OZAFOPRESIDENT'S SPEECH TO THE OZAFO LUSAKA FAMILIARIZATION MEETING, JANUARY 30, 2010, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

Mr. Guest of Honour, OZAFO Interim Secretary General; members of the OZAFO Directorate present; the Chairlady and convener of the Lusaka Familiarization Meeting (LFM); her deputy; members of the LFM Organizing Committee; OZAFO members, friends and supporters; ladies and gentlemen:

Allow me now to address this august gathering through the Chair:

Madam Chairlady, this meeting has been made possible through the assiduous work of your committee, the LFM Organizing Committee. I recommend the LFM committee, in particular, you madam Chairlady, Ms. Mapalo Mwape; your deputy, Ms. Nchimunya Himunyanga; Ms. Rachael Kumwenda; Mr. Andrew Hachipola; Mr. Best Kabange; Mr. Boniface Mumba; Mr. Brian Thompson; Mr. Isaac Chandan’goma; Mr. Moses Nzobokela; and Mr. Mumba Kaminda.

My deepest gratitude to a colleague here who contributed K400,000 towards our operations but preferred not to be mentioned, and to two members of the Directorate, namely Mr. Kasosa Mwinkeu from Finland, and Dr. Sumbukeni Kowa from South Africa, who made generous financial contributions.

To you all here gathered, I say thank you.

Madam Chairlady, friends, ladies and gentlemen:

On October 24th, 2009, we celebrated Zambia’s 45th Independence Anniversary. It has been over four decades since our forefathers shed blood and won for us a sweet political victory. The vision of our fathers was to create for us a free, prosperous and democratic nation.

After 40 years of independence, that vision is barely realized. After 40 years, our people continue to experience far worse economic conditions than at independence. After 40 years of political emancipation, our people fail to see a future beyond 45 years of age! After 40 years of political determination, most of our people cannot manage a plate of nshima three times in a day!

Our people, though politically citizens of a sovereign state, die in numbers everyday from diseases that can be cured. Our people, though politically free, are not economically able to see their dreams fulfilled or those of their children. Our people, though politically at liberty, cannot escape the drilling chains of perpetual poverty – relegating our precious people to the indignities of begging, street-kidism, joblessness, HIV/AIDS infection, and to indecent deaths and burials!

Ladies and gentlemen: at a certain time in history a generation must stop and ask, why this? They must engage in serious soul-searching and brainstorming. The OZAFO vision was birthed to provide a concise vision for the democratic and economic destiny of our nation, especially a nation we would like to see in the C21st.

One thing rings in all of us. It rings loudly everyday. It is ringing right now as we are gathering here. It is a cry for a better Zambia. This is a cry that transcends political affiliation, church denomination or socioeconomic classification. It is a cry to improve our economic conditions, strengthen our democracy, and provide a sound future for posterity. This is the common journey we all travel; the common journey we call ZAMBIA!

But the OZAFO vision is not a new vision. Because every Zambian at one particular point has asked why! Because every Zambian has known that things in our country are not perfect, especially for the majority living below the poverty-datum line! Because every Zambian wakes up every morning unsure of what tomorrow holds, uncertain of the security of their jobs, unbelieving in the vision of our fathers!

OZAFO is not a political party. OZAFO is an idea. OZAFO is registered under the Companies Act as a non-profit-making organization spearheading a democratic and economic vision for Zambia; especially for the Zambia in the C21st. As such OZAFO is an NGO, but not just any other NGO. There are four reasons why OZAFO is a different kind of an NGO:

First, most NGOs target the symptoms of an economic system like poverty, unemployment, sickness and disease, low life expectancy, illiteracy, and many more. OZAFO will target the root of those problems. The history of Zambia has been a battle of mindsets. In slavery days, we fought to be freed from a slave-mentality. During colonial era, we fought to be liberated from the ka-boy mentality.

Now we need to fight to be loosed from a poverty-mentality, a fya-governemnt mindset, and unpatriotic tendencies. To develop this country, we need to change the mindsets of Zambians to that befitting a C21st operandi, a mindset that espouses real economic developmental models, technological creativity, liberal democratism, and an investment culture.

Second, most NGOs are quick to blame, and slow to frame solutions. Blaming government only does not improve the state of a nation. We ought to understand that the government of any nation at any particular time is an epitome of the popular social milieu. As such, the rulers are derived from the ruled. As such they operate with the same mondus. As such they cannot do anything any different. As such blaming them is blaming us!

What government needs is positive criticism; criticism with alternatives. Because in a democratic society the ballot is an effective way of removing any ineffective government from power! Because if any sane government does not listen to positive criticism, it risks being booted out in the next election. Because of that a wise government must listen to the complaints of the electorate, because they are the true masters of a democratic association.

OZAFO shall engage high minds in the economic and political marketplace of ideas. Through the International Convocation which we shall hold every three to four years, a Platform of Action shall be reached and which shall be translated into the MANIFESTO ZAMBIA, a free document we shall produce every five years detailing the wishes, aspirations, problems, challenges and proposed solutions to Zambia’s economic and democratic agenda. The MANIFESTO ZAMBIA will be floated to government, law-makers, policy-crafters and every stakeholder in the Zambian democratic and economic process.

Third, in Zambian politics, like in every political structure worldwide, politicians have a tendency to discuss persons rather than ideas and issues. OZAFO will reorient Zambian politicians to discussing issues that affect people’s lives. The culture of dirty politicking, mud-throwing and rabblerousing must come to an end.

