PROUD AND FREE
It was a Saturday afternoon, a Saturday afternoon unlike no other. The sun was out shining, accompanied by some showers and the rainbow showing off its colors. The atmosphere was full of mixed feelings, happiness sadness, joy and grief. Happiness because we had finally gained our long fought for independence and on the other hand grief and sadness because we had lost loved ones in our fight. 24th of October, year was 1964 the day that Zambia finally gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Zambia had been under British rule for over 75years. But before we can talk about Zambia gaining its independence we need to know what Zambia was before the British stepped foot onto our soil. There was a Zambia before the British colonized us.
The earliest known modern humans to live in the territory known as Zambia were the Khoisan. They were bushmen, brown in complexion, hunter gathers who lived a nomadic life with stone age technology. They were the only inhabitants for most of Zambia until the fourth century when the Bantu started to migrate from the north (present day Nigeria). The bantu had a far more developed technology. They were farmers, they had iron and copper tools and weapons as well as knowledge of pottery making, they kept cattle and goats. Some of the indigenous Khoisan’s were either killed or assimilated into the new culture or displaced to areas not suitable for agriculture. With the introduction of agriculture, the population grew and more land became cultivated. By the 11th and 12th centuries a more advanced society was beginning to emerge. Even though most villages were self-sufficient long distance trade was developing, copper mining was intensifying and copper crosses were used as currency. In Africa the secretes of smelting copper were known for over 700 years. Ivory was exported and cut textiles were imported. The increase in trade resulted in large political units and more complex social structures. The period between the 16th and 19th century saw the emergence of organized iron age kingdoms as well as wide spread immigration. Four kingdoms were established in this period the Kazembe-Lunda, the Bemba, the Chewa and the Lozi Kingdoms.
What was life like in Zambia before the British came and imposed their rule on the Zambian people? I have always wondered how life was before we lost our independence. Often times I thought we were uncivilized before. We have been made to believe that the white man brought sanity and order to a confused and savage like people.
The word civilize has got two meanings or should I say two definitions which I want to share with you. The first meaning is; to educate or enlighten a person or people to a perceived higher standard of behavior. The second meaning is; to introduce or impose the standards of one civilization upon another civilization, group or person, arguably with the intent of achieving a perceived higher standard of behavior. So in other words the white man claimed we were not civilized and he wanted to bring sanity and civilization to the way we lived and did things. Just because I do not do things the way you do things does not automatically mean I am uncivilized. The first definition says to educate or enlighten a person to a perceived higher standard of behavior. In this case, perceived by whom? The white man? The white man did not take time to really see or understand the African for him to come to the conclusion that we were uncivilized because he was blinded by Africa’s riches and his own greed and selfish desire. I agree with the second meaning that says; to impose standards of one civilization upon another civilization. The white man came to impose his standards of his civilization upon the African civilization.
Many are the times we are told that without the white man we would be primitive and backward. We are forced to think that African history started the day the British stepped on African soil. This is not the case. There was Africa before the white man and there was Zambia before John Cecil Rhodes. This made me search and research on life in Africa before the white man. We had our own languages or should I say our own way of communication, we had our own Judicial systems, our own medical methods, our own agricultural practices and our own governing systems to mention but a few. We had all these systems that with time we developed and perfected.
When a former leader of Portugal was asked why he could not allow the colonies under Portugal to gain independence, he said, “As I have examined world history over the years, the following have emerged; the Caucasians have been responsible for monumental discoveries in the development of man so have the Chinese so have the Arabs but the Africans have been responsible for nothing, they are only fit as hewers of wood and drawers of water.’’ But I beg to differ with this misinformed former Portuguese leader.
I disagree with the white man that Africa was not civilized and I also disagree with the former Portuguese leader that Africans have been responsible for nothing in terms of monumental discoveries in the development of man. Africa was civilized. If Africa was not tempered with by the white man, today we would have a more developed Africa full of innovations and inventions. Africans were innovative and creative before the white man stepped foot on our soils and slowed down our development and civilization.
Allow me to quote a very brilliant, young, African Author by the name of Mwilah Chriseddy Jr. from his book titled “I AM AFRICA”, he writes, “I am astonished when I hear negative sentiments about Africa not being innovative; need I remind you that before the knowledge of communication and telecom were brought into innovation, Africa had its own technique of drums and smoke. The knowledge to undertake such an innovative initiative was not western driven it was the exceptional intelligence of the African community. I dispute the statement made by many that if it weren’t for colonialism Africa would be a stagnant territory, because if we had the knowledge to survive before colonialism how would we fail to catch up with time in our present day and age…
In a study undertaken by a prominent African scholar, he established that before the modernized medical fraternity came into establishment the African people had their own specialized doctors who never spent seven years behind a desk but merely studied and understood nature as a source of healing, performing far greater than our modern day Doctors… one case which well illustrates the greatness of African medicine is that of child birth. Before surgery came into play, the African community independently mastered caesarean sections. As far as 1867… the African community demonstrated to be masters in this field of caesarean sections, having no formal education in the field of surgery to perform this demanding task. To carry out this procedure our African doctors at that time needed no scalpels and overpriced beds. Banana wine was used as an anesthetic, reeds where used to perform episiotomies and bleeding was stopped by cauterizing with hot irons. The patient was stitched up with iron spikes and removed after six days; root paste was applied and bark was used to bandage the wound…” this just shows how Africa was innovative before the white man came. This shows that we were civilized before the white man came and all he wanted was to exploit our natural resources and make us believe we were uncivilized.
Enough about life before colonialism. Let us look at life during colonialism and what led to Zambia being colonized by Britain. We first need to understand what colonialism is and how colonialism affected the Zambian people.
