HICHILEMA’S CATTLE – A CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH TO THE QUESTION OF TRIBE IN ZAMBIAN POLITICS

By Kellys Kaunda

HICHILEMA’S CATTLE – A CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH TO THE QUESTION OF TRIBE IN ZAMBIAN POLITICS

When I first saw a picture of Hichilema and his cattle, some significant thoughts ran through my mind.

One of these is the importance of Zambia’s diverse tribal landscape.

Our tribes represent value systems that, if interrogated closely, constitute indigenous economic and cultural systems necessary and primary in national development.

Let’s take for instance Tongas since I am talking about the President.

Most Tongas I have known upclose and personal have a piece of land and animals no matter what ever else they may be doing.

Secondly, Tongas will not kill their animal willy-nilly because they are the economic basis for future generations.

So, when a Tonga President is pictured alongside his animals, it helps expose an indigenous economic system that must inspire others to engage with their respective traditional systems.

Each tribe in Zambia has a traditional economic system unique to themselves.

What is required is a knowledge system that gathers together these indigenous systems for purposes of systematically exploiting them for national development.

It’s noteworthy that Hichilema spends most of his vacations at his farm.

It’s helpful if an appropriate narrative accompanies the images that are taken of him.

We have had leaders in this country who took their vacations in places only akin to white folks – in the Caribbean Islands and lodges in national game parks!

Now that there’s a leader who takes his vacation  in his traditional homestead, may the talk of tribe assume a more constructive narrative.