By Lawrence Mukuka –

The August 12, 2021, general elections in Zambia stand out in the country’s history as a watershed moment in which the Zambian youths changed the nation’s politics forever.
The term “youths” is used here to refer to the Zambian teenagers and young people aged between 18 and 40 years old and also residing in urban areas.
These are the youths who in 2021, decisively and largely, changed the course of Zambian politics forever.
This group of Zambians has fresh minds, aspires for positive and many great things in life, and is highly exposed, literate and trainable.
This column identifies four major changes which the Zambian youths introduced into the country’s politics to transform it for many centuries to come.
First, Zambian youths, through what they see, hear, read about, imitate, dream about, watch and imagine, from the global coverage of BBC, CNN and other sources of information and technology, including social media, have realized that they too can be, do and have what their counterparts elsewhere in the world can be, do and have.
Above all, these youths are more “hi-tech” than their parents who were mostly born before Facebook and definitely before social media, in as far as accessing, processing and applying modern information and technology is concerned.
As a result, these youths have been exposed to what is globally known as “positive mind-set.”
If you listen to them, they say, “We want new people.”
What do they really mean?
They mean new faces with new and positive ideas to make Zambia prosperous.
It is ‘new wine in new wineskin’ kind of positive and creative thinking, where ‘new wine’ refers to ‘prosperity’ and ‘new wineskin’ refers to ‘positive mindset’, its container.
The positive mindset is the only container and source of prosperity in the universe, just as the negative mindset is the only container and source of poverty in the universe.
Therefore, the first major change which the Zambian youths have introduced forever into politics is the concept of positive mindset change; a major attitudinal and behavioural shift in thinking, talking and doing things from a negative mindset of poverty to a positive mindset of prosperity.
A positive mindset is characterized by love, the positive and greatest magnetic energy in existence.
Its symptoms include faith (in God, yourself, other people, opportunities and resources of
Zambia and those of the world at large); rejoicing in others’ success; forgiveness; honesty; discipline; goal-oriented-personality; courage; self confidence; responsibility; respecting what belongs to others; concern; and prosperity.
Its opposite is a negative mindset that is characterized by fear, a negative and weakest magnetic energy in existence.
Its symptoms include anger; jealousy; suspicion; self doubt; hatred; revenge; superstition; corruption; timidity; selfishness; blame; worry; and poverty.
One acquires a positive mindset by being positive, honest and doing to others what one would want others to do to oneself.
A positive mind set change is a must-take journey from strive to peace, stagnation to progress; and poverty to prosperity.
The positive mindset change works the same for individuals, groups, communities, organizations and countries.
It is a game changer in every area of life.
The Zambian youths know both formulae of prosperity and poverty: prosperity = positive mindset + resources (like Zambians themselves, copper, emerald, gold, masuku and so on).
Poverty = negative mindset + resources (like Zambians themselves and their mineral and other natural resources).
Therefore, the Zambian teenagers and young people want an increased positive mindset or positive identity, at every citizen’s personal level.
This will create a national positive and transparent culture that recognizes the best and brightest citizens and rewards everyone based on talent, hard-work and merit.
Second, the strong belief and conviction of Zambian youths in a positive mindset change serendipitously leads to summarize, for developmental purposes, the 72 Zambian language groups (i.e., Bemba, Chewa, Lozi, Lunda, Lungu, Mambwe, Mbunda, Sala, Tonga, etc.) into only two Zambian language groups (i.e., those who have already gone through positive mindset change and are now positive and speak positive language, and those who are yet to go through positive mindset change and are now negative and speak negative language.
Therefore, the second major change which the Zambian youths have introduced forever into the Zambian politics is this great positive transformation of the country from comprising, at practice level, of 72 language groups to only two.
This is excellent because all national peace, progress and prosperity is a result of only a positive mindset!
It means all the previous nepotistic, regional and tribal politics of 1964 until August, 2021, general elections will always belong to the dustbin of the country’s history.
Third, as a result of their strong belief and conviction in a positive mindset change, the youths have introduced forever into the Zambian politics the need for integrity or honesty for peace, progress and prosperity for every Zambian citizen.
The teenagers and young people have come to learn and realize that honesty or integrity is what leads to prosperity while corruption or deceit is what leads to poverty.
Fourth, the 2021 general election, which took place under strict COVID-19 pandemic regulations, convincingly demonstrated that while open and public political rallies provide bonding and discussions among party members, they are not absolutely necessary to win an election.
An effectively-run social media political campaign can deliver great victories.
Therefore, the fourth major change which the Zambian youths have introduced forever into politics is the application of social media in political campaigns.
It was the Barack Obama presidential campaign, in the USA in 2008 under the campaign slogan
“Yes We Can”, that introduced the first significant application of social media in a political campaign.
In Zambia, the COVID-19 Pandemic only confirmed the effectiveness of this new and 21st Century political strategy.
Party regalia, like political rallies, suffered the same fate.
The Zambian youths in the 2021 general elections clearly demonstrated that one can comfortably win an election minus any political regalia, borrowed, local or imported.
One’s political vision, mission, goal and objectives are much more important than one’s regalia, T-shirts, chitenges of anything else.
The Zambian youths will continue to be the “king-maker” of Zambian politics for many generations to come.
This is good for the country because it elevates Zambian politics from negativity to positivity, from corruption to honesty, from strive to peace, from stagnation to progress and from poverty to prosperity.
Go through your own personal positive mind-set change to be positive and speak positive language; possess integrity or honesty; and achieve continuing personal success in your life.
The author is a specialist in positive mind-set change.
Email:positivemindpower1511@gmail.com.