An Analysis of Zambia’s moral decay -Chitimukulu

By Dr. Henry Kanyanta Sosala

The most dangerous gift which has been bestowed upon human beings is sex. Sex drive is very strong in teenagers and sex is normally something very difficult to be reasonable about. And even the apostle Paul had to warn Timothy, ‘’……. avoid the passions of youth and strive for righteousness (purity)’’ (2 Timothy 2: 22)

And if one wants to destroy any people, he can only do so by devastating the morals i.e., to let them be sexually active. The Bible has a clear example to this effect. In the Book of Numbers chapters 23-25, we read that when the Moab king heard how the Israelites had conquered many other nations, he hired the prophet Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. But having failed to curse them since they had been blessed by the Lord, he only advised the Moab king that the only option was to send their beautiful women to seduce the Israelites and it worked: ‘’One of the Israelites took a Midianite woman into his tent in the sight of Moses and the whole community, while they were mourning at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord’s presence…’’ And the consequences were disastrous for the nation of Israel.

And just like Balaam’s advice, listen to what Lord Macaulay told the British Parliament on 2^nd February, 1835: ‘’I have travelled across the length and breadth of Africa and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, if the Africans think that all that is foreign is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want, a truly dominated nation.’’

And consequently in the introduction of ‘’democracy’’ to Africa, the capitalist-exploiter also cleverly included the ‘’liberation of sex’’ as part of a package of ’’democracy’’. And as usual we have fallen prey and swallowed the bait and we are now experiencing the random distribution of condoms in Africa! In fact, the Ministry of Health and NGOs are the culprits since they give contraceptives such as condoms to teenagers of any age upon demand. I have always been greatly disturbed at the so-called ‘’successful’’ indiscriminate distributions of condoms irrespective of age. It is very clear that condom distribution in schools only means   encouraging of teenage pupils to be more and more sexually active.

Here is what Edna Kazonga wrote: ‘’When condoms are distributed in schools, teachers are put in a very awkward situation because one minute they are preaching abstinence and good morals in line with the Zambian culture and the other minute they are telling pupils that in case they have failed to abstain they can go ahead and use the available condom. This is a seemingly contradiction and very confusing to pupils. There is a danger of thinking that it is okay and permissible to be sexually active after all condoms are available. Should we teach the pupil to abstain as per our Zambian Christian values or should we leave it open to say, in case you become sexually active…?’’ This is a clear indication that we as a nation have no solution whatsoever to the current moral degeneration.

Every human grouping has keys to every situation that they preserve which give meaning to the group as its members review their ‘story’ in the drama of life.’’ Any problem has a lost key. Our ancestors were very much aware of moral problems that could arise and hence they made sure that a boy and a girl should never be at close contact with each other and especially in isolation and hence the saying, ‘’Cikwi tapalamana na mulilo’’ i.e., ‘’Don’t put a petrol-soaked cloth near the flames of fire.’’

However, in this current liberated sexual scenario, we see teenagers publically kissing each other and they even go out to dances, cinema shows and other entertainments and bring back the girl later in the night and that is now accepted by the girls’ ‘’modern, educated and civilized’’ parents, since this is within the context of Children’s Rights in accordance with the Human Rights Charter.

I was prompted to find out if condoms were also distributed in the same way in the West. And I obtained a document on a survey of English sexual health report called Public Health England (PHE) Condom Distribution Scheme for 2015/16. And according to this report, condoms are NEVER distributed at random to anybody and irrespective of age, as it is done in Africa. Condoms are distributed through what is called C-Card at any distribution outlet to access free condoms. And the emphasis being on abstinence, the 2015/16 survey showed that only 3 percent of 16-24 year-olds of the population registered for the C-card schemes.

We must first note that strong sex drives have no respect for anybody whether black, white, red etc. And if our minds were not perverted we could ask ourselves if indeed the genuine reason why condoms are distributed at random only in Africa and not in the West is to protect our youngsters from venereal diseases; HIV/AIDS and unnecessary pregnancies! I have always insisted that the capitalist-exploiter leads with truth but never to truth and whereas we have been blinded to look intently and nodding our heads at the cleverly presented physical consequences, the capitalist-exploiter looks far beyond the physical into the spirit world in order to preserve his youngsters from a very deadly consequence known as SOUL DAMAGE. This condition cannot be found in the medical encyclopedia.

I recently stumbled upon the greatest moral scandal that has rocked our nation where our educational system is exposing our very young children to the worst type of moral decay and corruption. I received an elderly woman who told me that her daughter was in tears because of the question that her nine-year old son put to her. I was as well shocked and rushed to our school to look at the Pupil’s Book 4 on ‘’ Basic Integrated science.’’ And on page 7 it reads: ‘’When a man and a woman love each other, they marry and may start a family. The couple makes love by having sexual intercourse. The man inserts his penis into the woman’s vagina. Sperm from the penis travels into the vagina and, if the time is right, a sperm will fertilizer an egg.’’

