NORSE FOLKLORE? MAYBE NOT QUITE!

By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama

I must hasten to apologise for seemingly misleading you with the above heading which has perhaps made you look forward to tales of the epic Viking conquests of Thor and his father Odin or some other legends from the fiords of Scandinavia. You must understand that this was of course by design as I sought to throw off the state blood hounds who might be hot on me tail because of the candid approach I have to issues. I am being paranoid you say? Just sit and wait as i do not intend to pull any punches here, there is way too much to lose so someone has to speak out. I know it is a cliché but i strongly hold that if you cannot stand for something then you will most definitely fall for anything .In time, you will, I hope realise that this piece is more closer to home than previously thought.



We are seeing the first signs or shall we call them symptoms of state implosion on the Zambian political landscape. The current foul-ups, bleeps and blunders in appointments of sensitive office holders with doubtful credentials and their eventual revocations have the potential of threatening national security as we know it. In a very sinister way there is slowly a gathering of astute carrion feeders to ready themselves for what Sting(Gordon Michael Sumner) in his Rock ballad called an imminent ‘feast of the crows!’ In evolutionary zoology there are animals endowed with a rare perceptive sense which enables them survive in the wild by shrewdly sourcing their food in times of extreme starvation. They, unlike others would observe an ailing animal and thus stick by its side or stalk it until it yields to its affliction and they descend on it to have their fill. So far, vultures are the best at this skill and have turned it into an art form! The father of scientific nomenclature, the Swede Linnaeus may have to be called upon to coin a befitting genus and species for human politicians who do this. I propose Homo Politicos Vulturis Hominidae spp. to the Scientific American or any other periodical for consideration. It takes an extremely keen perceptive ability to pick these out.



Am currently listening to some hard hitting Gothic Heavy metal Rock music playing the Pee (Which is the Uric Acid rich Nitrogenous Liquid matter) Eff (Euphemism for a natural bodily physiological function of procreative belly poking!)Manifesto backwards! Yes the lyrics of the song are actually sung or played backwards. You may think it crazy but it is really creatively cool, you should try it sometime. This to those who are even in the slightest familiar with the music genre that is Rock will particularly appreciate what this means and how much of an apt allegory it is when applied to the current administration’s political manoeuvres. Let me see, Windfall Tax no go area now, allergic to corruption? Let me just say it depends on how rich ones vocabulary is to understand what allergy really means to them or what the regime has opted to be its real meaning! The country is running on a constitution which is not adequately equipped to address the concerns of the citizens as has been seen from the many submissions which have been made during costly constitutional review commissions. This, therefore, means that technically we are running on a clinically ailing constitution. The powers of the president may need to be re-looked at as a matter of great urgency. Protecting lowly paid workers against Chinese greed (are you kidding yourself?). Well, at least some workers received a rise in their pecks you say? I do not know whether it is just me or there is an aura of fear that is slowly gripping the citizens in fear of state machinery in UNIPIST fashion.(What else do you expect, BUCHIZYA MUTEPA KAUNDA is the right hand man of the man running the show. This is not because you are doing wrong but there is a growing morbid fear of structures of government which has the potential of stifling free thinking and freedom of expression and thus taking the country ages back in intellectual development. The setting up of careless commissions of inquiry on very straight forward matters at such an astronomical cost to the country is yet another feature of grave concern. Alas, after what’s his name struggled through the budget speech we now find that more money has sadly only ended up in some people’s pockets not everyone’s contrary to the expectations of many. Can someone please explain what is with the government’s obsession with the numerical number 90? In 90 days this, in 90 days that, they have just exposed themselves for their total lack of appreciation of the complexity of some of these tasks they rather naively thought they could achieve in such a short space of time.


The Inquiry into the January 14 Mungu Killings which the inept conveners called ‘Inquiry into the Barotseland Agreement 1964’ is another such example. This was a blatant misnomer of the exercise or commission they called to elicit views from the citizens of Barotseland on the events of that Bloody Friday. It made the most competent senior citizens of Barotseland show up on the day of the submissions fully clad in their traditional regalia almost sounding the inaudible war drums as they carried burning blood of anger in their veins you could actually sense it in their stride. And true to the heading and advertisements in the media they gave the Zambian government a piece of their mind on the matter. It was a clarion call and unity of purpose in typical biblical fashion that the length and breadth of the soil of Barotseland equivocally stated ‘LET MY PEOPLE GO!’ The reason this is a waste of time and money is that some of us already can see where this exercise is headed. They intend to eventually find a few trigger happy unfortunate policemen who were merely following orders, guilty of using disproportionate force and they will be paraded and will effectively lose their jobs in a shameful display of a legitimatisation façade of rectitude. The victims will be minimally compensated and with this they hope the issue will be buried and Barotseland will forget what happened. A small lesson they need to learn and appreciate by internalising is that we are from the Elephant Clan and as such WE NEVER EVER FORGET (There are things we choose never to forget). We have and forever will hold the Zambian Government solely responsible for killing our brothers and sisters. The real perpetrators of those killings are the ‘top vegetables’ in Lusaka as they are guilty of culpable homicide. They are the ones who unleashed and ordered the police to go to the heart of Barotseland in Mungu without any clear rules of engagement but with specific instructions to maim and kill.



As for where I generally see this country going, all I can say is that overall, this country should seriously concern itself with where its political parties get their campaign funds. We do not want them to compromise national integrity by making all the citizens dance to the tune of these funding entities. Remember ‘He who pays the piper calls the tune’ or something to that effect. Look, out of the many trillions of kwacha that are pronounced as budgetary allocations, you are told that something like 25% would be locally funded by over taxing the underpaid poor workers and struggling SME business people crossing the borders while the multi-million dollar earning mining companies are given rebates and tax waivers. What people should seriously look into is where the 75% budget financing comes from and what this implies to the nation and its ability to stand up to the demands of the funding entities. Do you honestly think the Chinese will be under any real pressure to implement better working conditions now after the strangle hold they have now on the politics and economy of your country? Zambia was fooling itself when it begun toying around with the idea of doing away with the Chinese. The Red Army matches on and the whole world, yes, including America are paying attention and they continue to look east for their financial and economic redemption.



