Zambian Propaganda Words and Phrases – Beware!! There are certain words and phrases that the Zambian government and key Zambian politicians deliberately or out of ignorance use to perpetuate the brainwashing of Zambians and Barotse nationals alike. We will try to highlight a few at a time here and explain the correct usage. Today we will look at one phrase that has to do with the Barotseland Agreement 1964. 1. ‘Barotse’ Agreement 1964 – There is no such an agreement as ‘Barotse Agreement 1964.’ The agreement that was signed in 1964 is actually called ‘Barotseland’ Agreement 1964. The idea of using ‘Barotse’, ‘BRE’ or even ‘Barotse Land’ (note the separation of the two words ‘Barotse’ and ‘Land’) instead of the actual term ‘Barotseland’ is to kill the notion that Barotseland was and is a separate territory, and that this agreement was actually entered between two distinct but equal territorial entities. Zambia would rather create the impression that the agreement was entered into by a ‘section’ of the one territory, the Barotse people, for them to be treated in a ‘special’ way different from all the other 70 plus ethnic groups within Zambia. That is why president Sata of Zambia was heard saying that if the ‘Barotse’ Agreement was to be honored then all the other native authorities in Zambia would also want autonomy. This impression was perpetuated at the time he was rejecting the Rodger Chongwe Commission of Inquiry recommendation for the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964. I am sure you have also heard Zambians retorting, “What is special about LOZIs anyway? Do you think you are more special than all other tribes in Zambia?” This is the idea that they aim to perpetuate in the minds of the people. They don’t explain that the LOZIs are not special. What is special is their country ‘Bulozi’, ‘Loziland’ or ‘Barotseland’. It is distinctly different from their Northern Rhodesia alias Zambia post independence. So when one says ‘Barotse Agreement 1964’ they actually mean an agreement made by the Barotse people of Zambia with the Zambian government to be treated special. Similarly when you say Barotse Land agreement 1964 – you actually mean the agreement that was entered into regarding the land of the Barotse people of Zambia. We have also heard president Sata mention of the BRE Agreement. This is actually way off because this is grossly misleading. By this, BRE Agreement, the intention is to imply the agreement had to do with the BRE (Barotse Royal Establishment) only, therefore, government of Zambia must just talk to the BRE, and whatever they agree on should be accepted by all the people of Barotseland as the only way forward! The truth is no matter what the Zambian government will agree with the BRE, the people of Barotseland have the right to either accept it or reject it. But when you call it as it was named; The ‘Barotseland Agreement 1964’ you actually rightly refer to the agreement that was entered into between the separate territory of Barotseland with another separate territory of Northern Rhodesia at the time, constituting a country to country treaty! The Barotseland Agreement 1964 says and please pay attention to the wording and my own emphasis is in brackets and single quotation marks: Following talks in London between the British Government, the Government of Northern Rhodesia and The Litunga (KING) of Barotseland; an Agreement regarding the position of ‘Barotseland’ within independent Northern Rhodesia was concluded at the commonwealth Relations office on 18 th May, 1964. It is entitled, The ‘Barotseland’ Agreement 1964. It was signed by Dr.K.D.Kaunda, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia, by Sir Mwanawina Lewanika III,K.B.E Litunga (KING) of Barotseland and by the Right Honourable Duncan Sandys M.P Secretary of State for common wealth Relations and for the colonies signifying the approval of Her Majestys Government. END - See more at: barotsepost/index.php/en/news/special-reports/86-the-barotseland-agreement-of-1964#sthash.UejIT7Vy.dpuf Note here that the agreement had to do with the ‘positioning’ of ‘Barotseland’ WITHIN independent Northern Rhodesia – meaning Barotseland was not meant to be ‘destroyed’ but rather was to remain territorially intact within independent Northern Rhodesia, aka, Zambia? We will explore this thought further in some future posting to correct those who think Barotseland agreement meant Barotseland was signing her own ‘death warrant’ ‘Barotseland’ and ‘Barotse land’ do not mean one and the same thing. ‘Barotseland’ literally means the ‘sovereign’ country called Barotseland, where as ‘Barotse land’ means land inhabited by the Barotse people and may not necessarily constitute a ‘sovereign’ country. To explain this further, allow me to use a recent example. For those who follow Zambian media reports, there was an attempt recently to confuse the happenings among the Bemba people of Zambia, vis a vis the appointment of their Chitimukulu, which even resulted in the resignation of a prominent Bemba minister in charge of defense in the government of Zambia, with rumors of other Bemba tribes men and women serving in Sata’s PF