BAROTSELAND – ZAMBIA’S REFUGEE CAMP
Sitwala Namwinji Imenda
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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