BAROTSELAND – ZAMBIA’S REFUGEE CAMP

Sitwala Namwinji Imenda

 
  1. I. Barotseland: The Refugee Camp
  Barotseland Once a land of plenty Barotseland Once a land of envy Now just a giant refugee camp A dump All in 50 years of foreign occupation Zambian military occupation Barotseland Now despised and disparaged Neglected and dejected Intimidated and Harassed Children of inequity Born to suffer Born to struggle Gnashing and grinding of teeth Day by day Night by night Living on the edge Living on the fringes of life Feeding from crumbs falling off The master’s table Slaves Living without freedom Living without hope Life is temporary and unpredictable Erratic and volatile Unstable and capricious Living minute-by-minute Hour-by-hour Day-by-day Night-by-night Week-by-week Month-by-month Hand-to-mouth Year-by-year   Human rights suspended Political freedom denied Economic freedom deferred Freedom of association cancelled Freedom of expression revoked Refugee camp life Not a life Refugees in our own homeland Motherland Cruel Zambians Merciless Zambians Pitiless Zambians Ruthless Zambians Hard-hearted Zambians Starving our children Callous Zambians   Smell of poverty everywhere Pains my heart Smell of hunger everywhere Distressing Smell of neglect everywhere Hurtful Smell of destitution everywhere Grief Smell of slavery everywhere Anguish Smell of despair everywhere Indigence Smell of disease everywhere Stressful Smell of misery everywhere Agony Smell of unemployment Hardships Smell of dejection Crippling Life in Barotseland Unbearable                                
  1. II. 1964 Nation of Beggars is Born
  1964 marks Zambia’s independence People dancing in the streets Joy in the air Happiness everywhere Many promises Barotse nationals renamed Zambians The proud nation of Barotseland Reduced to begging Reduced to vagrancy Reduced to vagaboncy   Since 1964 Like a child, always waiting to be given Always expecting to be given Given by our parents in Lusaka Given by our master in Lusaka Given, given, given What happened to our parents In Lyalui What happened to our parents In Limulunga Why is Barotseland now the poorest of the poor   After 1964 general elections They gave us this and gave us that After 1968 general elections They gave us this and gave us that After 1973 One-Party dictatorship elections They gave us this and gave us that After 1978 One-Party dictatorship elections They gave us this and gave us that After 1983 One-Party dictatorship elections They gave us this and gave us that After 1988 One-Party dictatorship elections They gave us this and gave us that But why waiting to be given, always Like under-age children given by parents Like servants given by the master Who is this all-powerful master Why do we wait to be given, always   After 1991 general multiparty elections The giving stopped This was the beginning of the end After the 1996 general elections Nothing was given After the 2001 general elections Nothing was given After the 2006 general elections Nothing was given After the 2008 Presidential elections Nothing was given After the 2011 general elections Nothing was given Now some you still expect something From the 2015 Presidential elections So you voted Now waiting to be given Given, given, given Like under-age children When shall we be adults To do things for ourselves For our motherland Fatherland Our land Barotseland Now reduced to land of beggars                                                                
  1. III. The Old versus New Republic of Zambia
  Old Republic of Zambia (1964-1969) – Unitary State New Republic of Zambia (1969+) – Not Unitary State Setting Barotseland free To pursue self-determination After Unitary State collapse Marking the end of the Old Republic of Zambia (ORZ) The ORZ – dead and buried   They do not dispute That the Barotseland Agreement 1964 Was the basis of the ORZ as a Unitary State They do not dispute That they terminated the BA 1964 Through Constitution Amendment Act No 5 of 1969 An act of suicide by the Zambian parliament Killing the Unitary State Suffered death At the hands of dishonourable members of parliament Dishonourable public representatives Elected to preserve and protect the Unitary State Instead chose to betray people’s trust By disestablishing the Unitary State Which they were meant to serve and honour They disestablished the Unitary State Which they were meant to defend and safeguard Shameless parliamentarians Parliament without honour House of horrors Parliamentary manipulation By the Executive for political expedience A mockery Of the espoused separation of powers   The termination of the BA 1964 Heralded in the birth Of the New Republic of Zambia (NRZ) From the ashes of the ORZ They do not dispute that terminating the BA’64 Disestablished the ORZ and terminated Zambia as a Unitary State They do not dispute that since then Barotseland sits outside the boundaries Of the NRZ Constitution They do not deny that presently Nothing ties Barotseland to the NRZ But have continued with military occupation Of Barotseland – Cruel, repressive regime
  1. IV. Barotseland Under Siege
  Barotseland A refugee camp A dump Cordoned off Barricaded Quarantined Under siege Surrounded by trigger-happy Zambia Army Harangued by trigger-happy Zambia Police Harassed by Zambia Police detectives Intimidated by Special Branch spies Hassled by red ants of the Red Brick Building Tormented by special forces Arms and armour everywhere Reign of terror Terror raining Terrorists Hiding in the bushes Hiding in the forest For good measure Armed to the teeth like bull dogs Against defenceless Barotse nationals Easy slaughter Ready to butcher Innocent women and children Guns pointed Tormenting and torturing Innocent women and children Traumatising Old defenceless men Kicked like dogs Children maimed Men butchered Kicked like dogs Slaughtered Legs amputated Spouses killed Loss of all dignity Loss of all respect No remorse shown Everything is fine It is just a Lozi life Cheap Lozi life In a refugee camp They say the only good Lozi Is a dead one Killing spree Merciless Zambians A truly Police State Butchering innocent Barotse citizens Smell of gun powder everywhere Traumatised children everywhere Smell of teargas everywhere Breathing foul air day by day Night by night People’s lives devastated People’s aspirations killed People living in despair day by day Night by night People living in fear day by day Night by night Life in Zambia’s refugee camp Barotseland                                                                      

