If you are from the Eastern Province and you are reading this you may need some pain killers, but then if I were you I would quickly take comfort in the fact that I come from a region so many of these traditions which I deem irrelevant in this day and age.
Aside from handling placements for clients wishing to advertise during these many traditional ceremonies believe it or not I find really hard to watch them or even be involved। Somehow, I found myself in front of the television ZNBC while visiting my mother over the weekend. With all the buzz that surrounds these ceremonies, you can’t help but notice.
You know for a long time now, I have been telling some of my comrades about how I feel that one of the biggest barriers this country has in as far as developing is concerned are tribes. To put it quite plainly, I feel that having 72 tribes is a mere waste and a big barrier to progress.
If you have read the good book, you will know that there is story about Babel, humankind wanted to build the tallest tower ever, perhaps reaching heaven. They were so united in this quest yet they couldn’t make it. Do you know why? Because they were cursed with languages, tribes. This was extremely detrimental to their quest so much such that confusion, jealousy and strife broke due to the fact they were not speaking one language.
Now Michael Sata is busy every available Bemba to some fancy position and the Lozi’s are busy championing a lost cause. Imagine if this situation, this energy was used for a greater cause! Imagine if we did not have any tribal barriers in this country? Imagine the togetherness, the unity, the progress! For all you know we would build the tallest building that couldn’t even reach heaven!
It is about time that we got read of all these tribal sentiments, empty and unfounded traditions. One would mistake the ncwala for a Dracula ritual of some sort where women dance naked and full grown men hit the ground for reason at all, and to top it all a chief who drinks blood. Come on? Why are we so proud of the past? Why can’t we be proud of the future? Imagine if we turned that Ncwala or indeed the other ceremonies into progressive things like a science fare, were the great minds from eastern province would showcase their inventions. Trust me we would go to the moon by 2018!
Just a thought, instead of the Litunga paddling every year, he could use a helicopter designed by the genius people of Western province. Instead of the people of North Western province being amused by the Makishi and the cutting of foreskins, how about they use the rich solid and good rainfall they have to feed the nation? What say you?
Zambia would just be a better place if instead of ‘being proud of our so called rich history’, we utilize all the talents we have in being the greatest nation on earth. How does throwing your crops in some ritualistic river help you?
We have so many many problems as a country! A President with a knack of renaming things, I hope Ban Kimun has not been renamed. A bumper harvest year after year but the price of meali meal remains the same. 40% of water in Southern Africa but we wait for the rains to cultivate.
What nonsense!
