludicrous if this is what Zambians term celebrating.

    I am proud and happy because I am zambian. A Little disappointed. A Little disappointed that it took almost 47 years before we had the best president we could ever have in President Sata.

    Thanks

    • This is a rare time I have to agree with Mushota 100%. Is that a Lusaka and Water Sewerage pipe they have just vandalised so that they could match with it.

    • I personally feel there was no reason to celebrate the useless jubilee. Zambians will find any way to get drunk. We are a very poor country and yet we want pomp and splendor for exactly destroying a beautiful nation for the last 50 years? Why don’t the citizens get up clean their spaces. All that money spent putting gas in those colonial military vehicles could have upgraded some rural health centers and hospitals. Talk about misplaced priorities. A man at age 50 should have achieved all he wanted in life, otherwise he is a failure. Same goes for countries!

    • These ladies, how they think of PIPE? You can’t help it to see anything STRAIGHT? Did you also notice that one guy had hard in the pipe?

    • I tend to agree more with you than Ngwenya. I think there is much more we have achieved than we realise.

      Those that study history should be honest and agree that
      1. Africa had a small population, organised in small tribal groups of hunters, gatherers and herders
      2.These groups used to have tribal clashes and dispersals in rises and falls of kingdoms.
      3. The continent was primitive in terms of technology and territorial nationhood over large pieces of land.
      4.That the continent had no infrastructure but the deserts, non navigable rivers, fierce wild animals…
      5…for a long time until the white man came…to evangelise…then we fell into slavery.
      6.Colonialism followed…for many years when the west was already advanced in all aspects.
      6. That we only took charge of our affairs…

    • …slightly over 50 years ago.
      7. that in these 50 years we have managed to set up fairly good nation governments and governance systems and institutions….

      Who knows that the city of London used to have cholera outbreaks in around the 12 century or thereabouts?

      That we in Zambia and Africa in general have actually SKIPPED certain developmental stages that Europeans and Americans passed through?

      That considering all the odds against us and our past we are on an accelerated developmental process.

      Like one blogger observed, some people think development happens by miracle or magic.. where things just start to fall in place due to good leadership within a 5 year term.

    • Mushota….ke ke ke ke ke…those are not metal pipes. They a pvc pipes or plastic…Those guys are getting paid for lifting those pipes….lol

  2. I like the resilience and optimistic viewpoints in this article. Talk about a glass half-full! I travel to and from Zambia frequently and each time I find something good to behold but more than that I try to DO something positive, however small. I believe that incrementally if we can all do something to and for our country we inch closer to making it as good as we ourselves would like the environment to be! Thank you for that posting, George.

  3. Mushota you should one day write and article than criticizing others people’s ideas. What you though about your so could beloved Zambia. Maybe I have live abroad longer than you even more educated but I am not short sighted like you. The problem you response without reading the article. Can you notice any positive statement in the article? You are very good at criticism. If that’s wisdom; then I would rather be ignorant. Read and comment both on the positive and negative side of the story. If you can’t see any positive issue then write a for article than one sentence.

  4. I can’t believe that someone would think this way, “Zambia that we would be better off colonized than being independent citizen”. Look at other countries in Africa with all the natural resources but the don’t have the peace we are enjoying. My have the abilities as Zambian to develop but the problem we over look the source of the problem. If a citizen went and bribed the mayor for a piece of land you will blame the mayor and never question the citizen. We should be ethical and go through the normal process of doing things! But because we have that mentality we always think politicians are the ones damaging the economy. In the first who put them in power? Let us learn from our past mistakes and educate each other.

  5. You didn’t read all you saw was the picture, those are true Zambia who support the nation. Then you post comments just for fun? Anyway I don’t take you seriously.

