Dr. Fred M’membe to Miss Paramount Chief Mpezeni’s Funeral Due to Bemba Royal Traditions
LUSAKA – Kapasa Makasa Kalulu, Advisor to the Socialist Party President on Chiefs and Traditional Affairs and Member of the Central Committee, has announced that Dr. Fred M’membe, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Pact and President of the Socialist Party, will not attend the burial of his longtime friend, Paramount Chief Mpezeni, in Chipata on Tuesday.
Speaking in his capacity as Bemba traditional chief Mwika Mukulu, he explained that according to Bemba royal funeral traditions, chiefs are prohibited from coming into contact with death and therefore cannot attend funerals. He stated that these customs are vital for preserving the cultural identity, social harmony, and spiritual protection of the Bemba Kingdom.
He further noted that arrangements would be made at an appropriate time for Dr. M’membe and the Socialist Party leadership to pay their respects to the late Paramount Chief Mpezeni.
What a load of NONSENSE!
Some so called traditions are primitive and not worthy of perpetuation. We have done away with child marriages. We have done away with widow cleansing. We have done away with polygamy, largely. Why should we hang on to traditions that are meaningless? No one will catch a disease by coming to a funeral as much as they would by attending a rally. Zambian superstitions are just in a league of their own. That’s why you haven’t buried your former President for 1 year!
@Musaninyoze….. correct view! The REASONING in those days was to avoid contracting a contagious disease by the chief THUS leading to losing a leader and going into leadership CRISIS.