Gawa Undi induna implores Zambians to uphold identity
By Christopher Miti and Moses Kuwema in Katete
Mon 02 Sep. 2013, 14:00 CAT
PARAMOUNT Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi's senior induna Joseph Chikuta Mbewe says Zambians should not lose their identity by copying things. In an interview after the Kulamba traditional ceremony on Saturday, Induna
Chikuta said imitating other people's cultures would not help Zambians. He urged people to attend traditional ceremonies such as the Kulamba so that they could learn their culture.
Induna Chikuta said one of the areas where Zambians had lost their culture was dressing.
"If we lose our identity by copying things, then it will not help us. You can see as of now our women go into the shops to go and shop nakedness. So I feel copying things that you don't know is not good. My appeal is that let's develop these ceremonies," he said.
Induna Chikuta said there was need to boost traditional ceremonies in the country.
He also said original Nyau dancers were now only found in villages.
Induna Chikuta also described the 2013 Kulamba traditional ceremony as a success.
He said traditional ceremonies served as a symbol of unity.
"My last word is not only going to Zambians but to Africans at large who did not attend the ceremony that they have denied themselves our way of life; our ceremonies bring so many people together. We tried it here; it succeeded. We had previously our Zambian President, we had the Mozambican President and we had the Malawian President attending this ceremony the same day. So to us, that was a testimony that the ceremony is a unifying factor," said Induna Chikuta.
This year's ceremony was attended by Vice-President Dr Guy Scott and his Malawian counterpart Khumbo Kachali.
Also in attendance were MMD president Nevers Mumba, UPND vice-president Canisius Banda, among others.
Labels: CHIEFS, CULTURE, KALONGA GAWA UNDI
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Proudly African!
I AM a proud African of Zimbabwean decent. There is something in me that cannot be swept away by the storms of life or pleasures of the world. It is that something that made me walk with my head held high across the borders, even when there was no sugar on the shelves.
What kept me going is the knowledge that my identity is not tied to the challenges that I go through. I believe it is the same thing that made Kunta Kinte, a slave in chains, to categorically state, "I am Kunta Kinte of the Mandingo tribe," in the movie Roots.
It is also that something that made a British war plane pilot, during the Second World War, write "If I die think this only of me, that there is a corner of some foreign field that is forever England."
What he meant was that wherever his remains were to be interred, in the event that the plane was brought down, that place would be England.
I believe that this something is what Delanyo Adadevoh calls a positive self image. What he means is that as Africans we should take pride in who we are.
We are worth much more than the famines, the droughts, the wars and the floods that the Western media focus on.
We are a people known for our warmth, hospitality and have a history of organised traditional leadership and governance structures.
I believe that until and unless we Africans take pride in who we are, and have a shared vision, the development and integration of the continent will remain a pipe dream.
I, however, suppose that the collective positive identity is learned from culture. In simple terms culture is the way of life of a people. It includes their beliefs, norms and values, behavior patterns, language and arts. Culture changes and therefore it is particular to a given time.
It is said that culture provides one with an identity; right perception of self in relation to others; lenses with which we perceive and interpret things; standards by which we use to evaluate life; and conditions the way we prioritise things.
Ali Mazrui observed that Africa has experienced rapid Westernisation in the post-colonial period.
This implies that the basis of our identity as a people has been compromised in the global village where we interact with various cultures and subcultures.
Some of these sub cultures have taken root in the mind such that they form the basis on which we socialise our children and shape their lives and ours.
Let us take for instance the Hollywood culture that is promoted through the movies and television. This popular culture has cut across most barriers common in the traditional African way of life.
Things that were seen as taboo in the traditional context just spring up on the screen as the family sits together to watch TV.
This implies that the myth around some of these sacred issues has been shattered for better or for worse.
In the past, parents used very simple ways of telling children what to do and not do. I remember that we were told that if you sit on the road you would get boils.
They knew that if the child sits on the road he/she risked being run over by a car. As children we held elders in high esteem, we saw them as people of integrity and therefore we obeyed without questioning.
