The Litunga and Mwata Kazembe: The Icons of Modern Palaces without Partisan Politics and Dollar Commercialism Africa need today- Dr. Chris ZUMANI

The Litunga and Mwata Kazembe: The Icons of Modern Palaces without Partisan Politics and Dollar Commercialism Africa need today- The RICHIPPANS

By Dr. Chris ZUMANI Zimba

A. Introduction

Today, l want us to discuss The King of Barotseland, The Litunga in Western province and Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe of Luapula with respect to their leadership in the face of power partisan politics and dollar commercialism. Like The Kabaka of Buganda Kingom, King Charles of United Kingdom or the ancient great Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar, I personally believe that these two Zambian traditional leaders are among the few RICHIPPANS. Below, l discuss the two traditional leaders with reference to our acronym-RICHIPPANS:

1. Respect: This word means ‘a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something as a result of their rare abilities, qualities or achievements. The Litunga and Mwata Kazembe comfortably sit on this high table called “respect”

When HH denounced the existence of Barotseland, the Lozi people and chiefs marked him their political enemy without hesitation. Realizing his folly, HH sent high level delegations to meet The Litunga and the Kuta on multiple occasions. But the Lozi king has openly refused to compromise on the position of the Kuta. Instead, the king and the Kuta have demanded a written apology from HH himself and nothing else. This is where the Litunga earns respect from everyone. It is clear that partisan politics or money incentives has no influence on him in betraying his kingdom and people. Since leaders cannot force respect on themselves, they must earn it like the Litunga has demonstrated in this manner.

In the same vein, Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe has taken a similar position. When aggressive cabinet ministers stormed his palace to disrupt a closed door meeting he had with 39 PF and independent MPs, the great senior chief of Mwansabombwe just refused to be intimidated and chased them away. Partisan politics did not influence or change him. This is where Mwata Kazembe won nationwide respect as the right traditional leader of our difficult political times. Other chiefs would have bowed down to politics, state house gifts and money to act to the contrary.

Today, Mwata Kazembe’s subjects know that their senior chief is not a sold puppet to the highest political bidder: his stars of respect have gone up because he treats all stakeholders equally regardless of their political or economic status in society. This is how an ideal palace must be managed: all subjects and people regardless of the social status or political affiliation must feel comfortable and welcome before their king or chief.

2. Intelligence: Being very mentally clever and intellectually smarter in discerning and interpreting realities of life.

In the Bible, we are told of King Solomon to have been the most wise person on earth. By having wisdom, the Bible presented King Solomon as someone who demonstrated intelligence -genius thinking and brilliant understanding at life issues. If you look at how The Litunga has managed the tension between the Lozi people and President HH over Barotseland so far, the mark of intelligence is visibly seen everywhere. Simple, soft but tough.

In like manner, Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe sits on the same table of wisdom among very few chiefs in Zambia. In many multiparty democracies across Africa, many traditional leaders (kings and chiefs) have become hired party cadres, coward political puppets, lazy beggars and money minded praise singers to powerful politicians at the expense of their subjects, chiefdoms and kingdoms because they lack the gift and grace of wisdom King Solomon possessed and demonstrated.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda said that, “Some people think that being in government for a long time is a bad thing. But, the more you stay, the more you learn. I am now an expert in governance”. If you talk about the Lozi king, The Litunga and Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe, you are talking about African traditional leaders who have attained a lot intelligence ( wisdom) in matters of governance by virtue of running their respective palaces over decades. These are traditional leaders whose political positions have consistently remained the same under different governments and presidents.

These are traditional leaders who have been around for multiple years and have both in-depth wisdom and vast experience in leadership. These are chiefs who have ruled their subjects and people for years and years: their wisdom is in their longer tenure of rulership on the their respective thrones. Hence, they have wisdom by experienced: they present wisdom to the table of life in all or most areas and wisdom is clearly seen in their leadership styles.

3. Courage: It means demonstrating bravery, the ability to do something when others are frightened.

India’s independence hero, Mahatma Gandhi once said: “It’s easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone”. When it comes to the Barotseland issue, The Litunga has demonstrated courage by standing alone in the face of a vicious government and insulting ruling party officials. This is the same position about Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe in terms of convening a meeting with opposition and independent MPs against arrogant ruling party cadres and disrespectful government officials.

