AnarWiki/markdown/Zambia.md

The **Republic of Zambia** is an authoritarian
[capitalist](Capitalism "wikilink") [state](List_of_States "wikilink")
in Southern Africa, bordering the states of Malawi, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, DR Congo and Tanzania.

## History

## Early history

The presence of archaic humans in Zambia at least 200,000 years ago was
shown by the discovery of the Broken Hill skull in Kabwe in 1921 — this
was the first human fossil ever discovered in Africa.<sup>\[1\]</sup>

The earliest known modern humans to live in the territory of modern-day
Zambia were the Khoisans. They were bushmen, brown in complexion,
hunter-gatherers who lived a nomadic life, with stone age technology.
Mainly they collected fruit and nuts, but they also hunted antelope and
other animals.

The Khoisans were the only inhabitants of most of Zambia until the 4th
century, when Bantu<sup>\[2\]</sup> started to migrate from the north.
They had far more developed technology - they were farmers and had iron
and copper tools and weapons, as well as knowledge of pottery-making.
They lived in small self-sufficient villages of wattle-and-daub huts,
growing sorghum and beans, as well as keeping cattle and goats.

The Tonga live in southern Zambia along the Zambezi River are the
earliest settlers among the modern ethnic groups in Zambia today. The
name Tonga is apparently from a word in the Shona language that means
"independent."

Since the early farmers practised slash and burn agriculture, they had
to constantly move further south when the soil was exhausted. The
indigenous khoisans were either killed, assimilated into the new culture
or displaced into areas not suitable for agriculture.

With the introduction of agriculture the population grew, and more, and
more land became cultivated. By the 11th and 12th centuries a more
advanced society was beginning to emerge. Even though most villages
still were self-sufficient, long distance trade was developing. Copper
mining was intensified, and copper crosses were probably used as a
currency. Ivory was an export, and cotton textiles an import. One of the
best-known archaeological sites for this period is Ing-ombe Ilede near
Siavonga close to the Kariba Dam, uncovered in 1960. The increase in
trade resulted in larger political units and more complex social
structures.

## From 1500 to 1900

The period between the 16th and the 19th centuries saw the emergence of
organized Iron Age kingdoms as well as widespread immigration. Four
kingdoms were established in this period - the Kazembe-Lunda in the
north centered on the lower Luapula River, the Bemba in the north east,
the Chewa in the east and the Lozi in the west, centered on the upper
Zambezi River.

The territory of the present Zambia, being far inland, did not have
direct contact with non-Africans until relatively recently in its
history. Arab and Portuguese traders were visiting by the 18th Century.
The first recorded European visitors to Zambia were the Portuguese
Manuel Caetano Pereira (a trader of mixed Goanese and Portuguese
descent) in 1796 and Francisco de Lacerda (an explorer) in 1798. Both
came via Tete in Mozambique to Mwata Kazembe's capital to seek the
chief's agreement to a Portuguese trade route between their territories
of Mozambique and Angola. Lacerda died within a few weeks of arriving at
Kazembe’s but left a valuable journal which was carried back to Tete by
his priest and which was later translated into English by the explorer
Sir Richard Burton.<sup>\[3\]\[4\]</sup>

However, it is believed<sup>\[*by whom?*\]\[*why?*\]</sup> the
Portuguese first came in 1720 to Zumbo, Mozambique, just across the
Luangwa River from Zambia, at the confluence with the Zambezi River.
Around 1820 they had settled on the Zambian side at Feira (now Luangwa).
So it is very likely they were visiting Zambian territory between 1720
and 1820.<sup>\[5\]</sup>

The first Briton to record having set foot on Zambian soil was David
Livingstone. In 1851 he started his well-known exploration of the upper
Zambezi River, and in 1855 he became the first European to see
Mosi-oa-Tunya, the waterfall on the Zambezi River, which he named after
Queen Victoria - the Zambian town near the Falls is named after him.
Livingstone later died in Zambia in 1873.

When the first Europeans arrived, the most powerful states in
pre-colonial Zambia were the kingdom of Barotseland in the upper
Zambezi, and the kingdom of Mwata Kazembe on the Luapula.

The Lozi people of Barotseland had refused Arab and Portuguese traders
access to their territory. When the kingdom was first established is
uncertain, but it was certainly in existence by the 18th century, the
Lozi calling themselves Aluya and their country Ngulu. Its ruler was
called the Litunga. He had two capitals: in the dry season he stayed in
the middle of the Zambezi flood plain at Lealui, while at the start of
the rainy season he moved to Limulunga, above the flood water level, a
move that is still celebrated in the annual Kuomboka festival.

