There’s need to recognise gender roles - chief

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA

Chief Mumena of the Kaonde speaking people of Solwezi

   


CHIEF Mumena of the Kaonde-speaking people of Solwezi has says failure by people to stick to their God-given roles has contributed to gender inequality in society.

The traditional leader said conflicts always arise when one gender tries to overrule the other.
He said culture should be able to reconcile gender roles and bring equality between men and women.
Chief Mumena was speaking in an interview with Femail after Gender and Child Health Minister Inonge Wina officiated a consultative meeting for traditional leaders on Gender Equality Bill and Children’s Code Bill in Lusaka during the week.
“My ascendency to the throne was purely through my mother’s roots and that is why we need to recognise women in totality,” he stressed.
He is also of the view that gender-based violence has become rampant in urban areas than rural areas due to failure men and women to recognise their roles.
“Failure by women and men to respect each other’s roles has become a recipe of anarchy,” the traditional ruler said.
And Mr Mumena has expressed disappointment over the cultural norms and values that have been neglected by society.
He said “in as much as we are part of the global village people should not neglect their culture and values because we are where we are because of that.”
He further said Africa always has something good to share with the rest of the world.

WORLD LEADING EXPERTS GATHER TO TACKLE No.1 KILLER OF WOMEN AT WORLD CONGRESS OF CARDIOLOGY

Facts on cardiovascular disease


By SITEMBILE SIWAWA

WORLD leading experts met at the world congress of cardiology in Melbourne, Australia during the week with a call to end discrimination against women when it comes to management and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

The congress started sittings on the 4 and closed on the 7 of May.

Director of cardiovascular health programmes at World Heart Foundation Julie Anne Mitchell said that despite the fact that half of 17.3 million deaths from cardiovascular disease each year happen in females, women are still discriminated.

Ms Mitchell said women are more likely than men to be under-diagnosed and under-treated mostly because the presentation, progression and outcomes of the disease are different and less understood in women than men.

She said “although there has been progress in raising awareness about cardiovascular in women and studying the specifics of the disease, the gap is still too wide.”

This is contained in a statement made available to Femail during the week by spokesperson for gender discrimination in cardiovascular treatment Karen Silwa.

Ms Mitchell said the leading experts at the congress are further calling for research, better information for healthcare professionals and women and tailor made treatments to bridge this gap.

“To celebrate ‘wear red day’ for women, new research is presented on women’s heart health alongside examples of work being undertaken in several countries to improve recognition, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease,” she said.

And she has since called on women to be wary that cardiovascular disease is a number one killer.

Wina urges women to join politics

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA


Gender Minister Inonge Wina (beige chitenge suit) and Tourism and Arts Minister (green outfit) during the launch of the Gender links summit in Lusaka recently-Picture courtesy of Daily Mail

MINISTER of GENDER and Child Development Inonge Wina has called on professional women to join politics owing to the under-representation the arena is facing.

And Ms Wina has disclosed that her Ministry will soon embark on reviewing the Anti-Gender Based Violence Act of 2011 to add clauses that will criminalise GBV perpetrators

Speaking during the third Gender Links Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Gender Protocol Summit and Awards during the week, Ms Wina said professional women should make a conscious decision to join politics in order to influence decisions that affect women.
The 2014 Genderlinks SADC Gender Protocol Summit and Awards are running under the theme ‘50/50 by 2015 and demanding a stronger Post-2015 Agenda’.
She said, “the decision by women to enter politics is to confront the imbalances that exist on the political arena and women should not be talking from the terraces only”.
And Ms Wina has appealed to women’s movements to start lobbying for stronger Post 2015 SADC Gender Protocol that will strengthen the commitment to women’s rights.

“There is already lively debate on the post-2015 Agenda and pressure needs to be mounted to press home the gains in the SADC region especially in the light of the ten elections taking place in the region over the next two years,”

“The issue of gender equality cannot be overemphasised as different behaviours, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered,” she said.

Mutumba Bull reflects on liberation struggle

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA




AS A student, Dr Mutumba Mainga Bull once made the white people very uncomfortable after she and dozens of her colleagues swam in the swimming pool meant for the whites only.

Today, that would be unthinkable! She did this to make the white people realise that blacks were as much human as they were.

