Honorary Zambian Residency

By Henry Kyambalesa

The functions of Zambia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation should include managing and
administering a programme designed to confer rare and special “Zambian Residency” status upon a selected number of
distinguished foreigners.

A provisional list of such foreign nationals and their families should include the following: Mr. Barrack Obama, the late Mr. Kofi Annan, U2’s Bono (Paul D. Hewson), the late Mr. James (Jimmy) Carter, Mr. Jimmy Cliff, Mr. William (Bill) Clinton, the late Mr.Mahatma Gandhi, the late Dr. John Garang, the late Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, Ms. Angelina Jolie, Mr. Lionel Richie, the late Senator Edward Kennedy, the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the late Mother Teresa, the late Mr. Samora Machel, the late Mr. Nelson Mandela, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, the late Mr. Joshua Nkomo,the late Bishop Desmond Tutu, Ms. Oprah Winfrey, the late Mrs.Anita Roddick, the late Mr. Bob Marley, the late Senator John
McCain, Mr. Joseph (Joe) Biden, Ms. Kamala Harris, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.N. Secretary General Mr. António Guterres,and Ms. Clare Short.

We should grant special and rare privileges (to be suggested by members of the Cabinet) to foreign nationals who would be
adjudged to have made exemplary contributions to the promotion—in their own countries and/or beyond—of peace,
freedom, justice, democracy, prosperity, philanthropy / altruism,poverty reduction, and other noble causes and endeavours.

Among other rare and special privileges, the recipients and/or families of the special Zambian residency would be free to visit Zambia whenever they feel like and enjoy the beauty, warmth,friendliness, and rich cultures and traditions of our beloved country and its people. Our beloved country would, of course, do well to continue to perform the following functions through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation:

(a) Foreign policy: Administration of a foreign policy that places a great deal of emphasis on the need for the Zambian government to work hand in hand with other peace-loving nations worldwide in creating a more democratic, more peaceful, and more affluent global community. And, accordingly, pursuit of amicable relations with all the democratic and peace-loving countries which have already proved to be Zambia’s reliable and passionate friends.

(b) Zambia’s image abroad: A deliberate effort to educate other countries about our beautiful country and its lovely and peace-loving people. If we fail in this endeavour, other countries will not readily engage in political, cultural and economic relations with us.(c) Foreign-country profiles: Maintenance of up-to-date profiles of foreign countries in order to continually fine-tune Zambia’s relations with the rest of the world, and to furnish Zambian travellers with useful information about foreign countries to enhance their safety and/or business pursuits abroad.

(d) Consular affairs and services: Redressing travellers’ frustrations caused by inadequacies in the processing of passports and visas by streamlining bureaucratic procedures and occasionally re-training consular personnel.

(e) Zambian travellers: Requiring each and every Zambian traveller to foreign countries to consider themselves as dependable “ambassadors” of our Motherland, and to conduct themselves in a civilized and lawful manner.Contact addresses for recipients and/or their families could be obtained through foreign missions based in Zambia and Washington, DC, and/or any other sources. Preferably, and if possible, the official correspondence conferring the “Honorary
Zambian Residency” should be delivered directly to the recipients or their families.