Am really feeling for the people whose hopes have been all but nearly shuttered on account of what is unfolding right before their very eyes. They have begun an introspective assessment of their earlier decisions as to whether or not their universal suffrage was correctly employed. I perfectly understand their dejection because in sociology what we have come to accept is this that, “When the banner is unfurled, all reason is in the trumpet.” Hence during the ballot people went in droves to vote out a rotten regime in preference for whichever party regardless of the consequences because what they had before in the so-called leaders was way below par. They had hit rock bottom in standards of national stewardship. The quality of national office bearers had so plummeted that they even started digging the bedrock of poor governance. This is particularly and deeply affecting the citizens of Barotseland who because of the immense anger they felt for a murderous Zambian government administration ended up displaying a voting pattern or character not exactly in keeping with their known cultural vows. This has made them sadly party to all the mediocrity we are now noticing. One just has to feel for them because now they find themselves on the outer fringes of political ostracism or banishment by a regime they tried hard to help bring into office. When it comes to Barotseland Agreement 1964 and its resolution by this regime, it is something I will not hold my breath for or see come to fruition because of Kaunda’s closeness to this administration. It chills my spine every time I see him walking hand in hand with the Zambian president and obviously giving ‘valuable’ advice on how to run the country and solve certain contentious issues. You had no way of knowing this is the way things would eventually pan out even amidst so many warnings from people with a rare gift of premonition! So, now that your euphoric political bubble has effectively burst and the cookie as we say in the business, has crumbled, where are you to look for your shattered hopes and dreams or are you still under the spell of Morpheus to discern the full implications of what is happening?



I do know that my message will not be received well by the DONCHI KUBEBA diehards who display what my most erudite almost-friend so wittily described as ‘KOPALA SWAGGER’. She did not exactly give me her expressed permission to use her words nearly verbatim and hope she has a medical condition of a big heart to forgive me. She called it a new word for the Urban Dictionary 'Kopala Swagga' - Definition; That intangible, indescribable, something, something, that all those born pa copperbelt innately possess. A charismatic, confident air that cannot be faked by those who were not born there (even though they try very, very hard to imitate) it separates us from the rest distinguishes us from the rest and places us waaaaaaay above them too!! So that is what it was, you see I had the misfortune of being born and raised on the copperbelt meself but growing up I did not quite understand what made all those uncouth, Impudent people around me behave the way they did. I most sincerely thank you for enriching my vocabulary so.



Let us face it though, these be my honest feelings. The truth of the matter is these people (government) needed to have hit the ground running but somehow they seem to be dawdling through the issues that really matter. From the look of things they seem to have been overwhelmed by the scale of what it entails to run a modern day country. My advice to them is that they need to carry out regular reality checks on themselves, wake up and smell the cappuccino, the game is on! This country needs to wake up now rather than later. You have to monitor the goings on this administration especially on matters that border on constitutionality for failure to do this will result into a creation of Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s despotic monster you may be ill-equipped to control!


NAMAKANDO NALIKANDO-SINYAMA
Barotse Patriot
Barotseland, Central Africa
“I tell you a truth, liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under a slavish bond.” – Sir William Wallace’s Uncle

BRITAIN THREATENS TO CUT AID FROM AFRICAN COUNTRIES THAT DON’T RECOGNISE GAY RIGHTS.

By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama
By using what we in the business call The Third Eye, you will be able to notice what other ordinary mortals cannot see. When you use higher consciousness you will observe that British Premier David Cameron, while speaking at the end of a Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Perth, Western Australia where the above pre-conditions to Aid were pronounced, displayed an Occult hand symbol which I find rather curious. (Both arms stretched forward with open palms). It is called the "Sign of Admiration and Astonishment". As my mother would often say, I can bet my white Barotse teeth he knew very well just what he was communicating.These people are not stupid! This symbol is very common in the occult circles.In Catholicism (most Popes use it with an occasional bow of the head, here it passes as a ‘sign of praise’) and in Egyptology hieroglyphic depiction of the ancients as well. These hand signs are used for identification purposes to know who is who in many secret ancient Orders like Free Masonry. This might give you a hint as to what exactly was at play there except I may not be cleared to go into it right now. Well,for now, let me just say, it is way above my pay grade! From the outset, I need the reader to know that am not in any way effeminate, pouffe, butty, fag, pinky, pansy,queer, fairy or call it what you may. I am actually very linear thank you very much! Or not even what my good friend George now likes to call Bi-Curious! This early disclosure i have made is crucial in helping you conquer any of your internalised socially imposed prejudices which would effectively cloud your reasoning faculties if at all they even exist. The result of the absence of which would almost inevitably cause you to miss my point of view and seek to either lynch me or categorise me into a pigeon hole of social bigotry. I do implore you to hear me out here. I am merely an ardent student of Practical Reasoning and Logical Thought and I wish African universities could be offering this course as well. What i really find repulsively ignorant before we completely demonise Cameron and commit the western world to the dust bin of immorality, is how some people stoop so low as to use the bible to condemn other people to death or plainly criminalise them using this book as justification. There is a certain degree of rationality here which am not in the least ashamed to admit that I seem to agree with. Why should sexual deviancy or orientation be singled out as the only strong enough basis to ostracise a specific class of people? What if the one you choose to discuss this matter with is not even Christian or religious at all, then what? Are you going to shove your standard of morality on someone from another faith or different religious persuasion or an atheist using this book as a basis for reasoning?


\ Let me now get to the crux of the matter here, yes, am taking off the gloves now! Let us slag it out with bare intellectual knuckles with those who please. What i would really like to know is this, and forgive me for being a bit crude here. I may not exactly boast of having a PhD under me belt from some prestigious university in Human Anatomy and Physiology hence my curiosity should be understood in context. What is the main difference between the Male anal orifice sphincter and the female anal orifice sphincter? My reason for asking this is that most of these people who are vehemently opposed to gay sex have no qualms whatsoever with having penetrative anal sex with a female or watching this done in some sleazy scope .


Why should people use sexual preference as a basis for judging and hating a group of people? Do humans realise that in a relationship of any form there is a whole lot more involved other than just poking your mate back and forth with a body protuberant using whichever portal? What about a lesbian relationship, where there are no visible body appendages or features to portend the practicality of penetrative sex? Is the bible explicit on the use of hands and other imaginative ways of offering your mate the highest level of sensual pleasure or gratification? Or was the bible a bit behind the times on that one? Did it anticipate the advent of sex tools like vibrators or dildoes or did we as humans deal it an unexpected double whammy through our innovativeness? Yes,i know we threw it a curve ball there. Is kissing also totally and utterly criminalised in this book? What is better, a faithful and loving gay couple or an abusive and unfaithful heterosexual couple? Do we also not have our own shortcomings maybe not even known to the public? Why then should we magnify those of other people? What if one of your children or siblings ended up being different this way, what then? Would you stone them to death in biblical fashion? This to me is a classic case of first removing the Log in your own eye before you reach out for the speck or straw in your friend’s eye!

