“Now we demand a chance
to do things for ourselves
We tired of beating our
heads against the wall
And working for someone
else.”
― James Brown (“Say it
loud” song lyrics)
I know for most the
title of this article, “Bunsu enge muloyi
[1]
(you are as dark as a witch or wizard)”, evokes sentiments of self-hate because
they are of a darker hue than others. There are children, teens, and even
adults that are still subjected to expressions like these. The end effect is
often loss of self-esteem. This, mostly among females and to a lesser extent
among males, leads to persistent use of complexion lightening substances. Does being of a lighter complexion mean one is
superior or even more beautiful? I leave the answer to you.
Me, I sing James Brown’s song. “Say it loud, am black and proud”. But the question in my mind
lately is – am I black and proud? No, because this article is not about
complexions. Though, truthfully it is not much different from the question of
complexions.
It is about the muloyi
(witch or wizard), not bunsu (being
dark). You see, we usually consider muloyi
to be divisive, confused and dreadful. Muloyi
is a delusional answer to one’s misfortunes or tribulations.
Muloyi still abounds in the motherland I call Zambia. Well,
it is called Zambia as off October 24, 1964. Before that, it depends on which
side of the historic pendulum you are sitting on.
October 24, 1964 is the day our demand to have a
chance to do things for ourselves was realized. We danced, we laughed, we hugged.
Hooray, independence at last. I was
just over a year old, so I really did not dance, laugh, nor hug anyone. Or
perhaps, mum and dad hugged me, and danced with me. Well, if they did, I am
sure I did not understand what the hullaballoo was all about.
Looking back over the near 50 years of independence, I
really wonder exactly what freedom from control or influence of others we
attained. The influence of the British colonialists? The fear of the influence
of the village headpersons? No pun intended. I mean traditional influence.
Or was it both? Unfortunately, it was only the fear of
the influence of the village headpersons, we seem to have got freedom from. And
here in, lies the lesson of today’s obtaining political and socio-economic
decline. The village was as dark as a witch or wizard. The colonialists were
not.
Hence, the British colonialists really never left. I
am not going to go into imperialist or neo-imperialist theories to justify
this. That is, a discourse for Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika, Donald Chanda,
Derrick Chitala (sorry Mbita), Azwell Banda, Owen Sichone, Tyoanse Kabwe or Neo
Simutanyi. These fellows can write a Bible on this issue.
In any case, that I am communicating to you in the
language of the colonialists, and in addition, that you and I were imprisoned
in the four walls of a classroom for years learning how to do things the
colonialist’s way, is evidence enough. Surely, one does not need
neo-imperialist theories to understand this. Our governance and political
systems are all colonial anyway. Sic.
You see in our deluded sense of independence, our
traditional governance values and systems were perceived to be as dark as a
witch or wizard. The colonialist’s values and systems were of a superior
complexion. So instead of embarking on a process to shed off the colonial
influence, we simply dreamt up phrases to explain how we will govern ourselves.
Zambianisation, humanism, or and later, new culture, new deal, et cetera.
Yes, we still maintained the undergarments of the
colonialist’s governance and economic systems. There still was the colonizer
and the colonized, now typified as the urban elite and the rural poor. Being
products of the colonialist’s education imprisonment, the urban elites
inherently walked in as the new colonialists (rulers), to the continued
disadvantage of the rural folk.
Till today, even when this is conceived through the
dog-eared claim that we are a democratic State, you will realize that the rural
folk are still mostly not represented by themselves in our current political
and economic governance. There is always some urban elite that travels back to
his or her hamlet during election periods. He or she stands on some desolate
anthill and gives a sermon of “being a
good son or daughter of the soil that will represent their interests”.
When, in fact, the sermon on the anthill is simply a sermon seeking servitude
from them.
Clearly, we have continued to think of the rural folk
and their traditional systems as muloyi.
So we cannot trust them to represent themselves. They are inferior, after all.
But are they?
No they are not. The fear of the influence of the
village headpersons (sorry traditional influence) is deliberate. It evolves out
of recognition by urban political elites that most traditional governance
structures are more representative. They have evolved over long periods of time
through various forms of conflict resolution strategies and recognition of
preserving harmony among similar peoples. Integration of these systems into our
current governance structures will only serve to undermine the urban elites -
the new colonialists.
Abracadabra! We are independent! All Zambians are now
equally represented! All Zambians will prosper equally!
It was all a colonial delusion. New colonialists, in
the same undergarments, popped out. Just take a look at how our governance
system is organized. You have a political tier (where the president and
ministers sit) – the managers or executive as we call it. These are aided by an
administrative organ (where the permanent secretary and his/her administrative
staff sit). Then we have two other tiers. The legislature (where the people we
throw pieces of paper called ballots sit), and the judiciary (where the men and
women in cloaks sit, dispensing justice). Not much different from a little
Britain.
Now do the same for traditional authorities like the
Barotseland case. You have the Namuso, the first tier of government which has
the Litunga as the Head of State; and, the Ngambela (Prime Minister) as the
political, administrative and judicial head of the Barotseland. Then, there is the Lwambi, the second tier of
government, regional government of the southern part of Barotseland. This is
headed by the Litunga-La-Mboela (Litunga of the South), with the Sambi as the
political, administrative and judicial head of the southern region. At Namuso
and Lwambi there are Indunas (Ministers). The next tier after this, are
chiefdoms (these have Lilalos (number of villages), county administrative
areas, and an Induna). Note that each level of government has a Kuta. The
functions of the Kuta are political, administrative and judicial. Also not much
different from a little Britain, isn’t it?
Hence, there surely is nothing bunsu enge muloyi, about this traditional governance system. If
anything, it is much devolved when compared to how we are governing ourselves.
I know the major criticism that often comes is that,
in these systems there are no elections! Well, democracy is not always about
elections as conceived through someone throwing a piece of paper in a box. And
if, traditional governance systems are a serious muloyi, they surely can be tweaked (fine-tuned). After all, in our
current governance system, there is no devolution. I don’t have a
micro-government I can really interact with within my residential space, unlike
my grandmother in the village.
Inarguably, there is local government in the
traditional governance systems, as exemplified herein. Local government is simply
a form of self-authority, self-governance.
But can we, after nearly fifty years of independence,
say we all have equal opportunities to influence the policies and operations of
the government, if local government is a far cry from our traditional governance
systems? Or is independence just a word?
So how it be, that we still consider our fear of
traditional influence as dark as a witch or wizard? Why did we think freedom
from control or influence of the village headpersons is independence?
In retrospect, given the way we have misgoverned
ourselves since independence, there is now a serious case for changing our
mindset. The village headpersons are not bunsu
enge muloyi. We did not have to seek independence from our traditional
governance systems. We needed to learn,
and integrate. It is the other colonialist we needed to seek independence
from. Not simply admiring his/her undergarments and then excitedly rushing into
wearing them as our own. This simply made us, the urban elite, no different from
the British colonizers.
We need to cease being colonizers of our own people.
As continuing doing so, makes the claim for independence worthless. For,
without adequate representation or indeed independence, the people will
continue being impoverished.
You see, the problem is, the politician, you and I,
are still trying to understand and cleanse the muloyi. But there really is no muloyi
in our traditional systems. The muloyi is in us, the urban elites.
End
script: Comments on errors of fact are most welcome.
