WHEN THE DRUMS FALL SILENT: WHAT UKUSEFYA PA NG’WENA IS TELLING ZAMBIA – LISTEN!

WHEN THE DRUMS FALL SILENT: WHAT UKUSEFYA PA NG’WENA IS TELLING ZAMBIA – LISTEN! There are moments when a nation must learn to listen—not to speeches, but to silence. The cancellation of the 2026 Ukusefya Pa Ng’wena, one of the most important cultural ceremonies of the Bemba people, is one such moment. The Bemba Royal […]

WHEN THE  DRUMS FALL SILENT: WHAT UKUSEFYA PA NG’WENA IS TELLING ZAMBIA – LISTEN!

There are moments when a nation must learn to listen—not to speeches, but to silence.

The cancellation of the 2026 Ukusefya Pa Ng’wena, one of the most important cultural ceremonies of the Bemba people, is one such moment. The Bemba Royal Establishment says the prevailing mood in UluBemba is not conducive to celebration.

That decision carries a message far heavier than the cancellation of a festival. When a people traditionally known for gathering in celebration decide that the moment does not permit joy, the nation should pause and listen.

For President Hakainde Hichilema, this presents a profound leadership test.

I raise this issue not as an attack on the President or his government, nor as an endorsement of any opposition agenda. As an independent politician, my concern is simply that *Zambia must remain bigger than our political differences*. I believe strongly that whoever occupies State House has a responsibility to unite citizens across political, regional and cultural lines.

The President is not merely the leader of those who voted for him. He is expected to be the President of those who disagree with him, those who fear him, and even those who believe his government has failed them.

His constitutional responsibility is national, but his moral responsibility is even greater: to prevent political differences from hardening into regional, ethnic and generational wounds.

The cancellation therefore risks becoming symbolic of something much bigger. If citizens begin to interpret the silence of a major traditional institution as evidence that government is not listening, President Hichilema’s image as a unifying leader could suffer.

But this is also an opportunity.

Government should resist the temptation to dismiss the development as political agitation. Instead, State House should open an immediate, sincere and visible dialogue with the Chitimukulu and other traditional leaders, listen to their concerns and demonstrate that national reconciliation is more important than political victory.

There should be no intimidation, no triumphalism and certainly no weaponisation of ethnicity.

The immediate priority must be to lower the political temperature: establish dialogue with traditional and religious leaders, guarantee peaceful expression of grievances, ensure that politically sensitive matters are handled transparently and lawfully, and create credible platforms where government and opposition can discuss the wounds left by the recent political contest.

Because Zambia cannot afford another dangerous division between _“us” and “them”_—whether along political or regional lines.

Ukusefya Pa Ng’wena is a celebration of Bemba history, resilience, unity and cultural pride. It’s cancellation should therefore not be treated simply as the absence of dancing and ceremony.

It is a warning light.

As an independent politician, I believe this is a moment for all of us—government, opposition, traditional leaders and citizens—to choose restraint over confrontation and dialogue over division. My appeal is not partisan. It is for a Zambia in which every citizen, regardless of political affiliation or region, feels heard, respected and protected.

President Hichilema still has the opportunity to turn this warning into a moment of national healing. He can reach across the political divide, sit with traditional leaders, listen without defensiveness and reassure citizens that Zambia belongs to all of them.

The greatest test of leadership is not how a President celebrates victory. It is how he responds when a section of his country says it has lost it’s joy and sense of belonging.

I remain your friend and brother
Tobias T. Banda
Immediate past Independent Parliamentary Candidate for Roma Constituency.