Barotseland and Zambia are neither one nor same
by BNFA Publicity Wing
These are indisputable facts. Zambia did not inherit the powers of Britain, neither did it inherit those of the Litunga. Zambia's scheme to wipe out Barotseland from the face of Africa is against the tenets of state formation and international law. Barotseland has been a recognized nation state or rather a country well before 1905 as evidenced at the conclusion of Anglo Portuguese Barotseland boundary arbitration by the King of France. This was well before the territory of Northern Rhodesia came into being. Furthermore, the treaties and orders-in-council signed with King Liwanika bear testimony to Barotseland's statehood even before the name came into usage in defining territorial sovereignty. If Barotseland is not recognized as a country, then Zambia does not exist too because it is the nation of Barotseland that defines "unitary state" formation of "Zambia!".Barotseland was a British protectorate without being colonized while Northern Rhodesia was a creation of imperialism and became a protectorate as a colonized territory. English law defines a protectorate as a territory whose soil does not belong to the British crown. A "territory" is one of the key elements defining a state. There is no state without territory (Land) and size of the land mass does not matter. It's important to establish the meaning of a state to appreciate the word in relation to the subject matter. A state is a body politic (organized group of people prepared to run their own affairs). It must be realized that a state is artificial unlike nation that is natural. Barotseland existed as a nation state for centuries before the birth of Zambia. It is against this background that Barotseland associated with Zambia on express conditions specified under the Barotseland Agreement 1964 (BA'64) and on the basis of which it preserved its nation-state within independent Northern Rhodesia under the new name of Zambia. The BA'64 attests to this in its preamble:
"It is the wish of the Government of Northern Rhodesia and of the Litunga of Barotseland to enter into arrangements concerning the position of Barotseland as part of the Republic of Zambia to take the place of the TREATIES and other AGREEMENTS hitherto subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen of Britain and the Litunga of Barotseland".
The question is, why should arrangements be made to make Barotseland part of Zambia, if it was already within Northern Rhodesia as insinuated by the less enlightened Zambian politicians? If Barotseland was part of Northern Rhodesia it would be ridiculous to enter into agreement with herself. The truth of the matter is that Barotseland and Northern Rhodesia had one person who was Governor (principal authority) of British colony of Northern Rhodesia and at the same time a High commissioner representing the government of Her Majesty in Barotseland protectorate.
Another point worthy consideration in the preamble is the sovereignty of Barotseland within independent Northern Rhodesia. It attest that Barotseland should co-exist with its territorial integrity and maintain its identity while enjoying autonomous status as enshrined in the BA'64, inter alia, make and pass laws within her territory. This means republicanism laws should not be extended to Barotseland. However due to dishonest nature of the first Zambian government, it unilaterally terminated the BA'64, Zambia Independence Act 1964 and Zambia Independence Order 1964 in 1969 to fulfill Zambia's ego of annexing Barotseland. As if that was not enough, in the same year, Barotseland was renamed Western province while the original Western province of Zambia was renamed Copperbelt province and many Lozis who resisted the unlawful change were arrested and incarcerated in Chilubi Island. Tukongote!