Poverty & Multinationals in Zambia: A theological perspective

Below is a summary of a paper delivered by Francis Wilson at a symposium on the relevance of the Church in the 21^st Century held under the auspices of the United Church of Zambia on the occasion of its Diamond Jubilee, in Lusaka in January 2015. Although pointing to Central and Southern Africa in general and Zambia in particular it is not without relevance to the Scottish Church either.

For Wilson the calling of the Christian church is to think theologically about society, economics and politics.  It has an obligation to seek to shape society for the common good against social evils. It is part of our ecumenical inheritance, a truth shared by all the great denominations, whether Reformed, Anglican or Roman Catholic.

There is a need to recognise the importance of values in shaping an economy. The market is a tool not a value and there are times when the forces of the market have to yield to higher moral values.  Christians opposed slavery as being inconsistent with the Christian understanding of human worth. As the market is generally a-moral, moral values are fundamentally important in shaping any economy and the market is a tool which can be used for good or ill.

Many of the values underpinning the present global economy are fundamentally unchristian. The emphasis always is on material things and consumerism the necessity of earning more money to satisfy greed no matter how rich one is. 

Christian values emphasise the ultimate worth of every individual no matter what they believe; what their position in society; how poor or rich they may be. The church believes in the importance of community and pushes for an ever more compassionate and caring society.

In a society with too great a degree of inequality, human community is impossible and Christians need to be very concerned about high levels of inequality in any society. What is the situation in Zambia? Does the church care? What do we, what do you, propose to do about it?

Another concern is the nature of poverty. This has many faces. But a country’s average per capita income can give one some idea as to the general well-being of the county. So Zambia with a per capita income in 2013 of $2990 is poorer than Botswana with a per capita income of $14 630 although better off than Zimbabwe with a per capita income of $1570.

In Zambia it is estimated that some 73% live below the poverty line but these figures are only guidelines. They tell us nothing about the nature or the causes of poverty, nor of the poverty endured by individual persons or their households. Nor indeed do the figures tell us anything about the distribution of income in the country concerned. There are many painful faces of poverty in the country: infant mortality, destitute old people, and unemployed young people feeling worthless and with no aim in life.  Is the Church thinking strategically and creatively about this? How does the church help people to acquire the tools - including personal courage, endurance & imagination - to improve the quality of life even if per capita income does not lift dramatically?

Zambia has been part of the modern globalisation process for more than a century with the discovery and exploitation of copper for the world market. In Zambia there are seven different types of multinationals. They include:

·         Mining or Extractive such as Copper and Coal

·         Consumer Goods including food, clothing, appliances, furniture etc

·         Media & Communications - TV; Films; Cell Phones; Internet

·         Transport - Garages; Car Hire; Petrol

·         Agriculture - Equipment; Seeds; Fertilizer; Products

·         Energy - Electricity and Oil

·         Banking - Global financial network

Wilson focuses on what he calls the three Ms

·         Mining

·         McDonalds

·         Media

 

Mining in Zambia immediately raises at least two value issues which need to be considered critically by the churches. Whose mineral resources?  Much of the Zambia’s mineral wealth has been siphoned out of the country especially when demand for copper was especially high.

In contrast, in Botswana mining companies earn agreed, reasonable, profits on diamonds whilst the bulk of the wealth stays in the country.

In Angola for example, the vast wealth accruing to the country from its oil seems, alas, to be destined to enriching the pockets of a few rather than improving the lives of the citizens. Contrast this with Norway where much of the oil wealth has been placed in a “Sovereign Fund” which now has investments around the world to be used in future for the well-being of all the people of Norway. In this context it is perhaps worth pointing out the crucial role of the church over the previous century in helping to create the political conditions and the institutions which enabled Norway to respond so wisely to the oil discoveries.

The migrant labour system is another issue: a huge source of social destruction in Southern Africa and a major factor in the spread of catastrophic levels of HIV/AIDS throughout the region.  It serves to generate poverty in the rural areas where the migrants come from. Decent family housing for all migrants and their families near their place of work is necessary, with workers treated as people with families rather than as labour units from which energy is to be extracted.

