President Hakainde Hichilema has called on Zambians to learn from each other through cultural diversity.
Speaking during the official celebration of the Shimunenga traditional ceremony of Chief Mungaila’s chiefdom in Namwala District, President Hichilema noted that all parts of Zambia have a lesson to teach the other parts.
The Head of State said the Shimunenga traditional ceremony teaches about values, including the art of hard work, diligence from an early age and a commitment to the things that people love in the area which of cattle rearing.
President Hichilema noted the economic contribution at national level of the activities practiced in the chiefdom.
Thanking traditional leaders who attended the Shimunenga traditional ceremony and across the country, Mr. Hichilema stressed the importance of chiefs being the custodians of customs.
He was happy that traditional leaders have continued to support each other during traditional ceremonies describing it as an act of unity.
The Head of stated noted the unity among traditional leaders creates a path for unity among people of different cultural beliefs.
” Continue walking the path of unity to bring our country together,” President Hichilema stated.
As headman of the area, the President availed himself ready to work when duty calls in any part of the country.
And Minister of Tourism Rodney Sikumba discloses that his ministry intends to build traditional ceremony arenas in order to have permanent structures that are sustainable.
Mr. Sikumba said his ministry regards highly of traditional ceremonies and will find ways of marketing them as custodians of culture.
Government wants physical structures that allows the country to sale the cultural heritage through tourism, the minister said.
And his Livestock and Fisheries counterpart Makozo Chikote said the President has shown commitment towards the sector by increasing the budgetary allocation to address among others disease control.
Mr. Chikote explained that the country has been facing a challenge for a long time which has affected production of Livestock in the country.
The country needs to feed interested available markets such as the neighboring Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo which yearn for the products, he said .
Meanwhile, Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Paul Kabuswe called on individual Zambians to learn from a variety of cultures like the Shimunenga tradition which teaches how to keep wealth.
Mr. Kabuswe observed the display of cattle at the ceremony is an encouragement to many tribes on the importance of Livestock.
He noted that areas like Northern Province that is vested with enough water can upscale the rearing of livestock.

Meanwhile, President Hakainde Hichilema has asked the traditional leaders in the country to continue being custodians of cultural heritage.
Speaking in Maala on Sunday, President emphasized the need to cultural integration among chiefs across the country so as to uphold the “ one Zambia one Nation” motto.
He says the hard work that the people of Namwala and Maala in particular must be emulated by all Zambians as it leads to economic growth of the country.
The President said this when he graced the 2022 Shimunenga traditional ceremony of the Ila people of Chief Mungaila, in Maala.
And Southern Province Minister Cornelius Mweetwa says his office has made submissions to the Ministry of livestock and Fisheries to decentralize the laboratory facilities to Districts.
Currently all laboratory samples are taken to Lusaka for testing.
Meanwhile Tourism Minister Rodney Sikumba says plans are underway for the Shimunenga traditional ceremony to listed among other ceremony on UNESCO world heritage events.
And Local Government and Rural Development Minister Gary Nkombo has reiterated President Hakainde Hichilema’s call to have exchanges visits for chiefs to learn from each other.