MR CHIFWAMBA WITH HIS WIFE MARGARET

By MOSES KABAILA JR-

‘THERE is a cause for anything, especially when you come across angry people you know there is a reason behind that-people don’t just get angry for fun’
The dual system that the colonial government introduced sparked quite a good number of causes and reasons for people to get angry and hungry for independence.
People, particularly blacks were not happy with the system that segregated blacks against whites. For example, in Chinsali District in the newly-created province of Muchinga, one of the most prolific Freedom fighters, Samson Mukuka Chifwamba recounted how the system introduced by the colonial rulers brought about a dark cloud across Chinsali.
“In schools, churches, markets it was the same story of slavery. Whites had better chairs in schools as they sat on cushioned seats. Blacks had to deal with the hard and rocky benches,” Mr Chifwamba reminisced.
Mr Chifwamba who was born at Kapembe Village of Chief Nkula in Chinsali in 1932, met his wife Margaret in 1955 and has since never looked back. Mrs Chifwamba, who is 10 years younger than her beloved husband has evidently been the pillar that this old, sharp and brave freedom fighter relied on for his strength and courage.
Seated side by side at their home in Chinsali just a stone’s throw away from the town centre, Mr Chifwamba still believes that it was first Republican President Kenneth Kaunda who added some influence on his quest for freedom.
Dr Kaunda happened to be Mr Chifwamba’s teacher in history and geography at the famous Lubwa Mission in Chinsali around 1950s. According to Mr Chifwamba, Dr Kaunda was lured to start teaching by the mission because there were not enough teachers at the time.
“At that time, pupils were almost as old as their teachers and whenever we made noise Kaunda would challenge us by saying: He who is not a coward must come out, I’m ready to fight.”
Mr Chifwamba had no problems recollecting that Dr Kaunda was a self confident, disciplinarian and politically minded individual…perhaps that is why he was so much interested in teaching history and geography. His classes radicalised his pupils as their hunger for freedom became evident every time he shared something about slavery during history.
A few years down the line after attending college at Mbereshi College, which had heavily been saturated with politics. Everyone wanted to do something to show their interest in politics. There were always those ideas that stood out from the pack.
The late freedom fighter Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe had introduced a shirt called Kapwepwe shirt, round-necked and mostly black in colour, it immediately became a symbol of political struggle, he had derived this idea from India’s Mahatma Ghandi who had an unquenchable effect on him.
After Chifwamba had become a teacher himself, a political meeting was organized and the young teacher attended the event under the influence of the late Tom Savi, also a teacher.
As Mr Chifwamba put it, the fight for independence was being fought from different angles. Some fought physically, especially the uneducated, of course under the guidance of the literates.
“Every person who wanted to be free was taking part in the cause in one way or the other. Unfortunately, there were also those people who were working with the whites and sold out their brothers and sister,” Mr Chifwamba said.
The informers or Makobos as they were called were reporting one who organised political gatherings. These were equally doing this at their own peril because once they were identified; their lives were put on the chopping board.
The educated politicians also planted their own informers in most government institutions. For instance; workers such as Typists or stenographers were mostly men at the time, they leaked whatever they typed and also warned freedom fighters of what the white man was planning.
Teachers in schools used to spread politics through songs. As Mr Chifwamba remembered, during this period, teachers commanded good respect, everything that came from teachers was taken as gospel truth. The songs encouraged everyone to fight on.
Mr Chifwamba, however, drifted away from his story by bemoaning the lack of respect and negative image that is associated with teachers now. He said teachers have brought this on themselves as they mingle with pupils, sometimes impregnant them, drink alcohol with them and share all sorts of immorality including absenteeism.
He quickly recollected himself and continued with his list of informers by saying that as much as policemen were feared, not all of them were bad and loyal to the whites as they worked for black politicians by secretly leaking the much-needed information.
He added the late Chief Nkula (victor) who was once imprisoned for some months for freedom struggle as one of the traditional leaders who took a swipe at the colonialists.
The medical personnel in hospitals also supplied drugs to ailing freedom fighters as these people could not go to hospitals for fear of being incarcerated or poisoned for their activities.
With this line up of contributors to independence, it is clear to note that it was not just stone throwers who liberated this country; the freedom struggle came in different shirts.
The stubborn teacher Chifwamba was one of these shirts: As far as I am concerned, I was not in good books with the whites, especially the District Education Officer at the time PD Snelson since I used to write nasty personal letters to him.
After four letters, Chifwamba was transferred to Mwika school on the banks of the Chambeshi River to the West of Chinsali. Even though this had come as a minus to him, he found comfort in Robert Kaunda (KK’s elder brother), together with Robert’s wife who was a teacher, the two formed a strong team.
He also found other politicians like Mushili, Chikwanda and Kamubushe. While spending time with these people, an illegal meeting had been arranged at Mulombe Village which Chifwamba attended.
It was a serious crime those days for a teacher to be involved in any political meeting, especially without papers. The informers who were around reported the teacher’s presence. The teacher who was supposed to be the eye of government had now found himself on the other side and was in hot soup.
Once he was approached and interrogated about the meeting, Mr Chifwamba sweared on his life by saying no meeting had ever been arranged or attended by anyone.
Even though his stance had saved himself and everyone form possible prison life, it did not save him from being transferred back to Chinsali with the Kaunda’s with an indelible tag on his reputation as an anti-colonial individual.
It was just a matter of time before he was gain transferred to Mbala at Nondo School in 1959.
This transfer made him leave his wife alone in Chinsali. The headmaster at Nondo also added salt to injury as he was a Capricorn, well-oiled informer with an inclination to whites.
“I continued my political zeal as I taught freedom songs from Chinsali. Under a drink with the likes of Musukuma the father to Chola Musukuma, we would sing these songs which one day landed us in a fight with the police.”
The fight left Mr Chifwamba with a case to ansqwer as he was locked up for 3 weeks without trial, no blankets. When the trial finally came, he was sentenced to 3 months in prison or pay 10 pounds for assaulting an officer in uniform.
His salary at the time was 5 pounds so he borrowed some money from his allies and avoided prison life. It had now become a trend that whenever Chifwamba found himself in trouble his bosses at school would put the icing on the colonialists cake by transferring him to another school.
This time he had been moved to Mambwe, a place well-distanced from Chinsali. There was no turning back. Some parents who happened to have children in these schools advised the teacher to drop politics and concentrate on teaching for the sake of their children.
“Everything I did was worthwhile as it shook the authority of the white man, we wanted a quality life in everything,” he said.
His wife Margaret said she was aware of her husbands’ involvement in politics and the gatherings. She supported him because she knew it was a fight against slavery. All she did was put her hopes in God.
When freedom finally came on October 24, 1964 it was time to rest as the battle had been won.
He added that freedom means more than life itself to him and his family, freedom means all the sensible things in one’s life.
The now retired teacher spends time as a cooperative chairperson for his community. He still has a passion for wild fruits and has since planted some at the backyard of his house, saying they remind him of the fruits they used to eat in the bush whenever they ran into the bush to avoid being arrested by the colonialists.
Mr Chifwamba has since been honoured by his home village where a local road has been named after him.