V. Violations of Human Rights and False Arrests

  Zambia Police everywhere Lunacy at its highest A lunatic does the same thing over and over Expecting a different result over and over Arrest, arrest, arrest Always fails to hold in court Always no prosecution Always nolle prosequi Human rights violated No remorse A State gone bananas A banana State A Police State No accountability No remorse   Police brutality celebrated Police brutality honoured Police brutality rewarded Police brutality nurtured Torture constitutionalised Torture institutionalised Police brutality with impunity Scars all over the body Foul smell of death Mental scars of horror remain It is a reign of terror Terror raining Terror reigning Still Arrest, arrest, arrest For the same reason Yet, again, nothing stands in court Arrest for the sake of arrest Arrest as a scarecrow Arrest as an intimidation tactic Arrest to harass Abuse of power Lunacy at its highest    
  1. VI. Violations of Human Rights (Continued)
  Treason, treason, treason Always fails to hold in court Always no prosecution Always nolle prosequi Human rights violated A State gone bananas A banana State A Police State No accountability No remorse Abuse of power Lunacy at its highest   Sedition, sedition, sedition Always doesn’t hold in court Always no prosecution Always nolle prosequi Human rights violated A State gone bananas A banana State No accountability No remorse Abuse of power Lunacy at its highest   Shoot, shoot, shoot No policeman charged, always Police brutality celebrated, always Police brutality honoured, always Police brutality rewarded, always Police brutality with impunity, always Police brutality nurtured by the Master, always After all It is a Police State For a Lozi It’s shoot on sight When they say, “Eni sha” you shoot When they say, “Faa”, you shoot Orders from the Head of State Stella ki wa sitela Upila ka kubongana Abuse of power Lunacy at its highest          

