MY PERSONAL TAKE ON THE ZNBC LIVE PROGRAMME ISSUE
By Amb. Chibamba Kanyama
At a reception last night in Minnesota where I served as guest, there was an offer for thousands of new books to schools in Zambia. There was a further offer that one set of books would be printed in a local language.
I needed to explain this offer with utmost care to this group of philanthropists. It was either they printed all books in English or included all seven Zambian languages. I told them ethnicity and language diversity was Zambia’s heritage and pride. I gave a broader context to the issue and further demonstrated to them how the national broadcaster, ZNBC, had clear guidelines on the treatment of the local languages on both radio and television. As a country, we have been proud of this diversity.
In addition, we have for many years leveraged the ZNBC platform to demonstrate unity in diversity. This is reflected in an article on One Zambia, One Nation written by Lutz Marten and Nancy C. Kula,
‘Questions of language and identity have played an important role throughout modern Zambian history, particularly after independence, when the question of the national identity of the new state took centre stage. Language in Zambia is important for national, political, and ethnic identities, for communication, education, and popular culture.’
I have followed the social media debate involving a caller and TV anchor Margaret Chisulo, a young woman with a very pleasant personality. Writing in my personal capacity, I am not surprised with the nature of public reaction because ZNBC has for years managed local language diversity very well. My take is that the incident is very isolated and does not reflect ZNBC policy or practice on use of local languages. The caller who spoke Lozi was merely testing the ZNBC policy on languages after having listened to callers use Bemba and Nyanja liberally. She decided to call and use Lozi. She was immediately stopped. That’s where the issue is. In any case, that was not the first time such has happened except that in previous incidences, callers were allowed to continue to make their contributions in their language of comfort.
Incidentally, It’s now I realize that as one who served as ZNBC Director General at one point, we never did enough during my time to orient young broadcasters about this practice that has been in place since independence. I took it for granted it was a straight forward matter.
It is my hope that ZNBC Management will learn from what happened as articulated by the Board Chairpwrson Bishop Joseph Kazhila. I propose the Corporation embarks on a process of inducting new broadcasters on how to position local languages on ZNBC. Perhaps, there could even be an opportunity to have a special mixed-bag TV broadcast that allows callers to express themselves in any language of comfort and this can work very well if there is immediate interpretation. This can enhance the level of national unity we need because people will start learning other languages via a programme that is primarily anchored in English.
For now, we can rest assured that the ZNBC Board and Management are competent enough to handle the issue. All is well!
It is NOT an isolated case BUT what has been happening all along. BEMBAS AND NYANJAS FELT THAT THEY OWN ZAMBIA – MOST presidents since independence except for one came from Bemba and Nyanja regions. The same problems were reported even recently where Bemba was used in Barotseland UCZ churches and nyanja also in offices, bus stops as well. THIS IS TGE ATROGANCE THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TOLERATED ALL THESE YEARS AND ITS NO SURPRISE THAT BAROTSELAND WANTS NONE OF THIS NONSENSE ANYMORE BUT ARE BEING PERSCUTED FOR THAT AGAIN. WHAT IS ZAMBIA?
Very well indeed let the young broadcasters be oriented in language etiquete.
Multi)lingua broadcasting should be embraced and any language accepted after all we have no choice which language or tribe you find your self in.
The big issue here Ambassador just as you have indicated, is why allow Bemba and nyanja callers to speak and make up their point and empty their mind while the one called and spoke in Lozi was immediately cut off.
It sound small but there is quite alot in it and even the disciplinary action to be taken by management should be that which will cut otherwise curtail this cancer. The issue was created mostly by abena Mmembe and some PF thugs who started looking at other tribes like tonga, Luvales, Lunda’s, Lozis etc to be nothing – like there are nothing even now there are still doing the same so it has even grown big now at levels that others are just keeping it in their hearts and can easily explode harshly when physically attacked on one on one happening.
Just recently another man whom they are calling why me was insulting a certain tribe in our country very big insults and even the attached language used was also very bad and proactive and today it is this girl now, just no that there is much or more to it. This was started by the PF leadership and there Fred Mmembe who planted this very bad seed, even now they are still repeating the same without shame and not even being sensitive to what it can bring to the security of the Country.
We just pray to our Creator the LORD GOD to help us overcome this evil otherwise it is very bad.
I respectfully disagree with Chibamba Kanyama when he writes that ZNBC has for years managed issues of language diversity very well. It has not. During the days of state monopoly in radio and television broadcasting, we all listened to more or less the same things at the same time. Bemba language broadcasting was meant to represent a group of languages closely-related to Bemba such as Lamba, Mambwe, Namwanga etc. The practice was that it was extremely rare to hear songs in these languages played. It was the same during Tonga broadcasts; few songs were played from other languages that were supposedly part of the Tonga group until George Mwampatisha was recruited by ZNBC. From North-Western province, Kaonde had initially been picked to represent all language groups but Lundas and Luvales would have none of it. That’s how come there are three languages from N-W province that broadcast on state-owned audio and visual media house. It’s the only province with that privilege.
Firstly, if “Why me ” was insulting you dont have to go to the cyber act. Just the penal code is very clear that it is an imprisonable crime. So we have a problem with the Police when they dont do their job.
A Mankambiz am in my sixth decade on this earth and have read both this response and the other article here (the MPs letter) but I allude to my age because I have seen the Public broadcaster evolve. Their program structure (ZBS and ZNBC) has not changed much from the time it was ZBS (with General and Home Service)
Further, I note the point Chibamba Kanyama makes and I also have not read exactly what transpired between the caller and the announcer that has led to this “storm in a tea cup”. But surfice to say, what are the most widely spoken languages in Zambia?