This is not so with the children of today they are living in a world of experimentation and justifications. The education system demands empirical evidence.
What has also made it difficult is that some adults of today are not men and women of their word. Anyway that is the dilemma that we find ourselves in and this I suppose is a topic on its own.
Judging by the success of the movie industry, I can safely say that the Hollywood culture is playing a big role in bringing up children. I say this because the television is seen as a source of entertainment and relaxation.
The television influences fashion, behavioural patterns and conditions the way we see ourselves in relation to others, the way we see things and evaluate whether they are good or bad.
Our indigenous languages are facing extinction as English has become the language spoken in school, business and even in homes.
This means that culture has changed drastically as language carries cultural values and norms. In this regard it is possible that our great great grandchildren will not be African.
When I say African I am not speaking of colour because what makes us Africans is far beneath the skin. It is not tangible, I believe, but can be discerned.
I am not saying all that is African is good. I am aware of the negative practices, beliefs and attitudes such as gender discrimination that have taken us backwards.
I also add my voice and say that all those negative practices done in the name of culture should be discarded.
I am talking about those things that define us as a people such as the values of ubuntu or hunhu.
There is a wealth of indigenous knowledge on natural cures, environmental conservation and management, conflict resolution as well as building and maintaining social relations.
I am sure each one of us can add to this list.
It is those things that were we have a competitive advantage over other Continents and therefore need to focus on and develop a brand.
Unfortunately modernisation has created a gap between traditional and modern systems.
In my opinion the people who spend most of the time in urban areas have no time and patience to learn from the rural folk.
People are just busy bodies.
There are also greater chances of the educated elite also perceiving all these traditional ways as primitive.
This means that we as a people have not gone back to our roots to try and tap into and develop the existing indigenous systems and structures.
As a result they have remained very basic.
It is therefore not surprising that as Africans, as the old adage says, we have thrown away the baby with the bath water.
A positive self-image starts from knowing our true identity starting as individuals and then collectively we can rebrand our communities, our nations and then our Continent. As Africans we therefore need to visit the beliefs that we have about Africa.
The Shona people say "Huru inokudzwa newayo" loosely translated to mean people prop up their own.
This means that it is you and me that should believe in ourselves so that AFRICA can realise its potential.
Egpha Jokomo is an aspiring writer and motivational speaker.
evjokomo@yahoo.com
Labels: CULTURE, IDENTITY
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The stolen souls of Africa
By: Nancy Nyamhunga
Posted: Sunday, May 16, 2010 8:11 am
IN an article titled, African journalists leading the miseducation of our people, my colleague Nancy Lovedale bemoaned the involuntary compassion expressed by African journalists when interviewing white people on their programmes.
She rightly blamed the miseducation of black Africans which is a system that is deliberately designed to deprive a certain group of people, particularly black Africans the knowledge about themselves, their culture and history. It is an ideology that is embedded in the education system that equips black children with ideas that work against them.
God created the human being in different colours, images and way of doing things. We pray in different ways, we express grief and happiness in different ways.
Sadly, slavery, colonialism and the game in town – cultural imperialism, sought to transform an African into, not only the image of a Caucasian, but also the mindset.
The late musical legend Michael Jackson (MHSRIP) was unfairly criticised for his plastic surgery which altered his image from that of a black man to that which resembled a white man. It is all very easy to criticise, but is it not a case of a pot calling a kettle black?
Most Africans, particularly those domiciled in the western world, have devised their own ways of copying with the rejection of their natural image by a largely white society. Why is it that African women resort to the use of long straight weaves? Is it a fashion statement or a sense of wanting to belong? Is it not a rejection of the African image because that very image does not conform to what our minds have been indoctrinated with? Do we not feel “ashamed” to walk in the streets of London, New York with our natural curly hair because it symbolises “backwardness, poverty and lack of civilisation?”
Through miseducation, we have been conditioned to believe that success and modernity can only be expressed through the image of a Caucasian with long flowing hair, and thus the image of an African woman with natural hair, braids or covered hair symbolises failure and incivility.
