While in Lusaka last week, I was fortunate to have an expert-guided tour of the liberation zone. My tour guide was none other than my friend, Ambassador Lazarus Kapambwe. For those who are unaware: “the city served not only as a crucial site for the recruitment of fighters and a transit centre for activists who sought military training abroad, but also as an important diplomatic venue for the anti-colonial movement in the subregion.” The liberation movements were from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, and South Africa.)
During my visit, I was taken through:
- Chilenje, where Kenneth Kaunda lived before becoming the first president of Zambia
- Chikumbi, where I learnt of the Chikumbi massacre of 1978
- Kamwala, which hosted the Africa Liberation Centre, where various exiled liberation movements were “co-located”
- Libala and Matero, which were also strategic locations in the hosting and planning of liberation movements
Along the way, I learnt of:
- The adapted meaning of “chachacha” in the context of the Zambian liberation struggle, which referred to a campaign of civil disobedience-literally meaning “making the oppressor dance” in dealing with various acts of disobedience, such as burning buildings and obstructing roads.
- I learned about the origins of KK’s white handkerchief, why he went vegetarian, and why he stopped having tea as part of his resistance
- I was reminded of the role women played in the regional liberation struggles, along with some of the tactics they employed.
- I gained insight into the gender-specific levels of oppression during colonial times.
- I was reminded of how colonial tactics of oppression have evolved into post-independence forms.
- If the hunted do not share their stories, history will always be written by the hunters.
- I question myself: Who are today’s hunters?
- When in Zambia, go beyond Victoria Falls, and learn a bit of the history of the region
- We must embrace a historical regional perspective when sharing the stories of individual colonial liberation struggles. This approach not only enriches our understanding but also connects the diverse experiences and challenges faced by different countries in their quest for freedom. No individual country could have achieved independence on its own. That is why regional integration is a real possibility, and the ACFTA is an achievable aspiration.
- I had an amazingly irreplaceable tour guide, Amb. Lazarus Kapambwe
- As always, I encourage all of us to read and write
Clarence Chongo, 2025: A “hub of decolonisation”: Lusaka, liberation movements and the struggle for black majority rule in Southern Africa, 1960-1980. https://journals.openedition.org/rccs/16276?lang=en, Accessed on 20 August 2025.
Next time you are in Lusaka, do yourself a favour and visit the Liberation zone. You will be the wiser for it.