‘Bolingo wa solo a ma Congolese’: will HH tame his Congolese ‘customers’? Pt 1
‘Bolingo wa solo na ma Congolese’ in Lingala language means, ‘true love with the Congolese’.
President Hakainde Hichilema (HH) has done his part. But can he tame the Congolese ‘smugglers’ into doing legal business? First, he set national policy, telling us to treat our Congolese neighbours as customers, not smugglers. Second, he is initiating bilateral agreements by meeting Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi twice. Third, by gifting Tshisekedi with ten cows and hosting their families’ -attended dinner, President HH was appealing to his counterpart’s moral consciousness to make sure he enthusiastically implements agreements.
Human beings favor you when you show them personal love. The Congolese will only cooperate if they love us together with our President. African families exchange cattle to symbolise long-lasting friendships, not Western ‘love’ where they exchange useless flowers. So, families do not eat or sell cows paid as lobola (bride price). Therefore, you Zambians (especially journalists) whenever you travel to Congo DR even after HH leaves office, ask the Congolese to show you by pointing saying ‘that calf (imoombe) is the grandchild of that cow (impwizi) which your President HH gave us. In fact, all this breed is from HH’s bull (imuchende).’ If you find that the Congolese have eaten those cows, come and report to us that, symbolically, the Congolese no longer want our friendship.
To trade with the Congolese, let us understand them. Why do we consider them ‘smugglers’, crooks? Transparency International (2022) ranks them the 5th most corrupt African country; Zambia number 23. They hardly rely on legal formalities but on personal trust/ personal loyalties. Because of legal formalities, our football is average but stable. In Congo, it is unpredictable; higher to lower than us. Late Congolese dictator, president Mobutu Sese Seko pumped millions of dollars into the Pierre Ngaye Mulamba captained team to win the 1974 Africa Cup, beating our Simon Kaushi Kaodi led Zambia. They qualified for the World Cup in West Germany. But when they lost 0-2 to Scotland, Mobutu withdrew every coin. To punish their president, their goalkeeper Kazadi Mwamba allowed goals as Congolese players deliberately lost 0-9 to Yugoslavia. Mobutu warned them; ‘’don’t return to Congo if you lose to Brazil.’’ When they lost 0-3, he channeled the millions to hosting the Muhammed Ali vs George Foreman ‘rumble in the jungle’ boxing fight.
At club level, even our Zesco United is a baby compared with their giant TP Mazembe. But while we maintain all clubs, they ignore many of their clubs. We imitate formalities of Western music, they dance ‘chikokoshi’ African ways. Now even our gospel imitates their rhumba, while we imitate Western names. Yet even our best rhumba artistes like Nachil Pichen Kazembe, Jojo Mwangaza or Kings Malembe Malembe are babies compared with Congolese giant musicians who reject Western names: Franco Luambo Makiadi, Tabu Ley, Mbilia Bel, General Defao, Pepe Kalle, Kanda Bongoman, Bozi Boziana, Madilu System, Awilo Longomba, Fally Ipupa, Koffi Olomide.
What of romance? Our veteran diplomat V J Mwaanga kept secret his affair with their dancing queen Tshala Muana (1990s). But she blew it publicly! What of business? While we tried to wear self-made new clothes from Mulungushi Textiles, Congolese went for second-hand Mokambo (salaula) until we copied them. In his book, Zambia Shall Be Free (1962, p. 39), our first President Kenneth Kaunda says in the 1940s he used to ‘’cycle three hundred miles up to Katabulwe across the Luapula River in the then Belgian Congo’’ (DR) to order salaula, (where he met a lion, scared it with his bike). Even our independence fighter ‘ba daala ba’ Harry Nkumbula, when he was headteacher at Mufulira Central School, used on weekends to cycle into Congo, bought salaula and gave his wife Cecily Shimungalu to sell (Cecily was mother to Malao Lutangu, Ompie and Biggie Nkumbula. The famous Baldwin Nkumbula, deceased, had a different mom).
Congolese beat Zambians by mixing politics and business. In 1962, Moise Tshombe’s Katanga region broke away from Congo to form a new mineral rich state. Opposition ANC leader Nkumbula recognised this ‘state’. Tshombe gave him huge funding. Kaunda feared. He withdrew Nkumbula’s son Biggie from Mons Military School in Britain to prevent him from militarily fighting for the Nkumbula-Tshombe alliance. Nkumbula’s daughter Malao complained that people at her Chipembi Girls School mocked them as ‘abana ba kwa Tshombe’ (Tshombe’s children). Kaunda was hypocritical. Officially, he supported Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba against Tshombe. But privately he too wanted Tshombe’s money, making secret visits. Sikalumbi, in his book, ‘Before UNIP’ wrote: ‘’I remember we in UNIP wanted money as well from Tshombe, we even dressed Kaunda in a cowboy gear to conceal his identity’’. Nkumbula and Kaunda lost. Mobutu defeated both Tshombe and Lumumba. Nkumbula was arrested in Lubumbashi, dealing with Kasai traders.
Katanga governor Moise Katumbi, President Frederick Chiluba’s friend, traded as Chani Fisheries and Ntambabashila. Then the new President Levy Mwanawasa pursued him for corruption. The Congolese released a video of then foreign affairs minister Vernon Johnson Mwaanga accusing his own Zambia of breaching the Zambia-Congo contract. V.J resigned. Our next President Rupiah Banda gave Katumbi back over US $ 14,000 worth of diamonds, etc.
And they seem not to care if you steal from their government? Political rivals accused UPND founder Anderson Mazoka of robbing Congo, saying when he was Zambia Railways managing director, Congo paid our trains to carry hundreds of fat cows they bought from Botswana. Mazoka kept his thin cows in Southern Province. When the train passed near his farm, he offloaded the Botswana fat cows and put them into his farm, loaded his thin cows onto the train and took them to Congolese. Mazoka/his ex-boss Kaunda just laughed/dismissed this as political talk. But why did the Congolese not complain? They don’t care about corruption?
Congolese mostly don’t follow formal trade. Next Monday, I suggest how UPND administration should improve trade with our Congolese neighbours.
Now envious PF thief thugs can start ‘insulting’ this author on The Mast Facebook page, on phone 0978 741920 or email: austin.mbozi2017@gmail.com.