This incident which could have landed Dr Bull and her colleagues in jail happened during the liberation struggle. Her role was primarily played during the run-up to independence which eventually saw Zambia attaining freedom in 1964.
Dr Bull fought colonialism and oppressive laws from the battle front of being a member of the UNIP youth league under the leadership of first republican president Kenneth Kaunda.
And as Zambia turns gold this year, Dr Bull had an opportunity to reflect and share her experiences.
Dr Bull took part in the liberation struggle during her school days in Western Province which later saw her move to then Southern Rhodesia for her Form four and five as then Northern Rhodesia never offered such.
During her stay in Zimbabwe, she continued with her quest to fight for equality and further demanded for services the white people had to be offered to blacks as well.
“During our time as youths, we felt we needed to fight colonialism. It is during the youth days that one feels you can conquer the world and sometimes feel you are on top of it because of the energies you have,”
“And it was during that time that I first experienced teargas canisters while fighting against the white minority regime,” Dr Bull expressively recounted.
With the energies she was endowed with, Dr Bull was now at the College University of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
She managed to graduate with a BA Hons in History and was the first Zambian to be honoured with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 1963 from the University of London.
Dr Bull also did a year of postgraduate research at the University of Cambridge.
She recalls that after she was done with school, she lectured at the University of Zambia from 1969 to 1973.
“My experience was somewhat exciting and challenging because that was the time the country had the first university and I was glad I was part of the group that handled the first bunch whom I now see holding senior positions in Government and certain institutions,” she said.
Coming from a background where she took part in fighting against minority rule in Zambia, Dr Bull successfully contested the Nalolo Constituency seat in Western Province in 1973; this signified her entry in active politics.
Dr Bull made history when she was appointed first woman cabinet minister in the UNIP government. “I was first appointed health minister and that meant being in charge of all the health institutions in the country,”
My experience was both challenging and exciting again because it was during that period when Zambia has just gained its independence and there was literally nothing in terms of health infrastructure and had to start building,” recounts Dr Bull.
Guess it was somewhat challenging for her to piece up the health infrastructure at both district and provincial level. She notes “this was the period when I did a lot of travelling both locally and internationally looking for manpower because Zambia did not have nurses and doctors.”
Despite the many projects she undertook during this period, Dr Bull, a mother of three never forsook her family and ensured she provided all the love and care they needed.
With the massive developments that were taking place in Zambia and being one of the first countries to be independent in Southern Africa, lots of freedom fighters and refugees were housed here.
And that meant they were allowed to use the facilities such as hospitals, clinics and schools which saw to a growth in demand of more infrastructure.
“The fact that Zambia housed freedom fighters and other displaced people, we were made to suffer for that. Colonists would come here to attack the freedom fighters and in the process, bombs were thrown and damaged the buildings; which meant we had to start all over again erecting the buildings,”
“It was particularly worse in my constituency because it was surrounded by landmines and it was very dangerous for my people but thank you to some progressive countries which did not support the idea of colonialism,” said Dr Bull.
In 1976 Mutumba was transferred to the Ministry of Commerce but that was before the economy began to crumble. That period came when the copper prices started going down leading to the collapse of the Zambian economy.
The further collapse of the economy saw the ousting of the UNIP government from power, this forced Dr Bull to leave active politics in 1991.
In 1996 Dr Bull re-joined the University of Zambia as a senior research fellow.
She was the Director of the Institute of Economic and Social Research at University of Zambia, for three years from 2005 to 2008.
Currently she continues at the institute as a Senior Research Fellow and coordinator of the Governance Research Programme of the institute.
Certainly she has been and still is a force to reckon with and does not regret having joined politics.
“When I joined politics, I had certain goals in mind and I can safely say I do not regret having joined and I wish many more women could join,” Dr Bull advised.
She said it is now that many more women are joining politics because women movements are speaking for them unlike in the early days.
And on the supposed violence in politics, Dr Bull said it was more reason why women have to join politics to stop the violence.
She said women cannot continue watching from the terraces but should join politics in order to stop the violence.

Inflation contributing to malnutrition

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA

Poor households in Africa

CENTRE for Trade Policy and Development executive director Isabel Mukelebai says the high food prices which have been necessitated by the inflation rate have contributed to poor households consuming less nutritious foods.

Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka recently, Ms Mukelebai said poor households are consuming smaller quantities of nutritious foods which risk in having stunted children.

She said if the inflation rate is not properly addressed, the increasing food prices will continue negatively affecting the poor.

“People have a right to make good food choices and when this is not possible due to severely low purchasing power, it not only affects the quality of life but also affects the dignity of people,”

“The impact of inflation and food prices are already being seen in the unacceptably high levels of under-nutrition,” said Ms Mukelebai.

And Ms Mukelebai said failure by citizens to consume nutritious foods will slow down human development and economic growth, hence negatively impacting national development.

She noted that these outcomes will also threaten the achievement of many national development interventions such the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Meanwhile, Zambia council for social development (ZCSD) is concerned with the inability of school leavers at O levels to access tertiary institutions.