There are many multinational retail chains operating in Zambia selling such items as food, furniture, clothing and electronic equipment. Trade is of course, generally, of benefit to both sides but in any such transaction the terms of trade need to be examined with some care and here the churches could play an important role by asking some pertinent questions. For example, are the multinational retail firms doing more than training Zambian till-assistants? Is the retail sector in Zambia being educated and given the necessary experience for full global partnership employing senior Zambian managers and decision makers? Are Zambians being empowered within Zambia? Who is running the show? Or are the retail outlets in the country merely colonies used primarily to extract wealth for the imperial headquarters based in America, Europe or Asia?

Another theological dimension is the dichotomy between passive consumption and active production. “Couch potatoes”, people who may spend many hours each day passively and uncritically watching their television screens with the danger of consumerism replacing all manner of activities which used to be taken for granted.

The development of cell-phones and the internet is having a radical impact on communication particularly in Africa. The isolation of the past is being replaced, seemingly in the twinkling of any eye, by the global village. What are the consequences of such a revolutionary technology likely to be? How does the church help people to adjust to the new realities in ways that are human, caring and just for all?

1.       While multinationals are not all bad. They bring with them global linkages and new ideas, organisational efficiency and some sense of corporate social responsibility but some aspect require critical assessment by the church;

a.       Multinationals are essentially driven by profits. While necessary considerations also need to be given to of human value and of the ethical goals that give real meaning to life.

b.      Multinationals create wealth but at a cost.  Mining companies’ migrant labour system is highly destructive and impoverishes areas from which the migrants came. To say nothing of the work-related injuries and diseases.

c.       Multinationals tend to create elites earning incomes far above those of the general working population and are part of the process of the  widening inequality .This needs to be reversed if  the world is not to disintegrate due to lack of human solidarity.

A strong legal framework backed by honest and alert officials multinationals can prevent multinationals from robbing a country and its people of their rightful resources.

d.      The creation of dependency on multinationals fails to provide local business leaders with the knowledge and experience to be real partners in management and decision making.

Care for the Environment provides to mitigate climate change by facilitating the planting of trees by farmers needs to be scaled up.

The Church should continue with compassion and caring ministries, nurturing imaginative initiatives to deal with society’s, helping government to formulate better policy and criticising prophetically where government falls short.

Wilson concludes that in response a representative Zambian Church Commission might reflect theologically on the challenges facing the church both in terms of Faith & Order and its Life & Work modelled on the 1933 but focusing on Abundant Life, and of Ubuntu now and in the future. 

The Same Yesterday, Today and Forever

Had we not had Ida’s appendix operation, we would have been returning to Zambia at the end of this week. Thankfully, Ida has recovered well and we have our debriefing at 121 later this week. We are now undertaking the deputation visits that were cancelled while Ida convalesced. It has been good once again to make contact with the presbyteries and individual congregations who support the work at Mwandi materially and by prayer. Many of these are strong Churches with busy and successful outreach programmes but they remain interested in what God is doing in our particular part of the vineyard and elsewhere. It is good also to see the possibility emerging greater collaboration, cooperation and inter-church fellowship in all of this. While this is now happening at local and presbytery level, our appointment as an ecumenical one, with both the Church of Scotland and Methodists here and the United Church in Zambia, helping us and others in undertaking the Great Commission.

 

Our Power-Point presentation this time, we have entitled ‘Our World Belongs to God’. We chose Micah 6:4-8 and Matthew 25:34-40 as the two portions of Scripture to provide the framework for our pictures and discussion. The well-known verses from Micah deal with what God is looking for in his people; namely, to be fair and just, compassionate, loyal and serious. And Matthew talks about taking care of the needs of the hungry, thirsty, sick, poor, homeless and imprisoned, those often overlooked and ignored, and in doing this, you do it to and for Jesus.