I have a lot of my friends who are proud Homophobes and are intolerant religious bigots and as such may find my views on this subject shocking and utterly unacceptable. But then I hold and strongly so that, “I hate being agreed with in most matters, It makes me a stunted intellectual pigmy because it dangerously suppresses my wit.”- Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama. Some of us have long resolved never to perpetually live under the self-imposed slavish shackles of religious dogma. Humanity has continued to face some of the most scary signs of Christian fundamentalism playing out and am afraid it will not end here, let us watch this space.

So, can we have some really smart answers to my biology/Human Anatomy questions i asked above trickling in and fast because folks we do not have all day.I am ready for a cra sh 101 Medical School revision class on the differences of the human body between the sexes. This exam is not open ended we need to make progress here and fast....

Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama
Barotse Patriot
Barotseland, Central Africa
“I tell you a Truth, Liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under a Slavish bond.” – Sir William Wallace’s Uncle

UGANDA’S MAKERERE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SUCCESSFULLY ROAD TESTS FIRST OWN MADE ELECTRIC CAR

http://tumfweko.com/2011/11/02/ugandas-makerere-university-students-successfully-road-tests-first-own-made-electric-car/#comments
By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama

This is my version of the truth whichever way we choose to look at it, and i do well know that truth has a piercing sensation to the ear, so am ready for any stick. Zambia has continued to churn out half-baked or sub-standard graduates, period. The excuse of not having enough funding to academic institutions may not really hold anymore. The other hype we get of Zambian doctors or graduates in general performing well, no, actually the word doing the rounds is ‘Wonders’ in their tour of duty outside the country as expatriates is am afraid, after the checks i have done, is more myth than anything. It pretty much exists only as a mere figment of the imaginations of whoever chooses to utter such unfounded balderdash. The cornerstone of any emerging nation which wants to feed off its educational system or its production of intellectual elites ultimately needs to have a strong research oriented approach to development. This had been my personal conclusion while working as an under-graduate student at The Institute of Consultancy Applied Research And Extension Studies) ICARES, Copperbelt University. This country’s research structures are pretty much non-existent. What? Mount Makulu Research station or the clique at NCSR (National Council for Scientific Research) busy looking into maize and cassava varieties, UNZA re-producing brick making machines or welding treadle irrigation pumps for farmers ! Ooh please move over!


P.S To Brother John Bravo’s comment in the string on the above subject, ‘thats wat happens if u have good education infrastructure and equipments.’ Does seem to me like an excuse from a former graduate student trying hard to justify why they can never emulate their Ugandan counterparts in making technological milestones such as Kiira EV. I have however not quite gotten to fully analyse what we may humbly term as a regional milestone, well,at least by African standards. Did these students merely assemble this ka proto-type in Livingstone motor assemblers fashion or they actually initiated it following all the stages of Research and Search Development? Did they perform all the necessary material physical and chemical tests for the body of the car and all its parts? Did they subject the car to stringent aerodynamic tests? Was fuel conversion ratios and the suitability of the unit for typical average African terrain and road surface looked into? Looking at its surface clearance it does look better suited for the streets of down-town Tokyo that for the roads of the average street in Kampala. Let me not take away anything from their achievement.


Here is another scenario, all those that enjoy watching dazzling footballing skills either from The EPL or Spanish La Liga will attest to the high level entertainment we are subjected to. Are we honestly still going to hold and maintain that that brilliant interchange of passes mid turf and the quality of the final execution or the conversion of goals can never happen among Zambian players because of poor football infra-structure? This is exactly where I begin to develop a brain tumour as with my limited thinking capacity I totally fail to see why that would have anything to do with it. Here is an experiment we may choose to try. Let us say for arguments sake that we uproot these Zambian strikers and take them to the best stadia in the world, how long would it take them to play the kind of football we see from foreign players?


We are all too familiar with situations when water utility companies in a baffling show of ineptitude, you live very near a river system but your taps in the houses have run dry for days. The never ending annoying situation of power outages should not be allowed because in a country that has been producing electrical engineers surely they would have managed to get to the bottom of whatever it is that causes people who pay electricity bills at such high tariffs should be further inconvenienced in that fashion. These companies ought to have qualified electrical engineers to advise them on the correct power ratings for these components that keep blowing up. Their management should know about contingency measures when there are unforeseen occurrences such as these so that their clients receive uninterrupted supply of water.

And finally on a rather small matter Ku Bo John Bravo above, kindly know that the word equipment is never pluralised as equipments anywhere in the world, am only saying do not lynch me dah!!

GRZ ATTORNEY GENERAL RECEIVED BAROTSELAND DECLARATION.

The Attorney-General
Ministry of Legal Affairs
P.O. Box 50106 LUSAKA
Your Honour,

EMANCIPATION OF BAROTSELAND

It is beyond any doubt that our relationship (with Zambia) was intended to be based on the Barotseland Agreement 1964, but it has been rejected by the Zambian government.

Considering that it was the Attorney-General, who had asked the Zambian Parliament to abrogate the Barotseland Agreement 1964, (ref GRZ Gazette No. 513 of Friday, 29th August 1969) we, the People of Barotseland, and indeed Patriots and Nationalists of Barotseland have undertaken to write to you, with a view of enabling your government to put on record, that as people belonging to a nation that has been unjustly plunged into black colonialism by artifice, after due consideration ,and consultations among ourselves, we now wish to give vent to our feelings at this point in time, and would like to strongly . and categorically state that we are longing for our total political, economic and social independence, true identity and real nationhood.

Looking at Barotseland from a broader spectrum, namely, biblically, rationally, politically, culturally, economically and legally, we note that Barotseland was destined to be ruled by her own people and not to be occupied illegally by Zambia as a new found land without people.
Really, there is no rational or justifiable reason for the subjugation of Barotseland by Zambia. Occupation and colonisation of one country by another is outdated, unworkable and totally unacceptable in this age, era and time.

A. DETAILS (MUNIMENTS)

i) For those who believe in Christianity and uphold Christian values by proclamation or declaration should read their New Testament, Acts 17 verses 26 -, “God made all nations of men, and has determined the boundaries of their territories.” Deuteronomy 27 verse 17 -, “Cursed is {he one who moves hisneighbour’s landmark.” Deuteronomy 28 verse 49-, “The Lord will bring a nation against you from the end of the earth as swift as an eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand ” (Note: eagle- Zambian Flag).

ii) Foreign Office, London instructions to Coryndon No. 184 of 1st May 1897 acknowledges Barotse as a nation…

iii) Esq. Youe, the Nigerian Political Analyst, in his book, “Politics of Collaboration” 1810 – 1914 states that Barotseland emerged in the 20th Century with more sovereignty than any other groups in the sub-continent, what he called Barotse Social Order.

