Nation in View: Zambia
THIS TOO SHALL PASS
I am pretty sure that for anyone who has at one time or the other heard the phrase “this too shall pass”, most likely it was used in the context of a negative event. So, people use the phrase “this too shall pass” as a form of encouraging someone going through unwanted stuff, that even the present issue will pass also, as every other events that have happened before.
Truth be told, when I was given this message “this too shall pass” for Zambia, I did not really like it. I guess the feeling was like there is something wrong about Zambia that needs to pass. But I think the phrase does not really point to something negative. Let’s take a look.
According to Rabbi Lisa Rubin, “King Solomon was trying to humble his wisest servant, so he asked him to perform a seemingly impossible task: to find something that did not exist. He requested a magic ring — one that, if a sad man wore it, he would become happy and if a happy man wore it, he would become sad.” The story suggests that the servant could not find anything of such nature. So, King Solomon decided upon himself to go to a jeweler and design a ring with the inscription in Hebrew saying, “Gam ze ya’avor,” which means, “This, too, shall pass.”
When you critically look at the story above, you see something very beautiful, that is, it takes your mind to the truth that no condition or season will last forever. Now you may be asking how is this about Zambia as a nation? Well, this column of the magazine in which we write a specific message about a country in Afrika is not just about that country, but also about a message to Afrika and Afrikans as a whole. But what does it mean for Afrika when one prays and says “this too shall pass”?
I really do not have a knowledge of what is going on right now in Zambia as a nation, but it’s clear that Afrika and the whole world is going through stuff that is not palatable and for which everyone really needs the encouraging word that no matter what is going on, it too shall pass.
This too shall pass
Indeed, that which has caused pain and suffering in Zambia and in Afrika and for however long it has been, it too shall pass and a new day shall emerge.
I do not mean this in a bad way, seasons are changing globally, and for those nations who have undermined and taken Afrika and the people of Afrikan descent for granted, the time has come where they will fall on their knees to ask for help from Afrika, and all those pains that Afrikans have felt for centuries will be reversed and then shall we proclaim that, indeed, they have passed. I had written an article some years back in which I explained that the rate at which the so-called super power nations are going in their lofty pride and arrogance, they will destroy themselves with their own weapons and technology and when they have made a mess of their nations, the only place they will look for refuge and safety will be in Afrika and then Afrikans will be the ones dictating the rules of engagement. So, clearly speaking, the things that have troubled Afrika shall surely pass. And because Zambia is the focus point of reaching out to the whole of Afrika concerning this message, Zambia shall be set free from the wickedness that has plagued her, for it too shall pass and the people shall rejoice.
Facts about Zambia
1. The massive Victoria Falls at a height of 354 feet resides in both Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its traditional name is “Mosi-oa-Tunya” meaning “smoke that thunders” which is a direct reference to the appearance of the cascading falls.
2. Victoria Falls are not only the largest single sheet falling waterfall in the world but also one of the world’s 7 natural wonders!
3. Lake Kariba is a huge lake catering to hydropower electricity and fishing and is the world’s largest man made lake!
4. Speaking of things that are massive, the termite hills in the country can actually go as high as a small house!
5. Amongst Zambia’s big wonders is also the Zambezi River which is the longest river flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. At a stretch of 1,390,000 sq. km. it is the longest east flowing river in the continent and the 4th longest overall. And before you think that the river has been named after the country, it is actually the other way around.
6. Prior to its independence in 1964, it was actually called Northern Rhodesia. This prior name was an attempt to fight off the discriminatory laws that prevailed in Southern Rhodesia.
7. And before the onslaught of the Europeans, the Khoisan people, i.e., the bushmen lived in this country.
8. The country’s main exports are tobacco, cobalt, flowers, electricity and copper.
9. The country is home to a very vast wildlife. In fact, it is one of the countries where the big 5 can be spotted. Its South Luangwa National Park is not only large in size but also in the abundance of species it is home to, such as 400 species of birds!
10. It is one of the only 6 countries in the world to be home to the endangered wild dogs.
11. On an average, a woman in Zambia may bear 5-6 children. But they are still regarded as crucial bread-earners of the family with many of them running shops and businesses. Go Zambians!
12. They still have social custom of dowry called “lobola”. In their case, the groom has to pay the dowry to the bride’s price. “Nsalamu” is a practice in which the groom brings plates full of money to the bride’s place to mark the confirmation. In rural areas, monetary dowry is replaced with livestock.
(facts copied with slight edits from:
www.onhisowntrip.com)
Prayer for Zambia
There is nothing that prayer and good thoughts cannot change. So dear Zambian people, we send you our prayers and good thoughts that the very things that have troubled you will pass away and your true beauty shall emerge. God bless Zambia and God bless Afrika.
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