ZCSD advocacy and information officer Chimfwembe Kana said tertiary education level still remains a challenge.

Mr Chimfwembe said 55,000 school leavers at O levels, about 15 per cent have access to tertiary institutions.

“This is perhaps one of the lowest in Southern African Development Region. And we are equally concerned with the quality of education being given in schools,” he said.

Mr Chimfwembe added that the teacher-pupil ratio at primary school level stills remains a challenge especially in rural areas.

 

 

 

Influential women discuss womanhood

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA

ZAMBIA’S most influential and dynamic women met in Lusaka last week to share their experiences of the opportunities and challenges of being a woman in today’s society.
The 100, high-flying contributors took part on the televised CNBC Leading Women’s Debate, sponsored by gemstone company called Gemfields Plc.
The CNBC (Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American cable and satellite business news television channel that provides a variety of programmes throughout the business day presenting reports on the United States businesses, updates of stock market indices and commodities prices, interviews with chief executive officers, business leaders and commentary from many investment professionals.
Panellists included Bank of Zambia deputy governor Tukiya Kankasa-Mabula, Java Foods chief executive officer Monica Musonda and Zambia National Commission for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation chief programmes officer Brenda Muntemba.
According to the statement made available to the Femail recently by Langmead and Baker Limited the fast-paced discussion covered mentorship and inspiring the next generation, stimulating employment and entrepreneurship for women, striking a balance between career and family and conquering the ‘old Boys’ club.
Dr Kankasa-Mabula said “We need affirmative action, but it should not be tokenism. Part of it is breaking down the mind-set of men and showing we can do it. We are bringing a lot of value to the table as women; not trying to be men. By being professional, hardworking and focused we are making our own case.”
The sentiments were also echoed by Mrs Musonda, who said “As you go up the ladder there are fewer and fewer women; but there is also a lot of positive energy. Your network is your net worth”.
And Ms Muntemba said “We start with women speaking with their minds; women who can talk with a pen and intellect.

We have to remain feminine while doing a man’s job; you grow a thick skin. A woman has to work smarter hours, but when God wants to make a difference He will choose a woman. You have got to have a dream and go for it, you are someone, so don’t let anyone stop you”.
The statement says in opening the debate, Kagem Mining chairperson William Nyirenda told participants that “Rather as you yourselves juggle careers, family and other interests, so Gemfields and Kagem strive to balance different interests, we are at the interface between mining and marketing; between exploration and ethics. Like you, we also aim to generate employment for local people and encourage entrepreneurship, something that is really important to us”.
Mr Nyirenda said Kagem will invest U$1 million in projects in Lufwanyama district in the next two years. This will include the construction of a U$250,000 four-ward building at Nkana Clinic and three nurses’ accommodation blocks, turning the facility into a ‘mini-hospital’ along with a U$700,000 new secondary school in Chapula.
“In our own small way, we hope to inspire the next generation,” he said.
The hour-long debate, hosted by CNBC presenter Gugulethu Mfuphi, will be broadcast on CNBC Africa on Monday at 14 hours.

Lack of facilities affecting juveniles-LUO

MINISTER of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Professor Nkandu Luo (centre) officiated the Advocacy for Child Justice Community correctional centre in Chelstone, Lusaka yesterday. Picture by MAPALO LUPUPA.

By SITEMBILE SIWAWA

MUNALI area member of Parliament Professor Nkandu Luo says lack of recreation facilities has contributed to the continued incarceration of juveniles in Zambia.
Pro Luo said most children opt to engage in vices which see their eventual incarceration because they have no place to play.
The law-maker said the country’s land inadequacy has largely contributed to lack of recreational facilities for children.
Pro Luo said this on Tuesday when she officially launched the Advocacy for Child Justice (ACJ) community correctional centre in Lusaka’s Chelstone township.
“Child offenders and those at risk must be considered or referred to rehabilitation centres such as the ACJ community correctional centre. We need to encourage restorative approach when dealing with children who come into conflict with the law.
In the olden days, mothers used to go to welfare centres to learn skills while their children would be taken to play parks but nowadays every little space has been taken up to building houses and a child is left with no choice but engage in illicit activities,” Pro Luo said.
Meanwhile, Pro Luo said there was need to build more correctional centres round the country for the safety of children who are found in conflict with the law.
And ACJ board chairperson Violet Namukwai says child justice systems in Zambia treat children as criminals and blame them for their behaviour, a situation which detrimental to their wellbeing.
Ms Namukwai, in her speech read on her behalf by ACJ board treasurer Richard Chakaba, said correctional centre would help the country produce responsible citizens.