The Zambia High Commission in London has said that it has noted with disappointment an article that was published by The Sun, a UK Tabloid on Sunday 25 November 2018, insinuating that the Duchess of Sussex pulled out of a visit to Zambia due to Zika concerns.
The article was also reported on the Mail Online under the headline: Exhausted Meghan pulled out of royal trip with Harry to Zambia amid fear over Zika virus.
The Zambia High Commission Press Office has since written to the SUN expressing displeasure and demanding a retraction of the story as well as an apology.
The mission has further advised the author to research as it is a known fact that Zambia has never experienced any Zika case and has not been listed on the Center for Disease Control and Protection as a country that is prone to the disease.
‘We understand that there is freedom of expression, but the Sun editorial board should know that freedom comes with responsibility. Such unresearched and irresponsible reporting has the potential of damaging a country’s tourism and business prospects. In this regard, the Zambia High Commission demands without reservations, a public apology and a retraction of the story to be published with equal publicity immediately.’ the letter reads in part.
In 2016 another major UK newspaper, Telegraph, published false information about Zambia when it run excerpts from a book by Louise Linton, a Scottish lady who at the time was pursuing a career as an actress in California, titled ‘In Congo’s Shadow’ about her brief stay in Zambia as a volunteer’. Some Zambians took to Twitter and Facebook to show outrage after the Telegraph newspaper published an article about a new book authored by a young Scottish Lady in which she describes Zambia as a war torn country with children orphaned by HIV.
In a Telegraph article, as an 18-year-old, Louise, a former pupil of the prestigious Fettes College came to Africa with hopes of helping some of the world’s poorest people but that her gap year became a living nightmare when she inadvertently found herself caught up in the fringes of the war in Congo during her stay in Zambia.
She went on to describe what the Tutu and Hutsu rebels would do to the ‘skinny white Muzungu with long angel hair’ if they found her.
A line in her book reads: “Life was idyllic at first, a gap year student’s dream. My new home was beautiful and I made close friendships with the local Bemba people. I learned some of their language, planted a vegetable garden and created a little school under a Mukusi tree, writing about my experiences in my diary. I was still struggling with the loss of my mother and found special comfort in my bond with Zimba, a six-year-old orphan girl with HIV who called me “Ru-eese”.
The book has since been withdrawn.
Blame this one on HH kkkkkkk. Who needs her here anyway? The prince is coming after all that’s who we need.
Kikikikiki they pulled out??
Hey we don’t need any coloniser. Get rid of your dependency syndrome
Zika has reached Angola. It’s jut a matter of time before it crosses into Zambia especially with a disfunctional Govt
I was shocked too when I read that Zambia has Zika. I thought the UK was a little better versed about Zambia for such irresponsible reporting than the USA. But those tabloids would publish anything to sensationalize a story. They are the very epitome of fake news!
How this is headline news is beyond me.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
The power of fake News
@ Janis Joplin
Which colonizers you are talking about? Chinese?
You people in the UK, do you read local media, none of you referenced to these two articles here yesterday, what happened?
Anyway both PF and UPND are both ZIKA, so I am not surprised.
Bamwine you need to appreciate the marketing power Characters like the prince and his wife can bring to a country …if you are looking at promoting the country to the outside for tourism and business unfortunately we are in that situation where such an opportunity is a cheap alternative as we are spending little money of our own to sale us outside. That is why it is important to dispel this Zika story. I am with the BOMA on this one
Blame this on HH and Upnd members especially those in the uk like Herry Mwatwa whatever is name is. These people are out there to destroy the good image of Zambia. These people never say anything positive about Zambia. That report must have been authored by Upnd. Same seed you plant you will reap if God allow you to rule Zambia but l doubt. You will die in opposition. We would rather vote back MMD or Unip than voting you in power.
I once remember getting off the plane at Dulles International in Washington DC on one of my journeys from Zambia. Going through Customs, an immigration officer asked me if I visited an “IBOLA COUNTRY.” This is after telling him where I was traveling from and handing him my passport. Now, you can just imagine my emotions and temper at this point. So all I did was give him THAT LOOK…..you know; that DISGUSTING LOOK….like, are you FREAKING SERIOUS right now?! I tell you, that was the end of the silly inquiry!
Unfortunately, that’s how shallow Western world’s understanding of Africa is. One thing happens in one Conner of the Continent and they think it is the entire Africa. Sadly, it is entirely possible some of these people think Africa is one big Country. Even people you think…
Continue…
should know better…..the miseducation of the West continues on, even after the era of the telegram….go figure!
Sometimes you wonder if this is not deliberate and by design.
Galu Watchers in Zambia in collaboration with HaMENTAL Dept of MAD COW DISEASE and little boys in action!
These are the stories Hatimbula Hachoncho loves to hear about Zambia.
HAZALUZA HAGAIN!
Very misleading indeed! I also heard this on an Australian morning show news about the Zika virus… I recoiled in surprise , murmuring to myself that there is no Zika virus in Zambia.
Zika virus is mainly in South America and some parts of the Pacific Oceania region where they visited recently.
I guess when you have so many poor people with only a collective corrupt few accumulating so much wealth, you could be accused of anything and called all sorts of names, including “sh*th0le country”. I don’t know why these corrupt numskulls take pride in being rich and governing over such poverty stricken country. Where is the pride?
I would’nt be surprised if these tabloids think Zambia is in South America or is an Island somewhere in the pacific ocean
This is what Ha Ha has done to his own country.
HAZAIZUNDAWIRA HAGAIN.
But GBM looks and acts Zika infected. is he normal?
C’mon all you foolz up here ,must we politicize every story you’re part of the problem that is destroying Zambia.Stop commenting about HH and GBM ,this is about prince Harry.