The first certain historical fact concerning Barotseland is the arrival
in the early 19th century of the Makololo, a clan of the South-African
Basotho or Tswana people. Utterly defeated by Shaka's new Zulu Kingdom
in the 1820s, the remnant of the Makololo, under the leadership of
Sebetwane, were forced to march northwards to escape. They conquered the
Lozi and became the aristocracy of Barotseland, with Sebitwane as new
*Litunga*.

Sebetwane proved an able leader, and is spoken of with warm respect by
David Livingstone, who met him in 1851 shortly before his death. He was
succeeded by his daughter Mamochisane, who stepped down early in favour
of her half-brother Sekeletu. With him the Makololo empire appears to
have started to fall to pieces, especially after his death in 1863: a
year later internal dissension in the ruling class brought a revolt by
the Lozi that is said to have exterminated the Makololo aristocracy and
forced the survivors to migrate to present-day Malawi.

Towards the end of the 19th century, British hunters, then traders, then
settlers started to arrive.

## Colonial Period

Cecil Rhodes.

Main article: Northern Rhodesia

In 1888, Cecil Rhodes, spearheading British commercial and political
interests in Central Africa, obtained a mineral rights concessions from
local chiefs. In the same year, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, now
Zambia and Zimbabwe, were proclaimed a British sphere of influence. In
the beginning the territory was administered by Rhodes' British South
Africa Company (BSAC), which showed little interest in the province and
used it mainly as a source of labour.

The most important factor in the colony's economy was copper, the
discovery of which is due partly to an American scout, Frederick Russell
Burnham, who in 1895 lead and oversaw the massive Northern Territories
(BSA) Exploration Co. expedition which established that major copper
deposits existed in Central Africa.<sup>\[6\]</sup> Along the Kafue
River in then Northern Rhodesia, Burnham saw many similarities to copper
deposits he had worked in the United States, and he encountered natives
wearing copper bracelets.<sup>\[7\]</sup>

In 1923 the British government decided not to renew the company's
charter; as a result, Southern Rhodesia was annexed formally and granted
self-government in 1923. After negotiations the administration of
Northern Rhodesia was transferred to the British Colonial Office in 1924
as a protectorate, with Livingstone as capital. The capital was
transferred to the more central Lusaka in 1935. A Legislative Council
was established, of which five members were elected by the small
European minority (only 4,000 people), but none by the African
population.

Flag of Northern Rhodesia.

In 1928 enormous copper deposits were discovered in the region which
then became known as the Copperbelt, transforming Northern Rhodesia from
a prospective land of colonization for white farmers to a copper
exporter. By 1938 the country produced 13% of world's copper extraction.
The sector was developed by two companies; the Anglo American
Corporation (AAC) and the South African Rhodesian Selection Trust (RST),
who controlled the sector till independence.

The poor safety record and increased taxes triggered a strike of African
mineworkers in 1935, known as the Copperbelt strike. The strike was
crushed by the authorities; six miners were killed.

During the Second World War white miners came out on strike in 1940.
Realising the importance of their products for the war, they demanded
higher salaries. This strike was followed by another by African
mineworkers.

Even before the war, there had been talks about merging the two
Rhodesias, but the process had been halted by the British authorities,
and brought to an absolute stop by the war. Finally, in 1953, both
Rhodesias were joined with Nyasaland (now Malawi) to form the Central
African Federation. Northern Rhodesia was the centre of much of the
turmoil and crises that afflicted the federation in its last years. At
the core of the controversy were insistent African demands for greater
participation in government and European fears of losing political
control.

A two-stage election held in October and December 1962 resulted in an
African majority in the legislative council and an uneasy coalition
between the two African nationalist parties. The council passed
resolutions calling for Northern Rhodesia's secession from the
federation and demanding full internal self-b under a new constitution,
and a new national assembly based on a broader, more democratic
franchise. On 31 December 1963, the federation was dissolved, and
Northern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zambia on 24 October 1964.

## Independence and Cold War

A book published by the government upon independence.

At independence, despite its considerable mineral wealth, Zambia faced
major challenges. Domestically, there were few trained and educated
Zambians capable of running the government,<sup>\[8\]</sup> and the
economy was largely dependent on foreign expertise. Most of Zambia's
neighbouring countries were still colonies or under white minority rule.

The United National Independence Party (UNIP) won the pre-independence
elections, gaining 55 of the 75 seats. The Zambian African National
Congress won 10 seats, and the National Progressive Party won all the 10
seats reserved for whites.<sup>\[9\]</sup> Kenneth Kaunda was elected
Prime Minister, and later the same year president, as the country
adopted a presidential system.

Kaunda adopted an ideology of African socialism, close to that of Julius
Nyerere in Tanzania. Economical policies focused on central planning and
nationalisation, and a system of one party rule was put in place.

