By Rev. Kapya Kaoma
The serious observance the National day of Prayer, Fasting and Reconciliation illustrates the extreme religiosity of millions of Zambians. Politicians will always jump on it to win votes as did pastor Nevers Mumba, when he called on us to pray ourselves out of the current national crisis. Yet this predicament is caused by selfish politicians, among them, those who dine with Pastor Mumba and shout ‘Amen’ the loudest.
Pastor Mumba wants us to believe that the “crisis has not chosen which Zambians to target,” it has. The effects of the drought are not equally felt—like Lazarus in the Bible, politicians and the rich throw away food while we envy the crumbs from their tables.
The PF wants us to blame the drought for the current famine and other economic challenges—yet the egotistical PF administration is responsible. The drought was projected in 2017, and we had millions of metric tons of maize the same year. Rather than saving, the PF government exported maize—suggesting the deficiency of leadership in the Lungu administration.
God has never abandoned us, but politicians. Year after year, we pray. We fast and pray for more money in our pockets. Our prayers are constantly answered; God has repeatedly exposed the thieves, who call themselves honorable, but in truth, they are dishonorable politicians. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy,” Jesus said (John 10:10). Who does not know that the dishonorable MPs, Ministers and Lungu’s grand goal is to steal, destroy and kill?
So is the National Day of Prayer a way of pacifying masses? While PF cadre MPs and ministers voluntarily fast for 3 hours, we are forced to fast daily. Our prayer is, “give us this day our daily bread,” but bread is now a luxury. “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people,” Karl Marx argued. But that is not the religion of Jesus. Our suffering is caused by heartless and dishonorable politicians. They call on us to pray and fast, but they never fast from corruption, injustice and violence. So how can you expect us the robbed to reconcile with these seasoned honorable robbers? To a religious fanatic, with God everything is possible. To the God of the oppressed, the robber must be fought, defeated and imprisoned.
It is said, “When the Missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and the Missionaries had the Bible. They taught how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible.” Although the exact source of this critique of colonial Christianity’s role in the exploitation of Africans is debatable, it fits the PF call for prayers while stealing from the masses. Next time we pray, let us open our eyes—their protruding bellies tell it all. Thieves, thieves, thieves!
Reverend Godfridah Sumaili knows better. Ancient Israel called itself God’s nation. And like our dishonorable politicians, its leaders called on masses to fast and pray, but oppressed workers, betrayed justice, and killed those who opposed their evil schemes. Isaiah’s words speak for themselves:
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter;
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
These words are an indictment of the PF administration, its enabling pastors and the so called Christians for Lungu. How can we pray while carrying guns and pangas? Surely, we cannot cry of prayer, fasting and reconciliation when PF cadres’ prayers are insults and lawlessness. Is this not a mockery to God? Well, we are a Christian nation led by thieves.
l prayed that God raises up another Moses to deliver us from this malicious “Christian nation” singing regime. I prayed that God sees the tears of mothers whose children die like flies, while politicians parade before president Lungu as if before God. Like a triplet mother’s womb, so are their tummies. One would think they would give birth to justice, only to discover they give birth to more and more corruption.
Today, I pray. God of justice, see that dying baby–to call him or her is to curse our humanity. The exposed ribs and protruding eyes speak to the evilness of our politicians. Like your Son on the cross, it cries out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” With this cry, it curses our Christian nation.
I pray that every thief in power pays the ultimate price–in this life or in the life to come. Merciful Lord, strengthen our prophets to stand up for the oppressed; the poor to demand what is rightly ours, and open our eyes to see the injustice of corruption, injustice and violence. Wipe our tears—for us the poor, your Son died to set free. Amen.
Fake reverend…First remove your log in your eyes and then you’ll start seeing clearly….
Great ruminations Rev Kaoma. Wht’s important is wht views right-thinking members of society hv of u.
Excellent analysis!
…this reverent is spot on about these thieving demons calling themselves pf!
Wasted energy.
Read error. Writer is a corruptible seed.
Pass. Next news item pleased. No story here.
Cappuccino please.
@1 Fwanya there is always people like you in our society that’s why Zambia is where it is now. Your illiteracy and backward thinking has put us where we are today. The Rev has a point but because you are one of them parading for Lungu you are OK with that and yet your family can not even afford a meal.
This little boy who was ordained by Satan to carry out sex HAGAINST the H-order of Nature with his friend UNDER FIVE is fartin’ in public HAGAIN.
New era is coming for Zambia and it has just about to begin. When we the citizens are brave and refuse to accept corruption, poor performance and other ills, we give hope to others that better things yet to come.
“…I prayed that God sees the tears of mothers whose children die like flies, while politicians parade before president Lungu as if before God..”
