We won’t hold any traditional ceremony, maintains Chief Monze

Chief Monze (right) during the Lwiindi Gonde Ceremony

Senior chief Monze of Southern province has maintained that there will never be any group of people that will hold any traditional ceremony in the province if any ceremony happens to be during the period UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema is in prison.
The chief has narrated that Southern province (in general) has a believement because of the arrest of opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema.
“In case you are doubting that there will never be traditional ceremonies in Southern province following the uwaranted arrest and persecution of our subject HH, yes it is true. We have decided not to hold any traditional ceremony if HH will not be released,” chief Monze said.
Chief Monze has disclosed that all his subjects have welcomed the move of not commemorating their traditional ceremonies till the government meets their demand (releasing HH from prison) or failure to which Southerners will continue abandoning traditional ceremonies.
“In fact, our people have welcomed the idea (not to celebrate the traditional ceremonies) and they have emphasised that we should not commemorate any traditional ceremony till HH is released. They have all been sending the messages to the government to release HH but it has refused to listen to the peoples’ cries. Where on earth did peoole that are mourning celebrate anything? We are mourning in our province and we can never rejoice anymore ,” chief Monze said.
“As such, we are urging chiefs from other provinces (as indicated earlier) not to invite any of us to their ceremonies. We sincerely do not want to celebrate anything and we will never consider any invitation to celebrate any traditional ceremony,” said chief Monze.
Chief Monze has charged that him, his fellow chiefs and all his subjects do not want to pretend drinking, dancing and singing though all is well when in fact not. He has disclosed that him, his fellow chiefs and his subjects can not (as things stand) afford rubbing shoulders with president Lungu at any ceremony citing he is their sadness and as such he must be avoided at all costs.
“We are supposed to be celebrating Gonde Lwiindi next month but all the preparations have been councelled. This is how serious this issue is because even when we are to hold the ceremony they will come. We don’t want to pretend drinking, eating, dancing and rubbing shoulders with them as if we are happy when we are grieved, no. We are in the mourning period and we will ourselves carry our burden,” said Chief Monze.