Zambians: We are Bridge-Builders

By Mwizenge S. Tembo, Ph.D.

Introduction

If a South African writes about the struggle over apartheid, readers will pay attention. If a British citizen writes about rule Britania when the country dominated the world such that the saying “the sun never set on the British Empire” is commonly used to refer to that period of Britain’s colonial and imperial dominance, readers will pay attention. If a Kenyan writes about the Mau Mau rebellion against British white colonial settlers, most people will know what that was. If an American writes about slavery, racism, the Civil War between the North and the South, everyone will have known about Abraham Lincoln the American President at the time. If a Nigerian writes about the Biafran War, regional and religious conflict in the country, readers will pay attention. Writing about Germany, the Nazi atrocities, the holocaust during the Second World war are all well-known topics and themes all over the world for very obvious reasons. What if a Zambian writes about any significant events in the country over the last hundred years, would any significant number of readers pay attention in and outside the country? May be not. Why?

As a blue-blooded Zambian, this question has bothered me for the last fifty years since I was a student at the University of Zambia in 1972 and especially this past year 2021 since the passing of our beloved founder of the country President Kaunda last June. The question of what we are known for bothered me when I decided to write my romantic adventure novel “The Bridge” twenty years ago in 2001. What are we known and know ourselves for as a nation and a society? If we are not known or do not have a reputation for anything specific, is there anything we can do as a nation and as a people to correct this? Yes, we contributed in the liberation of Southern Africa from white racial and colonial domination. Even this has never been properly documented and clearly projected both inside the country and internationally. How many books have Zambians published that project how we contributed and sacrificed toward the liberation of Southern Africa? This is just one among numerous examples.

I will discuss this issue with utter most seriousness with the objective of whether as a collective nation we can act on it and achieve results within say five to ten years. I will explain how and why I came up with the idea. Is it actionable and achievable? I will emphasize that this is a smaller objective of a much bigger idea which would warrant the action of the President of the country, political parties and government of Zambia. Do we understand what it is that we want to do and how do we do it? This may be too much in one short document. If necessary, I will write part two.

Zambians as Bridge-Builders

What it means is that we Zambians are bridge-builders is that we not only have the national motto of One Zambia One Nation, but our founders managed to build unity and harmony among 72 tribes, and several small racial and ethnic groups. The founders advocated a non-racial society. When I wrote my novel “The Bridge” and used it over sixteen years to teach college and university students, my students made me realize later that the novel represents the very essence of Zambians as a people; we are peaceful, accepting of diversity, and that we genuinely enjoy, love each other and people from other nations. Inter-ethnic marriages have been common place and a central theme in all in the diversity of our beautiful nation for the last fifty-eight years.

As I was deeply reflecting for days on how this idea could be implemented, it occurred to me that I should talk to a few colleagues who may appreciate these ideas and may want to join in the herculean effort. I have written too many theoretical ideas in my life that have fallen short of implementation in the real world. I was not going to risk having these convictions die in the heap of theory. So, I asked and met with two colleagues. Dr. Gankhanani Moyo, Lecturer in the Department of Literature and Languages and Mr. Penda Chanda, Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Historical and Archeological Studies of the University of Zambia.

Informal Meeting of Three

The three of us met at Munali Mall at 1300hrs on Tuesday January 18 2022. What I proposed to them was that we Zambian writers should conduct a massive well thought out orchestrated campaign never done in Zambia’s history since 1964. We should develop a theme around which all Zambian writers might focus on; the theme of Zambians as Bridge-Builders and our struggles to build those bridge within and outside the country. We are a people that can fight for others but we also embody love, unity, peace, and humility as One Zambia One Nation. What does this mean in reality?

This means, for example, that in my novel “The Bridge” I creatively and skillfully incorporated with romantic passion into “The Bridge”, Zambian/African customs, social change, conflicts, languages, globalization, poetry, race and diversity, challenges of travel, the forest, nature, natural resources, subsistence farming, a bit of African/Zambian history and struggles for freedom, role of tribes, racial harmony in Zambia, urbanization in Zambia and rural village traditions. This means that this bridge building theme would be incorporated in virtually all creative and other forms of natural and social scientific research, and intellectual writing. This also means that the teaching of writing from nursery or kindergarten to university would accentuate this uniquely Zambian bridge-building theme and its challenges since our independence from British colonialism in 1964.

Bridge Building Themes

This would be proudly incorporated in all areas of writing and publishing including history, how we achieved and enjoy ethnic or tribal unity and tranquility, religion, music and dance, economic development, the lives of Zambians of all races in the country and the diaspora. Economic development, tribes, tourism, travel and adventure, architecture, politics, our historical contribution to the philosophy and epistemology of our knowledge, technology and science, religion, poetry, creative writing, love, family and marriage, transportation, textbooks, education, folklore, technology, biographies, political liberation of Southern Africa and conflict management. The list is large.

The most important to first implement is to have the following five done which are not necessarily in the order of importance.

1. Bring together a group of 10 to 20 top passionate committed Zambian writers, editors, and publishers who strongly believe in this enterprise
2. Secure Capital for implementing and running the entire enterprise. Government subsidy of this economic enterprise is highly recommended.
3. Purchase the best book printing machines in the world today.
4. Implement an intense nation-wide program or campaign in which Zambians will be encouraged to write, buy books, and especially read and openly discuss the books.
5. The Zambian Bridge-Building Book Series in the publishing of the books to be prominent in Zambia and international world within five years.

The Author is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Author of the Internationally Acclaimed Novel: “The Bridge”