THE CHURCH, THE STATE and THE PEOPLE
…the precarious relationship in Zambia
Amb. Anthony Mukwita wrote:
30th May 2023
The conflict between the church, the people and the state is an age old one sometimes unfortunately scrolled in blood especially if we go back to the days of Jesus.
It (conflict) is older than Zambia as a country, because before colonisation, Zambians like several precolonial Africans had their own religions, they worshiped their own ´gods´.
They had ´sun´ gods, ´rain´ gods etc.
After the arrival of missionaries, however, many of us were boxed into groups of either, catholic or Muslim, Pentecostal or evangelical but nevertheless we embraced new religions that have since become our new way of life.
This brings me to the elephant in the room—the stand-off between the largest church in Zambia, the Christian catholic church vs the administration or new government of President Hakainde Hichilema that assumed office in August 2021 after an election under the UPND.
IS THIS A STORM IN A TEA CUP?
To those visiting or reading on Zambia for the first time, the current stand-off sparked after an 18th May presser, where President Hichilema used graphs and numbers to illustrate how well his administration is fairing since he assumed office.
In reaction Fr. Anthony Salangeta of Chawama in Lusaka lightly stated that President Hichilema must have probably taken the bull by the horn during the press conference:
• He should have addressed in basic terms how government would bring down the prices of the staple maize meal.
• High prices of fuel
• Shortage of essential drugs in hospitals and expensive agro inputs
In a local language, Fr Salangeta suggested that the President, if he wished to hit a home run message with ordinary Zambians, the majority living on about US$2 per day for all basic needs, he should have addressed the issue of alleged scarce access to expensive food.
“Abaku Misisi na ku Chawama, lutoshi lwabwali nit graphs,” meaning, “the people of Chawama and Misisi understand nshima (food) not graphs.”
President Hichilema did not find the ´joke´ funny, he took a personal swipe at the padre whom he advised, without mentioning names, that he should go back to school to understand ´numbers´ and graphs.
Just like that, a mini ´civil war of words´ erupted in serene Zambia compelling the Archbishop of Lusaka, the respected Dr Alick Banda, also without naming names publicly supporting his priest under fire.
By now the whole country was fired up with talk-back radio hosts having a tough time keeping tempers from across the divide down and calm.
“The priests were wrong the President was right,” one caller said, “the President was wrong he must get a thicker skin as a leader,” another caller shouts.
From 18th May to the day of penning this missive the acrimonious and fractious relationship between the clergy from the catholic church and the state hit a new low low note.
On 29th May in a no holds barred video and script, Mr Batuke Imenda, a senior member of the ruling UPND cast aside diplomatic decorum and lashed out at the emeritus archbishop Dr Banda along with Fr Salangeta and dubbed the two respected clergy as “Con men”, “Lucifer´s”, in a move unprecedented in Zambia, a Christian nation by constitution.
In a highly emotive speech gone viral, Simenda suggested that it was because of ´con men´ like archbishop Banda and Fr Salangeti that scourges like the 1994 genocide of Rwanda flared up. Zambians were shocked.
REACTIONS TO REMARKS AGAINST CATHOLIC CLERGY
Condemnation against the strongly worded undiplomatic and apparently divisive speech by Mr Imenda reverberated on and offline dominating the airwaves and print publications in Zambia. Without exception, everyone condemned Mr Imenda unequivocally.
“Even if the Archbishop and Padre might have ´over stepped´ in counselling the President,” one caller said, likening them to Lucifer, conmen and genocide was totally out of order and uncalled for.
In Zambian tradition, clergy at the level of Archbishop Banda are not only highly respected, but they are also revered almost to a status of deities as they lead a huge flock of people, especially the poor majority that fill up churches every Sunday.
HOW WIDESPREAD IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ZAMBIA?
The catholic church has been building schools, clinics, and hospitals for as long as Zambia has existed as a nation state.
Loosely put, 9 out of 10 Zambians have a relative that went to a catholic school, got treated in a catholic clinic or personally attended a catholic school.
The church exists in places in the neck of wood where government offices do not exist, providing services through priests and nuns that governments sometimes cannot provide.
The church has also been the biggest critic of successive governments offering checks and balances fearlessly regardless of who the President of the day since 1964.
have also immensely supported previous administrations in the past, take for instance the role it (church) played in transitioning from one party politics to multi-party politics ahead of 1991 seamlessly and bloodless?
Presently, Mr Imenda, as a leader of the ruling party has not apologised as the battle of words raged high, a PR nightmare over an issue that could have been resolved over a cup of tea, glass of wine and a prayer.
Albeit this conflict the ´ecclesiastico-political primacy´ is not uniquely Zambian, it needs to come to an end with one side reaching out to the other and other accepting because after all, we are all Zambian.
WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD?
Going forward, analysts suggest that President Hichilema, an eloquent speaker must perhaps listen more and respond less to criticism.
There´s also suggestions that as a father of the nation when the President sees it fit to respond, as he often does, he must use the opportunity to unify rather than gas light.
The church on the other hand according to punditry must be given free reign to speak and offer counsel (when they see ills) as they have done since the birth of Zambia without being labelled conmen or Lucifer.
Lucifer is the other name for Satan or the devil hence some pundits feel Imenda´s decision to dub Archbishop Banda and Fr. Salangeta crossed the line in this fractious divisive war of words.
For those capable of reading my essays to the end I always say, whenever there´s differences in the country, “we must continue talking and talking until we find a solution.” Raise your argument, not your voice.
At the crux of the latest feud in our beautiful country in my humble view is something simple, many agree with; reduce food, fuel, and agro-input prices and all will be good.
Bringing feuding partners to the table of brotherhood and restoring the name of Zambia as the last bastion of democracy in the sub region will be but a bonus.
Also there´s subtle warning doing the rounds in political historians of Zambia that it´s perhaps never a good idea to engage in a ´war´ with the church but the jury is still out.
You will find some of the referenced material in this essay in my new book, “China in Africa, the Zambia story” currently performing very well in the top African book’s sections on Amazon and other online bookstores.