Honestly??? Then I am not sure that I understand this God. Do we have to pray for Him to see “the tears of our mothers”? Honestly? He cannot see for Himself what corrupt leaders are doing to us all His people? If indeed He is looking and takes no action when we need him now here on earth (but waiting until we meet in Heaven) then we have a problem. And that problem prayers cannot solve.
The problems facing this country today have nothing to do with God.The problems facing this country have been brought about by the criminal and corrupt leadership of PF. ECL and PF have been in power now for more than five years and have only come to know about climate change in 2019 because this is when they are beginning to seriously feel the political repercussions of their criminal misrule of more than five years. Zambians do not need to pray to solve the current problems but to urgently remove this highly hypocritical and plunderous regime. ECL`s only known prayer is any human activity in Zambia,like the national day of prayer, that will aid his remaining in power after 2021.
Well written article indeed. I agree with you 100% sir
The PF is a criminal organization mascarading as a political party lying to the *****s in the land of the mediocre. They cannot even see anything wrong with these guys, a true reflection of the Zambian society at the present moment. It’s a shame.
The only way political parties ascend to power is to criminalise their opponents and then get into power as soon as the other political party feels that they can also do it then they use prevailing circumstances to project themselves as the, “Saviours” this is what happens all the time. Other than the real change that happened in 1991 the rest are just normal changes to try and fight for bread and butter. Problems are there yes but there does not seem to be a political party to match the PF so I steady of telling people what they will offer they just demonize the PF that is all they are doing.People feel and see, so the people are the ones with the master key.
WHO ELSE THEN?
KAMBWILI??
HH?
NEVERS?
MMEMBE???
KALABA?
MY INSTINCTS TELL ME MOST OF THE ABOVE WOULD BE IN TO ENRICH THEMSELVES AND WORSE THAN WHAT WE HAVE. THAT IS THE DILEMMA ZAMBIANS ARE IN.
Zambia First, your observation is right. Many of the politicians they say, if ECL can be President then I also can. Forgetting that presidency sometimes comes by lucky, placing one self in good position to score or simply by being charismatic people follow you. Example FTJ was a charismatic President. Look at Kalaba honourable person, risigns from a following (party) with a view that people will follow him, alas it doesn’t happen. The same can be said to be true for General Miyanda. So indeed it’s about incriminating those in leadership hoping the masses to rise against them. WHY? because one has failed to convince the electrote with new ideas of doing political business.
A typical example is that of water supply. Run through Livingstone to Chililabombwe, every house hold keeps some…
ZAMBIA is for JESUS therefore, Leaders who are aspiring for the highest office in this country should be scruitinized in the way they respond to Christian values. Country MEN and WOMEN its our time to ask God to show us leaders who fear Him. You can have money but if you do not fear God then that money is nothing, you can have world connections but without Jesus those connections are in vain. The challenges we are facing in this country are worldwide it takes Spiritual understanding through prayer what exactly God is telling us, for it is written in the Holy Bible that the end times are near, so lucifer is fighting the believers to start receiving his marks through his agents, who are calling themselves rich. The riches are in God in the name of Jesus Christ, The Children of Isreal…
U are a PF cadre do not pretend to be a christian. Even in the bible, there were righteous people who were rich. Being rich is not synonymous with being evil and being poor is also not synonymous with being righteous.
Abject poverty is bad, it is either you die of hunger or of malnutrition or cause you commit crimes in order to survive. Don’t encourage people to accept poverty so that they vote for your party.
These are writings that excite tongas and lozis in their bantustans of barotseland. Cheap propaganda that can’t even sell as the mast and diggers are experiencing. How can a normal person absorb so much negative energy every day?? What famine?? Meanwhile bars are full daily navigololo mbwe… Are those hungry people???
The BANTUSTANS of Satan-leaning division of the country by HH UNDER FIVE.
Sorry I meant to say NAMWALA!
Is he a pastor or an imposter. A pastor who finds faults in others is not worth being called a pastor. He advocates for same sex marriages which is an abomination. God created man and woman not man and man or woman and woman. Man is an exit. You cannot make man to be an entrance. Woman is an entrance. Whatever man exits should go into an entrance hence difference in our physiological set up. This pastor is a counterfeit who is wasting the beautiful name of pastors. I believe someone who calls him an ordained pastor by the devil. He needs to repent just like any one of us.
I pray for Rev kapya kaoma, may God redeem. You sir from anger. Yes things are bad in Zambia but bursting with anger will not solve the problem. Soberness is the mark of true faith. Peace in times of provocation is what Jesus christ shown us even when under torture. You are human may be I held you too high to be divine. My mistake. You have a point but the anger takes away your ability to reason. God bless you.