By Honourable Brown C. Kapika
In Zambia, the state of the economy at any given time is a function of who is at the helm of affairs. It is even hard to predict the trend of the economy in the short or long run. Politically, leadership is here for grabs by the strongest. Socially, the moral fibre that holds this nation seems to be getting worn out. In short, the things that make life worth living are lacking.
The complexity and magnitude of these problems create confusion among ordinary Zambians. Our leaders also seem to face the same confusion. They don’t know where to start from to tackle the myriad of problems.
Therefore, the solution to the country’s economic, political and social problems must have a common locus. Though the approach may be different, the end result would be the same. Our problems in this country are complex meaning that they’re interrelated and traceable to a common source. The source of all our problems is ignorance or illiteracy. When this key problem is tackled squarely, the rest of the problems would definitely find their fix. An illiterate and ignorant mind can’t appreciate lofty ideals. People must first be educated before they can appreciate what government is doing.
But if the question were posed to a cross-section of Zambians, depending on the status of the persons, there will be different answers. While some will say bad leadership, lack of social amenities, others would say poor infrastructure, poverty, hunger, disease, and many more. Whereas all these are problems confronting the country, to my mind, they’re not the greatest. Lack of an educated population is the greatest problem facing this country. This in turn affects every other aspect of our national development drive. If we have an educated and enlightened population, most of the other problems would be solved.
Take the issue of leadership for instance. Because the majority of Zambians are not knowledgeable with little or no say in the political dynamics of their country, the few educated people have unfettered latitude to lord it over their people. All that the poor uneducated masses need is handouts to buy over their votes. That trend has continued till today because the majority of the people are still uneducated wallowing in poverty and ignorance. That explains why the politics of bread and butter flourish. All that the poor masses need to be bought over is mere pittance, food, t-shirts, caps and all that simple material inducements.
On the other hand, it would be hard to mortgage the conscience of an educated person with such material inducements. When the wrong persons use money and other inducements to buy hungry followers, what do you expect from the leadership?
But you can’t have that kind of situation in the developed world where people are enlightened. In the developed Western countries, those who want to be leaders prepare themselves intellectually. This is because the electorates know what they want. Barack Obama won the Presidency of the United States not because he is rich but because he has the intellectual capacity to face and convince an enlightened American society. You don’t win election in the developed societies because you have money to buy votes and employ thugs to ensure that the votes are captured for you.
In those nations, even when you win the election based on what you promised to do, the prying eyes of the enlightened electorate would be watching to see that you fulfill your promises. That one has won an election to be in office for five years doesn’t guarantee that he or she would have another term of five years. It is not automatic. If one must have another term, it must be based on measurable performance.
These ideals are lacking in Zambia because majority of the people are uneducated. Here, money is what matters because there is mass poverty. Political aspirants have no need for intellectual capacity because the people are mostly uneducated illiterates. There is no political debate based on issues of the time.
To contest for a political office, you must have a strong financial backing because the race is not for the most intelligent but to those that can throw money about to the poor hungry and illiterate electorate. With the winner takes all mentality, whoever wins election automatically becomes a small fief that lords it over the rest of the illiterate masses. The masses even lack the capacity to question how their taxes are being used.
The importance of education in the development of this nation cannot be over emphasised. So long as the majority of Zambians are uneducated and unenlightened, even the most progressive of government programmes would face uphill task until we embrace education.
Consequences of illiteracy
The consequences of illiteracy are many and harmful in several respects. As well as affecting illiterate individuals themselves in their daily lives and often jeopardizing their future, this scourge has a significant effect on society, both socially and economically.
The consequences of illiteracy on individuals and society include the following:
For individuals
- Limited ability to obtain and understand essential information;
- Unemployment: The unemployment rate is 2–4 times higher among those with little schooling than among those with Bachelor’s degrees;
- Lower income;
- Lower-quality jobs;
- Reduced access to lifelong learning and professional development;
- Precarious financial position;
- Little value is given to education and reading within the family, and this often leads to intergenerational transmission of illiteracy;
- Low self-esteem, which can lead to isolation;
- Impact on health: Illiterate individuals have more workplace accidents, take longer to recover and more often misuse medication through ignorance of health care resources and because they have trouble reading and understanding the relevant information (warnings, dosage, contraindications, etc.).
For society
- Since literacy is an essential tool for individuals and states to be competitive in the new global knowledge economy, many positions remain vacant for lack of personnel adequately trained to hold them;
- The higher the proportion of adults with low literacy proficiency is, the slower the overall long-term GDP growth rate is;
- The difficulty understanding societal issues lowers the level of community involvement and civic participation.
- Without the basic tools necessary for achieving their goals, individuals without an adequate level of literacy cannot be involved fully and on a completely equal basis in social and political discourse.
By Honourable Brown C. Kapika
President for Adedo – Zamucano Polititcal Party (Zambia)
President for ‘Beweging voor Burger -en Mensenrechten’ Political Party (Netherlands)
(Partij voor de burgerlijke -en mensenrechten )
Hon Kapika..you have hit the nail on the head. Edgar Lungu is the worst president this country has ever had. He does not now whether he is going forward or backwards. Right now, hi pre-occupation is to be re-elected. I doubt the man doesn’t even know the literacy rates in Zambia. This is a man that was surprised to learn that TB is big health problem in Zambia the time he donated jiggies at hospitals. We need to double investment in our education
Mental Slavery ( worshipping a muzungu god named jesus) is Zambia’s biggest mistake!
