A Casualty of Power by Mukuka Chipanta

Author:Mukuka Chipanta [Chipanta, Mukuka]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781779222985
Publisher: Weaver Press

Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Presidential Independence Address

October 24th 2010

‘We would like to interrupt this radio programme to deliver some breaking news. His Excellency, President Given Mwansa Chibompo, has issued a decree to close down Cha-Cha-Cha Prison within six months. The president has issued a pardon for the ninety-seven prisoners currently in Cha-Cha-Cha Prison as a gesture of his goodwill and a celebration of our nation’s forty-sixth Independence Anniversary. May the almighty God bless this nation and may we be a beacon of light for Africa and the world at large.’

The scripted words of the heavily accented female radio announcer streamed through the airwaves. The news brought joy and relief to homes across the nation. Many fathers would be coming home to see their grown sons and daughters. Many husbands would return home to embrace their weary wives. And some would return to learn that family members had died or left the country. It was a pivotal moment. The President had finally relented to the international pressure to close the notorious prison and free his political rivals. President Chibompo was now old and frail; a second heart attack had left him in a wheelchair. The man clung on but his iron-clad grip on power was loosening. Faced with a rising discontent about the economy from both the poor and the rich, as well as the prospect of foreign donor countries withdrawing their largesse, the president had been forced to appease the West. Despite the growing presence of the Chinese, who kept their distance from the internal affairs of African countries provided they were making money, President Chibompo knew that he could not survive without Western backing.

The news spread through the prison like wildfire. For the first time the atmosphere lifted with a feeling of joy, hope, and relief. The prisoners sang at the prospect of returning to their homes. Their ordeal was finally over. The prisoners were immediately allowed to send letters to their families to inform them of their impending release. For many, these letters were the first real sign that their long-lost family members were still alive. Hamoonga wrote to his sister Beatrice to tell her that he would be returning to Kitwe soon. He had been in Cha-Cha-Cha for four years.

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