As we celebrate our 50th independence, I would like to point us to the harsh treatment we have placed on our mother land and the criticism we make of her economic, political and social achievements. In the last 50 years, we have criticized harshly; condemned relentlessly that Zambia has achieved nothing. That Zambia should have done more progress than we see now in our country. So much so that in a recent article by Wesley Ngwenya entitled, 500 years of colonization or 50 years of Independence? He argues that “If Zambians, today, were given a choice between 500 years of colonization that came with clean water, decent housing, freedom of expression, good education, good healthcare, jobs, and decent living standards (under the leadership of our colonizers) or 50 years of independence that came with cholera, no jobs, [bad] politicians, [bad] police, bad schools, terrible infrastructure and deplorable living standards very likely many would opt for the former (a better life under our colonizers).”
[pullquote]We have in fact under-celebrated our achievements and measured ourselves with a ruler that was never designed for our success and progress.[/pullquote]
He points out to several “short-comings” of the last 50 years and renders a prosecutory attack on Zambia that we would be better off colonized than being independent citizen. This is the harsh treatment that we have placed on our country; a country that operates in a world in which her former colonizers are leaders, a country that has to deal with political ideologies inorganic to the prevailing social conscious of its people.
The defense for these unjustified attacks on Zambia should be granted and a motion put in place for the sons and daughters of the Zambia to create a defense for our country. We have in fact under-celebrated our achievements and measured ourselves with a ruler that was never designed for our success and progress. We have harshly judged our progress and political development with measurements that in their creation and sustenance have never been to retain our pride.
Mr. Ngwenya suggests that “African markets would have long integrated. The truth is Africans don’t like each other. African-Americans don’t like Africans and vice-versa. Tribes within African countries don’t like each other or pretend to like each other. They cannot work together. However, if we would have been governed by non-Africans we would have integrated politically and economically.”
This is in contrast to the efforts that African countries have done. Contrary to his perception European countries and North Americans, after more than 400 to 1000 years of self-rule have not integrated as he has suggested. In fact, the current war in Ukraine is over this same integration that we have been judged against. Political integration and economic integration are not expedited processes; in fact they are organic elements of progress often resulting in the migration of people across the world. Zambians recently started traveling abroad and as a result are adding fuel to economic integration as they arrange business transactions between Zambia and their adopted countries. So what level of integration would we achieve in 50 years compared to countries that have been independent for more than 500 years; this is not the right measurement to use when judging our country’s success with global economic integration.
“Democracy would have matured. If we would have just let nature take its course we would have a matured democracy today. We are talking about having a continent with a solid constitution, strong legislature, and freedom of speech/assembly and with rule of law. Most African countries have been independent for more than half a century and yet they are not democratic at all. Worse still, they are very poor,” Mr Ngwenya writes.
Zambia, honestly, has attained a level of political progress only Greek philosophers would fantasize about; keep in mind this is an achievement coming from a group of people who were once colonized and injected with ideas that were not part of their ancestral consciousness. Zambia in 1964 was a congregation of different units of people who realized the inorganic reality of being ruled by men and women whose blood didn’t cover the soil that occupied the land that we now call Zambia. Yet, the full equilibrium of justice was upon us and men and women had the audacity to envision a free people, a free unified people of different cultures considered Zambians. Our forefathers had to envision a reality that before them never existed yet the mental faculties associated with that creation were in full gear. We found dignity in being free men and women, in having the undeniable rights that come with that freedom; and yet we still want to render a verdict at 50 years that Zambia has achieved nothing?
[pullquote]The very political systems we have experimented with, and thrived in, are political institutions that never existed in our cultures. Democracy, whatever its benefits, was never used to govern societies in Africa[/pullquote]
The very political systems we have experimented with, and thrived in, are political institutions that never existed in our cultures. Democracy, whatever its benefits, was never used to govern societies in Africa- yet as the world become modern and implemented these social theories Africans adapted and started re-adjusting their cultures to accommodate the new political thoughts that were to govern the future and STILL we place a verdict that we have not done enough in the last 50 years? After independence in 1964, our comrades surrounding our country were engulfed in violence, they were engulfed in internal struggle- struggles that wiped out generations of natural born Africans simply because they saw our country and hoped to achieve the dignity that came with self-rule- the self-rule in which men and women deductively conclude that their work and efforts are investments for their posterity and NOT the posterity of another people. We retained peace, we gave political impetus to our comrades in South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to be FREE MEN AND WOMEN; bestowed BY THEIR CREATOR with undeniable rights among them are life, LIBERTY and the pursuit of happiness. Yet we still place a harsh judgment on mother Zambia?