### Towards one party rule

In 1968 Kaunda was re-elected as president, running unopposed. During
the following years Zambia adopted a one party system. In 1972 all
political parties except UNIP were banned, and this was formalised in a
new constitution that was adopted in 1973. The constitution framed a
system called "one-party participatory democracy", which in practise
meant that UNIP became the sole political factor in the country. It
provided for a strong president and a unicameral National Assembly.
National policy was formulated by the Central Committee of UNIP. The
cabinet executed the central committee's policy. In legislative
elections, only candidates running for UNIP were allowed to participate.
Even though inter-party competition was out of question, the contest for
seats within UNIP was energetic. In the presidential elections, the only
candidate allowed to run was the one elected as president of UNIP at the
party's general conference. In this way Kaunda was re-elected unopposed
with a yes or no vote in 1973, 1978, 1983 and 1988.

S.M Chisembele, Cabinet Minister Western Province.

This did not, however, mean that there was no dissension to the
imposition of a one-party rule in the country or within UNIP. Sylvester
Mwamba Chisembele who was Cabinet Minister for Western Province
(previously Barotse Province) together with UNIP leaders from 7 out of
the 8 Provinces established a Committee of 14. The objective of the
Committee of 14 which consisted two leaders from each of the 7 provinces
was the establishment of a democratically elected council of two leaders
from each province to rule the country by consensus with the President
as Head of State. If this had been achieved, it would have meant the
curtailing of the absolute power residing in President Kaunda. The
Committee of 14 attended a meeting in State House at which President
Kaunda agreed to consider their proposals. However, later he banned the
Committee of 14 and this action was followed by the suspension of
Sylvester Chisembele and several leaders were sacked.<sup>\[10\]</sup>
Chisembele later rejoined the Cabinet as Minister for Eastern Province
and two years later in 1977 he was transferred in the same position to
the Copperbelt Province, where the political situation was tense,
especially so because of the forthcoming General Elections. Simon M.
Kapwepwe and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, who, before the declaration of a
One Party State, had been leaders of the UPP and ANC political parties
respectively, had joined UNIP with the intention of challenging for the
Presidency. However, their attempt to challenge President Kaunda for the
Presidency on the UNIP ticket failed as both were prevented and
disqualified by the manipulations of President Kaunda, who stood
unopposed. Simon Kapwepwe and Harry Nkumbula challenged the resultant
1978 election of President Kaunda in the High Court, but unsurprisingly
their action was unsuccessful.

### The economy and the copper crisis

After independence Zambia adopted a left-wing economic policy. The
economy was to some extent run by central planning, under five year
plans, private companies were nationalised and incorporated into large
state-owned conglomerates. The government's goal was to be
self-sufficient, which it sought to achieve through import substitution.
At first the plan worked and the economy grew steadily, but in the mid
1970s the economy started to decline drastically. During the period
between 1975 and 1990 Zambia's economy dropped by approximately
30%.<sup>\[11\]</sup>

The reason for this was that the Zambian economy was heavily dependent
on the copper industry, which had previously been nationalised. During
the 1970s the price of copper sank drastically, partly due the USSR, the
second largest producer, flooding the market. This resulted in a large
deficit for the state-owned enterprise. Another reason for the drop was
Zambia's involvement in the neighbouring countries politics, and the
transportation problems that resulted.

To deal with the crisis Zambia took big loans from the International
Monetary Fund and the Worldbank, hoping that copper prices would rise
again soon, instead of issuing structural reforms.

### Foreign policy

Internationally, Zambia's sympathies lay with forces opposing colonial
or white-dominated rule. During the next decade, it actively supported
movements such as the National Union for the Total Independence of
Angola (UNITA) under the independence war and under the subsequent civil
war, the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) in Southern Rhodesia,
and the African National Congress (ANC) in their struggle against
apartheid in the Republic of South Africa, and the South-West Africa
People's Organization (SWAPO) in their struggle for independence for
Namibia. Zambia also hosted some of the movements. For instance, the ANC
exile headquarters were in Lusaka, and ZAPU had a military base in
Zambia. This resulted in security problems, as the South Africa and
South Rhodesia raided targets inside Zambia on several occasions.

Rhodesian counterinsurgency operations extended into Zambia after
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) rebels shot down two
unarmed Vickers Viscount civilian airliners (Air Rhodesia Flight 825 on
3 September 1978 and Air Rhodesia Flight 827 on 12 February 1979) with
Soviet-supplied SA-7 heat-seeking missiles. In retaliation for the
shooting down of Flight 825 in September 1978, the Rhodesian Air Force
attacked the ZIPRA guerrilla base at Westlands farm near Lusaka in
October 1978, warning Zambian forces by radio not to
interfere.<sup>\[12\]</sup>

Conflicts with Rhodesia resulted in the closing of Zambia's borders with
that country and severe problems with international transport and power
supply. However, the Kariba hydroelectric station on the Zambezi River
provided sufficient capacity to satisfy the country's requirements for
electricity. TAZARA, a railway to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam,
built with Chinese assistance, reduced Zambian dependence on the railway
line south to South Africa and west through an increasingly war-ravaged
Angola.