government threatening to resign too. This situation was used to try to confuse what is going on there, to look like what is going on between Barotseland and Zambia. Suddenly, we started seeing media headlines quoting prominent politicians referring to what they called ‘Bembaland’. As much as there is ‘Barotseland’, I am not aware if there has ever been ‘Bambaland’. However, as explained above, Barotse land, Tonga land, Tumbuka land , Bemba land , Chewa land, etc could and does exist. What was strange in this particular case, was that Some prominent print media and some prominent Bemba speaking politician, who should know better, were almost going to the extent of showing that the tension there was so bad that the Bembas were going to demand ‘independence’ of their so called ‘Bembaland’. One politician even accused that Bembas were committing ‘treason’ by defying the president of Zambia on choice of their paramount chief chitimukulu. Incidentally, suddenly the word B.R.E was also used to refer to the Bemba Royal Establishment; while of course others preferred to use BTC (Bemba Traditional Council), possibly to avoid the apparent confusion with the Barotse Royal Establishment that everyone knows has been using BRE for much longer. The debate here is not that the Bembas have no right to use these terms but to highlight the confusion some forces were trying to create. There may even have been attempts to arrest some Bemba loyalists and charge them with treason just like the people of Barotseland have been treated over the years on the matter of Barotseland. The actual truth is that, to our knowledge only ‘Barotseland’ signed an agreement to join Zambia, although Mr. Sata claims that some other native authorities also signed some kind of ‘agreements’ (wonder why he has never ordered for these agreements to be published just like he did with the Barotseland agreement 1964?) However, this is not to say that no other groups or sections of Zambia have any right to call for self determination. In fact international law guarantees their freedom. Nevertheless no one should want to determine themselves on the basis of the Barotseland situation. Nor should the Barotse people be denied their right to self determination on account of other people groups in Zambia. We have even heard some politicians and many Zambians proposing that since Barotseland is seeking independence, then Zambia should just be federated? The truth of the matter is the people of Barotseland may not even want to be federated under Zambia. So if Zambia seeks to be federated, they should seek to do so by the merits of that model of governance and not to try to force Barotseland to stay within Zambia. I have often wondered why Zambians wants to or think they can ‘solve’ the aspirations of the people of Barotseland without paying attention to what the people of Barotseland really want. Some have said, what the people of Barotseland want is just development? Or let us just federate and that will solve the Barotseland question. Yet some will say Sata has promised to build a 20,000 people capacity soccer stadium and a University to be called King Lewanika, surely that should satisfy the people of Barotseland? But no one really wants to listen to what the people really want. The people of Barotseland unanimously spoke, clearly and in no uncertain terms. The day was 27th March 2012 when the resolutions of the Barotse National Council were readout publicly, by the people’s and the Litunga’s Ngambela (Literally, one who speaks for me). At the time it was one Hon. Clement Wainyae Sinyinda, and they said and I quote; We the people of Barotseland; having constituted and deliberated as a National Council on 26th to 27th March, 2012 in Limulunga in the Barotseland Nation on the status and future of the Barotseland Nation in the Republic of Zambia, hereby declare this day of Tuesday March 27, 2012 at the close of our deliberations as follows: Recognizing that the Barotseland Agreement 1964 provided the basis on which Barotseland became an integral part of Zambia and took the place of the treaties and other agreements hitherto subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen and the Litunga of Barotseland. Acknowledging that the Barotseland Agreement 1964’s aim was to provide a safe guard against encroachment on the powers of the people of Barotseland to self government by Central Government of Zambia. Realizing that the new state of Zambia, which came into being on October 24, 1964, never ratified the Barotseland Agreement entered into between Barotseland and Northern Rhodesia Governments on May 18,1964, and despite its non-ratification, unliterary abrogated by Zambia in 1969. Aware that the unilateral termination of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 by the government of Zambia is a violation of the right of Barotseland to self determination and repudiation of the purported integration of the territory of Barotseland into Zambia. Recognizing that successive Zambian governments never took steps necessary to ensure that the laws for the time being in force in the Republic of Zambia are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Agreement. Aware