Well, Brown C Kapita, well done Honorable.
Otherwise PF BANDITS in the likes of Kambwili, Davies Chama, Frank Bwalya, Chilufya Tahali, Mumbi Phiri & Sunday Chanda need to go back to grade 5, visionless illiterate PF cadres.
These BANDITS are a menace of society, CHAINAMA then JAIL is their destination. Bandit Jean Kapata is another cadre of visionless PF who needs grade 5 lessons.
Zambians, vote wisely & not visionless PF BANDITS, 4 Months left!
The Skeleton Key
~206~
Good article Hon. Kapika. Very few people currently entrusted with running the affairs of this country even understand the basics of what they are supposed to be doing. They are always telling their perceived critics to offer alternative solutions in form of advice. This article surely is free advice to the ignorant government but it will not be taken because their main pre-occupation now is winning the next election through vote buying. If it works for them, the cycle will continue until the country starts stinking. That’s why a large section of the educated people in this country is beginning to think that this country is cursed. How on earth can we ever end up with a leadership like the one we currently have?
Because you are blindfolded with religion!!
Good article! You have just hit the nail on the head! There is also the problem of a poor reading culture in our country! I have written four page analytical articles meant to educate people on the economy and I get complaints of them being too long! I just wonder whether our country men read books! President Barack Obama reads pages of a particular book every night! I wonder who is busier between him and some of the bloggers who complain! We really have an ignorant population and leadership thus the mess we are in!
Wow this is so true ba hon Kapika.
Have you ever wondered why false prophets (con-men) sell ‘God’ and dreams to blindfolded Africans due to hunger for money and power.?
Most Zambians go through religious indoctrination from cradle to the grave. Most Zambians are not allowed by family, society and the state to think, reason or live outside the religious box. In Zambia religion is by force not by choice.
How come we don’t have people who reason like that in the forefront, instead we have the likes of Kambwili, Chama, Mumbi, Bowman etc
Most Zambians are religious willy nilly, they profess all sorts of religious crap even when they know it is all nonsense.
“Children and youths are made to believe that professing articles of faith is a mark of a good student. And that education is not complete without religion or belief in God. So why should anybody be surprised that most Africans attach so much importance to religion.”
Zambia is no longer on the right path. illiteracy is very alarming. Our schools are simply places of memorizing written words in order to pass an examination without changing the mind of the leaner. This is brought about by Governments that have ruled Zambia that have been supporting the Lecture method of teaching because practical subjects and other teaching methods that thrive on research are expense so they say. On top of illiteracy politicians have brain washed poor Zambians to group themselves in Tribes when voting. They forget that its the brightest ideas not tribe that bring bread on the table. Even the educated are now falling prey to this vice. I have seen professors segregating people biased on Tribe. Cry our beloved country. We children of mixed marriages are feeling ashamed of…
This is true, but citizen can’t be educated by focusing on building roads and shopping malls. While these are important there is need to put in place polices that facilitate knowledge acquisition. Government must balance physical development with socio-economic development. This requires tenacity and ingeniousness. Leaders mustn’t leave the populace behind in the quest for development. They should dialogue with them, set priorities with them and act with them. This way people will be part of the development process such that when things go wrong they will say “we are in it together”, and if things go right, they will say “we did”. To me handing material things to electorates is a red flag on the onset; a sign of desperation to ascent to positions of power.
Unfortunately, we also have educated illiterates…
Read your first two paragraphs Hon. ka pika and felt totally depressed!
Look, stop knocking Zambia. We may not have all things in place but Zambia is a better country than most. Zambians are polite(to foreigners mostly not selves), and until multi-party democracy imposed on it by well meaning Western organisation, we were very cordial to each other as our Cultural practices across the Tribes emphasised politeness and putting a decent front on your outward man.
I say observing nasty comments here, it’s clear the worst come from the snarling so called Educated against those who they perceive as unlearned. Mustn’t always think education is Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. We are also educated by our culture. That is what is at stake currently, the breakdown of cultural…
We are also educated by our culture. That is what is at stake currently, the breakdown of cultural norms.
The quality of the little education available is also very pathetic. Listen to the so called educated with their phony accents reason & argue. Most of them at best waffle, at worst want to make you puke. Our so called educated are the most corrupt, lazy and the worst drunkards.
On a lighter note where is this adedo-zamucano party ba hon president.
Kapita,…armschair critic. Get off your chair and do something.
We all know the challenges our country faces. These challenges are common place across the globe.
We need pipo who can pull even one muscle to make a difference.
We tired on online Presidents.
Good article but the author is a confused chap calling himself honorable, what honor is in this chap! look at his positions President for Adedo – Zamucano Polititcal Party (Zambia)
President for ‘Beweging voor Burger -en Mensenrechten’ Political Party (Netherlands),
this is total nonsence what benefit will this Adedo bring to Zambia or Beweging voor Burger -en Mensenrechten bring to Netherlands. Stop making a f00l of yourself, by forming (Paper only) non-existent political parties with no clear agenda. you are a disgrace to the educated fraternity.
I remember “Hon” kapika once being interviewed on television, this analysis of issues was pretty much confusing to himself. This is an election year bro kapita, come and try your luck to earn the title Honorable.
On second thought this man is a loose nut.
Who is this guy?
Dishonourable. Kapita thanks for your article written out of acquired knowledge. Anyone can write this but putting into practice becomes difficult. We want performers not authors.