As Zambia celebrated its 45th independence, a lot of comments were passed both by the older generation who physically fought for the political emancipation of our country and the young who are the beneficiaries of the sweat and blood of those heroes and heroines.

I had carefully listened to the counsel of comrades Dr Kaunda, Milner, Sikota Wina, Grey Zulu and others. I meditated on the challenges that our young people are coming face to face within their communities.

Young people are every day greeted by the challenges of unemployment, lack of guidance, deliquency, drug abuse, alcohol, crime, prostitution and child pregnancies, lack of recreation facilities and streetism due to the disintegration of the family as a nucleus of social-economic development, lack of life skills, training and experience to enable them obtain formal employment and or finances to engage in self employment activities, socially, economically and even politically marginalised/excluded from national development.

I reflected on my social interactions with young people in shanty compounds such as Navutika in Chipata, Makululu in Kabwe, Chipulukusu in Ndola, and Kamatipa in Kitwe not forgetting our friends from the rural communities of Sindamisale, Naviruli, Nchembwe, Na Bwalya Chiyombo, Gwembe etc where 45 years after independence they don’t really understand the meaning of independence.

These are young people who are still living in the world of great uncertainity, they don’t know where the next meal will come from. They spend their time in taverns begging (“Rwandering”) for chibuku yo pima (bulk chibuku). They are LOADED (Living On A Dollar Every Day), a five thousand kwacha can buy a ‘pamela’ of mealie-meal, kapenta, cooking oil, charcoal, salt and a change will do for a stick of cigarette (Consulate).

As if it’s by God’s design, these young people rarely fall victims of common diseases to save them going to the hospitals where they normally receive a paper telling them to go and buy medication from the drug stores which in most cases are run by officers working for the Ministry of Health.

These are not ordinary young people, some of them are graduates from schools such as Chizongwe, Kalonga, Kitwe Boys, Chiwala with good points ranging from 6-15.They can’t go to the University of Zambia, Copperbelt or Mulungushi University not to mention private universities because they have no connections to people who can “push” for their bursaries, they have no money to bribe those who are in authority to “push” for their applications.

To the few privileged young people who are in public universities, a three-year programme is taking five years to complete because the lecturers repeatedly go on strike asking for better perks. If they are lucky to graduate, they have to be ready to loam on the streets for the next two to three years looking for jobs they are trained for.

45 years after independence, why is it that the gap between the haves and the have nots is continuous widening? Who will hear the lamentations of our young people? Who will journey them from captivity in Babylon or Slavery in Egypt to the promised land of honey and milk?

I was greatly touched to hear the wise council of Mama Dr Mutumba Bull when she said “Countries have gone to war, they have had civil war, disagreements over who should rule. We have problems of political parties not agreeing over who should rule, ethnical groups fighting each other, wanting to be in charge.

Now all these can be achieved through the ballot so 2011 is very crucial. Whatever you feel about the present situation if you want to change it, you can do it through the vote peacefully. Go and cast your vote, you are the key makers through the ballot” (The Post, Wednesday October 21,2009.).

I beseech young people to politically and prayerfully meditate on this counsel. The theme for this year’s International Day of Democracy is: “Political and Democratic Tolerance”.

However, current happenings in the political sorority 45 years after independence is very tormenting, this is the time we thought the culture of promoting stone aged politics belongs to the political archives, the era when the world is determined to engaging in mature politics, Zambians are trading back on the road to political violence. The culture of political and democratic tolerance is slowly eluding us. The spirit of “One Zambia one Nation” is a measly political speechifying.

It’s like a “political crime” for one to talk about intra and inter party democracy today. The creed of democracy have been bruised and replaced by political thuggery.

What is more nauseating is that young people are at the centre stage of engaging in political hostility.

They are the ones being bought with a packet of shake-shake and utujiliji to disrupt press conferences organised by innocent citizens wanting to express their constitutional and democratic rights. No voice of admonition is coming from our leaders from both sides (Ruling and Opposition).

Surely, is this the cadre of future KKs, Kapwepwes, Nkumbulas, VJ Mwaangas, Winas, we are trying to groom? What type of future leaders are we grooming if we are sponsoring our youth to disfigure rival political party campaign materials, engage themselves in political caricature, mud-slinging, innuendos, foul language, dancing at rallies? What “One Zambia, one Nation” are we promoting when tribal and regional politics is the order of the day?

How have we tailored our political party manifestoes and constitutions? Where do we place our youth in our political party structures (The youth wings)?

Which political party can point at 10 youths whom they are grooming for future leadership? Which political party can come up with a pseudo cabinet comprising young people?

Its high time young people positioned themselves for the leadership of this country at different levels. I know a lot of young people in the youth movement who have never failed to represent Zambia at international level with high degree of nationalism.

These are the young people we must be grooming for leadership. 2011 is around the corner young people must arise from slumber and participate in the electoral process of our country not only as voters but as candidates as well.


The former Commonwealth African Regional Youth Caucus Representative for Zambia 2005-2007

Centre for Peace Initiative in Africa 2007 Alumni
Zambia’s Delegate to the Model United Nations