that successive Zambian governments continued to undermine the modernization of Barotseland institutions and governance required to run an independent modern state as well as meddle in the national affairs of Barotseland, resulting in conflict in some sections of the Barotseland Nation. Recalling that successive Zambian governments illegally administered and controlled Barotseland by intimidation and force since October 24, 1964, despite continued protests from the people of Barotseland against such transgressions, including futile calls to restore the Agreement. Knowing that Barotseland’s right to autonomy on governance and political affairs is inborn and has been protected by treaties since the first encounter with foreign powers. Rejecting the expectation or notion by the Zambian government that we surrender our autonomy as expressed in the Barotseland Agreement 1964 in return for economic development. We now inform Zambia and the international community that we finally accept the unilateral nullification and the abrogation of the Barotseland Agreement 1964 by the Zambian government, which action has freed Barotseland from being part of Zambia. In line with the Post liminium doctrine we can no longer be obliged to honour an international Agreement that the other party has nullified and abrogated, which has reverted us to our original status. POSITION STATEMENT: We the people of Barotseland declare that Barotseland is now free to pursue its own self-determination and destiny We are committed to a peaceful disengagement with the Zambian government in the same manner that we attempted integration as a state within Zambia. We call on the international community to support our legitimate right to self determination as a people and nation by resolving as follows: 1. That all the people in Barotseland shall continue to enjoy the centuries old harmonious peaceful co-existence by all the ethnic groups as had always been the case. 2. That the people of Barotseland shall not, in any way, take kindly to any individual, authority or groups of individuals bringing the institution of the Litungaship into public ridicule and disrepute by making derogatory remarks with intent to undermine the authority of the Litunga and Barotse Government. 3. The Zambian government to immediately refrain from committing actions of violence and intimidation against the people of Barotseland. 4. That no part of Barotseland shall be ceded to any other country. 5. The Barotse Government should immediately formalize the DECLARATION OF DISPUTE with the Zambian Government on the basis that the Zambian Government has violated and unilaterally abrogated the Unity Treaty whose purpose was to bind the two territories of Barotseland and the rest of Zambia, and also notify the SADC, AU, Commonwealth and United Nations of that fact. 6. The people of Barotseland shall exercise their right to revert Barotseland to its original status as a sovereign nation, so that the people of Barotseland shall determine their political, cultural, social and economic development. 7. The Barotse Government is mandated to, within 30 days, request the United Nations to oversee the transition process. 8. The Barotse Government should, within 30 days, put in place a transition process leading to taking over all government functions in Barotseland and the election of the KATENGO Legislative Council. 9. We mandate the Barotse Government to immediately engage the Zambian government with the sole purpose of working out transitional arrangements towards self-determination for Barotseland within the shortest possible time under the auspices of the United Nations. 10. The Barotse Government should embark on reforms to modernize its functions and enhance accountability and transparency. 11. The Barotse Government should immediately establish a Secretariat comprising of such number of Officers as required to run such an office 12. The Barotse Government should convene the next BNC at the end of June 2012 to receive reports on the progress on the above resolutions. END So the above is what Zambia should concern herself with in order to actualize the aspirations of the people of Barotseland. Now that you know, do not be cheated by propaganda from Zambia. The correct picture is that there was ‘Barotseland’ Agreement 1964 and not ‘Barotse’ Agreement or BRE agreement. Barotseland – refers to country Barotse – refers to the people of the country of Barotseland Barotse land – refers to the land of the Barotse people (incidentally, people of the country of Barotseland) B.R.E(Barotse Royal Establishment) – refers to the royal establishment created by Kenneth Kaunda to serve as a link with the Royals of Barotseland and the civil authority of Zambia’s government, an institution separate from the Litungaship. The BRE is not the same as the Litungaship. Sibeta Mundia - Editorial Team, Barotsepost - See more at: barotsepost/index.php/en/frontnews/local-news/661-zambian-propaganda-words-and-phrases-beware#sthash.Gs7ZChUz.dpuf
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:36:33 +0000
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