 

 

In our talk we tell about the building of the new UCZ Secondary School where 500 pupils who might not otherwise have been at school, have completed Grade 12 since 2010, the challenges we face with a lack of teaching and learning resources for large classes but also the enthusiasm and eagerness to learn of the pupils. The importance and necessity of girl education is also stressed and the bursaries that we provide, using the UCZ & Social Welfare criteria to help needy but able pupils complete their secondary education by the generosity of ordinary but special people. We also share stories of students that are supported in tertiary education.

 

The ministry of the Church at Kandiana is also an area of need that we are involved with. We report too on the churches roofed, the support for rural pre-schools and the digging of the new well at Sikuzu. Other areas shared are an overview of the Mission Hospital HIV programme, integrated within this are the Church of Scotland’s HIV Nutrition programme and the Formula programme. Housing and sustainability are other areas being tackled. We end with the story of our Congolese foster children and the plight of their parents.

 

I have been reading David Smith’s Mission After Christendom and as we are carrying out our deputation work we can see that much of what he is highly relevant to the Church in Scotland today. It has been brought home to us  how much successful Church work is home mission at the new frontiers and we have seen how the Church is learning to live cross-culturally in a postmodern world obsessed by consumerism and entertainment where traditional Christianity and its values are irrelevant to most secular people. This is, however, nothing new, similar problems were faced by the early Church in the Roman Empire where people were addicted correspondingly to wealth and pleasure with the Church offering counter-cultural qualities to the Graeco-Roman values of the time. More recently during the Communist-era in Eastern and Central Europe another militant form of materialist philosophy shaped and controlled society while the Church under difficult circumstances offered meaning in Christ under another man-made and meaningless, dishonest and iniquitous economic and political system.

Under all these regimes and systems, the same human needs we see today, went largely unheeded and un-catered for by the orthodoxy of the time. The Church today with its powers of regeneration and transformation, as the world continues with its rampant economic and ecological exploitation of the world’s resources and its peoples, still brings baptised people into communities who feast at the table of Christ’s sufficiency, communities known for their contentment and compassion. This Church, having learned from the past, has and will always have something true and reliable to offer the future.  For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2Cor 12:10

APPENDIX TO THE NEW YEAR

A belated happy new year. We have not really been able to bring you up to date since our arrival back in Scotland. Our plans for our deputation work in January, like those of the Burns’ mice and men quote went agley early in the month by Ida’s appendectomy. She is now recovering well and getting stronger. We thank everyone who has been in touch with their good wishes. We had a good time with the family over the holiday period. We have been fortunate to be allocated a spacious Victorian tenement flat on the edge of the new town. It is a typical 19^th Century apartment with bay-window, sandstone facade and half-wally-close and a pulley in the kitchen, looking out on a now rare cobbled street. It is close to Mubita’s school and was less than a mile from the Western General Hospital where Ida was admitted. It is near to Stockbridge as well with its quality butcher, fishmonger, cheese-shop and artisan bakers offering a contrast to the three chain superstores in the vicinity. The Doctors and Dentists too are all within walking distance.

There have not been too many blustery winter storms and we have enjoyed the many bright crisp frosty azure-skied mornings. The Pentlands, Lomonds and Ochils have been attractively dusted with snow for most of the time but the snell East wind and the long dark and short light still hold little allure for those more acclimatised to the tropics. We have had our medical check ups – a few boosters needed and have been to the Dentists – scale and polish remaining - just the opticians left.