Esq. Youe rightly described Barotseland as an empire (Journal of Empirial and Commonwealth History). iv) Both the pre-colonial and colonial era speak volumes about the Sovereignty of Barotse Inter alia: the Secretary of State for Colonies, Sir P.Cunliffe Lister wrote in December 1931 as follows: – “…..the intention of the Agreement of 1900 must be kept clearly in view. There can be no doubt that the essence of this Agreement was that the Barotse Nation should preserve their individuality, their territory and their self-government…. ”

B. INTEGRATION

1. To claim that Barotseland merged with Zambia in 1964 is to exhibit one’s folly as a result of failing to understand what really, happened. Barotseland entered into Agreement in 1964 to secure her autonomy side by’ side with the Zambian government. The Northern Rhodesia Independence Conference Report of 1964 reads in part as: – .

2. “The conference held 14 plenary meetings between 5th May and 19th May, under Deputy Chairmanship of Mr. Richard Hornby MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and Colonies and decided on a number of Provisions to be included in the Independence
Constitution (Annex B) …..”

3. At a final session, the Secretary of State noted that it was the general wish in Northern Rhodesia that on attaining independence, the new state should be a member of the Commonwealth…. ”

4. The Secretary of State in conclusion informed the conference, that “having regard to the settlement of constitutional matters reached at the conference and to the separate Agreement reached outside the, conference between Northern Rhodesia Government and the Litunga of Barotseland, on the future position of Barotseland within Northern Rhodesia, the British government had decided that Northern Rhodesia under the name of the Republic of Zambia should become independent on 24th October1964.



NB: The Separate Agreement outside the constitutional conference determined the future position of Barotseland.

C. OBSERVATION

i) The British, granted independence to Northern Rhodesia not to Barotseland.
ii) What became Zambia was Northern Rhodesia.

We do not accept the misleading interpretation that future position of Barotseland within Zambia alluded to unitarism.
The Barotseland Agreement 1964 just intended to preserve Barotse autonomy, but if the interpretation of the Barotseland Agreement is that it made Barotseland part of Zambia, then it is essential to realize that the same Agreement did not enter into force, the legal axiom is that the Agreement that has not entered into force is not legally binding; besides, its abrogation means rejection of Barotseland and the corollary of abrogation is Barotseland independence. ‘

Zambia’s geo-political context and social-cultural context are evident enough to prove illegal occupation of Barotseland by Zambia. At his press conference on 26 August, 1969 Dr.Kaunda, deeply entrenched in power as President of Zambia declared: “…. We cannot have a nation within a nation. Barotseland is to become Western Province.” Dr.Kaunda was absolutely right. Indeed no two nations could make one nation, but falling short of common sense, he allowed his Parliament to regulate against Barotseland instead of letting Barotseland go to establish its nation as he had rightly observed.

D. CONCLUSION

The Zambian government inherited the obligations of the Queen of Great Britain over Barotseland at Northern Rhodesia’s independence, and it still does so today. Inheriting the Queens obligations by Zambia makes Barotseland a de facto Protectorate or a colony of an African stat hence, the need for decolonisation.
Having turned back 180O out of phase with the Zambian views, we are standing at the threshold of Zambia’s establishment and have now begun the process of Barotseland’s independence from Zambia.

What is enigmatic, puzzling and baffling is Barotseland’s forced assimilation into Zambia. Administering our territory by force, coercion or artifice is not synonymous with unification. The Barotse people and Barotseland itself, have no wish to be colonised perpetually by a fellow African nation.
We, the people of Barotseland, wish to make and implement our collective desire to take care of the political, economic, cultural and traditional issues of our country.

This can only come about when we form government.
We remain yours,

The citizens of Barotseland,

Ilukena Mukubesa
Saeli Mwiya
Samuel Kalimukwa
Anakoka Mufungulwa
Mushabati Mwananyambe
Siyunda Mwangala
Mombotwa Afumba
Nayoto Lyamba

CC.
The Ngambela of Barotseland, Mongu-Lealui
United Nations, New York
UK Government, London
SADC
AU
Embassies, Lusaka Commonwealth
Amnesty International, London

source: http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/?p=12728

DEAR BAROTSELAND, DO YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND HOW TO ACHIEVE IT?

By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama 

 I do most sincerely applaud the initiative by Bo Kalaluka Mubiana for creating a Lozi Group on the Face Book social networking site. This is where we have continued to interact as a people of like Mind , Spirit and shared cultural norms and origin. However, it is my considered opinion that, if there are some Barotses who have recognised the urgency of the moment in as far as Barotseland’s current state of being and its future development is concerned, then they may agree with me that,  we ought to create a separate forum where we strictly discuss these matters in greater detail. Ladies and gentlemen, do you realise and sense that we are about ‘To Cross The Rubicon’? A situation on most ofthese social Media sites where a critical matter is raised and someone else responds in a rather jocular manner about some totally unrelated topic consequently diluting the importance of an earlier subject is worrying. This is drawing us back somewhat and making us seem to have no genuine focus at all. If we want to recount our social escapades and other light subjects, these may be committed to a designated forum or blog. The challenge maybe that, there are equally vital subjects like language and culture which can be discussed in a very light, calm manner without necessarily requiring serious faces. However, when there is ‘solid food’ ,that is, matters of greater import and urgency for serious and focussed grown women and men, then these topics need to be accorded the seriousness they warrant. What I will say, with a heavy heart is this that, I have realised that when it comes to the issue of Barotseland and its eventual future vis-à-vis its relations with Zambia , we are as a people are strongly and intrinsically polarised between two options which will ultimately chart the way forward for our beloved Nation of Barotseland. The reality on the ground is such that, the divided collective national psyche has resulted in the absence of a true sense of Espirit de corps as we seek to move forward. It is our individual responsibility to pin point how our attitude has shaped our opinion on the issue of Barotseland. Each one of us should seek be find ourselves as we may identify ourselves with one of these attitudinal character traits. Are you as a Mulozi, the type I have dubbed BMT (Barotse MuLozi Type;) 

  BMT1.These are those who are too frustrated with the way Malozi have handled the matters of Barotseland past and present and have since opted to be indifferent or totally uninterested in any efforts aimed at changing the status quo for the better. 

  BMT2.These are those considering change but have not quite gotten to understand just what they really want or need to do to help out in the effort to improve Barotseland. They have since resorted passivity, if good things come out of the struggle they are more than happy to partake of the fruits but you will never catch them dead getting involved in the front line of the struggle.