UK chaps are just not good to Africa.Americans are true friends.Try to work with British pipo and Americans then u gonna tell the difference. British pipo are full of false accusations against Africa.U can’t like it. when iam working with british pipo iam very careful coz the way they report issues.Too much propaganda in UK.Anyway,Zambia should learn n stop worshiping these chaps.Let us make our own laws which benefits the local pipo. Implementing anything from UK can cause chaos in Africa.They are hypocrites.Long live Zambia and USA a true friend to Zambia
I wonder what kind of Zambia HH would like to take over. …one he’s destroying via bad propaganda or what? Once he assumed office and some important foreigners say no we can’t come because you have Zikas, then HH says no it’s not true. The visitors say but it’s all over the media, then HH said no that was just political tactics. Too late.
He will never be the President of Zambia
Badala doesn’t realise the long term damage he’s causing to this country with fake negative news. He just needs political tact to improve his image. We can easily lose thousands of tourists through such careless utterances.
Your analysis is spot on
Yes I know he’ll never. This just from the dream I had yesterday.
Sun fm and sun newspapers we know the owner. He is the richehest in Zambia yet he cant even buy fuel for a grader to work on roads in his constituency .
He spends huge amounts on international propaganda .
He hires 3 choppers to fly round Zambia for campaign yet his farm workers are in rags with no PPE. In fact I hear his tribesmen put in a lot of animals in his campaign.
He has planted robots to vote you down blogger for any word against him.
Any view against him is regarded as partisan
Imagine such a one at state house. Thankfully his support base can not and will never achieve 50+1 threshold
Am a non partisan political consultant.
I wish you had an idea about the Sun newspaper you are talking about.
@ political moronic arse l!cking PF !mbecile
Have you ever heard of Trump good friend of FOX News?
You pretend to be political consultant and are ignorant about ownership of biggest media empire in the world?
!MBECILE YOU ARE
Foreigner will not hesitate to say anything that feels like this to Zambians when I can see on social media, not one, not two but a lot of people scandalizing the nation like savages.
ANIMO FARM is a disease. They can paint their country evil because their tribal leader is UNELECTABLE.
Well done for advising the tabloid to retract and apologise. No further comment, I will comment objectively further if there are any other developments. For me, I am objective so I will not talk carelessly and negatively about ECL and HH, it does not benefit the country in any way.
ECL does not scandalise his country. HH does. HH deserves the bash because he has ill intentions for Zambia. He is a wolf that wants to lead because of selfishness reasons.
Ndeloleshafye!
Did you work as negotiator for gov’t during privatization
ANSWER: I have never worked for govt in my life
Do you have shares in sun international hotel
ANSWER: no comment
Were you part of privatisation
ANSWER: no comment
Do you understand privatisation
ANSWER: no comment
Did you say zaffico was sold to Chinese
ANSWER: no comment
Do you know you seditiously intended to raise discontent among Zambias when you said zaffico has been sold to Chinese
ANSWER: no comment
Did you lie when you said zaffico has been sold to Chinese
ANSWER: No comment
After warn and caution statement he comes out and tells his followers. WE WONT STOP TALKING
Hahaha!!!! Good one.
look at what you have done to this country , you have always wanted the image of this country to go down the drain with you. you are just too selfish for this country and i really doubt if you are really stinky rich like of your worshipers would love us to believe. tone down , tell us what your are going to do for zambia and if ” bushe tukalalya imisebo” is still on your agenda then forget sela tubombeko.
Ladies and Gentlemen. It is the Sun reporting. The same Sun that reported that Air Malaysia MH370 had been found in the Indonesian Jungle and access was being rendered difficult by drug gangs. Please don’t give yourselves heart attacks. This tabloid’s credibility is known to be low. Sun sells their news paper with no regard to the truth. Fake news.
First Europe has ALWAYS printed & spread lies about Africa, in the past, & this unfortunate trend continues to date.
To them I say Shame portraying the WHOLE CONTINENT as diseased & War torn, yet when there were wars in fmr Yugoslavia, Chechenia, Crimea etc, they NEVER reported the WHOLE OF EUROPE as War torn. Shame again!
Now to P.F Bonehead Cadres, why say this misinformation is spread by H.H??
You then wonder with such lack of basic reasoning capacity, why these Europeans look down on the continent, & perpetuates the myth of the Thick Uncivilised African Savage?
Sometimes I wonder if some P.F Cadres like Bonehead, & Sharon actually fit this European label wrongly descibing Africans?
Cadre’s, you may be part of the problem!!
I thought we got independence on the 24th of October 1964
Is this the Sun Newspaper whose sister paper was the News Of The World which closed in 2011 amid allegation s of phone hacking? The ignorance expressed by these western journalists about African countries is appaling to say the least. Why cant they take a leaf on CNN’s Inside Africa and have genuine understanding of the continent than googling fake news items.
It’s true there is Zika virus in Zambia, in Western Province. Lets grant them independence quickly then there will be no Zika virus in Zambia, only in Barotseland!
The Zambia we want
So close the Sun and seize their computers
These are the people we still want to cling to with a smile. Foolish Africans.
Read Babaniyi at al (2014) paper on seroprevalence of zika virus… in western and northwestern provinces of Zambia.
Forgive them for they know not what they are talking about. The current crop of British are not as smart as those who colonised the larger part of the world. However, these young ones need to be placed in their rightful place. Africa does not need this fake news by some ignorant european journalists who see africa through the their dented lenses.
Ati kupusa Bati! It is this kind “chip on the shoulder” attitude bordering on ignorance, arrogance and racism that ruins relations between former colonisers and the colonies. It can ruin Harry’s trip here.
I think they mistook ZICA for ZIKA.