Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) General Secretary Canon Emmanuel Chikoya joins other Africans in commemorating Africa Freedom Day on Monday 25th May 2020

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By Michael Mazakaza (Mr)

All correspondence to be addressed to the General Secretary

PRESS STATEMENT ON AFRICA FREEDOM DAY

Monday 25th May 2020
LUSAKA

THE Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) joins other Africans in commemorating this year’s Africa Freedom Day which falls today, 25th May of each year.

Sadly, not every African country currently celebrates Africa Freedom Day, among them Ethiopia which hosts the African Union. We pray the African Union will continue to encourage all African countries to join in the annual commemoration of such an important day in the life of our continent.

The African Union should also reach out more to those in the diaspora for contributions to the development of the continent.

As Zambians celebrate this historic day, we remember the sacrifices made during the struggle for independence by the gallant men and women, without whose sacrifices, Zambia would not have been free for 55 years.

As CCZ, we wish to begin by stating that Africa is a continent with many scars that are marks of its long and bitter struggle for freedom through the course of its history.

Slavery, Colonialism and racial segregation, One Party dictatorships and military coups and rule, all survived through suppression of freedom: political, economic, social and cultural.

But Africans, like all other human beings, born with human dignity whose core value is freedom, did not accept the humiliation and suppression of their humanity no matter how long it took.

They rose to fight and defeat each one of them, albeit with great sacrifice.

But it was a sacrifice worth making, for freedom is a precious value. Nelson Mandela (MHSRIP) said in a famous quote during the Rivonia Trial in 1964 that:

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Democratic and free society for the flourishing of all is what we strive for, and of course Africa has made big strides towards realising that ideal.

Slavery was abolished, Colonialism and racial segregation came to an end, One Party systems were challenged and removed, and Military Juntas were forced to pave the way for civilian democratic rule.

As we speak today almost all African countries have embraced multiparty democratic system. But the big question that remains for all Africans on this continent is: Are we really free? Has the multi-party democratic system as experienced ushered in freedom and democracy we aspired for?

As CCZ we are afraid to say, in our humble opinion, that the answer is NO! We believe there is a lot more work yet to be done.

For instance, when we look at the State of Freedom in Zambia and Africa in general in relation to good governance we find that we are still far from what our heroes, whom we celebrate today and who fought with their sweat and blood, had wished for.

To us freedom means good governance, and good governance means the rule of law and not the rule by law.

Good governance must comprise of, first and foremost, equality before the law and respect for, and upholding of, fundamental human rights and freedoms of individuals.

Good governance must ensure in our case that a country is only governed by a constitutional government elected by the citizens in periodic, free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful elections, and that such government upholds the constitution that is citizen based and that ensures accountability through checks and balances built on the strong foundation of a clear and unambiguous separation of powers between the three main branches of the government – the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

Equally important in good governance is free and independent media that informs the public and provides citizens with a forum to express themselves and exercise their right to freedom of speech and of information.

On the other hand, good governance should also mean equal opportunities for all the citizens and that national resources are utilised in a way that guarantees fair and equitable enjoyment of the basic amenities of life, notably the essential public services.

Further, good governance is when leaders put the interests of the African people first in matters of economic development plans in guaranteeing dignity and freedom as opposed to putting interests of investors first.

This is one of the challenges we are putting across for our leaders in Africa.

To us these are the basic tenets of good governance. But one may ask, is the story about Africa’s freedom only negative? Of course not! Some progress has been made and we believe it is the responsibility of those countries that have witnessed progress in freedom and democracy to stand up and assist those that are still struggling, and conversely it is the responsibility of struggling nations to learn from their counterparts making progress.

For example, we have some of the best models of democratic constitutions in Africa such as South Africa and Kenya leading the way.

In so far as democratic elections and peaceful transfer of power are concerned, West Africa is progressing well.

No doubt Zambia is not far behind but we have more to do.

Though not as desired, we have been holding democratic elections and transferring power peacefully from one government to another and that’s is commendable.

In conclusion, we are glad that Africa has the youngest population in the world. Africa Development Bank (AfDB) has published findings and states that Africa has the fastest-growing and most youthful population in the world with over 40% under the age of 15 and 20% between the ages of 15 and 24.

These young people are the ones who are challenging the status quo. They are the ones who are demanding accountability from their leaders and cherish their freedom and democratic rights more than anything else.

With this year’s theme being “Solidarity and triumph of the human spirit in challenging times”, we urge all Zambians and Africans at large to celebrate Africa Freedom Day with caution due to the threatening Coronavirus COVID-19 which is still wreaking havoc across the globe.

But if we remain united as we did during the struggle against undesirable practices such as Slavery, Colonialism, One Party systems, Extended Presidential terms, and Military Juntas, we will emerge victorious even over the Coronavirus pandemic.

May God continue to guide Zambia, our native land, and Africa, our motherland, in its on-going long walk to freedom in every way; echoing the words of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography itself.

May God bless and heal our continent.

COUNCIL OF CHURCHES IN ZAMBIA

Rev. Canon Emmanuel Chikoya
GENERAL SECRETARY

Stand No. 377A, Ecumenical Centre
Bishop Road, Kabulonga
P.O. Box 30315 Lusaka – Zambia Tel: 260-211-267744
Tel/Fax: 260-211-267740 E-mail: irifo@ccz.org.zm www.ccz.org.zm