Thursday, March 28, 2024

Stanbic commits to preserving Zambia’s culture and heritage

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Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people at last week’s Nc’wala ceremony.

As traditional ceremonies’ potential to improve and strengthen tourism is noted

Stanbic Bank Zambia says that traditional ceremonies have the potential to improve and strengthen the social and cultural fabric of communities, as well as marketing the country’s tourism potential.
Speaking during the N’cwala Ceremony in Chipata this past weekend, Stanbic Bank Public Relations Manager Chanda Katongo said that the bank remains committed to preserving the country’s culture and heritage.
“Each society is built on heritage and traditions that are passed on to generations to preserve our culture. A country without a culture is lost, as culture encompasses our history, values and norms,” said Mrs Katongo.
Mrs. Katongo said that it is for this reason that the bank donated K50,000 towards the successful hosting of the N’cwala Ceremony, which is held annually to celebrate the first harvests of the year at Mutenguleni village near Chipata.
“Zambia is our home – We drive her growth. It remains a country with diverse cultures and through traditional ceremonies, we are able to reconnect with our roots not only as communities but as a nation in celebrating and encouraging our diversity,” she said.
“As a bank that has been rooted in Africa for the past 153 years, we realise the importance of our heritage and its preservation. With such ceremonies, future generations should continue to identify with their culture even as Zambia continues to engage the wider world,” she added.
Mrs. Katongo further commended President Edgar Lungu for declaring Chipata a city. “Stanbic has been in Chipata for six years and we are committing to the development of Chipata City.”
“Our strong suit as a Stanbic lies in our ability to provide our clients with knowledge- based banking solutions that add real value to their businesses. We will be on hand to provide financial and expert guidance on the various projects in the city,” said Mrs Katongo.
“There are a great many avenues and opportunities for economic and social growth, of which basic modern infrastructure is an essential component. The construction banking solution that we recently launched, seeks to address some of the financing challenges faced by contractors and others in the sector in obtaining long-term funding. And as a bank we remain committed to be part of Chipata’s infrastructure transformation into a modern city.”
Notable business infrastructure development projects supported by the bank include shopping malls such as Mukuba Mall, Kafubu, East Park, Manda Hill, Jacaranda, Cosmopolitan and Edgar Chagwa Lungu Mall in Kitwe. Others on a more massive scale include the North-Western Power project, the Zambia Sugar Plc ethanol plant (as part of a consortium of banks), and Zambeef Products’ milking parlour.
The bank’s investments have included well over US$150 million and US$575 million in infrastructure development and energy respectively over a period of 18 months as well as the raising and funding in excess of US$3bn worth of projects across the mining spectrum in Zambia from copper, cobalt, uranium and gold to lime manufacturing.

1 COMMENT

  1. CULTURE IS IDENTITY. A PEOPLE WITHOUT A CULTURE ARE A PEOPLE WITHOUT IDENTITY. CULTURAL HERITAGE MUST BE ENCOURAGED IN ZAMBIA TO RETAIN THE NATIONAL IDENTITY OF ZAMBIA. ALL PARAMOUNT CHIEFS IN ZAMBIA SHOULD RETURN TO BEING CALLED KINGS AS THEY USED TO BE CALLED BEFORE COLONISATION. THE BRITISH COLONISERS CHANGED THE TITLE FROM KINGS TO PARAMOUNT CHIEFS AS THEY DID NOT LIKE THE IDEA OF COMPARING THEIR KINGS TO ZAMBIAN (OR AFRICAN) KINGS DUE TO WHITE SUPREMERCY ATTITUDE. CHIEFS SHOULD TABLE THIS DEBATE IN THEIR HOUSE OF CHIEFS. OF COURSE THERE ARE TRIBES IN ZAMBIA WHICH DID NOT HAVE KINGSHIPS. BUT THOSE WITH KNOWN KINGSHIP BACKGROUND SHOULD REVERT TO THE TITLE.

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