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UJ Centre for Africa-China Studies (CACS) CENTRE FOR AFRIca-CHINA STUDIES In partnership with the UJ Library SPEAKERS ZOOM WEBINAR: Dr O’Brien Kaaba Zambia Before and University of Zambia After the August 12 Election: Analysis and Way Forward Laura Miti Alliance for Community Action On 12 August 2021, Zambian businessman and opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema won a landslide victory in Zambia’s presidential election, defeating former president Edgar Lungu by more than a million votes. He now faces the daunting challenge of turning around the country’s economic fortunes. In this timely webinar, three Zambians Chama Fumba (PilAto) – an academic and two activists – will reflect on trends Zambian musician and in Zambia in recent years, the election result, and its social activist implications for the country’s future. CHAIR Date: Tuesday 31 August 2021 Time: 14h00—16h00 Webinar link: https://zoom.us/j/98812888756 Goitseone Maswabi Webinar ID: 988 1288 8756 Researcher, CACS Background Since its return to multiparty democracy in 1991, after an 18-year intermis- sion, the Republic of Zambia has generally been lauded as a democratic suc- cess. The peaceful transfers of power to victorious opposition parties in 1991 and 2011 confirmed that Zambia was a bright spot in the third wave of democ- racy in Africa. However, since 2015, under president Edgar Lungu, Zambia seems to have squandered its democratic ethos. Spiralling external debt, a tanking econo- my, harassment, arrests and imprisonment of political opponents and activ- ists and a general restriction of political and civil liberties have engendered a toxic political climate. Data from The Economist’s Democracy Index shows that, since 2015, Zambia’s democracy has been under growing pressure, and the country is now a hybrid regime, moving towards becoming an authoritar- ian state. For these reasons, the elections on 12 August, 2021 have been widely regarded as a watershed in Zambian history. The contest was mainly between the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and the main opposition party, he United Party for National Development (UPND). Their campaigns were laced with disturbing levels of tribal-speak, violence and vacillating political affiliations. This was thrown into even sharper focus by the death of Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president, on 17 June, at a time when the campaigns were at fever pitch. Kaunda’s antipathy for tribal politics were embodied in his ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ mantra and his adoption of Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent philosophy of satyagraha. His graceful ac- ceptance of electoral defeat in 1991, after 27 years in power, set the tone for subsequent peaceful handovers of power. Fortunately, this tradition has en- dured. Following a landslide victory by the businessman and opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, Lungu agreed to a peaceful transfer of power. In this timely webinar, three prominent Zambians will comment on the back- ground to the election, its outcome, and what Hichilema’s election may mean for Zambia’s future. Programme 14:00 – 14:05 Opening remarks Ms Goitseone Maswabi 14:05 – 14:30 Presentation Dr O’Brien Kaaba 14:30 – 14:55 Presentation Ms Laura Miti 14:55 – 15:20 Presentation Mr Chama Fumbu (PilAto) 15:20 – 15:55 Questions and answers 15:55 – 16:00 Vote of thanks Dr David Monyae The future. Reimagined. More about the speakers Dr O’Brien Kaaba is a lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Zam- bia and a senior research fellow at SAIPAR. He holds an LLB from the Uni- versity of London, an LLM from the University of Zambia, and an LLD from the University of South Africa. He previously served as Elections Manager for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) in Zambia, a Political Specialist for the US Department of State at the American Embassy in Lusaka (Zambia), and a Human Rights and Rule of Law Advisor for the Germany Development Cooperation (GIZ) in Zambia. He is the co-editor of Electoral Politics in Zambia (Brill 2020). Fumba Chama, a.k.a. pilAto – an acronym for People in Lyrical Arena Tak- ing Over – is a popular Zambian poet and hip hop activist. His music is so- cial commentary employing the hip hop genre and is often referred to as the ‘voice of the voiceless’. This method has gained him fame with the public, and notoriety with the Zambian authorities. Over the past decade, these au- thorities have accused him of (ab)using his platform to attack the govern- ment, non-performing Members of Parliament, the leadership of the Pa- triotic Front (PF) in general and President Edgar Lungu in particular. This resulted in several unwarranted arrests and harassment. Fumba Chama is the founder and current Executive director of an organisation called PAAGZ, whose work is around accountability and governance processes in Zambia. Ms Laura Miti is the executive director of the Alliance for Community Action (ACA), based in Lusaka, Zambia. Passionate about how the choices made by those in power affect the poor, Laura has worked in civil society for more than 25 years. Her activism has also earned her spells in prison. She now leads a vibrant ACA team that directs all its efforts at advocating for a more equitable and accountable Zambia and a questioning public. Away from work, Laura uses an active social media presence to initiate conversations on public interest topics. Moderator Ms Goitseone Maswabi is a research assistant and social media coordinator for the UJ Centre for Africa-China Studies (CACS). She is an International Relations graduate, legal scholar and research practitioner. The future. Reimagined..
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