At the end of January, Keith and Mubita flew south to pay a visit to Methodist House and had good meetings and conversations with Rosie, David, George and Bunmi. They were able to spend some time with Catriona who is now in her final year and should graduate in July. Gregor came up to be with Ida in our absence. The visit to London was interesting, one aspect was just looking at the modern way of housing of people. We have read since our return of the increase in homelessness, the people, as one Cabinet Minister memorably put it, you walk over going into the opera! Catriona is in a one bed-roomed flat with shared facilities in the Shepherd’s Bush-Kensington area where you have a huge spectrum of different types of properties. She has cramped one-room accommodation and living in London costs us a month’s salary, for the same money a decent flat and life in Edinburgh can be enjoyed.  The area embraces decaying social or council housing, yuppy-gentrification of Victorian artisan properties, substantial Georgian terraced houses converted to hotels, hostels or studio flats for rent, detached pre-Raphaelite villas and Edwardian blocks of flats. Who owns and who lives in these properties is interesting to see. The property market is now regulated by the market for the benefit of whom? It seems many non-resident or non-citizen autocrats, oligarchs, business moguls and magnates are now substantial London property owners. As we look at Fair-Trade and ethical investments for our money and savings, should not a similar regard be given to the source of money being invested in the UK economy and property market. A related story that broke while we were there was that a Middle East potentate already the owner of a City Sky-scraper, a renowned Department Store, and the Olympic Village had purchased for £200m a row of three Regent’s Park mansions to convert to an urban palace. Ironically it had apparently been a hippy squat in 1970s!

Other changes we have noticed Freeview Television with its 60-odd channels and still often very little worth watching.  The increase in purchasing over the internet especially books, DVDs clothes and groceries. It is possible to be ever more reclusive as the need for communal activities dwindles and individualisation intensifies. In a similar vein the commercialisation and privatisation of Hogmanay and Burns’ Night is also something that struck us. We went up to Princes Street to bring in the New Year and to our surprise found all the main public thoroughfares boarded off and access denied to ordinary members of the public. The barriers formed another artificial temporary gated-community for those who could afford or wanted to celebrate well away from the great unwashed. We joined a good-natured group of other plebs outside the gates opposite St John’s Episcopal Church to watch the fireworks.

Proverbs - Maloko

Many peoples the world over have a wealth of proverbs and the Lozi are no different. The Scots, too, have a reputation for terse, pithy and sententious sayings. Proverbs are part of humankind’s heritage but are often considered traditional, old-fashioned and couthy in thought and expression and, therefore, disparaged by those of a more rational, scientific and intellectual mind-set; nonetheless, they do contain folk wisdom and humour which demonstrate something of the values and character of the people and society that produced them. It is sometimes said this friction between the traditional and more modern worlds of thought, in the Scottish context, helped to ignite both the genius of Burns and Scott. The Scottish proverb – auld men will die and bairns will sune forget - sums up quite well the reason for making sure that these are passed on.

 

The proverbs listed below are not a comprehensive list. They are 34 of the most accessible ones and I will be happy to add more from readers’ contributions. They are a mixture of Silozi & Siluyana; the Siluyana ones are asterisked*. There is also a stray Sesotho one! My sources are Indigenous Motivational and Value Statements by Sheila Siwela and Mukumbuta Lisimba’s Kongo Proverbs and the Origins of Bantu Wisdom. The sayings are grouped thematically under Appreciation, Care, Children, Cooperation, Elders, Kindness, Leadership, Open-mindedness and Patience

 

APPRECIATION: All people need to be acknowledged and respected for what they have contributed.

 

1. Banihupula kwa misebezi hakuciwa banilibala APPRECIATION

They remember me for work but forget me when it comes to eating

 

2. Kuswala mutu fa lulimi APPRECIATION

To hold someone on the tongue (To interrupt)

 

3. Sisapo sesikenile sesinina nama, nesikilesaba ni nama kale APPRECIATION /ELDERS

A clean bone once had meat

 

 

CARE: Be vigilant to detect sources of danger.

 

4. Sibao mukowe akasikakanga okwibaa* CARE

What kills your relative won’t fail to kill you

 

CHILDREN: A proper traditional and timely upbringing is a parental responsibility

 

5. Mwanuke mutate, kaakutingi bamukulu kaayooya*  CHILDREN

 A child is a delicate tree. If it does not lean on an older person it does not survive.