The tragedy lies in the fact that black African women cannot naturally produce long straight hair, hence a white woman who would rather dump her trash hair in the dustbin, will instead get paid by an insecure black woman who is under pressure to belong, to transform. The black woman stays where the system wants her, a perpetual dependent and consumer of the western market but never a producer.
Add to this the scandalous beauty pegeants,”Miss World etc”, and the whole scam unravels. We are told beauty can be universal but it is judged only by those who recognise it when it comes with long straight hair. The African woman is forced to “borrow” the hair in order to belong. Forget about our beautiful braids, plaits, short curly hair or head dresses, they do not resemble beauty as the world defines it, and we are made to believe.
Yet this is all a strategy to create a market for someone’s unwanted hair and it goes well beyond this market. It strikes right at the heart of the black people; it seeks to permanently separate those who can financially afford to transform their images to “civility” from the villagers in that remote Zimbabwean countryside who brought her up. They can longer be the same people. They see each other differently and with this come up all the perceptions, all which does only one thing – to destroy the community bond.
Unless African governments take radical measures to change their educational systems, its citizenry will continue to be poisoned with ideas that are self-destructive. The idea of the deceptive “free market”, “democracy” must be scrutinised to make sure both are domesticated to conform to African culture.
African Diasporas must also acknowledge that the mainstream education systems in western countries are not fit for the black child. Where I live, the Muslims and Indians long realised this and they have independent schools where their children learn in environments that conforms to their identity and culture.
The Muslim secondary school was on top of the league last year in the entire county, having achieved the best performance at GCSE level. The Indian community’s economic successes are there for everyone to see. They own businesses, dominate the top corporate levers of both private and public sectors and there is also the Bank of India and the Islamic Bank.
Black children performed the least at GSCE, and one is tempted to think that if the parents can be “forced” to transform their images, surely the little black minds must be under enormous pressure, bullying because they look different and therefore their focus is diverted from learning to that of devising ways of coping with the rejection.
India and China Diasporas import their culture and products to the western world, but the African, instead of finding ways of mixing those delicious African herbs and come up with a unique African sauce to sell to the western market, we dwell on how to transform our images.
I have two Black Zimbabwean “friends”, both professionals domiciled in the west who categorically declare that they will never date a black man, let alone a Zimbabwean man. The irony is that they both have off springs by guess who – black Zimbabwean men from previous relationships ( This must not be interpreted as giving ammunition to male chauvinists, whom I hate with a passion), but just to demonstrate how African souls get lost under the powerful ideology of miseducating the African mind.
____________________
Nancy Nyamhunga writes from Leicester, United Kingdom
Labels: AFROCENTRISM, CULTURE, EDUCATION, NANCY NYAMHUNGA
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Jubilee Zambia bemoans rising “indecent dressing in Zambia”
Thursday, July 9, 2009, 17:09
Jubilee Zambia has bemoaned the rate at which indecent dressing is becoming common-place in society.
Jubilee Zambia member Ray Mwape told Zanis in Ndola today how demoralizing and pathetic today’s dressing is.
He said the younger generation need a dress code to promote decent dressing, especially among women.
He said churches should play a leading role in bringing about positive change in how human beings should dress in society, adding that provocative dressing has not spared some of the older people.
Mr. Mwape said the indecent exposure of certain body parts on women does not set a good example to youths, because women are generally regarded as mothers of the human race.
He called on the church to do more, through its various programmes, in promoting decent dressing among women and the younger generation.
He also advised the electronic and print media to avoid displaying indecent adverts which send wrong messages to the public in a bid to make huge profits.
He said Jubilee Zambia wanted to promote a society where there was fairness, justice and respect for human rights.
ZANIS
Labels: CULTURE, JUBILEE ZAMBIA
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'African societies are supportive of corruption'
By Mutale Kapekele in Livingstone
Sunday July 20, 2008 [04:00]
AFRICAN societies are supportive of corruption, deputy speaker of the Uganda Parliament Rosemary Nansubuga has said. And Nansubuga said African governments should domesticate international conventions on corruption to effectively fight graft across the continent. Presenting a paper on the role of African governments in combating corruption as a factor hindering economic advancement at the just-ended CPA Africa region conference, Nansubuga said as long as societies tolerated corruption, it would be difficult to fight the vice.
