REMARKS BY HON. CLEMENT WAINYAE SINYINDA TO THE CROWDS THAT TURNED OUT TO WELCOME HIM AT MONGU AIRPORT ON THURSDAY 5^th DECEMBER 2013.

Ladies and gentlemen, sons and daughters of the soil,

It is not my intention on this accession to keep you long. May you kindly allow me to say just a few words as follows:

I am deeply gratified to be able to be with you in this manner today and I heartily greet you all. May I express my profound gratitude for this grand welcome that you have accorded me today. I wish also to express my thanks for similar welcome accorded to my colleagues who came earlier than myself and to whom you gave a thunderous welcome last Saturday.

I also wish to express my appreciative thanks for your gestures of overwhelming benevolence not only to me but indeed to the rest of my colleagues who were with me at Mwembeshi Maximum Prison. I will never forget your numerous trips while our case was still in the courts. Indeed your prayers and wishes are the reason why today we can enjoy this semblance of freedom. On my own behalf and indeed on behalf of my colleagues, I wish to express our gratitude from the bottom of my heart.

My fellow compatriots, your deeds and feats including this grand and thunderous welcome are a clear demonstration and testimony of the unity of purpose among the people of Barotseland. This is what our forefathers meant by the adage “Tukongote wa Mwana Nongolo”, i.e. let our unity be like that of a flock of pelicans.

You all know why my colleagues and I found ourselves in Mwembeshi; it is because of the issue of our Barotseland. In one of our local dialects, Simbunda, it is said “ku hanga kushaka kasumbi keti muli tale ku malambo koko”, meaning when chasing a chicken with a view to catching it, avoid looking at each other’s ‘skirts’ lest you end up laughing at how one’s skirt is tossing back and forth and in the process fail to catch the chicken. Tukongote! (Let’s Unite)

My fellow countrymen and women, the matter that landed us in Mwembeshi Maximum Prison is a big and serious issue for which we are not ashamed , let alone regret. To the contrary it is one for which we are profoundly proud in accordance with one of our forefathers’ adages that goes “Mufanasaye ni muteba; ta lyokwe ni mufa na mbuyuyu mu kanwa”, meaning: ‘blessed is he who dies for his rights, for he is like the goose that dies with grain in its arroyo or gulley’. This issue of ‘Mufa na saye’ is very important, in fact it is what defines our human attributes. Another wise saying of our forefathers is: “Wacila ňumbili ukele mulipimo la nyoko. Ňumbili ta ba kufa na ku yoya” meaning that ‘He who is afraid of confrontation might as well craw back to their mother’s womb because confrontation is a fact of life’. In line with the wisdom embodied in these adages passed to us by our forefathers, I wish to commit myself to continue without retreat even after my incarceration to fight for the rights of Barotseland and her peoples. The crucial thing is that as we do what we do we need to remain as peaceful as possible. Let’s do everything within the confines of legality and following internationally recognised tenets of human rights, law and justice.

After an extensive consultative process with colleagues and Barotse based CSOs, reflecting on what has taken place and what needs to be done, I will be able to make a more comprehensive statement to you. May I conclude by reiterating my deep appreciative thanks to you all.

May the spirit of our Gand King, Lewanika, be with Barotseland forever!

May our God be with all of you forever and ever!

I am profoundly thankful.