 

COOPERATION: Partnership is a source of increased strength

 

6. Kopano ki maata COOPERATION

Teamwork is strength

 

7. Munwana ulimung’wi haukoni kutuba nda COOPERATION

One finger cannot crush a louse

 

ELDERS: Experience and wisdom comes with old age.

 

8. Mukanwa kamukulu kunuka koola, bokamukabana ya mbango* ELDERS

An old person’s mouth smells bad but whatever comes out is not false

 

KINDNESS: People reciprocate when you are generous.

 

9. Kuba ni kooleka* KINDNESS

To give is to retain

 

10. Kufa hakikusinya kikubululekela kamuso KINDNESS

Giving is not losing it is keeping for tomorrow

 

 

LEADERSHIP:  Requires vision and courage to manage people

 

11. Mueteleli ki mutano wa sicaba LEADERSHIP

A leader is a bridge for the people

 

 

OPENMINDEDNESS: Explore the alternatives and possibilities in life

 

12. Apula ñobyo OPENMINDEDNESS

Open your eyelashes

 

PATIENCE: Do not rush as speed is no guarantee of success

 

13. Kushembo fumu ni mombocima* PATIENCE

Calling wealth requires patience

 

14. Linoñu lililiñwi halimatelwi PATIENCE

One vulture is not worth running for.

 

15. Liywa liweya kaliolo ndopu*       PATIENCE

One day does not rot the elephant

 

PERSEVERANCE: endurance determination and hard work lead to success

 

16. Belekela kamuso PERSEVERANCE

Work for tomorrow

 

17. Fo kusina mifufuzo hakuna munati. PERSEVERANCE

Without sweat there is nothing sweet.

 

18. Kushekaala inge mezi mwa mukeke PERSEVERANCE

To sit like water in a dish

 

19. Mutu wa lisafa kwakubina ukona kupepa sikwala PERSEVERANCE

Even a bad dancer can give birth to a good one

 

 

20. Saa tundamezi lishewa konji asitongole PERSEVERANCE

The woodpecker only perseveres by knocking

 

21. Tou haimelwi ki manaka ayona PERSERVERANCE

An elephant can’t fail to lift its tusks

 

22. Upunyize lisuba PERSEVERANCE

You have broken through

 

 SELF-RELIANCE: Do not be dependant

 

23. Ha ufumile hahulu likomu unoca kwateñi SELF-RELIANCE

 

When you are rich in cattle, eat some.

 

24. Haunzopila uno itimela kukupa maswe SELF-RELIANCE

To live you should grow food, it is bad to beg

 

25. Kusabela sika kwahule SELF-RELIANCE

To fear things from afar

 

THANKFULNESS Caution against ingratitude

 

26. Mubangwa ni muwin’a nganga  THANKFULNESS

A patient is a slave to the doctor

 

27. Wapulama mukuba kale, mukuba balelo mbalimbulula If you forget those who gave long ago, those intending to give today will be disillusioned THANKFULNESS

 

WISDOM: Intelligence, knowledge and experience with age bring wisdom

 

28. Kgomu ha e nye bolokwe kaofela (Sotho) WISDOM

A cow does not excrete all its dung

 

29. Kuyaka musi, kusiya mashala WISDOM

To kindle the smoke and leave the charcoal

 

30. Kwalaelwa yanani mahe, ni wena, ndiala, utwele fateñi. WISDOM

When a mother is giving her child advice, let the orphan listen.

 

31. Lunya lwa noha WISDOM

The cruelty of a snake

 

32. Lwaka koya isiñ ko uzwa WISDOM

Insult what is to come, not that which has been

 

33. Sakufa ngenda kasikeebaa ndambo* WISDOM

What kills a visitor doesn’t kill a local

 

34. Tau, ha ica mutu yamaswe hamusaibulai, kamuso itaca yomunde WISDOM

When a lion eats a bad man and you don’t kill it, it will eat a good man tomorrow

Our Chequered Past

I am red-haired, with blue eyes with a pale, freckled skin that burns easily, so it is clear that Tropical Africa is hardly my natural environment. In fact, I am a rather typical common or garden human specimen originating from North West Europe. So why do so many Northern Europeans have blue eyes, fair or red hair and a pale skin? Why are Scandinavians and the Dutch so tall in comparison to other people?

