Warning to ZNBC’s Margret Chisulo; stop M’membe’s Post’s ‘Bemba national language’ rhetoric – P 1

Warning to ZNBC’s Margret Chisulo; stop M’membe’s Post’s ‘Bemba national language’ rhetoric – P 1

By Austin Mbozi (The Mast)

Dear reader, answer this Grade Seven Special Paper One question: Jose Mourinho is the Special One in soccer coaching; as Austin Mbozi is the Special One in …? Compare your answer with my answer in this article’s last paragraph.

Because ZNBC’s Margret Chisulo ignored my prophetic warning in my book ‘Language Politics in Zambia (2018, pages 52-71), she ended up provoking nation-wide ethnically inclined tensions when she encouraged phone callers using Bemba/Nyanja on an English programme but told off a female Lozi language caller to ‘go to the Lozi language section’.

My book warned Fred M’membe’s Post newspaper of 16 January 2007 against its editorial ‘accept Bemba as a national language’. Comrade M’membe is NOT a tribalist. But this editorial wrongly bullied the Lozi to accept Bemba/Nyanja after their Barotse Royal Established (BRE) banned these languages on the Oblate Radio Liseli based in their province. It described the BRE action as ‘narrow-minded’, ‘irrational’, ‘defies logic’ and [would] ‘chock with frustration and envy’ as this Bemba ‘language of urbanisation’ keeps spreading. Such thinking encourages Margaret Chisulo to admit only ‘national’ Nyanja/Bemba languages.

Yet the ‘narrow-minded’ are the social media Bemba/Nyanja dominance supporters arguing that as a professional presenter Margaret is right to accept only the languages SHE AS AN INDIVIDUAL understands so that she can moderate the discussion properly. Nonsense! What if finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane or information minister Cornelius Mweetwa go on radio facing a Lozi or Tonga-speaking presenter, entertain Lozi/ Tonga language callers but tell Bemba/Nyanja callers to go to local language sections? Will Margaret Chisulo’s narrow-minded supporters like it when a Luvale ZNBC presenter also allows only Luvale callers and stop non-Luvale ones? Some are blaming the Lozi caller for ‘doing ma setting’ (provocative) by deliberately using Lozi even when she spoke English well. Nonsense! Even the Bemba/Nyanja callers know English, that is why they followed the programme and Margaret replied to them in English. ‘Wena mu’ Lozi! Whenever they call in Bemba/Nyanja on English programmes, call in Lozi en masse. Why? Of course to spread Lozi; making them ‘chock with frustration and envy’ instead of you being the ones ‘chocking’ as M’membe’s Post wanted.

They fantasise Bemba being at English level. My book (page 37) publishes a copy of a letter written in Bemba on a government letter–head dated 20 March 2001 by lands minister Abel Chambeshi to home affairs minister Dr Peter Machungwa over land allocation. Yet these Bemba/Nyanja bullies cannot accept it if current lands minister Elijah Muchima writes in Tonga or Lunda on government letter-head to home affairs minister Jack Mwiiimbu.

And ‘imwe’ (you), especially ‘vima’ PF-minded tribalistic empty-heads who are insinuating that my hero Lozi caller was sent by top Lozi/Tonga UPND leadersm, don’t just insult me while hiding behind social media in fear of me; like a puppy barking at the elephant with its tail pulled between its hind legs in fear while passing pre-mature ordure. Come face me on a live TV debate so that I show even your ‘sweat heart’ that your medulla oblongata (brain) is empty on ethnic matters. On tribal matters, my name is Live-Charcoal-Eater. In short, I am ‘Mulombwana-uulya-masizi-mulilo-ulabuulula’.

My book narrates instances of pro-Bemba language bullying. As a UNZA-93 fresher, I was angered when senior student Innocent Kalebwe, organiser of ‘Kojo Comes to Campus’ drama, justified Bemba dominance because ‘UNZA is an elite institution’ which should not be reduced to using ‘these other languages’. Only the courageous likes of Fred Chilukutu (current Zambia Prisons boss) dared to drama-act entertain us in Ila.

Tonga-speaking radicals emerged, confronting such language bullying by printing T/shirts written ‘Tonga Bull, Notulya’. As a UNZASU presidential candidate in 1994, I condemned them as ‘dividing UNZA’. Now with hindsight, I think they boosted Tonga-speaking self-confidence. Mungule village boys like me and Anold Shantunka transformed from being red-trousers-wearing ‘aishas’ who spoke Tonga-accent Nyanja to avoid being detected as villagers. Some transformed into elite, Gary Nkombo-like ‘Tonga Bulls’, proudly speaking Tonga in town. Others hit the gym, becoming bodily giants like Horrace Makala, Joseph Munsanje (Mbabala MP), James Simasiku (rugby player) etc. And Ananniah Siabbamba challenged Bemba ‘rumpenising’ by ‘rumpenising’ in Tonga. (‘Rumpenising’ was the UNZA comedy of getting drunk into late night and shouting mild ‘obscenities’ in ‘UNZA streets’ by bad boy ‘monks’. But why did we enjoy it more when a ‘rumpen’ attacked the lifestyles of dating ‘chongololos’, ‘bungwes’ ‘momas’ and ‘mojos’? Were we just jealous of them?).

PF founder Michael Sata inspired Bemba language bullying. While addressing a rally IN BEMBA instead of Nyanja in Chawama township as MMD SG, Sata lied that the white Zambian chairman of the breakaway FDD Simon Zukas was un-Zambian because he could not speak Bemba (The Post, 30 May 2001); inciting no-votes for leaders without Bemba competence. On 24 May 2005, Sata/his Bemba callers turned the English ‘Let the People Talk’ programme hosted by Kenneth Maduma (Radio Pheonix) into a Bemba one. On 17 August 2005, Sata’s Bemba speaking callers rejected presenter Anthony Mukwita’s (Radio Pheonix ) pleas that they use English. On Sunday 13 June 2006 PF cadres at the Pamodzi Hotel press conference stopped their leaders’ use of English shouting, ‘awe landeni mu Chibemba’ (use only Bemba). On 3 August 2006 (The Post), Sata as opposition leader confronted President Levy Mwanawasa in Bemba. But when Mwanawasa replied in his mother’s Lamba, Sata mocked him, saying ‘mwalanda ne fitudu’ (you are using inferior/sinister languages).

No wonder HH ‘muchaangu’ had to ‘plead for votes’ by learning Bemba while Chiluba and Sata won in non-Bemba-speaking areas without competence in the regional languages.

The author’s answer to this article’s first paragraph’s ‘ka’ simple Grade Seven question is …TRIBAL MATTERS. You mean the whole lot of you did not know that Austin the son of Andrew Mbozi of Shandiongo village is the Special One or tribal matters? Phone: +260-0978741920. Email: austin.mbozi2017@gmail.com