VII. Violations of Human Rights (Continued)

  Kidnap and kill! Kidnap and kill! Kidnap and kill! Many Barotse nationals go missing without a trace Evaporate into thin air Last seen in the company of [in]security personnel Last seen in the company of Zambia Police No one charged, always No accountability, always No remorse, always Perpetrators protected After all It is a Police State Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! That’s the only language they know So, they shoot innocent and defenceless Lozi nationals In their refugee homeland – Barotseland Spurred by their political masters Maim! Maim! Maim! Turture? Torture! Torture! That’s the only language they know So, they maim innocent and defenceless Lozi refugees In their refugee homeland – Barotseland Spurred by their political masters Torture! Torture! Torture! That’s the only language they know So, they torture innocent and defenceless Lozi refugees In their refugee homeland – Barotseland Spurred by their political masters Kill! Kill! Kill! That’s the only language they know So, they kill innocent and defenceless Lozi refugees In their refugee homeland – Barotseland Spurred by their political masters Murder! Murder! Murder! That’s the only language they know So, they murder innocent and defenceless Lozi refugees In their refugee homeland – Barotseland Spurred by their political masters Butcher! Butcher! Butcher! That’s the only language they know So, they butcher innocent and defenceless Lozi refugees In their refugee homeland – Barotseland Spurred by their political masters No explanation needed Lunacy at its highest Doing the same thing over and over Expecting a different result Over and over     Indeed, elections in one country Cannot bring relief to another country Only Barotse elections will bring relief to Batotseland Zambian elections will bring relief to Zambia     VIII.Satan and his Predecessors   Sata, Satan, Satanism and Satanists Serpent Snake in the grass Big on false promises Satan showed no leadership Lack of sincerity Cruel tribalist Spiteful tribalist Full of hatred for the Lozi nation No direction Bankrupted his country Less money in people’s pockets Under his watch Evil descended on Barotseland Patriotic Front Pathetic Family Nothing but a disgrace A disaster A terrible mistake never to be repeated More arrests Heightened harassments Heightened intimidations Heightened insecurity Heightened suffering   Under Bwezani’s watch Nineteen Barotse nationals were butchered In cold blood Many more were maimed and tortured Many disappeared without a trace Sleeping on the job But quick to butcher President by accident No capacity for President Butchered more Lozi nationals Than any other Zambian President A terrible murderer No remorse Uncivilised butcher     Levy was a noble man Arrested corruption Gave Zambia integrity And economic prosperity Inherited New Republic of Zambia In which Barotseland was stolen property Caught in possession of stolen property Lacked moral courage To return Barotseland to her rightful owners To resolve the Barotseland question He side-stepped the question Keeping stolen property is thievery Thievery is criminal Complicit in a crime is criminal A friendly thief A brotherly robber Guilty for possessing stolen property Guilty for cowardice   FTJ was a master-dribbler Thief extraordinaire Flawless Looter Ten years of darkness Corruption without limits Corruption without boundaries Corruption without borders Corruption unlimited Corruption without shame Corruption without embarrassment Corruption without remorse Corruption without guilt Corruption without sorrow Corruption without regret Corruption without repentance No capacity to resolve the Barotseland question Did not even understand the question Not presidential material The fallacy of democracy Wrong democracy Extolling populists Eulogising mediocrity                 KK Kabemba muca habeli KK A man without honour KK Tongue-forked liar Master cheat The master crook A man without shame Devil personified The Master Devil Green snake in the green grass Master serpent Stranger to the truth Mistook Barotseland For Garden of Eden Big on deception Big on deceit Big on dishonesty Big on trickery Big on fraudulence A cheat A sham Untrustworthy As of all devils He shamelessly stole our nationhood Under false pretences As of all devils He shamelessly stole our sovereignty Under false pretences As of all devils He shamelessly stole the glory of our land Under false pretences As of all devils He shamelessly stole our dignity Under false pretences As of all devils He shamelessly stole our national pride As of all devils He shamelessly stole our national identity He stole our Barotseland Our country People steal small things Money Clothes A pen A watch To steal a whole country Can only be the work of a devil The devil Imutakwandu Litunga Liwanika Must be turning in his grave His children distraught and desperate    
  1. IX. Zambia’s New President 2015
It is 2015 Zambians are dancing Dancing in the streets Street dancing Like many times before The euphoria is high They have elected a new President Many expectations Many promises Promises of prosperity Wealth and money Opulence and fortune Development and equal opportunities for all Good education and healthcare for all Everything for free Freedom for all Happy! Happy! Happy! A good reason to celebrate After all, they have a new President No President can be worse than Satan   2015 Masquerading as Zambians Barotse nationals of selfish intent Participate in Zambia’s Presidential elections Promissory notes flying around To be given Vice President To be given Cabinet Minister To be given Deputy Minister To be given Ambassador To be given High Commissioner To be given Barotseland back To be given this To be given that Given, given, given All lies All they want is power Power for their selfish glory Power for their pockets They have been giving you this And giving you that Now you are used to begging Beggar by trade Beggar by name Can’t live without begging Begging in perpetuity The begging syndrome   Zambia’s Presidential elections 2015 Why expect to be given anything What does it matter what you are given These are Zambian elections The New Republic of Zambia Does not have Barotseland in it   They promise to give you back Barotseland Is Barotseland theirs Does Barotseland belong to them How can you give away something That is not yours Barotseland belongs to us Sons and daughters of Barotseland Why do we ask other people To give us our land Did they borrow it Is it not for us to take When we are ready When we really want to take it back But when shall we be ready It is in our hands It is in our minds We could take it today If we wanted We could take it today If we desired it What a shame that we have no such desire                                    