Bemba and nyanja. Go to any province in Zambia and when you may not be understood in English, try Bemba or Nyanja. Someone will understand you.
Go to Mongu, speak nyanja when you dont speak Lozi, someone will understand you. Where as aside from the Western Province and Livingstone (where Lozi was taught in Schools as a vernacular language) lozi is NOT as widely spoken as Nyenja and Bemba. And am Tonga (to cut the bias).
These two languages are widely spoken not by design but migration. Ask why in Lusaka Province is Nyanja widely spoken? And not Tonga, Lenje or Soli the indigenious tribes. Cause Lusaka became a convergence. Same with the Copperbelt with Bemba yet Lamba is the indigenious language of Chief Nkana in Kitwe and around the Ndola area.
These mind games we want to bring in, to prove a point that isnt there is just a caller trying to push boundaries that have no practical solution.
If this happened on a live Radio program ( and this caller spoke in Lozi), I wonder if Ms Chisulo would have even understood what she was saying and could translate. Lets assume for this discussion that, there was another person to interprate whatever the caller was saying, these programs have time segments. Would there have been enough time to translate, respond in the announcers program language and translate that? I tell you I can greet in almost 8 international languages, speak Tonga, English as well as speak plausable Bemba and Nyanja. Greet in a number of Zambian languages but that doesnt mean I can have a conversation in the languages I can greet.
The Lozis need to make their language and culture accessible, popular and not impose their ideals on people.
Malikopo has been on the radio program from the early times of my childhood. Alot of other tribes speak of the program because of its popularity. No one imposed Malikopo on anyone. Why do the Lozis so much need to impose Baroeste on Zambians? They have spoken to starting their own country? Is it practical? No the said Baroeste extents beyond Zambian borders, so why not make the same noise in Angola or Botswana? No one tribe is better than the others in Zambia. Understand why certain tribes are more widely spoken than others, if you want me to learn your language teach me, dont force me. Just like you cant force love on other…the bible teaches just to love…if by luck…that same love will be receprocated(spelling). The lozis must just trying Zambians and stop this nonsense. They claim there are abundant resources in the Province, why have they failed to attract investment there? What about them fails people from other provinces to settle there? Why do their own fail to return after retiring? Introspect is very important. And it starts with their own Royal establishment. The Baroeste Prime Minister allowed at “timely” posed statement made by the President to get out of hand. Western Province (if that is the land they want to refer to a Baroesteland is a province in country called Zambia. Baroesteland is used synomously(interchangeably) with Western Province. How then is it a state? Why and what are those agiating for its statehood suggesting? Is it practical?
The census already shows us what is coming ahead of us, our youths need a productive means to sustain themselves and those suggesting agitation or political hand outs are just lying to themselves. For decades we have fought against the advice of donors about our economy and when we continue in our unsustainable direction we see our Kwacha drop, we borrow and we lament when we have dug our ownselves into a problem and a way of doing things that is neither Practical or sustainable.
That calling had an ill motive for calling. If the lozis had an issue with the bemba and Nyanja language, why not lodge a compliant with the Broadcating Authority? That is one of its roles. To regulate, look at Policy. Attacking this one individual trying her best to do her job is shortsighted and naive attempt at addressing a legacy issue and and issue that is driven by migratory structure of our country than prejudice as suggested. But to Chibamba Kanyama interesting perspective that you bring out, though I doubt if your solution is practical for radio; as I have alluded. Conversation and issues should not be marred in “tempo” persons seeking to further an agenda other that the topic being discussed in the program. This lady to me had a malicious motive that could have been address by a formal complaint than the way she sought to bring her agenda to the “frey”….I rest my case nobamalozi…
@jata Bulenge, I think you’re now being stupid to attack a tribe over a poorly managed journalistic skill by the host of that program. People who think like you are the one bringing advancement of certain tribal supremacy. Don’t chew what you can’t swallow
Friends any language used in business that language spreads.
If you are selling anything in Lusaka nyanja is the language. on Copperbelt bemba, you will not manage in lozi or Tonga. If so business is what has pushed these two languages further not the tribe issue.
That is not the historical record. There was deliberate government policy to promote these languages by giving them more broadcast time on state broadcaster in the 1960s. Secondly, these languages were imposed as a medium of instruction in early education by the government outside areas where they were indigenous and to the exclusion of local languages which had already been written and used in the school system.
I do suspect myself that there was a secret plan by the UNIP government to produce a socio-linguistic underclass out of some tribes by ensuring that their languages were slowly and cleverly killed by state policy. This is not new policy as it happened in the UK where the Welsh language was marginalised in Wales itself. This has led to emergence of a political party seeking to break away from the union with England.
I would simply say you are defending a very wrong thing cousin if you are truly a TONGA.
ZNBC has become hopeless. Frankly, it not just this story of Hon. Amutike with a valid response from Ambassador that is of concern to us the listening public to either ZNBC TV or ZNBC RADIOS 2 and 4 especially. These mentioned 2 radio stations, they have a habit of playing either Bemba or Nyanja songs all the time at the expense of the other five (5) other Zambian languages as if these other languages have no musicians. With ZNBCtv, most advertising messages are carried out in the Bemba and Nyanja languages. Why is it like that in a country claiming to be a UNITARY STATE OR NATION??!!!!