Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, the first and longest serving President of the Republic of Zambia has died at the age of 97. There are many others who are better qualified than I to review the life of this remarkable man. But his passing recalls a couple of sad events to my mind. I believe that the recounting of those events might be of benefit to others. So I will publicly recall them, and I will keep it brief.
Well-intentioned, but at times tragic
Dr. Kaunda’s doctorate was honorary; and I believe the honor was deserved. But the fact is, the man had no formal training in economics or administration. He had some limited administrative experience, but no experience in the economic realities of running a business. He was trained to be a secondary school teacher (in those days, a two-year course of study). As he sought (peacefully) to gain independence for his homeland, he was denied by successive Conservative Party governments. Independence came to Zambia at that hands of a Labour Party government.
So, in 1964, a man untrained to run a country was suddenly given a rather large country to run. Where does one suppose he turned for advice? He certainly did not turn to the Conservatives who had always denied appeals for independence. He turned to the Labour Party and adopted their Socialism.
In 1990, toward the end of his presidency, I recall driving through the cities, towns, and rural areas of Zambia and witnessing the result of that decision. The shops in the towns and cities were empty. People were starving. Meanwhile, in the rural areas, heaps of grain were rotting on the ground. The government had set the maximum legal price of mealy-meal so low that the cost of transporting the grain to town was greater than the price one was allowed to charge. Kenneth Kaunda thought that he was helping people by setting the price low. But price fixing of this type was destroying both the urban poor and the rural poor.
So, the first lesson I draw is that even very fine people can often make tragic mistakes – especially when they are untrained for the task at hand and when they attempt to rewrite the laws of economics.
History forgotten
My second recollection comes from a later time, after Dr. Kaunda had acknowledged defeat at the polls and stepped down. I was teaching in Swaziland (2000 to 2003). The school was in Swaziland, but many of the students were from Zambia. In talking with the Zambian students, I made reference to the book Dr. Kaunda had written during the struggle for independence, Zambia Shall Be Free. I assumed that the students – all of whom had completed secondary school in Zambia – would be familiar with the book. I was shocked to learn that many of them had never heard of it and that none of them had ever read it. I, a sometimes visitor to their country, actually knew the history of their country far better than most of them. I was the only one who had read Kaunda’s account of the independence struggle.
I hope that most of what is said in the coming days about Kenneth Kaunda will be accurate. But I fear that it may not all be accurate. I also fear that most Zambians will have no basis for sorting the facts from the fiction. They either were not given access to the primary sources, or they failed to make use of them. I rather suspect that it is mostly the latter. Kaunda led Zambia from 1964 to 1991. During that time, I would suspect that his writings were available. But evidently, they were not studied by Zambians. Therefore, Zambians of today are susceptible to being deceived about him.
That is a shame. But perhaps it is not a surprise.
I remember being lied to by my schoolteachers in the States about American history. Several of the teachers misquoted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. I suspect that most of my classmates still believe the misquotes to this day. I checked the primary sources. I noted the deceit. But I fear that most Americans have never checked the primary documents. They are, therefore, susceptible to being deceived.
Even more chilling, most people who call themselves Christians believe what they believe on the basis of personal preference or on the basis of what somebody told them. Most people do not check the primary sources. Most people, even in regard to eternity, can be deceived with a lie.
Today, I honour the memory of a fine and well-intentioned man, Kenneth Kaunda. I honour his memory for many reasons – most notably that he stepped down peacefully when it was the will of the people for him to do so. But in remembering Kenneth Kaunda I am brought face to face with two realities that people seem to have forgotten. Even very good men will have serious flaws. And we need to check the primary sources, or we may often be led astray.