HOW MAZOKA SURPRISED HIS FATHER BY CHOOSING A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN KASAMA FROM MONZE
… and quickly learnt the Bemba language
Imagine growing up in a small village in Monze, only to tell your parents you want to go to school on the completely opposite side of the country!
That is exactly what a young Anderson Mazoka did. Driven by a pure desire to just “go somewhere new,” he made a bold choice that took him from Monze in the Southern Province straight into Kasama, the heart of the Northern Province—where he had to adapt fast.
Here is a fascinating look into the early life of the late UPND leader, excerpted from the book “Conversations with Memorable Personalities” (2022) by Amos Malupenga (Pages 239–240):
Amos Malupenga: Now, let us talk about your personal life. Who is Anderson Kambela Mazoka?
Anderson Mazoka: Anderson Kambela Mazoka is the only child of the late Mr. Juda Mazoka and Bertha Mazoka. I was born in a village, in Chobana village. So, I am a total village boy. Chobana village is about 25 kilometres west of Monze district.
Amos Malupenga: When were you born?
Anderson Mazoka: I was born on the 22nd of March 1943; that is what my father told me. But afterwards he said, ‘Are you sure you were not born on the 1st of March?’ I said you told me I was born on the 22nd. And I celebrated my 61st birthday on the 22nd of March [2004].
I went to Hufwa Primary School in Monze, not very far from my village. We had to attend afternoon classes to enable us walk the distance otherwise we would be travelling in the night.
We first had to learn how to write out A, B, C, D on the ground in the sand and the teacher would be walking around to inspect. Then after graduating from writing on the ground, you go to do it on the slate. After the slate, that is when you go to write on paper with an ink-well and a nib.
I did my sub A and sub B, standard one and two. In standard three I went to a school called Kanundwa. We were the people who opened the class there. There was no standard four and so after standard three, we had to go somewhere else. So, I went to Rusangu Mission, not very far from Monze but near Chisekeshi. There I did my standard four, five and six.
After that I applied for secondary education and to the amazement of my father; I applied to go to Kasama. He said, ‘Why do you have to go that far?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, I just want to go somewhere.’
I chose Mungwi Secondary as the first choice and Munali as the second choice. I was accepted to do Form One at Mungwi Secondary School. I did Form One and Form Two and I passed with a credit and I went to Form Three and Form Four. In Form Four, I became school captain. My name is still there as a former school captain.
Amos Malupenga: Didn’t you miss speaking Tonga since you were now the only one among the Bemba speaking people?
Anderson Mazoka: I was the only Tonga boy. There were people from Mporokoso, a few from the Copperbelt, Bisas from the valley and Mpika. I couldn’t speak a word of Bemba but soon I caught up with it. And I became very proficient in spoken English. In fact, it got my friends a bit upset because one day one of the teachers made an announcement to my friends saying, ‘You must learn to speak English as Anderson is doing.’
You know in secondary school, you are forced to speak in English.
I spoke good English not by choice but because I was unable to speak the other language so I was forced to speak English. I also became head boy.
And quite interesting later, I saw an advert in the newspaper for a scholarship to America. Those days there was no Form Five. I did Form Four ordinary level and from Form Four O’level, you go straight in Form Six.
That was in 1964. I did AEB [Associated Examining Board], most schools withdrew AEB because the failure rate was very high. To get a full certificate in AEB, you had to pass English. And you won’t believe that only two of us passed that year; myself and Piet Siwale who was deputy head.
So, we proceeded to form six. And having made an application for scholarship at the African American Institute, the letter arrived saying that I would be sitting for exams at my school on the day the letter arrived. So, I went to the principal and told him I was supposed to sit for an entrance exam at the …”