Good Morning Fellow citizens,
Allow me to tell you a story.
There was once an envious man who rose to become a ruthless and gluttonous ruler. Day after day, he spent his time mistreating his subjects, reveling in his power and greed.
His perceived personal enemies were not spared.
One fateful day, he laid eyes on two beautiful women and typically greedy, he immediately desired them for himself. When his Kapaso informed him that the women were married, the ruler scoffed and said, “I don’t care. I want them. Now!”
The Kapaso, eager to please his master, devised a wicked plan: he fabricated crimes against the husbands of the two women in order to make them easily available to the ruthless lustful leader.
The innocent men were quickly arrested, shackled, and thrown into the dark, cold prison. Their wives and children wept bitterly as they watched helplessly. Elders murmured under their breath “akama iyishifyele.”
The women still resisted and rejected the ruthless leader
Months passed, and the ruler’s patience wore out.
He summoned his men and declared, “I want those women as my wives. Make it happen now!” According to the laws and traditions of the village, a wife and children of a prisoner could be placed under another man’s custody to protect them from poverty and suffering.
Exploiting this cruel rule, the ruler pressed forward with his plan. Yet whispers of dissent reached him—rumors
kept the subjects silent.
Unfazed, the ruler plotted another scheme to quiet the unrest. He ordered his men to prepare a grand feast, laden with food, alcohol, and every delight the villagers could desire.
When the feast was in full swing and the people were drunk and merry, the ruler rose to address them.
“SILENCE!” he commanded, his voice thundering over the drunken crowd.
The villagers froze.,“I am your supreme leader, anointed by the gods to guide you,” he began, his tone dripping with feigned benevolence. “In my great kindness, I have decided to forgive the two evil men who dared to wrong me.”
The crowd, though wary, erupted into cheers of “Long live our leader!” hoping to appease his ego.
He raised his hand, silencing them once more. “But there is one condition,” he continued.
“Their wives will now become my wives, and their children will live in my courtyard. Not as my children, but as my workers.” At this point, the crowd fell silent, the joy drained from their faces. Quiet murmurs rippled through them as they began to walk away, too fearful to speak out but too disgusted to continue celebrating. Some spoke under their drunken breath; ‘ insoka ni nsoka’!
Mwebena Luapula, Mwebana bakwa Mwata, mweba cindikwa, mwatesha? Kaneni ukumisalula lelo line, do not sacrifice your dignity at the altar of cheap thrills!
Have a good day!
#tilitonse
Edgar Chagwa Lungu
Sixth President of Zambia
Patriotic Front President and Tonse Alliance Presidential candidate.