Singing for Freedom

Andreya Masiye

Description

Singing for Freedom is a lively, personal record of the author's experiences as a radio-communications expert during the Zambian independence struggle. Andreya Sylvester Masiye shows how the combination of songs, folklore and news broadcasts provided an effective and popular weapon in strengthening the nationalist cause. He also describes how the use of traditional proverbs, chanting and speech-making provided exceptional material for political agitation through the mass-media.

Memoriam

Previous publications by Andreya S. Masiye

Abbreviations and translations

Foreword by Robert Masiye

Introduction by Bizeck Jube Phiri

Foreword by His Excellency Dr. Kenneth D. Kaunda, First Republican President of the Republic of Zambia

Preface

Chapter

one Singing for a Purpose

two Lusaka Calling

three Muted Voices

four Nyasaland sings for Freedom

five The Voice of UNIP

six Voices from Dar es Salaam

seven Creation of Political Radio Programmes

eight The 1962 General Election

nine Broadcast Newstalks

ten Forward to the By-Election

eleven This Land is now Zambia

twelve 'Tiyende Pamodzi'

Sujets

• Africa
• History
• General
• History of Africa
• History of Zambia
• South
• General officer
• Postcolonialism
• Histoire

Informations

• Publié par: Gadsden Publishers
• Date de parution: 02 août 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789982241304
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 18 Mo

Extrait

SINGING FOR FREEDOM Zambia’s struggle for African government

ANDREYA S. MASIYE

Gadsden Publishers PO Box 32581, Lusaka

© Andreya S Masiye 1977

First published by Oxford University Press in 1977 This edition published in 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

We should like to thank Zambia News and Information Services for permission to publish photographs from their Archive and Mr T Mziko for permission to publish his photograph of President Kenneth Kaunda awarding Mr Andreya Masiye the GCDS medal.

ISBN 978-9982-24-122-9

Contents

Memoriam Previous publications by Andreya S. Masiye Abbreviations and translations Foreword by Robert Masiye Introduction by Bizeck Jube Phiri Foreword by His Excellency Dr. Kenneth D. Kaunda, First Republican President of the Republic of Zambia Preface

Chapter one two three four five six seven eight nine

ten eleven twelve

Singing for a Purpose Lusaka Calling Muted Voices

Nyasaland sings for Freedom The Voice of UNIP Voices from Dar es Salaam

Creation of Political Radio Programmes The 1962 General Election Broadcast Newstalks Forward to the By-Election This Land is now Zambia ‘Tiyende Pamodzi’

iv v vi ix xi

xv xix

1 15 23 41 67 95 109 123 133 165 195 205

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Memoriam

This book is dedicated to the freedom îghters who, singing, sacriîced their lives in the struggle for freedom and independence. The volume is also in memory of all nationalists who – despite constant harassment and persecution at the hands of the colonial government – protected, comforted and fed the African ‘agitators’.

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Previous publications by Andreya S. Masiye

ENGLISH The Lonely Village, (Nelson and Sons, London, 1951). Before Dawn, (National Educational Company, Zambia, 1971). The Lands of Kazembe, (NECZAM, 1973).

CHICHEWA* Tiyeni kumudzi,Back to the Land, (MacMillan and Co., London, 1952): reprinted 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963 twice, 1964, 1967, 1972, 1974. Kabvulumvulu,Radio discussion topics on customs, (MacMillan and Co., London, 1959). Tsoka ndi Mwai,Collection of short stories, (MacMillan and Co., London, 1962).

* Chichewa is a Bantu language which in the past was corruptly known as Chinyanja. It is today the national language of Malawi and it is widely spoken and understood in many parts of Eastern and Southern Africa. During the Second World War this language was the ofîcial means of communication for the colonial administration, the troops of the Northern Rhodesia Regiment and of the King’s African Ries of Nyasaland (Malawi). Chichewa is today one of the major local languages of Zambia.

