Government says it is working closely with traditional leaders in the country to rebrand traditional ceremonies in order to promote tourism, trade and industry.
Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkandu Luo said a properly organized and rebranded traditional event can impact positively on the country’s development agenda.
Prof Luo said the Patriotic Front government is looking at the promotion of tradition and culture for sustainable development.
She said this in an interview with ZANIS yesterday on the sidelines of the Kazanga Kabompo traditional ceremony of the Nkoya people of Kabompo district in North Western province.
Prof Luo said it is government’s hope that in future local people will take the lead in organizing ceremonies so that they can showcase some of the products they can engage in trade and industry.
She said it is regrettable that traditional ceremonies are only synonymous with singing and dancing when they provide a platform for local people to engage in economic ventures that can help them better their lives.
And the Chief and Traditional Affairs Minister said government has no immediate plans to gazette chiefs that were degazetted by the colonialists because of financial constraints.
Professor Luo disclosed that a number of chiefs have approached her ministry to consider gazetting them but that the matter has financial implications.
She said there are currently 288 chiefs who are being paid allowances of about four thousand KR 4, 000 besides providing them with transport and constructing palaces for them.
And Kabompo West area Member of Parliament Abrose Lufuma who officiated at the event appealed to government to look for serious investors who can explore the vast mineral resources that North Western province is endowed with.
Mr Lufuma said the area has a lot of mineral resources such as copper, oil among other minerals but that these minerals have remained unexploited because of lack of investment in the area.
The Kabombo West Parliamentarian also thanked government for the support rendered to the organizing committee in hosting the ceremony.
Mr Lufuma also thanked President Michael Sata for creating Manyinga district and urged the president to create many more districts in North Western province in order to foster development in the area.
He also cautioned people in the area to desist from engaging in social activities that may expose them to the dangers of HIV/AIDS.
Meanwhile, Patron of Kazanga Kabompo traditional ceremony Crispin Shumina disclosed that this year’s ceremony was hosted in honour of American talk show host Oprah Winfrey whose latest DNA test traced her ancestry to the Nkoya people of Kabompo district.
Mr Shumina appealed to Government to facilitate the invitation of Ms Winfrey to Zambia so she can meet her relatives in Kabompo district.
ZANIS
It is so sad that we are cheapening our traditions and culture that were used to celebrate, teach and inspire ourselves by hawking them out to white people for them to come and gawk at.
Thumbs up Prof Lou. Although this is not totally a new idea, it is good thinking outside the box and is very progressive. This is because in addition to potential economic growth that can arise from , this idea will go well will the rise in number of people in the World searching their roots thru DNA, e.g. Oprah Winfrey . Copper will one day run out. We should not be caught out.
I don’t think it is cheapening traditions. I think this will promote our traditions not only to the outside world but to the young generations who cannot relate to them. I’m assuming rebranding them is changing how the ceremonies are presented not changing traditions themselves. I like forward thinking.
Do we really understand the difference between the two?
Young generations will not take to traditional stuff for the same reason you want them re-branded – you believe they need to be repackaged for the consumptions of foreigners, implying that if foreigners don’t like them, then they are no good. You have killed the interest of the young generation by pounding their little yet very impressionable minds with foreign TV programs, pushing the Zambian stuff to the fringe. What do you expect? Pandering to outside interests is what poor people do and that is what Nkandu is doing; hammering the final nail into the coffin. What for, the amighty dollar? Shiiiiiiii!
Oprah is not Nkoya from kabompo. Oprah’s DNA has been traced to the Kpelle people of Liberia. I hope these sort of cheap stories from Shumina are not part of the rebranding of traditional ceremonies. And what does Luo mean by this rebranding anyway? Please let the traditional ceremonies be what they have always been …..that’s what ‘tradition’ means!
I agree, they should not touch tradition, let it be the way it’s always been. What rebranding kanshi ? , they want these people to start wearing blue and white attire for their ceremonies now.
Dear Goncalves, google ‘New DNA test results trace Oprah Winfrey’s ancestry to Liberia / Zambia’ and look for this site–> s1..zetaboards…com…/anthroscape/topic/2897531/1/. In the body of the article done by Harvard University it says …….her admixture test showed her ancestry to be 89% sub-Saharan African……. She descends from the Kpelle people of Liberia ….. AND the legendary and mystic Nkoya people in modern-day Zambia.
Can I please get more information on the Oprah Kabompo connection
Just google ‘New DNA test results trace Oprah Winfrey’s ancestry to Liberia / Zambia’ and look for this site–> s1..zetaboards…com…/anthroscape/topic/2897531/1/.
@cactus–
hahahahahah…
you need some mental evaluation sure mwe!
Hehe, welcome to the ncwala traditional ceremony 2.0 reloaded… lol
Misplaced minister of Chiefs. Go back and work as a researcher, not what you are doing. If you continue we may trip off you professor.
Where is your sister?. Live and nice.
Well well well. Oprah might come to Liberia and not Zambia with PF in power she will not come. no onwder some liberians look like Zambians like Ghanians. Now we find blacks in India from Africca as far as Tanzania, Malawi and Angola.
Do that. Start by visiting Uganda- Cultural diplomacy and tourism coupled with entertainment. Brings in big money but you need to invest in capacity building. For it to succeed you need people to be professionally trained on positivity of cultural diversity, business and entertainment.
I think it is high time chiefs were rebranded also. They would be the best masters at such ceremonies. That I think fits them best and while at it do away with the House of Chiefs. They should be members of a national cultural services commitee.