 

Stinne Andreasen put these questions to Peter K A Jensen of the University of Aarhus in Denmark. Dr Jensen has been involved in the study of the origins of humankind and our development for most of his life The answers to these questions he says are to be found thousands of years ago with all our ancestors. These were the first modern humans  who lived in the Southern part of East Africa many thousands of years ago.

 

All people on earth today can trace their ancestry and origins back 50-60 000 years ago to this place in Sub-Saharan Africa before spreading ourselves all over the world. Then, each one of us had brown eyes, dark hair and dark skin to protect us from the sun’s ultra violet rays.

 

SKIN

So how did pale skin come about? Jensen reckons this began 10-15 000 when the first people from Africa settled in Europe at the end of the Ice Age so even then there was not much sunlight around and precious little in the winter. This was a problem as these first Northern Europeans needed sunlight to make Vitamin-D for their bodies. Over time they developed a lighter skin colour that could more easily absorb Vitamin-D from the sun than in the past.

 

At the same time reproduction and natural selection meant that partners with a lighter skin were attractive as they were exotic  in comparison to the darker skinned majority. In general it can be said  the closer to the Equator you live the darker your skin will be.

Of course there are exceptions; the Inuit do not need pale skin. They get enough Vitamin D from their diet, from seal, whale and liver, so do not need the vitamins from the sun.

In contrast Australian Aborigines are overwhelmingly light in colour; but that is because many are of mixed-descent, having European ancestors.

 

There are problems too when it comes to migrations into and out of places as regards skin colour. Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer because pale skin cannot tolerate strong UV rays from the sun. In contrast immigrants from the South to the North often end up lacking Vitamin-D because their skin works too well at keeping out what little sun is available to the skin.

 

HAIR

What about fair and red hair? We do not know as much about this as our skin, but there is a clear relationship between skin type and hair colour. Some of the gene mutations that give rise to very pale skin also give rise to fair and red hair. But it is more complex than just that.

 

EYES

And blue eyes? Again we do not know for certain why blue, grey and green eyes are so common in N Europe. The most rational explanation again is probably natural selection, reproduction and adaptation. Just as pale skin was exotic, so were blue eyes so they had a better chance of reproducing themselves than brown eyes. But the vast majority of humankind have brown eyes.

 

HEIGHT

Northern Europeans’ height has increased in the past 100 years due certainly to improved social and living conditions and better nutrition but N Europeans are on average several centimetres taller than Italians or Spaniards. There has been little change in average heights since 1980s, so Europeans have probably reached their maximum possible heights given our gene pool. There are also climactic and topographic reasons in considering why some peoples are taller than others.

 

If you live in a hot dry place you need to be able to lose heat quickly to avoid overheating. A tall thin body ensures the body’s surface area is greater in relation to your mass and allows a faster loss of heat. The Masai are some of the world’s tallest people as they are built to survive the dry open savanna in Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania.

 

If you live in the Arctic you tend to be small and squat. The Inuit and Laplanders have a relatively small body surface area in comparison to their mass so it is easier to keep warm.

 

MASS

Why are Northern Europeans so heavy? Yes, they live in the richest and most developed part of the world. Yes, they eat too much and do not exercise enough. But that is not the whole reason. Our African ancestors weighed between 30-40 kilos.

 

Several hundred thousand years ago, before modern humans migrated from Africa, another group of people lived in Europe; they were called the Neaderthals. They were even heavier than us today around 25% heavier. They adapted well to the Ice Age climate and conditions but had, nevertheless, a physically hard and challenging every-day life. They were burly and tough with, well-devolped muscles and big bones. Most Northern Europeans have some of their genes too.