"The major challenge is that African societies have supportive attitude towards corruption, for instance, they glorify the rich in society, irrespective of how they acquired their riches," she said.
"Corruption is also more of supply and not demand driven; public officials do not necessarily demand bribes, but members of the public frequently offer bribes in exchange for quicker services and other favours."
Nansubuga said only when society stops tolerating corruption will the vice be effectively fought.
And Nansubuga said the United Nations and the African Union conventions were important protocols in fighting corruption in Africa.
"Uganda is a signatory to both these conventions and an effort is being made to incorporate them into domestic legislation; a case point is the anti-corruption bill of 2008," Nansubuga said. "This bill seeks to introduce new corruption offences such as influence peddling, conflict of interest, sectarianism and nepotism. These new salient offences had previously not been treated as corruption cases in Uganda and many other African countries."
She said reform against corruption should begin with a demonstration of political will and publicly supported leadership for the rule of law and against impunity.
"To give the anti-corruption drive political visibility, a Cabinet portfolio of ministry of ethics and integrity was created in Uganda and placed under the Office of the President," Nansubuga said. "…In addition, the leadership code has been introduced which requires that all public officials should regularly declare their assets and liabilities."
She said parliaments in Africa, through their legislative, oversight and representation mandates should create the enabling legislative framework for fighting corruption.
"Parliamentary accountability committees have become a major characteristic of African parliaments," she said. "However, most African parliaments face serious capacity gaps, especially in relation to oversight mandate. Also, lawmakers themselves are not above corruption. Legislators also have a role to play in introducing new and relevant legislation against corruption; they need to know the current limitations of the strategies against corruption."
Nansubuga also said the media and civil society were key players in articulating the "demand-side" of controlling corruption.
Labels: CORRUPTION, CULTURE, UGANDA
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Appreciating our cultures, civilizations
By Editor
Friday October 12, 2007 [04:00]
We agree with Nigerian actor Nkem Owoh's observation that we Africans do not seem to appreciate our own culture and civilisation. And it is true that many of us, Africans, are failing to appreciate our own cultural products because we are on a daily basis bombarded with Western cultural products and we have therefore become - to a large extent - dupes of Western culture and values.
But there are reasons for this state of affairs and it largely borders on the question of the political-economy of the entire media and/or film industry.
The truth of the matter today is that our continent is exposed to a bombardment of Western produced cultural products, whether it is news or entertainment.
As Owoh has put it, the African continent is being flooded by foreign products because the Western media or film industry is predominant. We must hasten to say that we are totally opposed to xenophobia but at the same time, we will not accept any form of imperialism.
Much as we should be ready to accept cultural diversity, that should not be done only to the benefit of one particular culture or one particular civilisation at the expense of other cultures or civilisations of the world. And we agree with Owoh when he says:
"We have to begin to appreciate the value of our own culture and civilisation. The Western civilisation has had strong influence on Africans and because of that, you find African investors are being turned down in preference of Western investors. This is because of the perception that we have of recognising people from the Western world as more civilised than us. But we are also civilised in our own way."
Although some people may wish to argue otherwise, the truth is that the global spread of multinational media conglomerates is intimately linked to imperialist histories. And there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to the effect that the flow of cultural products, primary information and entertainment, is in a one-way format. And that flow is largely from the West, especially from the United States, to the rest of the world.
By this manner of flow of information and entertainment, what is left to suffer is the traditional and indigenous local cultures which are not only diluted but basically eroded or even destroyed and what is created are new forms of cultural dependence which are shaped in a manner resembling older imperialist relations of powers. And this is what we mean when we say that the spread of the global media is closely connected to imperialist histories.
As a result of allowing ourselves too much consumption of Western-generated cultural products, we will find that our original and authentic traditions and cultural heritage are being tainted by values imposed from outside by the spread of the Western global media.
