Friday, March 29, 2024

Traditional Leaders seek permanent seat at AU

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President Edgar Lungu is escorted by Chief Chikanta after he paid a coutesy call on him at his palace

Traditional leaders in Africa have asked President Edgar Lungu to lobby for a permanent seat for them in the African Union ((AU) ahead of the summit next year.

The Chiefs in Africa wants a permanent seat for traditional and cultural leaders to work together with national government on the transformation of African cultures and customary issues affecting the continent.

The traditional leaders are hoping that if they are given a seat in the AU, they could work together with governments as well as AU to dialogue on the preservation and transformation of African cultures and on developmental issues and customary issues that affect African governments.

Chief Chikanta who led a delegation of chiefs to state house said the traditional leaders in are lobbying for a seat through President Lungu who is AU champion in the fight to end child marriages on the continent of Africa.

Chief Chikanta led a delegation of chiefs to state house to meet President Lungu to brief him of the outcomes of the consultations and dialogue meetings they held with traditional leaders and cultural institutions on ending child marriages and female genital mutilation in African held in Malawi and Nigeria.

The traditional leader also told the head of state that the chiefs from across Africa also want the President to lobby the African Union and partners to scale up resources in support of the implementation of Africa Traditional Leaders’ action plan to address child marriage, female genital mutilation and promote gender equality at country, regional and continental levels.

Chief Chikanta also requested the President to call for a National Indaba for the 288 chiefs to be held in 2019 to develop common strategies to harmonise customary laws on customary marriage and child protection so as to align them to statutory laws.

And President Lungu said he will take into account the proposals of the traditional leaders as he goes for to the AU summit in January next year.

The President said there was need to do more as a continent in the fight to end child marriages, but noted that Zambia has made stride hence the country leading the fight.

The Head of state said most of the bad cultural practices in Zambia have since been discarded except for male circumcision which he also doubted if it was being done in the traditional circles.

He said he will engage stakeholders and partners on the hosting of the chiefs’ national indaba to see if they can help with logistical support because the proposed event has not been budgeted for in the 2019 national budget.

President Lungu thanked the chiefs for working with government in the fight to end child marriages and urged them to extend the gesture to other sectors of the economy where their efforts would be valuable.

The chiefs’ entourage consisted of Chief Chikwanda of Muchinga Province, Chief Chikanta of Central Province, Chief Madzimawe of Eastern Province and Chieftainess Muwezwa of Northwestern Province.

4 COMMENTS

  1. These ignoramus are going flat out to destroy their culture handed down to them from Biblical times. Why would you want to adopt Western cultures when the evidence is their of spoilt Western way of life; broken familes, single parent family, teen pregnancy, drugs, arbortion, increase in prison population due to high crime, homosexuality, cancer due to Western processed foods, depression and suicide. Is this the Culture you want?

    Our Ancestors left us cultural values of decency, dignity and respect for the sanctity life. It’s a shame!

  2. Are these chiefs thick ???

    Did they not hear lungu saying we can not fight the Chinese invasion ??

    Just be prepare to document all your cultures , the corrupt theif lungu that he is has opened the flood gates to millions of Chinese , soon you will have more Chinese Zambian citizens than black Zambians…..

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