UKWA RALLIES BEHIND MARGARET CHISULO
By Martha Mpindu
Margaret Chisulo, a ZNBC presenter, has gained support from UKWA after an incident that sparked political controversy. During her English program, Chisulo forbade a caller from using Lozi, even though she allowed callers speaking Nyanga and Bemba to continue, citing her lack of understanding of Lozi.
Apparently, the caller had intended to highlight the perceived unfairness of ZNBC’s policy, which allows unrestricted use of Bemba and Nyanya on an English channel while relegating other languages to indigenous channels.
Chisulo interrupted the caller, even though a panelist was willing to interpret for her. This decision has ignited a fierce debate, with critics arguing that Chisulo should have let the caller express herself in her local language, after which she could have asked her to clarify her statement, in English or request the panelist who exhibited an understanding of Silozi, to interpret.
Conversely, a group led by UKWA has launched a campaign “I stand with Margaret Chisulo”, supporting her decision to bar the caller from expressing herself in her native language, and instead direct her to local channels, justifying the action by her inability to understand the caller.
They contend that the presenter was in order to outrightly stop the local language user, citing her as a nuisance for speaking a ‘strange language’, on a public broadcaster that is forbidden by policy, to discriminate.
Others are comparing her to a female MP who heckled President Hakainde Hichilema during the Parliamentary address. They cite both of them as heroines, emphasizing that Chisulo is courageous by keeping the ZNBC English channel unburdened.
I expected ukwa alliance to do that because in that group in have got architectures of tribalism especially PF criminals legalized tribalism
She is privately sponsored by ukwa. She is a stogie of pf_uka. Her bosses are in this obnoxious ukwa which is den of tribal politics. At ukas so called rally only Bemba was spoken at the expense of English which uniting a language and an international one spoken by the globe. Fire the trabalist.
For me the Margaret Chisulo incident is a welcome development. It’ll make us Zambians have a conversation we have not been having since UNIP days. We’re a mere post-colonial state trying to build a nation on the ashes of other people’s identity as represented by language. It’s so ugly that some languages are dying out even in their own natural habitat. That’s reverse colonialism in case the UNIP government which started it all did not know.
Unnecessary, you are making her feel uncomfortable. Imagine this statement was made during PF regime,if she had said she doesn’t understand Bemba if the caller could use lozi. She would have fired instantly.
So ba UKA should concentrate and on other issues. Leave her alone, jobs are hard to come by if you are fired.
But we are really passive in Zambia.Just a few wrong chaps can change the way we ought to live.We spend time on matterless issues.Mag must be corrected with one short sentence she was wrong she could have allowed any one to use any language and probably advise the caller to shade a bit of light on their submissions.Ralling be hind there is really to UKWA rally behind.
Tha is why this party or pressure group can not register they are naive rigmarole throughout.