  BMT3.These have resigned to their fate of being subservient nationals in Zambia,chosen to completely forget or not know their history and potential future. These are totally relying on the crumbs of political and economic power which drop from the higher table of the established Zambian political hegemony. They wallow in the hope that someday even Ma lozi will be accepted, respected and given equal recognition as citizens who can contribute to Zambian politics. They envision a future where even a Mulozi will one day rule Zambia as president! I would not hold my breath if I were them. The amount of poison that has been spewed about malozi has done a lot of damage. 

  BMT4. These are the fairly younger malozi generation who are probably too young to even care. They have unwittingly drunk their fill from the tranquilising chalice of the ‘one Zambia one nation’ balderdash. They do not know or they have not been told how as Barotses we are so culturally distinct as a people from the rest of zambians. They are actually more at ease even speaking other tribes languages than their own. It is perfectly normal for them to even address their Barotse parent in another language instead of their own. The language spoken at home may not be silozi and this has gone on for some time with no problems. They have been convinced that speaking their language when among other tribes is called tribalism unless they spoke the language that those people would understand, which is their language! As far as these are concerned they do not see anything wrong with living side by side with Zambians as they have made friends, gone to school with them and everything is normal in their naively innocent eyes!

  BMT5. These are those that pretty much understand what is at stake and appreciate how something needs to be done but they feel daunted by the scale of what they deem would be a herculean task to achieve. They even seek to justify why we will fail if we tried anything to change Barotseland’s state of being. They proclaim that we have intermarried too much to break away, ,what will become of the many Barotses in other parts of Zambia. What about our economic investments in Zambia? They have always looked and focussed on which side of their bread is buttered. 

  BMT6. These are those who may not know just what it really means to have precious Barotse blood course through their veins. They may not even speak the Si Lozi language and have not been to Barotseland. They clearly do not see the need to agitate for a better Barotseland as they are fairly comfortable where ever they are. They are obviously oblivious to the conditions of squalor prevailing in Barotseland, so they are not bothered that much and do not consequently see what the whole fuss is about. 

  BMT7. This is the type that has a genuine interest and willingness to be part of the effort to change Barotseland but has no knowledge of the true history of Barotseland. The records and information of the struggle for self-rule has eluded these. They do however have genuine hunger and zeal to learn more so they can also teach other people. They have not known that Barotseland has a national flag, we have a national anthem and a clearly distinct dress code,these are emblems and symbols of nationhood. 

  BMT8. These are those that have unfortunately found themselves already too entangled in complicated social enterprises like marriages to non Barotses and they think, rather wrongly, that any efforts at addressing the Barotse question as having potential of splitting their family unit. They feel that just the very mention of the subject suggests they are discriminating against their non -Barotse spouses and children. 

  BMT9. These are the risk averse type of malozi they are more confident and trusting of the now rather than what is possible. The uncertainty of the future does not interest them and do strongly feel they are more at ease living a more difficult present than investing efforts in a future that could be. They are the laid back sort. 

  BMT10. These have business interests as one of their major inhibiting factors. They have eked out a decent enough living in Zambia and they see calls for the restoration of Barotseland’s former glory as utopian and an exercise in wishful thinking more than anything else. They have calved out an economic and financial niche for themselves which they find difficult to attain in a New Barotseland. They consider the quest for Barotseland liberation as no more different from the dreams and visions of Shang ri La or El Dorado by someone high on LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) or some other mood altering substance! 

  BMT11. These are those who are more than happy to sit it out on the fence in a shameful show of non-committal. They are the slow starters but had to involve in issues from the outset. Theirs is a precautionary approach to issues, they wait to see how it all pans out before they can get involved in anything. They wait for others to do the ground work for them so that they only come to do the softer and easier work. 

  BMT12. These are those Malozi who have a perception that they are being discriminated against within Barotseland. They have always felt less of malozi because there are malozi who have created a very divisive and wrong impression that there are Lozis who are more lozi than others. This is the seed of discord that has weakened us and has been boring away at the very core of our unity as a nation. I am Lozi but am kwangwa just who claims to be Lozi tota? You have even resorted to calling others Ma wiko, ba ngwenjele e.t.c all derogatory terminologies which have not in any way endeared these people to the whole nationalistic ideal. Ko no Malozi muna ni ketululo luli! Outsiders have sought to capitalise on this fact and caused some ethnic group groups in Barotseland to revolt. Enter Kafue Province! In my mind,Barotseland and its people has two straight forward issues which we need to address with the clarity and urgency they deserve before we grapple with any other. Failure to accept this will leave us and our efforts seeming like we are playing darts blind folded in the dark! 1. Are we seeking the total restoration of Our Great Nation of Barotseland as a free sovereign state, to exist among the community of nations which we have always been prior to that regrettable day on 19th May 1964 when The Barotseland Agreement was signed? Or 2. Are we seeking the existence of Barotseland as a state that joined with Northern Rhodesia in 1964 to form Zambia? This existence being defined by the dictates of the clauses enshrined in the Barotseland Agreement 1964. The implication of this is that we are merely agitating for equal development being accorded to us as it is with other parts of Zambia. In this scenario we are declaring that we are Zambians and wish to fully integrate as long as the Agreement which sought to make us Zambians is restored and honoured in totality.I need to spell it out here you would technically be wanting to leave with Rhodesians, with the full implication that this existence will entail on theMu Lozi way of Life! This is why am always baffled by some Ma Lozi who otherwise should know better but go about literally idolising Kaunda for some strange reason. Just what is your measure of greatness? Do you not know that; “In 1965 October President Kaunda signed the order bringing into force the Local Government Act No. 69 of 1965. This Act had the effect of taking away the privileges and rights of the Litunga of Barotseland contrary to the provisions of the Barotseland Agreement 1964. Thus the beginning of an unlawful and spiteful orgy of legislating against his constitutional obligations under which Her Majesty’s Government had granted independence to Zambia. “In 1969August President Kaunda unilaterally without consultation in his despotic style of governance announced that Barotseland would thereafter be called Western Province in a speech entitled “I wish to inform the nation” October Government of Zambia introduced and passed the Constitution Amendment Act No 36 of 1969 in parliament to cancel the “Barotseland Agreement of 1964” and abolish all rights, obligation and liabilities attached to the agreement. It stated that the Agreement shall on and after the commencement of the constitution amendment Act No 5 of 1969 cease to have effect, and all rights (whether vested or otherwise), liabilities and obligations there under shall thereafter lapse.” 1969-1970 Government of Zambia passed the Western Province (Land and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No. 47 which had the effect of stripping the Litunga of his powers over land in the province. It vested all land in Barotseland in the President of Zambia as a Reserve within the meaning of and under the Zambia (State lands and Reserves) Orders 1928 -1964. And this Kaunda happens to be your hero? Bravo!! Here is a quotable quote from yours truly, “What Zambians do not seem to realise is that Restoring Barotseland Agreement 1964 is for us a means to the end and refusal to restore is actually justification of the end in itself!” – Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama You will clearly realise from the above that in order to elicit views and opinions from Malozi it would ultimately call for a nearly prohibitively expensive National wide Barotseland referendum on what we should decide on as a people. When this is clear and done there should be no turning back. The Barotseland Question would be silenced forever by our own decision through popular opinion not Zambian guns! We are as Barotseland critically challenged in that we suffer from a serious lack of sensitisation among ourselves. We need to share more information on and about our nation. The Zambians have systematically expunged information of Barotseland from the curriculum and the educational syllabi in grade school. It is no wonder then that we are raising Barotse children with low self-esteem because they are totally ignorant of who they are and where they come from and what they are made of. A very important tool in the information dissemination initiative is community radio stations. This unfortunately becomes difficult in a country where the broadcasting rights are tightly controlled by the central government. Even when they are opened the content is closely censored and monitored for political correctness. These stations are whimsically shut down when the material talked about there on them does not conform to the party line or the management team does not tow the party ideology. This ladies and gentlemen is my submission. Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama Barotse Patriot Barotseland, Central Africa “I tell you a Truth, Liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under a Slavish Bond.” – Sir William Wallace’s Uncle

