GUEST ARTICLE: In solidarity with Barbra Banda, every Zambian woman must read and share this article
I Write What I Like
01.12.2024
We Must Defend Barbra Banda as a Nation, and We Offer No Apologies
By Daimone Siulapwa
The Background – Rod Liddle is a British journalist and columnist notorious for his controversial and often inflammatory views. He first rose to prominence as the editor of Today on BBC Radio 4 in 1998 but resigned in 2002 following backlash from his employers over a contentious article he authored for The Guardian. Currently, he writes for publications such as The Sunday Times, The Spectator, and The Sun. Over the years, Liddle has garnered a reputation for espousing racist and xenophobic sentiments, with numerous instances of targeting people of color and marginalized communities through his writing.
The venomous attacks on our footballer Barbra Banda, recently crowned BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, are nothing short of a disgraceful display of ignorance, racism, transphobia, and prejudice masquerading as commentary.
Rod Liddle, a man with a documented history of racism against people of color, has emerged as the face of these baseless criticisms, further cementing his place as a provocateur who thrives on perpetuating hate and division.
Liddle’s history of inflammatory remarks targeting minorities is well-documented. From dismissing the struggles of immigrants to making derogatory comments about people of African descent, his rhetoric reeks of an outdated colonial mindset.
His attack on Banda is simply the latest chapter in a long pattern of dehumanizing behavior, and it cannot be ignored.
By targeting Banda, Liddle not only reveals his disdain for inclusion but also his deeply ingrained racism—a toxic worldview that seeks to deny people of color their rightful place in global spaces.
Barbra Banda is not just a footballer; she is a symbol of resilience, excellence, and defiance against systems that seek to marginalize women who dare to challenge the status quo.
That she has been subjected to “gender verification” policies is an affront to human dignity and a brutal reminder of the double standards applied to women, especially those from the Global Central and South Africa.
These so-called tests, often shrouded in pseudo-scientific rhetoric, are not about fairness—they are about control. They are tools wielded by a system terrified of women whose existence disrupts the Eurocentric template of femininity.
This vile obsession with testosterone levels and arbitrary biological metrics is a sham designed to police women’s bodies and limit their access to platforms of achievement.
To accuse Banda of having an “unfair advantage” is to dismiss her hard work, her sacrifices, and her skill. It reduces her years of dedication to a meaningless number on a medical chart, as if human potential can be neatly boxed into categories that fit narrow-minded worldviews.
The Western media, particularly the The Sun, must be called out for its role in perpetuating this hypocrisy. It is laughable and insulting for an organization that purports to champion diversity to simultaneously provide platforms to regressive voices like Liddle’s.
By allowing such commentary to go unchecked, the Sun sends a dangerous message: that it is willing to celebrate diversity only when it is palatable to the comfort zones of bigots. This duplicity undermines not only Banda’s achievements but the principles of fairness and equity that sports are supposed to uphold.
Rod Liddle’s crude and hateful rhetoric, referring to so-called “men-women people,” is not merely offensive; it is a deliberate act of violence against progress. His words are a rallying cry for those desperate to preserve a world where exclusion is normalized, where barriers to entry are conveniently maintained for anyone who does not fit neatly into the mold of traditional femininity.
What Liddle and his ilk fear is not unfair competition—it is the dismantling of their long-held privileges.
This is not just a debate about Barbra Banda or testosterone levels. This is a battle for the soul of sports, a fight to dismantle the systemic injustices that have held women back for generations.
Women like Banda represent everything the gatekeepers of tradition fear: strength, defiance, and success achieved against all odds. Their achievements challenge the very foundations of a system designed to exclude them.
To those who question Banda’s legitimacy, let us be unequivocal: the problem is not her biology. The problem is your inability to accept a world where excellence is not defined by your narrow, Eurocentric ideals.
Banda’s recognition is a triumph for every woman fighting to shatter ceilings of oppression, but it is also a reminder of how far we still have to go.
The hysteria surrounding so-called “unfair advantages” in women’s sports is laughable in its hypocrisy. If fairness were truly the concern, where is the outrage over disparities in funding, facilities, and opportunities that women athletes face globally?
Banda’s critics are silent on these issues because their true agenda is not fairness—it is maintaining dominance in spaces where women, particularly women from Africa, are finally beginning to excel.
Barbra Banda deserves not only to be celebrated but fiercely defended. Her achievements are a direct challenge to a system that has long worked to silence and exclude women like her. She is a beacon of hope for athletes not only from Zambia but everywhere who have been told they are too different, too strong, or too “unusual” to belong.
And to the critics who fear that inclusion will destroy women’s sports: your ignorance is showing. Women’s sports will not only survive—it will thrive when barriers to inclusion are dismantled, and Banda’s journey is proof of this.
This is not the time for half-measures or polite diplomacy. It is time to dismantle the discriminatory structures that have kept women’s sports on a leash for far too long.
The UK Sun Newspaper, global sports bodies, and every institution complicit in this oppression must be held accountable. Banda’s success is a moment of reckoning—a reminder that sports must reflect the diversity and strength of the world we live in.
Barbra Banda is not just a footballer. She is a revolutionary force in a world desperate for change. Those who seek to tear her down do so because they fear what she represents: the inevitable march toward equality, inclusion, and a future where excellence is not constrained by bigotry.
Instead of vilifying her, we must celebrate her and commit to building a sports world that welcomes all, without exception or apology.
*Daimone Siulapwa is a political analyst and a strong advocate for tribal unity and Citizen Economic Empowerment. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Voice Newspaper in Zambia and serves as the current Chairman of the SMEs Association of Zambia. This article reflects Daimone’s personal views and does not represent any institution.*
*For comments and suggestions, please email: dsiulapwa@gmail.com.*