Fourth, the genesis and operation of OZAFO is historic in nature. OZAFO is the first NGO in Zambia to be fashioned principally on the precinct of the Internet technological revolution. This gathering today is testament to that effect. What began as an Internet social brainstorming idea is here today traversing through the boulevard of economic and democratic pragmatism.

These four reasons above explain why OZAFO is a special kind of an NGO. But OZAFO is a journey, and not a destination. In any journey, there are ups and downs, appointments and disappointments, victors and victims, successes and sorries! Ours is a journey we are willing to travel with conviction knowing that the very future of this Great Republic depends on it.

Friends, fellow Zambians, the challenge of development that Zambia faces is not in the lack of an agenda or a well-thought-through plan, it is rather in the developmental models that are espoused and the mindset that operates them. A Zambia of the C21st must not rely on antiquated and obsolete technologies and models to power modern development. OZAFO will be committed to the raising of a generation of Zambians who will debate, moot and brainstorm on every relevant idea that will make Zambia a key player in modern economic and democratic marketplace.

Ladies and gentlemen, the most important aspect of this gathering today will be the launch of ten OZAFO clubs pursuant to section 10.2 of the OZAFO constitution and the adopted By-law number one, By-law governing the establishment and operation of the OZAFO clubs in Lusaka Province. The province of Lusaka has been divided into ten zones corresponding to ten names of Zambian wildlife.

Each zone will elect an interim committee which will comprise a chairperson and a secretary at this meeting. Further instructions will be provided as the moment arrives. Those of you, who will have the privilege of running these clubs, shall have a tremendous responsibility in ensuring that OZAFO establishes a strong presence at the grassroots. You will immediately begin to organize OZAFO and prepare for the Presidential and General Elections in 2011. God speed to you all and best of luck!

Dear Guests, Lusaka Province is only our first stop on our long journey to establishing OZAFO’s grassroots’ presence. From here we are heading to the Copperbelt Province. Our friends on the Copperbelt are ready to move forward as well. We will be asking you here today to make a generous donation towards the organizing of the Copperbelt Familiarization Meeting (CBFM) just like this one here at Lusaka. The idea is to use one familiarization meeting to fundraise for the launch of the next and the next until we stripe Zambia with OZAFO clubs in all the nine provinces of this Great Republic. Kindly dig deeper into your pockets, wallets and purses and be a part of history in the making!

Ladies and gentlemen, the year 2011 will be a hub of activities for OZAFO. Early next year OZAFO will hold its first Annual General Meeting (AGM). This will be hugely significant. On September 26, 2010, the current interim Directorate will be dissolved paving way for an elected Board of Directors pursuant to section 4.2.2 of the October 24th, 2009 adopted OZAFO constitution. All members of the Board will be elected. Three members of the Executive Committee, namely the OZAFO President, Secretary General, and the Website Administrator will be ratified. The remaining three, namely the OZAFO Vice-president, Treasurer, and the Media Liaison Officer are up for grabs. Moreover, the AGM will review the works of the OZAFO Financial Resources Mobilization Team (FRM) and of the OZAFO Media Management Team (MMT). All Provincial Coordination Committees (PCCs) will be ratified. We hope to come out of the AGM stronger and more focused.

2011 is also significant for a common reason; it is Zambia’s election year. The integrity of our democracy does not depend on who wins the election, but, rather, on how he or she wins it! This how-factor is what gives impetus to our mandate. We will need to plan and prepare for the election: to educate the grassroots on their democratic rights, especially on their right to vote in an election. The PCCs and OZAFO clubs will be highly involved in this.

Ladies and gentlemen, in principle, the fundamentals of Zambia’s democracy are sound; although we cannot say the same about our economy. I am, however, very optimistic that the future of Zambia is bright. Fellow Zambians, we cannot afford to lose hope, even when every economic indicators spell doom.

We must believe. We must believe that among us Zambians are fertile brains that can rethink Zambia out her economic quagmire. We must believe that among us Zambians are untested potentials that can rebuild Zambia out of her political quandary. We need to believe that among us Zambians are skills that can remake Zambia into a productivity paradise. We need to believe that out of us Zambians are virtuosos who can champion technological innovations and jump-start us into technolopment!

The dream of our fathers must live again. There are those who look at our bleak state of the nation and feel hopeless. Yes, it is normal to feel that way, especially when the majority lives under one-dollar a day! But you are the hope of Zambia. OZAFO spells ours. If we, Zambians at home and abroad, forfeit this hope, we push our nation further into economic and political ignominy. We must own the ours concept: not theirs, not the Government’s, and not the foreign investors’, but ours, collectively as a nation and individually as Zambians. The spirit of patriotism to Zambia should motivate us to invigorate the dream of our fathers – of a free, prosperous and democratic state.

Let me conclude with these noble words sent to me by one of our own, a young man who still believes in Zambia. Dell Mwila has strengthened my resolve to see OZAFO thrive, but this message he sent me, did more than just strengthen my resolve; it instilled in me the very essence of OZAFO. Listen to what Dell Mwila wrote me:

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal or act to improve the lots of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends out tiny ripples of hope. Those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance. Few have the greatness to bend history, but each one of us can work to change a small portion of events. And then the total of all these acts will be written in the history of the generation. Thus you and your compatriots everywhere have had a thrust upon you, a greater burden of responsibility. I believe that in this generation, those with courage to enter the conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the world. With history the final judge of our deeds; let us go forth to lead the land, to further a cause of a people we dearly love, asking God’s blessings and help, but knowing that here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own!”