THE PARADOX OF BAROTSELAND AND RHODESIAN / ’ZAMBIAN’ ELECTORAL PROCESSES

By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama


In any society which professes democratic ideals like most African countries do, elections as a process , are a sure manifestation of their desire to be part of an increasing body of nations if they are to commune with the civilised majority in the world.This so called universal suffrage is a means of arriving at their preferred set of leaders who they feel would best represent them and their interests at the highest levels of decision making in their land. The reason I feel some people continue to do this is that they have an unending hope that this exercise will ultimately result in their lot in life being bettered one day in one way or the other. After 47 years of so called independence and 9.4 general elections it can be said with some degree of confidence that indeed some parts of a country called Zambian may have experienced some semblance of development as a direct result of ushering into office of different political administrations.


By writing this piece, am well aware of the amount of stick and even recrimination awaiting me from many a ‘Barotse’ proponents of defeatist integration with Zambia. These as it happens are the very least of my concerns right now. I here write for and to those True Sons and Daughters of Barotseland who know exactly what it means to be a Mulozi and do have precious Barotse blood coursing through their veins. Those who have not succumbed and partaken of the tranquilising chalice of ‘one Zambia one nation’ balderdash! Those who are not too naive and are aware of the real causes of the current levels of poverty in Barotseland.Those who are familiar with the lost grandeur and history of our Brave Great Barotseland.Those who are not scared to address and confront the real underlying causes of our current situation of squalor as a Nation. Those who are ready to search for explanations of the issues at hand no matter how potentially divisive our discoveries and disclosures may be. Those who do not want to sit idly by and wish they could have visited the land of their ancestors to re-connect with their roots and take meaningful investment there. Not those who cannot even speak the Silozi language and have chosen not to make any real effort at reconnecting with their linguistic roots but think and are content with speaking other people’s languages because they reckon this is a status symbol,yes it actually is, of eroded self worth it is.I here speak to all those that are fed up with Barotseland being ridden on and its people being used only to win elections and yes i speak to all those who are pretty much sick and tired of their continued existence as a mere vestigial unwanted appendage clinging onto Zambia. It is to these that i wish to address the following questions.




It is not all together true that we are caught up in a dichotomy of a situation where we are damned if we do and damned if we do not take part in these elections. Ever since Barotseland became part of this entity called Zambia, what visible and tangible examples of development can we truly point to in its length and breadth as having directly come about due to the central government’s effort? Why then should Barotses continue to take part in an electoral process that scarcely ever positively influences them? Why are we 47 years none the wiser and choose to see nothing wrong with it? For how long are we going to be used to make up the numbers for parties to win elections?For how long are we going to find ourselves stuck in reverse gear as a Nation? It really baffles me why on earth would a Mulozi be stuck in meandering queues during this exercise in futility, shoving and pushing, inhaling the pungent body odours (De la Muntus) of the many hydrophobic denizens of this land, all this in the sweltering heat of the mid-day heat like they have nothing better to do? Why would they be so determined to stain their thumbs in permanganate of potassium just to put some inept government in office? Sorry i forgot It is merely their right to vote they are exercising. Agreed but Mohandas Gandhi condemned exactly this form of reckless disease of having rights without responsibility as being one of the 7 sins of the modern world. To what extent have we as Barotses held these people (Central Government and Bashemi baluna a.k.a BRE) responsible for our suffering? Are we living in a country where leader’s performance in office is checked by visible benchmarks of effectiveness and visionary leadership?

What really breaks my heart is that despite the foregoing scenario which is an antithesis of how things should be, many a mulozi still shamelessly takes part in these elections because for some reason they romanticise that development will one day come even to their Barotseland. Was it not that now infamous plagiarist of the theory of relativity Albert Einstein who is credited with this description of foolishness as, “the art of doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different outcome?” The perpetuation of structures of governance through an election should for all intent and purposes have a resultant sense of fulfilment in the people who make it possible for elected officials to exist and discharge their duties. When the societal fabric is held together and development is fostered then the process of elections becomes genuinely justified and must by all means be encouraged and urged onto the citizenry.



Granted,that I do entirely agree with the maxim that, ‘ Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and both for the same reason.’ ~Author Unknown however, I know i will most definitely be misunderstood from this short piece as one advocating for mass Barotse electoral apathy when it comes to Zambian elections. Here is another angle i have just thought about, some with runaway imaginations might even think me a government secret agent who has been engaged to discourage many malozi from participating in especially this year’s elections because they might contribute to the booting out of the current regime on account of their current acrimonious ill feelings towards the perpetrators of murderous crimes against them on Bloody Friday January 14 Th in the year of our Lord 2011. We as malozi are a smart lot and should never and will never be taken for a ride.


Granted ,that we are extremely upset by an evil regime that invaded the holy sanctuary that is the very heart of Barotseland, waged war on our people, slaughtered,maimed and brutalised our brothers and sisters in cold blood. We seriously want to see the backs of these uncaring sadistic people. But if you think for one minute that MCS, the venomous reptilian has all of a sudden developed a conscience and now genuinely has Barotse true interests at heart then you are seriously critically deranged. What exactly is he promising Malozi this time around vis a vis The Barotseland Agreement 1964? Has he vowed and put it in writing and signed a sworn promise in the presence of international lawyers that he is going to constitutionally and unconditionally restore the agreement in its entire original form without modification? If people watched the true opinions of MCS which he harbours on the Barotseland question and which he has disclosed in no uncertain terms during his tenure of office in the chiluba administration, then people would or should have a rethink. The Chiluba administration for the most part was responsible for plotting the worst form of legislative damage inflicted on Barotseland which was meant to weaken it even further and for a lot of other schemes against Barotseland. The issue of Kafue Province and the acrimonious relations thereafter and near all out Mankoya uprising of brother against brother in Kaoma is one example. For how long are we going to find ourselves stuck in reverse gear.


