OPEN LETTER TO THE ZAMBIA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
RE: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: Tribalism
Dear Honourable Members Of The House,
First I want to congratulate every member of the Zambian Parliament for your victory in the just ended General elections. It is the people's vote that got you elected, therefore it's the people's voice you represent in the National Assembly.
I decided to pen down this open letter addressing the elephant in the room; tribalism.
There are people who feel that since President Hakainde Hichilema won the Presidential elections we dare not raise the issue of tribalism again. It's a new dawn therefore we must move on. I don't share those sentiments.
I strongly believe that in war if you leave the enemy behind, he will come after you and finish you off. I also believe that if we don't address the injustice of the past, history has the tendency of repeating itself.
Tribalism like any other social injustice doesn't end with Political rhetoric, we need to be clear and intentional about addressing the root cause of tribalism.
To those who are saying; "it is over let us move on" I say throwing dirty under the carpet may hide the dirty but soon the carpet will begin to bring out bad ordour.
President Joe Biden said, "to heal we must remember". Those who are saying we must move on are afraid of remembering or re-living the trauma.
The trauma of a boy child who was molested by the Priest doesn't lessen when the new priest is assigned to the Parish.
"Oh, the priest who molested you has left the parish praise God now you can move on" no!
We must have the courage even with tears in our eyes to talk about the things that hurt us deeply and divided us on tribal lines.
Some will say what we experienced is tribal Politics. The devil doesn't tempt us with things we don't like. I don't eat mushrooms, the devil can try to entice me with mushrooms he won't succeed because I don't eat mushrooms.
But if he tried Chikanda he stands a chance in enticing me. Political tribalism feeds off the underlying tribalism within the society.
To help us deal with the evils of tribalism, I will define tribalism alongside the other two social ills racism and xenophobia. There is a relationship between these three evils.
Definition;
Tribalism can be defined as a strong and almost blind loyalty and bonds towards one's tribe that excludes even demonizes other people who don't belong to one's tribe.
The Bembas have a rich saying in this regard, "Umwana ushenda atasha nyina ukunaya" which is loosely translated; "a child who doesn't travel only praises his mother's cooking skills".
And that speaks of that blind loyalty to only ones tribe. Wako ni wako is Nsenga phrase and the meaning is the same in Swahili loosely translated yours is yours. In this social injustice there is always 'us' and 'them'.
Those who are on the receiving end of tribalism have a shared pain that causes them to stick together. What happened in Southern Province voting paterns is not regional voting, but shared pain!
Racism springs from the superior attitude of one race towards another.
Xenophobia is a Greek word which can be broken down into two words Xenos & Phobos.
Xeno = stranger, alien or foreigner
Phobos = fear
Therefore Xenophobia is defined as the fear of strangers. I strongly believe that Xenophobia & tribalism can easily be used interchangeably.
Xenophobia is based on the fact that some people don't belong here, they are not part of us, they don't belong to this nation. This can be true also in tribalism. Words like, "if a Tonga person becomes a President, cows will come and make our capital city dirty".
There is nothing wrong with belonging to a particular tribe. There is nothing wrong to be proud of your tribe. What is wrong is tribal consciousness and loyalty that exalts one tribe above other tribes. The feeling of being a superior or dominant tribe in the nation.
The slogan "my tribe is Zambia" is misleading, and an attempt to avoid facing the evils of tribalism. Zambia is not a tribe. Zambia is a Nation that comprises 72 tribes. Each tribe is unique and have a culture that is unique.
Zambia must then celebrate the diversity of cultures as we showcase them together in varies traditional ceremonies like Lwiindi ceremony by the Toka Leya, N'cwala ceremony by the Ngoni, Kufukwila ceremony by the Kaonde, Kuomboka by the Lozi, Makumba ceremony by the Ushi, Umutomboko ceremony by the Lunda etc.
We are not asked to sacrifice our unique cultures to be Zambians, we are asked to co-exist knowing that there is no Zambia without these rich tribes.
Political tribalism usually has a discriminatory behaviour towards those they view as inferior tribes. These are left out of key political appointments and to some extent even depraved of service delivery.
In racism the intelligent black child is favoured over and above other black kids. This child is told that he is different from other black kids. They take him as "one of us" and these are kids who act indifferent towards fellow blacks and even abuse fellow blacks because he is better.
Often in tribalism they target persons within the 'inferior' tribe and use those persons to fight their own. It shouldn't come as a shock that at the height of the regime in Zambia there were Tonga speaking brothers who were used against their own for political ends.
The former President said, "There will be a Tonga President in future but not this Tonga".
Now this is how underlying tribalism is defined. Why didn't he say Hakainde Hichilema will not be a President? "Not this Tonga" doesn't make it less tribalism. Perhaps we must we must examine derogatory remarks.
DEROGATORY
Xenophobia begins as words which turns into violence. Tribalism begins as voices which turn into violence. Racism begins as words that turns into wars.
Zambia like any other Country on the continent has a share of derogatory statements. I was young but old enough to hear derogatory remarks about Luvale, Kaondes basically our brothers and sisters from the North-Western Province. Parents would say to their sons and daughters, "please don't marry a Kaonde".
When you here "Mumbwa Mumbwa" it was derogatory term to describe people who travel from Mumbwa to Lusaka. But the Tongas of late have been at the receiving end of tribalism.
WHAT CAUSE TRIBALISM?