Civil strife in neighbouring Mozambique and Angola created large numbers
of refugees, many of whom fled to Zambia.

Internationally, Zambia was an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement
(NAM), and hosted a summit in Lusaka in 1970. Kenneth Kaunda served as
the movements chairman 1970-1973. Among the NAM countries Zambia was
especially close to Yugoslavia. Outside the NAM Zambia also had close
relations with the People's Republic of China.

In the Second Congo War, Zambia backed Zimbabwe and the Congo but did
not participate as a belligerent.

## Multi-party democracy

### The end of one party rule

One party rule and the declining economy created disappointment among
the people. Several strikes hit the country in 1981. The government
responded by arresting several union leaders, among them Frederick
Chiluba. In 1986 and 1987 protests arose again in Lusaka and the
Copperbelt. These were followed by riots over rising food prices in
1990, in which at least 30 people were killed. The same year the state
owned radio claimed that Kaunda had been removed from office by the
army. This was not true, and the 1990 Zambian coup d'état attempt
failed.

These extensive protests made Kaunda realise the need for reform. He
promised a referendum on multiparty democracy, and lifted the ban on
political parties. This resulted in the quick formation of eleven new
parties. Among these Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), led by
former union leader Frederick Chiluba, was the most important. After
pressure for the new parties the referendum was canceled in favour of
direct multiparty election.

### Frederick Chiluba and the MMD

After a new constitution had been drafted, elections were held in 1991.
They were generally regarded to have been free and fair, and Chiluba won
76% of the presidential vote, and the MMD 125 of the 150 seats in the
National Assembly, with UNIP taking the remaining 25.<sup>\[9\]</sup>

Economically Chiluba, despite being a former union leader, stood to the
right of Kaunda. With support from the International Monetary Fund and
World Bank, to which Zambia was heavily indebted, he liberalised the
economy by restricting government interference, re-privatising
state-owned enterprises, such as the important copper mining industry,
and removing subsidies on various commodities, most notably on corn
meal.

When one party rule was first abolished in 1991, many expected a more
democratic future for Zambia. These expectations were however clouded by
the MMD's treatment of the opposition. Questionable amendments of the
constitution and detentions of political opponents caused major
criticism, and some donor countries, i.e., the United Kingdom and
Denmark, withdrew their aid.

#### Coups and emergencies

In 1993 the government-owned newspaper *The Times of Zambia* reported a
story about a secret UNIP plan to take control of government by
unconstitutional means, called the "Zero Option Plan". The plan included
industrial unrest, promotion of violence and organisations of mass
protests. UNIP did not deny the existence of such a plan, but underlined
that it was not a part of their official policy, but the views of
extremists within the party. The government responded by declaring a
state of emergency and putting 26 people into detention. Of these,
seven, including Kenneth Kaunda's son Wezi Kaunda were charged with
offences against the security of the state. The rest were
released.<sup>\[13\]</sup>

Prior to the 1996 elections, UNIP formed an alliance with six other
opposition parties. Kenneth Kaunda had earlier retired from politics,
but after internal turbulence in the party due to the "Zero Option Plan"
scandal, he returned, replacing his own successor Kebby Musokotwane.
Chiluba's government then amended the constitution, banning people whose
parents were not both Zambian citizens from becoming president. This was
directly aimed at Kaunda, whose parents were both from Malawi. In
protest UNIP and its allies boycotted the elections, which were then
easily won by Chiluba and the MMD.

In 1997 matters escalated. On 28 October a coup d'état attempt took
place, as a group of army commanders took control over the national
radio station, broadcasting a message stating that Chiluba was no longer
president. The coup was brought to an end by regular forces, after
Chiluba had again declared a state of emergency. One person was killed
during the operation. After the failed coup the police arrested at least
84 people accused of involvement.<sup>\[14\]</sup> Among these were
Kenneth Kaunda and Dean Mungomba, leader of the opposition party the
Zambia Democratic Congress. The arrests were condemned and criticised as
illegal inside as well as outside Zambia, and accusations of torture
were made as well.<sup>\[15\]</sup> Kaunda was released in June the
following year, but 44 of the soldiers who took part in the coup were
sentenced to death in 2003.<sup>\[16\]</sup>

#### 2001 elections

Prior to the elections in 2001 Chiluba tried to change the constitution
to allow him to run for a third term. He was forced to step back on this
point after protest from within the party as well as from the Zambian
public.

## Major Social Struggles

R

  - [Rhodesian Railway Strike
    (1945)](Rhodesian_Railway_Strike_\(1945\) "wikilink")

## Notable People

  - [Wilstar Choongo](Wilstar_Choongo "wikilink") - librarian and
    anarchist