The seed of hatred for Barotseland was planted in the 1st republic watered and fertilised in the 2nd republic but in the 3rd republic we have witnessed the culmination systematic loathing for an ethnic group and its national ideals especially its collective quest for self determination. This administration has really sought to outdo all the others as they have gone further to even kill us in cold blood. May they always know that the National symbol of Barotseland is Loxodonta africanus spp (The African Elephant) and as such we will never ever forget what has been done to us not as long as we live. This brings to mind a musical piece on political social commentary by Brother Silumba when he aptly summed it all up by asserting that, “Anikoni ku ina ni batu ba ba sanilati” which directly translated means ‘i cannot live with people who do not like me.’




The few of you who maybe ardent followers of my online blog and social network site postings will recall that just a few weeks back i was praising an editorial comment i happen to have caught sight of in one of the daily tabloids for its candid and lucid manner the writer had finally addressed the issues of the Barotseland Agreement 1964. However, i will state here that am not in the least ashamed to mention that i read and do read the SUFZ(That is Stand Up For Zambia to the uninitiated ) weekly newspaper especially issue No.00013 of 29th july-4th August,2011and in it on page 10 was a verbatim extract or excerpt of the weekly post issue of December 11-17,1992 where this same person in rather stuck contrast to his recent views on the agreement launched a scathing attack on The Barotseland Agreement 1964 as being at variance with modern political order and called all its proponents as negative conservatists.

The Barotse National Council(By the way, do Zambians know that the Nation being referred to from where this council is constituted is The Nation of Barotseland?) presented our demands to the Zambian government but in a not so a strange or surprising show of intellectual deficiency they need more time to understand a mere three paged document! To do this they have to waste a lot of money and buy time by constituting a team of what they called senior experts to study the document. If the words attributed to His Royal Highness Chief Mwene Kandala were accurate then he is spot on when he says they are flip-flopping on The Barotseland Agreement 1964 without giving their clear position. We are hereby urging the Barotse National Council to go a step further and attach a Mulozi to this Zambian panel to help them understand certain aspects which maybe too legally and intellectually cryptic for them.



We are not in the least happy with our own Royal Establishment because of the half hearted and complicit manner they have chosen to handle matters. I am hereby stating in no uncertain terms that am unanimously behind the stance taken by my activist brothers and sisters in our freedom movement groups of MOREBA,LINYUNGA NDAMBO, BFM et al for constituting an independent commission of inquiry into the butchery and subsequent mysterious deaths of the martyrs of Barotseland during and after The January 14 debacle. Truly this is a date that shall linger in the annuls of infamy. The findings of this inquiry will be tabled by an international body and not Zambian courts, how so reassuring. The establishment literally hang us out to dry and threw us to the ravenous wolves because of their inaction and total lack of clarity on their official stance until it was too late. The joke am hearing doing the rounds is that we are allegedly going about our freedom struggle the wrong way.




For what it is worth, may it be known today that as things stand i have never voted in these Zambian elections and never will either. For as long as blood still flows in this my persecuted body I will never stoop so low as to defile my Barotse dignity and self-esteem by promoting the suppression of my people by a system i help bring into existence. Guess what? As twisted as it may sound am also exercising my right not to vote, is not that amazing? I happen to have better things to do with my time than throw a couple of hours of my life stuck in a queue to vote for Zambians who will never ever bring development to my home village. I could actually be better bending over in my backyard garden to heap up some soil into ridges and plant some sweet potatoes as these will feed my family at least for breakfast. This stance of rejecting the electoral process does not in any way reflect my radical background and conviction as a freemasonic Jehovah’s Witness. It is just me finally coming to grips with the reality of the severely skewed political landscape in Zambia.

What next, you ask, after the above scenario i have presented? May those that still have it in them to vote please be encouraged to go ahead as they probably see what some of us have failed to see in the many years of malozi taking part in Zambian elections. If my views seem to reject all the parties taking part in these elections what then am i offering as an alternative? This is just the point i always try to drum home about, a Mulozi can never have their opinion on any issue be formed by another person’s views. If you think i set out to try and make alot of people follow my stance you could not be far from the truth. We are independent thinkers as Malozi and it is my hope and trust that each one of you in life only does what their inner conviction tells them.



As for the development which Barotseland needs to have with greater urgency, it may have to be brought about by concerted efforts of us ordinary nationals of Barotseland. If we sit back and depend on the usual sources of leadership in matters of development in Barotseland we may waste more time than we already have lost because their so called leadership has ensured we are where we are right now seriously under developed. As Barotseland we seriously need a paradigm shift as we endeavour to analyse and address the perpetual migraine of under development we find ourselves afflicted with. It is gratifying to report that already there are initiatives on the ground that have set out to do just this. Malozi, we cannot fail at this and my humble advise is we must as much as possible try not to fragment and duplicate our efforts. Let us sit down with everyone who seems to have the same idea about how true progress can and should be brought to Barotseland. Only this way will we have a united streamlined front in attacking our common enemy which is gross under development in Barotseland.

Kozo,

NamakandoNalikando-Sinyama
Barotse Patriot
Barotseland, Central Africa
“I tell you a Truth, Liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under a Slavish bond.” – Sir William Wallace’s Uncle