When Rwandan President, Paul Kagame was pressured to support homosexuality by foreign donors or Western financiers as well as powerful politicians, he did not show cowardice or blind loyalty. The Rwandan president said: “I am not British, I am not American, I am not French. Whatever thing they practice, that is their business. I am African. I am Rwandese”. How many kings and chiefs can have such courage? This courage is non existent in many palaces across Zambia and Africa today. So, when we find few traditional leaders of such courage, we must applaud them at once.

4. Honest: A leader must be free of deceit by being truthful and sincere in their dealings.

This aspect and attribute is self evident and straightforward. Just like many politicians who lie, over promise and easily cheat for the sake of winning votes, there are also many traditional leaders who manipulative cheat and just lack honest. Especially that power partisan politics as well as dollar commercialism has become rampart in African political and social life, the word honest is merely making sense on paper and never in true reality. From their known stakeholder engagements, both the Litunga and Mwata Kazembe seem to be among few traditional leaders who treasure and practice honest.

5. Integrity: It means being honest with strong moral principles that you refuse to be influenced, changed or compromised anyhow.

In modern politics, the role of traditional leaders in governance has been changing from better to worse due to multiple factors. Key among them is power politics and dollar commercialism that have dominated formal and informal interactions in most palaces ( official homes and offices for chiefs and kings) in many parts of both Zambia and Africa. Hence, many traditional leaders have lost the public test, societal dignity and stakeholder confidence of the word LEADERSHIP.

Zambia’s founding president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda defended Robert Mugabe at his worst and lowest moments when he was out of power and dead. Kaunda said that “People see him as a hero. Not just in Zimbabwe or here in Zambia but across the whole of southern Africa. It’s not good to demonize Robert Mugabe”. Here, Kaunda stood firm to speak good things about Robert Mugabe out of integrity. He did not change or compromise what he said about Mugabe when he was in power or alive. Even in his death, Kaunda still defended him.

This is what leaders of integrity do. They don’t change positions or compromise their positions because of money, incentives or circumstances. Integrity demands that one remains consistent with what they believe and stand for. Today, integrity is missing in many palaces across Africa. Many African traditional leaders engage stakeholders based on one’s current political power and dollar commercialism. Once someone loses political power or financial influence, many African kings or chiefs automatically denounce or just red card them without remorse or shame. It is a sad reality at hand.

This is where The Litunga and Mwata Kazembe seem to be exceptions and above board. We consistently see them inviting and dinning with both politicians from government as well as those from the opposition. Traditional ceremonies for both the Lozi king and Mwata Kazembe are open to welcome and host everyone regardless of their religion, gender, political affiliation or social status. If you attend their fundraising dinners, we see both ruling and opposition politicians laughing and interacting.

6. People Centered: It means a humanistic or humanitarian humane belief motivated by concern with the alleviation of people’s suffering

Once again, we can draw direct inspiration from Dr. Kenneth Kaunda’s words when he was describing Nelson Mandela. “ The great son of the world, Madiba, showed us the way. Whether you are white, black, yellow or brown, you are all God’s children. Come together, work together and God will show you the way”, Kaunda concluded. Here, Kaunda was stressing the importance of treating and leading people with the heart of true human love without any discrimination or prejudice of one’s social class or economic status. Kaunda believed that all people are just equal everywhere.

In like manner, Zambia’s sixth Republican President, Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu once observed that: “we shall try as much as possible to balance your interests against those of our people “ with reference to foreign donors and investors. Here, we see that both Kaunda and Lungu had one common philosophy to life and politics: they were people centered. When a leader is people centered, that leader does not have challenges in showing true love, sympathy, grace and compassion for their people.

This leadership approach is missing in many palaces where the love for their people is the main driving force. Modem Africa is now home to Royal Highnesses-kings and chiefs who are more closer to powerful political prime ministers, presidents, senators, ministers, permanent secretaries, business tycoons , etc because of power politics and dollar commercialism than their own poor subjects and ordinary people. This is where l believe the Litunga and Mwata Kazembe seem so different indeed.

7. Principled: A principled person’s behavior is governed within the moral code of showing recognition to right and wrong actions.

On many occasions, we have seen Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe in Mwansabombwe freely meeting and physically engaging ruling party officials, top civil servants and cabinet ministers. This is routine practice for this Chief. Early February, 2024, Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe of Luapula province changed the posture by voluntarily inviting and openly hosting a consultative meeting at his palace with MPs from opposition PF and independent ones.