Colonialism is the taking over by force, maintaining and expanding a territory by members or people of another country. It is a practice of subjugation which involves enslavement of a people by another. Colonialism involves an outside force/country coming into a country, destroying or overthrowing its government and forcing its norms, values and culture on the people of that country. Colonialism is also referred to as a political-economic situation in which European nations explored, conquered and exploited large parts of the world especially Africa. Colonialism makes people strangers in their own land. And this is exactly what happened to Zambia.
When the first Europeans arrived the most powerful states in pre-colonial Zambia were the kingdom of Barotseland in the upper Zambezi and the kingdom of Mwata-Kazembe in Luapula. The Lozi people of Barotseland had refused Arab and Portuguese traders access to their territory.
Northern Rhodesia as it was called after we lost our independence around 1890 was named after John Cecil Rhodes a British explorer and businessman. In 1889 Rhodes spearheading British political and commercial interests in central Africa obtained mineral rights concession from local chiefs. In the same year northern and southern Rhodesia now Zambia and Zimbabwe were proclaimed a British sphere of influence. In the beginning the territory was administered by Rhodes British South African company and it ruled the province but showed little interest in ruling the province and used it mainly as a source of labor. The most important factor in the colony’s economy was copper. In 1923 the British government decided not to renew the companies charter as a result the southern Rhodesia was annexed formally and granted self-government in 1923. After negotiations the administration of Northern Rhodesia was transferred to the British colonial office in 1924 as a protectorate with Livingston as its capital. The capital was transferred to the more central Lusaka in 1935. A legislative council was established of which 5 members were elected by the small Europeans minority for over 4,000 people but non by the African population. In 1928 enormous copper deposits were discovered in the region which then became known as the Copperbelt.
Some of the injustices Zambians went through during colonial period include; Zambians being forced to abandon their system of government and accept the new alien system of government which we were not familiar with. This new system of government gave less importance to, and had less regard for the system of government of the Zambians. They imposed taxes on the natives and also came up with new, strange and harsh laws for the Zambians. Colonialism destroyed culture and land. Cultural norms and values of the Zambians were considered useless. Zambian languages were made inferior to the languages of the colonial masters. Zambians started to dress and speak like their colonial masters as they were made to believe that their colonial masters were superior human beings. Zambians lost aspects of their native culture and were made second class citizens in their own land. They started to have reduced respect for their traditions due to the changes which were forced on their native life. The British also took away their land by force and used them for building schools, hospitals, churches and prisons. This left the Zambians with less land to farm. Natives were not allowed to be independent and go to school or access any form of education. It was considered a crime in those days. They were not allowed to own businesses or own land. The Zambian people under the British government were not allowed to stand and contest for any political office. We were not allowed to buy from the same shops as the British. We were not allowed to use the same public rest rooms as the whites.
We were not allowed to live in the same residential areas as the British. Zambians were not allowed to move freely in their own land, if they did they had to have in their possession a pass which was commonly called ‘CHITUPA’ in Bemba. Zambians did not enjoy the freedom of speech. Once we spoke out we were beaten and silenced. When a Zambian tried to speak out and address the injustices we were going through, he or she would either be thrown into prison or severely beaten. Such harsh living conditions at that time caused many Zambians to flee from their homes and in the process sent many to their graves. Others died as a result of hardship and destitution which they were subjected to by the British. The natives, who remained became slaves in their own land. Zambia is home to a lot of precious stones and minerals but we did not have a single say on what happened to those minerals. Our minerals were not used to better our lives instead they were used to better the lives of the British and we were merely used as free labor.
We were an independent people until the British came and stole our independence and now we had to get it back. We were determined and we had, had enough of these injustices. Then rose the likes of Kenneth Kaunda, Harry Nkumbula, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe, Mama Julia Chikamoneka, Mainza Chona, Betty Kaunda, Nakatindi Yeti Nganga, Mary Fulano, Mama Chibesa Kankasa to mention but a few.
Zambia’s campaign for independence lasted for about 20years from 1944 to 1964. The original goals of the campaign were to prevent the joining of Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland to form the British administered central African federation. In addition, the campaign aimed to put an end to discrimination against the black majority within the political, economic and social spaces of Northern Rhodesia. However, towards the end of the 1950s radical campaigners begun expanding their aspirations. They called not only for the dissolution of the federation but also for the formation of an independent state.
Kaunda and Nkumbula were arrested and imprisoned for two months around 1955 and were charged with what was considered distributing seditious literature. Kaunda broke away from the ANC. In March 1959 Kaunda’s newly formed political party, Zambian African National Congress (ZANC) which was only 5 months old was banned and he was again sentenced to 9-month imprisonment. While Kaunda was imprisoned other members of the ANC broke away as well. Mainza Chona and other nationalists went on to form the United National Independent Party UNIP in October 1959 and Chona became the president, however, he only saw himself as holding the forte for Kaunda. When Kaunda was released from prison in January 1960 he was elected as president for UNIP. In 1964 Zambia took to the polls and Kaunda’s UNIP party was victorious and won the elections.
Zambia as it is now called after we gained back the independence we lost, was named after the mighty Zambezi river.
When you look back at the injustices we were subjected to, the limitations we were given and compare that with the freedoms we today can enjoy that should give you enough reason to celebrate independence day. Yes, it is important to celebrate independence day because had it not been for the sacrifices made and the lives lost by our people back in the day we wouldn’t be here living free in our own land. We still would be slaves in our own land. What are we independent from? We are independent from being ruled by another people. We are independent to make our own decisions and mistakes. Independence is being free to make your own decisions without foreign interference.
But are we really independent? That’s an article for another time.
YES WE ARE PROUD AND FREE INDEED!
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!