But as we have already said, the present state of affairs, where the Third World is consuming more of Western cultural products is primarily the result of the predominance of Western media conglomerate in the industry.
It is all about economics, about who has the means or muscle to produce what, when, where, for who and how. We have to begin to understand that the cultural industry is a significant player in the economics of developed economies such as the United States and these countries take the industry very seriously, not only for cultural purposes but also for the economic value that it adds to their countries.
It is partly because of this reason that some European countries, for instance, have come up with regulations and measures which are aimed at limiting or restricting the flow of United States-generated cultural products into their markets. They are doing this not only to protect local cultures but also to safeguard the local cultural industry and therefore the local economy.
So what we see in most African countries where the distribution of Western-produced cultural products in our countries is almost entirely left in the hands of overseas companies or conglomerates should be seriously checked.
If this is not checked and corrected, we will find that even when we have our own local products of high market value, they may not find themselves on the market because the distributors - such as pay television channels - are from outside our countries and they will always have their own special interests. It may be true that as Africans we may not have the kind of resources - financial or technological - required to produce highly marketable cultural products as compared to those from, for instance, Hollywood.
However, it is also true that as long as highly marketable Western produced movies or films continue to find themselves cheaply and easily in African markets, our cultural industries will continue to lag and remain undeveloped, yet both the Indian movie industry (Bollywood) and the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) have demonstrated that it is actually possible for local cultural products to attract the attention of local and international audiences as long as the right things are in place.
In order to make progress in this area, we have to start creating space for our own cultures and civilisations and that can start by first appreciating them and also by ensuring that we create and develop our own resources and try to take advantage of the modern technological advances in order to improve our ways of life, our cultures and our civilisation.
We have to accept the reality that African culture and civilisation has its own roots, wisdom, philosophy, insights and values that largely inform our lives.
And we need to preserve all these not only for sentimental purposes but also because when professionally packaged in the form of cultural products, they have the potential to contribute significantly to our economies and our livelihoods.
We need to safeguard our cultures because essentially we are all products of our own culture. Indeed, culture beats and moulds each one of us into a particular shape. It cannot be doubted that it is culture which makes us think, speak or behave in a particular manner.
Basically, culture defines who we are and we have a duty to protect that which defines us, that which is about our identity, about who we are.
Labels: CULTURE
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Appreciate own cultural values, urges 'Ukwa'
By Joseph Mwenda
Friday October 12, 2007 [04:00]
RENOWNED Nigerian actor Nkem Owoh popularly known as Ukwa has urged Africans to begin appreciating the value of their own culture and civilisation. Speaking when he addressed trainee journalists at Post newspapers offices yesterday, Ukwa said Africans were, however, not to blame for not appreciating their indigenous traditional values and culture.
He said Africans did not appreciate their cultural values as much as they recognised the Western norms because the young generation was being introduced to the Western world at a tender age.
Ukwa said much as it was wrong for Africans to prefer Western cultural products, it was not justifiable to entirely put the blame on them because the continent was being flooded by foreign products.
“We have to begin to appreciate the value of our own culture and civilisation. The Western civilisation has had strong influence on Africans and because of that, you find African investors are being turned down in preference of Western investors. This is because of the perception that we have of recognising people from the western world as more civilised than us. But we are also civilised in our own way,” Ukwa said.
He urged Zambians to exercise courage and zeal when promoting local products including art and music. He gave an example of one of his popular movies, Osuofia in London, which he said exposed the African culture to the Western world.
“That movie brought the Western world to the realisation that we also have our own culture and we are civilised in our own way,” said Ukwa.
He also wondered why most African hotels did not recognise African foods when they offered services to Africans.
Ukwa also advised youths in Africa to guard their lives against the HIV and AIDS pandemic. He, however, expressed concern that statistics on HIV infection rates in Africa were being exaggerated by the Western world.
Ukwa is in the country for a series of performances in Lusaka and the Copperbelt. He arrived on Wednesday.
Labels: CULTURE
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