In the last 50 years we have operated, and continue to operate, in a world in which our initial existence was that of slaves; we have implemented political ideologies that initially justified our enslavement and we have thrived. Conflict was the norm on the continent of Africa and in the world at large the years after independence (1964-1991) yet Zambia was the beacon, the zenith and the hallmark of peace. Mozambique at its independence decided to put the AK 47 on its flag as a reflection of its struggle towards independence we CHOSE the EAGLE not as a reflection of our struggle but the possibility of the height that our nation would go to as the majestic eagle rules the skies. When African countries were characterized with internal violence after gaining independence, we achieved multiparty democracy. In 2014 we all hold different political views by virtue of that freedom that we gained 50 years ago; and yet we choose to prosecute our country?
Much of the criticism placed on Zambia has to deal with comparative economics, in which the prosecutor points out the state of different countries as a reflection of what Zambia should have been but forgets to also address the history characterizing the economic “achievements” of those country. Often prosecutors of mother Zambia point out to countries like the USA as standards of national development.In defense of mother Zambia, if she colonized an entire continent, enslaved millions of millions of people for free labor, and exploited other societies for their natural resources I’m sure mother Zambia would equally be advanced in all economic aspects.
50years after independence the countries ruled by Europeans were still lynching black men and women from trees, women were second class citizens, only a few wealthy land owners could even dream of sending their children to school: 50 years after independence each and every Zambian woman can vote, we have built far much more accessibility to public education than all the European nations combined the time they celebrated their 50th anniversary for self-rule, class division is not as rampant as the European societies in their early days of freedom and our STAR continues to be brighter. Economically we operate in a geo-existence that was designed by the very men and women who once colonized us. We operate in a world in which our most cherished commodity is priced by people who once only saw us as a source of their inputs of production. Mother Zambia despite those shortcomings continues to march towards the future with the fearlessness of the elephants that occupy the beautiful savannah that we call our home; YET WE STILL CHOOSE NOT BE PROUD.
We should not be harsh on our country- in the last 50 years with all the obstacles that naturally come with a new nation we have THRIVED; we have dealt with political disagreements ( a norm in any society practicing democracy), we have been a victim of an epidemic that wiped an entire generation ( we lost the entire generation who entered adulthood in the 1990s), we have been victims of economic warfare in which the rules are not written by us ( IMF and World Bank conditionalities). We operate economically, politically and socially in a hostile environment and we have achieved more than a majority of the nations in the world 50 years into their independence England, USA and many European countries.
LET US NOT BE HARSH ON OURSELVES. Every time you wish to be harsh on Zambia and her children called Zambians take your passport and look at the picture in the passport and tremble at the resilience, the audacity of the achievement that mother Zambia has given us. SO YES we should be celebrating and not prosecuting our country and our people. I defiantly stand in the defense of the progress and achievements that mother Zambia has made in the last 50 years and when you consider that the entire world once existed to subjugate us; you will marvel and be in awe of what is now Zambia. My motivation henceforth is the pride we will give to our children who will celebrate Zambia when she turns 100. NEVER IN ZAMBIA’S history was a generation so gifted to structure the future with as much authority as our generation. It is my duty, NOW, to create a set of achievements that that the next generation will point out to as reasons to celebrate the same way that our fathers gave us the many reasons that we are celebrating now!! Let’s not shortchange ourselves. WE DESERVE TO CELEBRATE AND BE PROUD. The next 50 years are a creation of the ideas, actions, efforts that you and I will make as we enter the future. The next 50 years BELONG TO US! We are the Next 50 years!! Congratulations to Zambia and her children; YOU ALL HAVE DONE WELL. HAPPY 50TH INDEPENDENCE!!”
By George Mtonga