So modern Northern Europeans weigh less than Neaderthals but more than their parents or grandparents because we have got fatter. This tendency has grown in the recent past and will probably continue in the years to come.

 

Jensen ends by pointing out that with globalisation and recent mass migrations throughout the world, it is extremely likely that more Northern Europeans will have darker eyes, hair and skin in the future, but the pale Northern European is unlikely to become extinct as blue eyes, light hair and skin will become exotic and attractive again in the areas of natural selection and human reproduction.

Three Church Mother Bodies Jubilee Pastoral Statement

A pastoral statement has been issued by the three Church Mother Bodies on the occasion of Zambia’s Golden Jubilee. The statement has been issued by the Zambia Episcopal Conference(ZEC), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ). It can be read in its entirety on www.catholiczambia.org.zm

 

The statement is headed by two portions of Scripture:

 

Thus far the Lord has brought us. 1 Samuel 7:12;

 

You will declare this 50^th Year sacred and proclaim the liberation of all inhabitants of the land. This is to be a Jubilee for you. Leviticus 25:10

 

In the pastoral statement signed by CCZ President Rev. Dr. Alfred Kalembo, EFZ Chairperson Bishop Joseph Imakando and ZEC President Most Rev. Telesphore Mpundu, they give thanks to the nation’s founding Fathers and Mothers and for the many blessings bestowed upon Zambia including the peace, religious freedom and unity brought about by tribal and ethnic integration in the fairly stable political environment of the past 50 years. They urged all in society to continue working together in order to promote a greater sense of national unity and harmony among Zambians in spite of different political opinions. The churches are also praying that this spirit of tolerance and inclusion to accept divergent views will continue to build our nation and enable it rise to even greater heights. They also appealed for greater responsibility and moral integrity amongst political leaders to ensure honesty and good governance.

 

The leaders also praised our commitment to the liberation of our neighbours at no small cost to ourselves. They stressed the importance of Human Rights and dignity for all. Continued investment in the social sectors was fundamental and while economic gains had been made from exploiting our natural resources, there are still unacceptably high levels of poverty in Zambia, with greater development taking place in urban areas at the expense of the rural areas. The leaders say that care should be taken regarding increasing Government debt, so that Zambia does not lose what it gained from debt forgiveness and gets caught again in another debt trap.

 

The continuing controversy over Barotseland Agreement needs to be addressed and a lasting solution found to the problem. All sides were urged to eschew violence, intimidation or force to achieve their objectives. A spirit of dialogue should be embraced but law and order should be maintained with due diligence. Western Province had been marginalized in its development so the GRZ had a duty to continue to bring about further development.

 

All these are moral injustices to be addressed and the celebration of a Golden Jubilee means that time has come to restore equality amongst our people and so the Jubilee should be a time to restructure the country’s political, social, economic and cultural systems and structures and further put in place ones that will promote social and economic justice as well as the common good for all Zambians.

 

Finally the Church Leaders reiterated their joint Jubilee 2000 Pastoral letter’s message by once again calling for responsibility, transparency, accountability and prudence for the sake of the future generations.

Zambia's Golden Jubilee

 

We have been busy over the past few days with arrangements for the local celebrations here in Mwandi and what has struck us is how much this country is loved by its ordinary people and loved by ordinary people connected in many ways to Zambia throughout the world. The events held now are in stark contrast to the rather controlled stuffy, elitist and formal programme arranged over the Independence Celebration in October 1964.

 

On Facebook under Zambian Independence Celebrations, Scotland 2014 we saw that there were a number of events held in Scotland as well to commemorate this important occasion. There were pictures of the Reverends Morton, Wilkie and MacKenzie, all three were former Church of Scotland Missionaries in Zambia at the time of Independence. Over 80 Zambians in Scotland and friends of Zambia gathered for a party at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh on Saturday 18 October 2014 to celebrate. After dinner they were entertained by the Mthunzi Culture Group.