THE TRAGEDY ON BAROTSELAND DOT COM

By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama


Is it just my computer that has been disabled or whose software upgrades have rendered it to have limited functionality? The thing is, i have not visited this site for quite a while now. But what i discoveredrecently about the new Barotseland.com home page/site is now so different as not to represent anything truly Barotseland in nature. What i mean is, now our National colours that is, (The Red, White and Black) no longer appear on the site. The Litunga’s Flag and The National Flag of Barotseland no longer appear on the site either. What the administrators of this site little realised is some of us were drawn to this site because of what these symbolisms embodied and signified. What i used to feel visiting this page was an overpowering sense of indefinable nostalgia and genuine yearning for My Nation of Barotseland.I will not waste time to go into the possible reasons why the administrators of the site out of their infinite wisdom opted for this rather sudden change in the outlook of this site. After all, they do not owe any of us a reason for any changes they wish to make to their site. After the Barotseland Agreement 1964 revolutionary spirit which has engulfed the length and breadth of Barotseland and which i hope shall never die for as long as our hearts still beat and blood still flows in our persecuted bodies. It can only be assumed that perhaps, out of fear and wanting to seem more politically correct and acceptable to the powers that be, they inevitably succumbed to invisible pressure and yielded by making drastic changes to their site.What this site once instilled in me was a real sense of True National Barotse pride as i saw images of home and symbols of my National identity. My heart was always warmed up as I would always sing that Barotse Spiritual of old," Bulozi Sapili' and augmented by that old Scottish spiritual Auld Lang Syne and I do the whole rendition of the chorus in the Gaelic language of the Highlands!!! My honest opinion of this new look site is that it now bares no difference from those sites or blogs strewn all over the World Wide Web advertising anything and everything from used cars to worn lingerie!!!It is certainly no longer evoking any Patriotic ideals at least not in me. I really used to enjoy your site once. POLITICAL THEME AVOIDANCE It has been a noticeable feature here to avoid employing a tone and shunning any subject that seems to touch on the real reason for Barotseland’s current under development. They insist that we discuss economic develop and make innovative suggestions on the development of Barotseland. This is the worst form of naivety I have ever encountered; we have to call a spade a spade not an overgrown spoon . The central government has ensured that we have been under a subtle form of economic blockade for years. Until these artificial and man-made stumbling blocks are confronted head on, we will be making two steps forward and three steps backwards as we address these challenges. The strategy Zambians are using in the political arena is repeatedly stating and reiterating that even other provinces are under developed,why should Barotseland be given special treatment? What seems to elude them like most basic topics do but which to us seem blatantly simple is that our interest is Barotseland. Without the honouring and the restoration of Barotseland Agreement 1964 Barotseland reverts to its previous prodigious status and reclaims its rightful place on the table of Sovereign nations of the proud and brave world. They send soldiers/police to maim and kill us in cold blood so as to force us to remain part of them, this i find rather curious indeed. If your wife of many years feels she cannot take the abuse no more and draws a line in the sand that this is where it all stops, one would have to be a complete block-headed imbecilic git to still want to hold onto her. It is expected that human nature ought to rise above any form of tyranny, to preserve any shred of dignity which as a man you probably never had to begin with, Let- Her-Go! Have you no shame at all? God, i feel sick all over as my innards churn with repugnant disgust at the goings on of these parts, but one day my brother, Uhuru a-go reign still. Selah! " For No regime, no matter how despotic, can press over the lid of a hot boiling pot forever." - Mzwakhe Mbuli, South Africa's greatest Radical Poet alive. (He performed during the inauguration ceremony of one Ntate Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.) After all is said and done i will really miss the now legendary impermeability to logical thought of the Northern Rhodesians! When there is no legally honoured Union Treaty binding the previously loosely united but very independent Nations of Barotseland and Northern Rhodesia then they revert to their previous status prior to 'independence'. Now try explaining this clearly basic concept to them, you will have a torrid time at the very least and a brain tumour at worst! This is no joking matter folks, believe me i have tried, and am now undergoing a combined regime of Chemo/Radio therapy to help clear my tumour and am sure glad to report that it’s vanishing slowly. What a relief indeed. We promise to be the best of neighbours though, so, cheer up folks no hard feelings. As for the statement that Zambia can not do without Malozi it is very debatable, we probably tried to need each other as the pre-requisite for intended unity which lamentably failed. Are we like the Jewish Lobby on whose intellect America feeds on to keep alive? Does this explain why their systematic exclusion of us from the political and economic limelight has caused them to be one of the economic giants of the regional and an iconic symbol of demon(cracy)?Ok uncalled for sarcasm will not help us here now will it? Is it the gold bullion locked up in vaults used as collateral when accessing international financing? We were made a province by aggressive coercion fuelled by the worst form of political skulduggery. We are by our own founding not and never shall be a simple province in a country called Zambia. We reason, in retrospect, how our great chain of being and fortunes would have been so different and a whole lot better had it not been for The Barotseland Agreement 1964 which made us part of Zambia. This is why it shocks some of us that the images we now see on this once inspiring site are those of an urban scene in Mongu town as if that is the true reality. Yes, this is meant to make people take a hypnotising pill and wake up in a dazed stupor, literally in a drugged state where you are deluded into thinking hey! Wait a minute, we are not so under developed after all, So what is the whole fuss about? The reality is what we need to be shown or should see is the real life my people are living by design. The truth is our forefathers wanted us to live better than this. This realisation just makes my innards shudder with repugnant disgust! The most honest depictions of the lives of the denizens of the length and breadth of Barotseland is that of extreme poverty and scenes of dejection, the gross unemployment, the evident infrastructure nonexistence, non- electrification of key potential industrial centre spots. There is soon going to be an electoral process where Zambians will be clamouring to choose the leaders at the polls. I wish them all the best and a peaceful exercise. The Zambian politicians have no scruples or sense of shame whatsoever to even canvas for votes from Barotseland’s poor people; do politicians have no shred of decency? What should be accepted and appreciated is that the above scenario cannot be accurately analysed by being totally oblivious to the underlying reason for the state of affairs. The daily tabloids keep citing the trigger of revolutionary outcry as The Barotse Agreement 1964. This is a dangerous misnomer which is meant to anaesthetise the malleable minds of Zambians. The issue is more correctly called The Barotse(LAND) Agreement because LAND(Terra firma) is really what the crux of the matter is about and what is on and what is under it and its future control . This is what the matter is about really for the Barotse people! If Barotseland has to look to the central government for any semblance of genuine well thought through lasting development, not one which involves hastily and haphazardly patching up surfaces of roads so as to hoodwink the gullible while in the polling booth,this can only happen in accordance with the dictates of the Clauses enriched in this Agreement. This is notwithstanding the fact that successive Zambian government administrations have sought to progressively weaken Barotseland through the passing of illegal instruments hell bent on destroying what is Barotseland proper and its traditional governance structures which have existed for millennia. The only thing they rather naively choose to ignore is, as any lawyer worth their wig would tell you, the parties to any legally binding agreement need to be consulted before any changes can be made to the spirit and letter of the original agreement. If this is not done, the changes are deemed null and void and the aggrieved party reserved the right to revert to their previous status or even quashing it. There should be no unilateral actions to be taken that alters the original agreement as was done. This is why this country will forever be haunted by this issue which will hang over its head like the proverbial sword of Damocles. The above is my critique of their new look site albeit unsolicited for. This is my submission BanaBaBulozi Naha yaruna Ma rozi, mi babe basiharesinde!!!. Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama Barotse Patriot Barotseland, Central Africa “I tell you a Truth, Liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under a Slavish bond.” – Sir William Wallace’s Uncle