As usual, the government opposed this meeting and wanted it stopped. Despite some ruling party leaders and top government officials trying to discourage or block this stakeholders meeting organized by His Royal Highness, Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe went ahead and engaged opposition and independent MPs. Generally, other traditional leaders would have bowed down to power politics or dollar commercialism. This gesture shows high level of principles from Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe and he must be saluted as such. The Litunga has demonstrated it on multiple occasions especially concerning the Barotseland issue.

8. Advocacy: It means showing public support for a particular cause or policy for the benefits of others and not self.

Nelson Mandela is remembered as one of the great human rights advocates of our time. Mandela believed that “If government or the state wants to end racism, it needs to give black people same things it gives to white people in terms of Power, money, funding, jobs, opportunities, good education, good health and respect”. This philosophical approach is what defined and distinguished Nelson Mandela during his entire legal and political life on earth.

Defining and defending the rights of their subjects or people must be one of the topmost advocacy positions for kings and chiefs at all times. From a distance, the Barotseland king, the Litunga as well as Senior chief Mwata Kazembe of Mwansabombwe seem to be running their respective palaces with visible humanity advocacy where rich or poor, top government ministers or opposition politicians, peasant farmers or business tycoons, etc are all welcome and treated the same as their equal subjects and people. This is commendable.

Generally, African Kings and chiefs who do not show support for what is good for everyone are seen from the way the run their palaces. They only embrace and dine with those with power politics and dollar commercialism. These are traditional leaders who are clearly compromised, intentionally segregate and directly show favoritism based on economic status, political affiliation and social class. Very unfortunate and sad indeed.

9. Neutrality: This means the state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict by showing impartiality

From repeated examples, the Litunga and Mwata Kazembe are among the few traditional leaders in Zambia whose palaces are wide open to the rich and poor, to government officials and those from opposition political parties. This is neutral and iconic leadership African needs today from kings and chiefs where all subjects regardless of their political affiliation must feel at home and welcome in the palaces. When a traditional leader becomes partisan in the name of working with the government of the day, they lose neutrality and become socially discriminatory.

Recently, we saw the Kuomboka Ceremony fundraising dinner with top UPND officials, cabinet ministers as well as PF Secretary General and team being welcomed and engaged to freely interact. This takes iconic traditional leadership that is above power partisan politics and dollar commercialism by being neutral. This type of traditional leadership must be commended and respected because modern multiparty politics is highly divisive and chaotic many times.

10. Standard: This is something used as a desirable measure or model in comparative with similar things. For example, you can say that the US Dollar is the standard currency in the world today.

The first indigenous president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah said: “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me”. Being born in the palace does not make you automatically to be a king or chief. A king or Chief is born as such by virtue of royal blood regardless of where birth delivery took place. And a king or chief is such a one regardless of where they go-inside the palace or in the country. A king or chief must speak, walk, behave and live as such. This is called becoming the model or standard of being a king or chief.

In the book of Mathew 7:16-18, Jesus Christ plainly guided that : 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit”. Empirically, and from the way they run their palaces, there is no debate or argument in concluding that the Litunga of Barotseland and Mwata Kazembe of Luapula stand out to be among the few ‘iconic models or standards’ of modern traditional leaders in Africa today.

B. Conclusion

When traditional leaders prioritize personal financial and material benefits, and they prefer only dealing with people who present heavy power politics and money at their palaces and shun if not object to engage with anyone who does not have enough dollars and Kwacha or threaten their access to these material benefits, they lose the status of RICHIPPANS discussed above. Today, there are very few traditional leaders both Zambia and African who are like the Lozi King, The Litunga as well as Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe: these are RICHIPPANS.

Amidst this dilemma and crisis as among we RICHIPPANS among our chiefs and kings today, we must be quick to identify, applaud and celebrate few African traditional leaders who have resisted party power politics and dollar commercialism such as the two in this article. For being role models who have withstood the pressure of betraying their subjects, demean their thrones or denounce who they are for the sake of pleasing powerful elected rulers and business tycoons, we must take identify and celebrate both today and tomorrow.

Dr Chris ZUMANI Zimba is a Political Scientist, Researcher, Author & Consultant specialized in Comparative Global Governance and Democratic Theories. He holds a PhD, MA, BA and Cert in Political Science. Zimba was President Lungu’s Political Advisor from December 2019 to August 2021. By philosophical approach, Dr. Zimba is a Pan Africanist as well as Afro-Christian by religion. See less
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