What is a Hero?
Jubilee Centre July 10th, 2008
Being a Heroes Holiday, I asked the members at a church I was invited to preach last Sunday to give me names of men or women they remembered, who had dedicated their lives to the service of our country and people. Three names featured prominently, Kenneth Kaunda, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe. Interestingly, none of the young people (15 to 25 years), who formed a larger group in the church, came up with a single name. I further asked what have they learned from the heroes mentioned which they were putting in practice. I drew a blank.
Zambia is not short of living and historical heroes. What we need are more effective ways to communicate facts about Zambian heroes who, being selfless, were able to do their part to make Zambia a better place by spreading love, justice and hope through their daily action. The media, museums and schools should do more in informing the nation what our heroes did and why we should follow their examples. For example, the media on this Heroes Day should tell us what qualities our heroes had that can inspire sufficient confidence in us as to be willing to accept their views and carry on from where they had left.
A good role model of a living hero is Chief Chisunka of the Ushi people in Mansa district. He recently dissolved six marriages involving older men marrying underage girls. He warned that his chiefdom would not tolerate early marriages, and that in future he would begin taking action against defiant parents who married off their children for the sake of receiving bride money. Chief Chisunka said the girls, whose ages were not disclosed, had been taken back to school. He also said that he would continue monitoring them until they completed their education. The Daily Mail reported that parents were telling suitors of their underage children that the chief had no right to stop them from marrying their daughters as he was not their father. The chief expressed concern that human rights activists in his area were doing little to stop this abuse.
Chief Chinsuka is a hero who is teaching parents to invest in their girl children so that they could have opportunities for a better future. Chief Chinsuka wants to lead his people into green pastures and beside still waters. But the parents are unwilling. Heroes walk the lonely pathway of rejection. J. Oswald Sanders wrote, “Often the crowd does not recognize a leader until he has gone, and then they build a monument for him with the stone they threw at him in life.” In Zambia however, they use the same stones and turn them into concrete and throw them into your grave that your name never be remembered ever again. Who remembers Nulumino Mundia or Chama Chakomboka?
To you servants of God remember that you have not been called to become heroes but to be slaves. However, any sacrifice made by you for our Lord Jesus’ sake will not go unrewarded.
Lawrence Temfwe
