“Xenophobia is a tragic
failure of reason of which mixed space it is after all, we even kill for.” -
God, Life & Reason
OFF late the residential address, House No 1159 has been on my mind, and
I wondered why. But now I know. It is all because of the rantings from some
assumed man of the cloth.
House No 1159 is where we resided in New Ndeke, Kitwe from 1969 to the
early 70s. This is after we moved from an old colonial very tiny house in what
was then called old Ndeke. We had moved into this colonial very tiny house that
had a toilet provision for banyamazai in 1968.
From House No 1159, I could always see the Catholic Chapel at the end of
the road. Come Sunday, literally everybody in our neighbourhood would be at the
Chapel. This was a time before the “nisanga
naiwe kuti wansaga” yellow tent preacher howlers, a time when church was a sincere
and non-threatening affair. There were no threats of eternal damnation. In
hindsight, I really don’t understand why these fellows had to howl that, they have found Jesus, and we could also
find him. We did find him, else we would not have been trooping to the
Chapel.
House No 1159 was the birth of awareness of neighbourliness and
togetherness, and the church at the end of the street was the concentrate of
this awareness. In House No 1159 and in all the houses in the neighbourhood there was no tribe.
Of course our parents, when socialising together, always made snide remarks of
which group of people were the nyamazai the most, who was insolent and uncouth
the most, who downed lion larger the most, or who sent children to have their
willies cut the most. Didn’t bother us much as kids. After all, we all admired
Shumpi irrespective of her tribe, we all marveled at the driving exploits of chabwela kumanda, we all wished we could
also go to mukanda as it seemed a
nice break from school (we really didn’t know at the time that, that is where
willies were cut. If we did, I don’t think we would have wanted to go)!
Huh! Come to think of it. Most now do chilanga mulilo, matebeto.
Wonder if the assumed man of the cloth ever thinks of this. I doubt it.
Sorry for the digression. These now very aged parents are excused for
their expressions of xenophobia at that time. But the assumed man of the cloth
cannot be excused.
We should understand that for most of these now aged fellows, this was
the first time they were living in a space populated by people from different
cultural heritage. To them that the other behaved differently was as confusing as
being told you need to find Jesus when you already found and knew him. The
assumed man of the cloth cannot be surely confused in these days and times.
Sic.
The now aged fellows learned to co-exist. They were in the same space
and for the pursuit of their professional endeavours, perhaps
there was nothing they could do about it. The only option they had was to crawl
back to whatever village they came from. Most could not take this option, not
because they were scared of being bewitched as they were now comparatively
wealthy (as it was thought then), but because learning to accept the cultural
differences in this new socio-political economy provided a future for their
children that was deemed far much better than the village.
They also accepted their cultural differences, principally because of their firm determination to move the country
forward. Most of these fellows were strong idealists, nationalists. Cultural
differences were conquerable, and in it they saw a potential for development.
In the memory of House No 1159, I know that not all of these now aged
fellows accepted the reality of cultural mixing. For some, tribal supremacy was
their mantra. Lately we have witnessed some of these fellows rear their ugly
heads. And perhaps, it is such aged fellows that the assumed man of the cloth is
trying to emulate. He surely must be living on a different planet.
Happily for most that dwelled in houses like House No 1159, they know
that only a hungry mangy dog when beaten does not snap at its master, instead
it puts its tail between the legs, and licks the master’s feet.
That the word tribe is now vogue, simply because some politicians in
some assumed dominant party had precarious hang on the pendulum side of defeat
is tragic. It defeats reason. Clearly, the assumed man of the cloth is
championing a logic distant from House No 1159. The term tribe has historically
often used to refer to colonised, oppressed, or subjugated groups of people.
The term tribe has a negative connotation. It is a term that historically was
used to refer to what was perceived as inferior groups of people.
The assumed man of the cloth is desecrating House No 1159. We refuse to
be deemed inferior. We are not hungry mangy dogs, we refuse to be. We grew up
in culturally mixed spaces, we loved each other and we still do. Deep in our
conscience we still live at House No 1159.
Well, perhaps the assumed man of the cloth does not know the sanctity of
House No 1159 or that under the Penal Code Act of Zambia his rantings are
seditious intent[1].
Thus, it must categorically be understood that when a people are pushed
to be mangy dogs, like the assumed man of the cloth seems to be doing, many
will seek refuge in the comfort of their heritage, and not lick the master’s
feet. There will be no culturally mixed space.
Think again. Verbum satis sapient - a word to the wise
suffices.
Ora
pro nobis.
[1] Section 60(1) Seditious intention, (e) to raise discontent or
disaffection among the people of Zambia; or (f) to promote feelings of ill will
or hostility between different communities or different parts of a community;
or (g) to promote feelings of ill will or hostility between different classes
of the population of Zambia.