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SINGING FOR FREEDOM

Abbreviations and translations

A. N. C. A. F. P. A. M. W. U. B. B. C. C. A. B. S. B. N. P. B. S. A. C. A. S. C. A. F. C. A. P. D. C. D. P. F. B. C. Freedom House F. F. F. KANU KADU M. C. P. N. R. G. O. B. PAFMECSA

PEDECO

R. R. P. TANU T. B. C. T. U. C. UNIP U. F. P. U. P. I. ZAPU ZANU

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African National Congress Agence France Presse African Mineworkers’ Union British Broadcasting Corporation Central African Broadcasting Service Barotse National Party British South Africa (Company) Capricorn Africa Society Central African Federation Central African Party District Commissioner Dominion Party Federal Broadcasting Corporation UNIP’s Headquarters in Lusaka Federal Fighting Force Kenya African National Union Kenya African Democratic Union Malawi Congress Party Northern Rhodesia Government Outside Broadcast Pan African Freedom Movement for East, Central and Southern Africa. It was originally PAFMECA but in 1962 the Southern sphere was added to boost the activities of African nationalist organizations Usually pronouncedPedeco, People’s Democratic Congress, headed by Mr. Michello Rhodesian Republican Party Tanganyika African National Union Tanganyika Broadcasting Corporation Trade Union Congress United National Independence Party United Federal Party United Press International Zimbabwe African People’s Union Zimbabwe African National Union

Aphyuu Amsowa-nkhokwe Amsowa-kwao Amtapa-mkamwa Amthira-kuwiri Amkomya Amalume

Other names:

ABBREVIATIONS AND TRANSLATIONS

White people (Chewa) A person without a food store A homeless person, a refugee Mouth-anglers, informers Double-dealers Do-gooders Uncle (Uncle Harry Nkumbula)

There were several other names used in different Zambian languages. It is not possible to include them all.

Atidye-nao People who merely share other people’s food without reciprocating Atikhale-nao ‘Mr. Let-me-stay-with-you’ Atsamunda Land-hunters or land grabbers Atsogoleri The leader (in Bemba,Chitwemambo) Atikhale-kuti Settlers (in Bemba,Bamwisa) Bangwila bulimi People who migrate to where there is much food (Bemba) Bamukonka muto Soup-seekers (Bemba) Bamuselela People who move to warm places in cold weather kwakaba (Bemba) Bamwansa kabinga Derogatory name for foreigners (Bemba) Cha cha cha Civil disobedience or violence Eni-dziko Owners of land; original occupants of land Hotela Her Majesty’s Prison was comically known as a grand hotel Kalwila Freedom îghter, nationalist (Bemba) ubuntungwa M’badwa Nationalist, son of the soil (Chewa) Mazambane Sir Roy Welensky’s nickname Popo Bob (Robert Young); once Native Commissioner at Chinsali in the days of the British South Africa Company’s administration of Northern Rhodesia. Zaa, feretu! Zambia African National Congress is dead! (N.R.G.)

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SINGING FOR FREEDOM

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Foreword

Robert Masiye

This foreword to the second edition of Singing for Freedom: Zambia’s Struggle for African government is motivated by memories of time spent listening to my father, Andreya Sylvester Masiye, explaining the accompanying stories of how songs and dance were applied to great effect as people in Malawi, Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia struggled and agitated for African government. I was of course privileged to have such family access and came to appreciate and understand the objective of the book. A major aim of this book was to record the great sacriîces African men and women made under very oppressive conditions fashioned by the colonial administration. These conditions provided fertile ground for both agitation and relief through song and dance. For impact, Africans sang in their various indigenous languages to deliver cryptic political messages which seemed innocuous to the ears of colonial ofîcials who did not understand the words. It was always his dream to leave a legacy which captured his appreciation of singing and dancing with purpose during the feedom struggle for the beneît of posterity. A.S. Masiye gathered much of the material in this book over decades as a broadcaster, initially with the Central African Broadcasting Corporation (CABS) as the forerunner to the Federal Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), and research during tours of duty whilst working at the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting & Postal Services. The book also reects his personal experiences from his service in the army, broadcasting duties in Malawi and Tanganyika, as well as general village life in Chipata, Katete and Monze. His experiences in the urban areas of Lusaka and Copperbelt also contributed immensely. He was astute in his song selection and focused on those songs that he thought had the most impact on audiences. Music libraries available to him at work and his personal collection were a treasure trove! He recognised that messaging through songs was a tried and tested political tool and so he endeavoured to utilise this type of mass communication and apply it to the Central African story in terms of Zambia’s struggle for African government. I vividly remember how the rendition of‘Tiyende pamodzi’sung by a group of UNIP members in Tanganyika amused him no end as he noted late labour activist Wilson Chakulya’s strong baritone voice coming

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