 

A scarf designed by Alex Pearce, a third year student, at the Scottish Textile College to commemorate the Zambian Jubilee, is shown here on a photograph taken by Hamza Yousaf MSP, the Scottish Minister for External Affairs who attended the event.
 

 

The weekend concluded with a Service of Thanksgiving held at South Leith Parish Church in Edinburgh. The Preacher was the Rev Gavin Elliot, another former Missionary to Zambia. He thanked God for the 50 years of peace and tranquillity enjoyed by Zambia and for continuing to bless the country. He said that Zambians should expect their political leaders to act as leaders of a Christian nation. He challenged all Christians in Scotland to demonstrate their faith in daily life as many Zambians do. The main message came from Joshua 24 16 1, 15-24 where Joshua warns of the dangers of serving foreign gods and urges them to serve the Lord and incline their hearts to him.

 

Here in Mwandi too we have had our own programme organised by the District Administration. The theme was: Zambia Golden Jubilee: commemorating God’s Favour of Zambia’s 50 years of Independence for continued Peace, Unity, Democracy, Patriotism and Prosperity. The events started off on Independence Eve.

 

INDEPENDENCE EVE 23 OCTOBER 2014 (Mwandi)

 

0900h              Schools Debate

1800h              Outdoors Interdenominational Church Service

2000h              Independence Braai (Barbecue) and Entertainment

2400h              National Anthem and Hoisting of the National Flag followed by Fireworks.

 

Ida and I attended the Church Service then came home to let Florence away who was baby-sitting. As we do at Hogmanay just before the “bells”, we woke up the excited children and packed them into the car still in their pyjamas and drove them round to the District Commissioner’s Office Grounds across the mulapo (seasonal inlet) from our house. There we joined in a Caterpillar dance and they were given Coke and Fanta to sip as we awaited the countdown. At 1155h we gathered round the flagpole and sang the national anthem as the flag was slowly raised and broken at midnight to cheers and applause. Around half a dozen large rocket type fireworks were released breaking over the night sky in a display of silver, gold, red and green echoing and reflecting our national colours. This brought the day to a fitting conclusion.

 

INDEPENDENCE DAY 24 OCTOBER 2014

 

0900h              March gathers at MTN Telephone Tower

0930h              March-Past under the Trees at the Primary School

                        National Anthem –School Choirs

                        Introductory Remarks by Comperes

                        Majorettes

                        Welcome by Headteacher

                        Traditional Dances

                        Speech by District Commissioner

                        Poem by School Children

                        Cutting of the Golden Jubilee Cake

                        Closing Prayer

                        National Anthem

 

On Independence Day after breakfast and dressed for the occasion: Mubita in Chipolopolo top, Ellie in Girls Brigade Uniform and Ornelle, Omeri, Omedy and Omari all wearing clothes in Zambian colours, we dropped them for the March through the village to the school. They joined their friends. Ida and I were complimented too for our appropriate sartorial elegance, she in a musisi in the Ananmoyo colours and I in the kilt topped by a Golden Jubilee sitenge madiba shirt. The rest of the morning we spent seated under the shade of the trees at the Primary School watching the programme unfold. The continuity was well taken care of by two local teachers, a gender balanced duo at the microphone. After lunch the traditional Mwandi Old Firm Soccer Derby took place with the Chalk Breakers playing the Injectors. On this occasion the School Teachers beat the Hospital Workers 3-1. This result has since been contested as it is being scurrilously alleged that some of the more elderly teachers had players from the Senior Secondary School Team play in their stead!

 

And finally another friend of Zambia and former Paris Missionary, Philippe Burger brought this interesting documentary on Youtube, downloaded and posted by Patience Chisanga, to my attention. If you have not seen it, it is worth watching. It was shown on ZNBC in mid-September on a programme called Today with Zamtel The First Independence Cabinet. It deals with how the Cabinet was formed, who were members and what was the vision for the country then and of local interest to us, Sikota Wina is also interviewed.