Then the teacher interpreted to me in Ichibemba as he does to the pupils in order to make sure they fully comprehend what is being taught and it was through the interpretation in Ichibemba that I really felt the gravity of the scandal. This is indeed, cultural genocide, pointing out to the horror of the collapsed moral values in-spite of Zambia having been declared a Christian nation.

In fact the complaint that was brought to me was that a nine-old boy had asked her mother to confirm whether it was true what the boys in higher grades were saying that the woman’s private part (in Ichibemba) had three (named) synonyms! It was really difficult even for me to explain to the grandmother because I too was also shocked. And indeed even traditionally we teach about sex upon the attainment of puberty and not at the tender age of eight years.

Thereafter, the words of the late Mundia Sikatana jumped into my mind: ‘’We are rotten as a nation.’’ (The Post 7^th March 2003). Indeed we are comprehensively rotten as a nation because the Church with schools run by the clergy as well teaches such moral decay thereby morally scandalizing, corrupting and destroying the minds of our children! It is difficult for me to understand why the Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs has endorsed such a syllabus!

And just like the difference between the West and Africa in condom distributions, now listen to Charles Mwewa a Zambian resident in Canada who in his book, Zambia: Struggles of My People talked about how children in Canada begin to learn about science and technology at an early age and went to advise us ‘’………. Problem-solving education is a must if Zambia is going to compete in the economic and technological marketplace. Zambia needs to expose its progeny to science, technology and mathematics at very tender ages. Zambian children need to be told that science and technology are necessary tools for its development. They need to be exposed to this type of education very early in their academic life and be given ready resources for experimentation in science, technology and mathematics.‘’ And unfortunately, within the Zambian context sex is more of value than science and technology. What shame!

Tanzanian banned pregnant school girls from attending state primary and secondary schools since 1961 and President John Magufuli has affirmed his commitment to this policy, saying school girls who become pregnant must be expelled and not be allowed to return. The World Bank in November 2018 cancelled a US$ 300 million education project due to what was termed ‘’as the country’s controversial policies on pregnant school girls.’’ In another development Denmark froze funding to Tanzania over concerns about policies that threaten gay people. The Times of Zambia of 19^th November 2018 reported that the European Union also launched a comprehensive review of its policies toward the East nation over concerns about rights abuses.

The question is why did the leaders in Tanzania ban pregnant school girls from attending state primary and secondary schools? This can be clearly understood if we view it from our own example. It was reported that according to the Forum for African Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA) that about 16,300 school girls fall pregnant each year (Daily Nation 27^th February 2017). And one of the main contributing factor to this school girls’ sex scandal stems from allowing pregnant school girls attending the same schools with those who have not been pregnant before. ‘’Innocent’’ girls become victims of   teasing and abuse since they are falsely misled that according to tradition if they die ’’barren’’ and never had even a miscarriage then before burial, they are falsely told, they would put a piece of charcoal in their anal passage as a sign that they were indeed useless girls who left the world without even getting pregnant. You can see how effective this distortion can be on the minds of young girls and there is absolutely nothing like this in our various traditions and this has only been created by these ‘’mother school girls.’’ And so it is better to establish separate schools for them.

In another development Denmark froze funding to Tanzania over concerns about policies that threaten gay people. And in this respect the whites have promoted their own Anglo-Saxon morals above God’s moral teachings since the teachings of the Bible, must be regarded by all genuine and sincere Christian believers as the Words from the mouth of God. In the Book of Genesis, Chapter 19, we read that the city of Sodom was destroyed by the Lord because of homosexuality: ‘’Before the guests went to bed, the men of the city surrounded Lot’s house. All the men of the city, both young and old were there. They called out to Lot and asked, ‘Where are the men who came to stay with you tonight? Bring them out to us! The men of Sodom wanted to have sex with them…’’

It is clearly written in the book of Leviticus: ‘’If a man has sexual relations with another man, they have done a disgusting thing, and both shall be put to death.’’ (Leviticus 20:13). And if the Almighty God can pronounce a death sentence for such an offence, it means it is a very serious offence. And centuries later, the apostle Paul severely condemned homosexuality: ‘’…..Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. In the same way, the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.’’ Romans 1:26/27).This actually means the human rights supersede God’s holy Word.

On the other hand, it is therefore clear that the so-called ‘’ democracy’’ is now caught between two sets of contradictory desiderata. On one hand, ‘’democracy’’ means, ‘’respecting other people’s views without necessarily agreeing with them.’’ And in this respect as a British social worker, Tarq Modood working among immigrants said: ‘’Equality is not having to hide or apologize for one’s origins, family or community, but to expect others to respect them and adapt public attitudes and arrangements so that the heritage they represent is encouraged, rather than contemptuously expected to wither away.’’ (Newsweek 15^th December 1997).

However, in the current European Union context, ‘’democracy’’ is being re-defined as ‘’the interest of the stronger.’’ And in this respect, one is bound to agree to what Chika Onyeani’s conclusion of Whites telling Africans, ‘’Listen fools, we don’t value and care about your lives and your stupid ideas and primitive ways of life….. I have been accused of being angry. If you know what is going on within the Black race, I ask, would you as an African not be angry too?’’