I am not a Sociologist, but I am a Theologian. I know a little about humans. At the core of of tribalism it is the sinful human nature. We can try to educate the people, but unless they are touched by (a) Ubuntu & (b) transformed by the Word of God, our efforts will be in vain. A Preacher doesn't just look at the sinner and say "let us just move on". Similarly society does not just look at the murderer and say, "let us just move on" without seeking justice.
THE CASE OF RWANDA: Tribalism Accelerated To Genocide
Mr. Chishimba Kambwili a loose cannon spilled out hate speech against the Tonga brothers and sisters, and especially against the then UPND President Hakainde Hichilema.
He was doing all this in a Christian Nation that has a Religious Affairs Minister who is a Reverand, a minister of the gospel. How could this hate speech be going on when we have Bishops, Prophets, Evangelists and Churches everywhere?
Rwanda in 1994 was not constitutionally 'a Christian Nation' however Rwanda had the highest numbers of Christians on the continent. 90% of Rwandans in 1994 were Christians. Of which 62.6% were Catholics. 18% Protestants & 8.4% Seventh Day Adventists.
It is in this Christian context that 800,000 Rwandans were killed by Rwandans in less than 12 months.
I am deliberately omiting the tribes involved by emphasizing that 800,000 Rwandans were not killed by Somalians or South Africans but by fellow Rwandans using dangerous weapons that included machetes, sticks, stones, clubs and nails.
As I often say, the church that remains silence in the face of injustice is misrepresenting the justice of God. However, with Rwanda it was not the silence of the church that bothers me, but the fact that the church was actively involved in the Genocide. Some of those brutal murders happened in churches with the believers turning on one another based on tribe.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
The reason I have addressed this letter to you honourable members of Parliament is firstly; to appeal to your conscience so that you can come up with a Political Solution to address this injustice through a commission of inquiry. Secondary; to appeal to the 'zambia is a Christian nation' clause in the constitution that you have sworn to uphold to begin a process of engaging the clergy in leading the Nation towards healing. We cannot build a strong nation when we are not healed from the scars of tribalism.
In the process of healing we must not only allow but encourage the voices of victims of tribalism to be heard.
We must hear the voices of the perpetrators of tribalism like Mr. Chishimba Kambwili not only acknowledging the role they played in the divide, but genuinely repent and apologize for their role in the divide.
We must hear the voices of Politicians not only in condemning, but in offering solutions to bring the ugly face of tribalism to an end.
We must listen to the voice of the Church. We as the Church stood by including the Honourable Minister of Religious Affairs Madam Godfridah Sumaili watching tribal politics going on without raising our prophetic Voice.
The Church has a mandate that is reconciatory in nature. The Gospel unifies us in Christ.
We must listen to the voices of our traditional leaders. They are the custodians of the tribal grouping therefore it should be their duty to not only preach unity, but to model it among themselves as traditional leaders.
In every country on the continent there are dominant tribes. In South Africa they have the Zulus & the Xhosas. The tribes on the Northern Part of South Africa like the Tshanganis are considered inferior.
We need to ask ourselves; how does it feel to be in a weaker tribe? The weaker tribes tends to learn more languages to navigate their way through the Zulus and Xhosas. Other tribes in Zambia try to speak bemba in order to survive the streets of Zambia.
In addressing tribalism we must be aware of tribalism that comes across as inuandos, jokes or even art form.
When scripture says; "confess your faults to one another" it goes deep! To heal we need to confess. To heal we have to speak with our mouth what is in our hearts.
Whether you talking about a psychologist couch, or Christian counseling we heal ourselves as we speak out.
Jesus Christ had opportunity to be tribalist yet he acted above it.
In John 4, Jesus breaks two tribal barriers; the Jew Vs. Samaritan, and the Men Vs. Women. A Jew can't share a cup of water with a Samaritan, it's an abomination. A man talking to a woman in the posture of Jesus and the Samaritan woman was unheard of.
The New Testament is full of discrimination based on tribe but Christ started his own family called the Church, the Body of Christ.
I heard a fellow Minister of the Gospel tell me, "Lawrence you don't know Tongas. Tebantu you can't allow them to rule" that was at the height of campaigns that saw the Late President Michael Sata become President of Zambia.
How did this Pastor, man of God justify his disregard to Mr. Hakainde Hichilema because of his tribe? "Tawabeshiba abatonga tebantu". That is the lowest we can get as the ministers who carry forth the ministry of reconciliation.
As I conclude Honourable Members of Parliament, consider South Africa as an example. Black South Africans survived the brutal bloody regime of apartheid. A system the segregated people based on race.
After years of suffering and seeing blacks being killed by the state police. Madam Winnie Mandela tortured to a point where she lost her mind. President Nelson Mandela came out of Prison and preached forgiveness and reconciliation. The victims called for reconciliation not the perpetrators.
Today, racism is deep coupled with violence of black South Africans against black South Africans. Violence against foreigners in South Africa. That is what happens when people are not allowed a process of healing from the injustice of the past. Hurt people hurt other people.
Past the euphoria of the release of Nelson Mandela, the trauma & pain of past injustice continue to bear fruits of violence.
As we are in this euphoria of the New Dawn by his Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema , if we don't address the injustice of the past, we shall see the Chishimba Kambwili seed multiplied.
"To heal, we must remember" President Joe Biden.
God bless Zambia 🙏🙏🙏
Lawrence Musunte
+27845517018
lmusunte@gmail.com
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