  1. X. Turning the Tide – Awaken Barotseland and Arise!
  For Barotseland nothing has changed It is 2015 Zambia has a new President Barotseland is still a dump Still one giant refugee camp Still under foreign military occupation Still under siege Still under foreign domination Still under Police State Still traumatised Still foul air everywhere Still heavy with gunpowder smoke Still heavy with teargas smoke Still under a heavy cloud of oppression Still no fundamental freedoms of any kind Still no freedom to associate Still no freedom to canvass our political views Different from those of the oppressor Still no freedom To test our views against public opinion Still no freedom of expression Still slaves in our homeland Still slaves in our motherland Our fatherland Monitored day by day by the Master Existing not living Life under foreign occupation Life in a refugee camp Life in Barotseland   Time to turn the tide Put our destiny in our own hands Time to stop waiting to be given Time to stop being children Time to stop being beggars Waiting to be given Time to stop being slaves Waiting to be given Time to stop being a nation of vagrants Waiting to be given Time to stop being a nation of vagabonds Waiting to be given Time to stop being a nation of imbeciles Waiting to be given Time to stop being a nation of tramps Waiting to be given Time to stop being a nation of destitutes Waiting to be given Given, given, given Never in control of own destiny   This is our time Time to recover what truly belongs to us Our nation Time to recover what they stole from us Our dignity Time to recover what they stole from us Our Statehood Time to recover what they stole from us Our sovereignty Time to recover what they stole from us Our identity Time to recover what they stole from us Our honour Time to recover what they stole from us Our land Time to recover what they stole from us Our freedom Time to stop being beggars Time for meaningful steps Towards our own self-determination Time to shed off all forms of suppression Time to shed off all forms of intimidation Time to shed off all forms of harassment Time to shed off all forms of torture Time to shed off all forms of arbitrary arrests Time to shed off all forms of Police brutality Enough is enough Time to forget about Zambian elections Our freedom does not lie in them Our salvation does not lie in them Our redemption does not lie in them Our deliverance does not lie in them Barotseland forms no part Of the New Republic of Zambia Elections of the a new President Of the New Republic of Zambia Have nothing to do with Barotseland In fact Have NOT the Zambian elections Been the very reason for our subjugation The very source of our slavery The very reason for our lost nationhood Our lost statehood Our lost sovereignty Our lost dignity Our lost human rights Our lost autonomy Our lost identity   Awaken Barotseland and arise! Arise from the ashes of the failed Unitary State The Unitary State is long dead The Unitary State has long been burried Suffered death in 1969 At the hands of Zambian parliamentarians Who committed high treason By disestablishing the very State They were elected to serve and protect As suicide bombers They bombed the Republic of Zambia As a Unitary State Through constitution amendment Act No 5 of 1969 Ushered in the New Republic of Zambia That excluded Barotseland Their New Republic of Zambia Nothing ties Barotseland to it It is a foreign country   Awaken Barotseland and arise! Arise! Stop fighting to be part of something Something that is broken Something that has broken-down Something rotting in the grave A wreck Something to which you do not belong Something foreign Something repugnant Something reprehensible Something shameful Something disgraceful Something smelly Something stinky Something offensive Abhorrent and Abominable Disgusting and Distasteful Hideous and Nauseating Objectionable and Obscene Obnoxious and Repulsive Revolting and Sickening Barotseland Arise! Your salvation lies not from without Arise! Barotseland Your salvation abides within Each one of us In our innermost souls Not within the souls Of Zambian politicians Not within the souls Of United Nation member states Not within the souls Of the Southern African Development Community member states Not within the souls Of African Union member states Not within the souls Of Commonwealth member states   Arise, Barotseland, Arise! The new Zambian State President of 2015 Shall seek to bribe you with government posts Promises of development Dangling carrots As they have done before To benefit only a few individuals Don’t be destructed It is not their development we seek It is not their government posts we seek It is not just a respite for a few individuals That we seek We seek a systemic change We seek our sovereignty back We do not seek half-measures We seek total liberation Freedom for all A free Barotseland A nation among nations If this is what we desire Who can stand in our way Arise, Barotseland, Arise! Your redemption lies within Each member soul of each Barotse national Remember the Arab Spring Arise, Barotseland, arise! Take back what truly belongs to you Reclaim your identity Reclaim your dignity You have the ability You have the capacity You have the facility It is within your hands It is within your reach It is within your grasp It is within your stride But only if you so desire If you desire it bad enough No obstacle shall be too big to overcome No obstacle too large to conquer Surrender is not an option Being bribed is not an option Retreat is not an option Forward ever! Backward never! No-one is born a coward You learn to become one    
  1. XI. Supposition
  Barotseland Free at last Royal and Regal Stately and Grandiose Magnificent and Splendid Majestic and Free Elegant and Enviable Stylish and Sophisticated Graceful and Liberated Well-designed and Well-dressed Smart and Classy Tasteful and Refined Barotseland Thank God Almighty We shall desire nothing else Free at last    

End