  6. Thank you very much Mr Ngwenya for being realistic. People forget that the countries they compare Zambia too have been around for more than 500 years or more (BC!!). Zambia is developing faster than any economy in Africa. Zambia is performing better than any Sub Saharan African country outside south Africa in terms of infrastructure (access to clean water, roads, electricity, housing, urban development just to mention a few). Unfortunately poverty is still rife like most growing economies including china and India which some may say the poverty there is worse than Zambia. Just imagine envy of Zimbabweans when we landed in Lusaka at night. 5 more years and we will change the way people view Africa and thats a fact.

    • You are a very funny person.

      Zambia per capita income in 1964 $1400
      Zambia per capita income in 2014 $1480.
      Botswana per capita income in 1964 $65
      Botswana per capita income in 2014 $7200
      South Korea per capita income in 1964 $120
      South Korea per capita income in 2014 $24 000
      South Africa per capita income in 1994 $3500
      South Africa per capita income in 2014 $7000

    • @Goncalves: Nothing can be more striking! The numbers speak for themselves. At its independence in 1965, Botswana was one of the poorest countries in the world and in Africa. At its independence in 1964, Zambia was the richest country in Africa, north of the Limpopo.

  7. Dear George Mtonga, please note that there are two Zambia – the one in which you and the rich live and the one where the rest of the Zambians live. In the Zambia where the rest of the Zambians live, running water is still unheard of, food a luxury and decent employment a dream. It’s in this Zambia where the majority of the Zambians reside.

    • Ngwenya must be understood to have written to express the plight of the poor in Zambia. As a country, Zambia can’t be said to be poor. And yet the majority of Zambians are poor. This is a reflection of the greed and short-sightedness of those who have ruled Zambia during the last 50 years.

    • Im from Masala Compound. The world you have placed me in is not my world. I grew up in Masala and went to Lyuni Primary School right in front of my house. I went to Ndola Basic School and then Kansenshi. I can assure you, Im very much aware of poverty in Zambia.

  8. George Mtonga, you have left my mind spinning. Clearly you have no idea how backward Zambia’s educational system in rural areas is. I doubt too if you are truly acquainted with the poverty levels among the poor throughout the country. Zambia’s achievement must be seen and measured at that level – the level of the poor.

  9. Celebrating a cup that is half full and yet let us start from the internet where we cannot even post our real names when blogging on LT – we are all busy hiding behind pseudonyms. We are just not admitting that we are fearful of authorities if they discovered our real identities and we call these 50 years of freedom? Can someone tell me the difference in terms of suppression of dissent voices between UNIP and all the regimes that have ruled Zambia? I see no difference after we removed the real dictator KK the institutions of suppression have remained intact. I now even doubt results of recent by-elections because the system is easy to manipulate. So for those of you celebrating wake me up when I can start revealing my full identity on LT for starters. Peace or cowardice?

    • You can actually start now. Like I have revealed my full name: George Nshindano Mtonga. Your “silience” is self-imposed. If you believe in what you stand for then you wont be afraid to show the world who you are.

    • @Oyaya, it is cowardice borne out of rumor mongering and speculative projection. Most bloggers write untruths confident that their pseudonyms will protect them. Remember how one Denfreeze froze when Brig Gen voiced concern at some blogger’s malicious comments? When you do not abuse you have nothing to fear.

  10. Thank you very much to everyone for the wonderful comments. I will ready through all of them and try to respond. But thank you for your participation.

  11. Mr. Mtonga I will go with the majority of bloggers who live in fear. It cannot be coincidence that people are calling themselves what they aren’t. If you can reveal your full identity you are an exception and what you have written is singing praises to the government so you have no reason to fear. But let me ask you this, when Chiefs, headmen and their subjects would sit around a tree to arrive at a consensus wasn’t that some form of democracy? It is not fair to say our culture never practised any form of democracy.

    • So Kalok your parents gave you that name? I ‘m just curious. You have not written anything malicious but I doubt this is your real name.

  12. It can only take a Zambia living in Zambia to fully understand how bad the economy is. My motherland is for the already privileged individuals…its a sad situation in the remote places, even people in those areas have given up, their lives are with no hope. So yes for the sake of how I see & experienced Zambia today…definitely go for a better life quality under the colonial government

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