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Lewis Changufu
Profile by Eric Gondwe Born in 1927, in Kasama district, little is known about Lewis Changufu and his key role in the freedom struggle for Zambia’s independence (then known by its colonial name, Northern Rhodesia). It was only until recently, after over 40 years, that Lewis Changufu came out to discuss about his central role in the Cha Cha Cha uprisings. The term is said to have been derived from a rhumba musical tune “Cha Cha Cha.” It came to represent the civil disobedience campaign initiated by the United National Independence Party (UNIP) in response to the cat and mouse tactics they saw coming from the British colonial establishment, under then Prime Minister Roy Welensky of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. On July 9, 1961, the UNIP leadership bras under Kenneth Kaunda, Mainza Chona and Simon Kapwepwe called for a conference at Mulungushi Rock in Kabwe where they announced a five-point master plan to gain independence for Zambia. It is here that the Cha-cha-cha campaign was born and Lewis Changufu gained a key role in implementing it. The initial intention of the Cha-cha-cha uprisings was to be passive aggressive nonviolent campaigns modeled after Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent campaigns that successfully brought independence to India. Musonda Bwalya notes that, “Cha-Cha-Cha turned out to be destructive and fierce especially in the Northern and Luapula provinces. People went on popular sprees to destroy schools, block roads, damage infrastructure, burn identification cards (known as fitupa) and marriage certificates and frustrated law and order countrywide,” Musonda Bwalya, Ph.D. thesis p.80. Lewis Changufu was the key architect in spearheading the unpleasant countrywide demonstrations. He says that is why he could not afford center stage appearances - to avoid being seen by the colonial regime and arrested, thereby jeopardizing the independence struggle. He was UNIP’s intelligence chief that needed to remain in secrecy. “I had to avoid addressing or appearing prominently at public gatherings because of the sensitive position I was holding,” said Changufu, as interviewed by the Times of Zambia reporter, Nebert Mulenga. The response from the colonial government against the Cha Cha Cha movement was fierce. Many indigenous Zambians were arrested, others killed and much of their property destroyed. The movement also had it’s unfortunate side when a popular white woman settler, Mrs Lillian Burton was killed. The pressure on the colonial regime that the Cha Cha Cha movement brought is unquestionable. In February 1962, a constitutional amendment was made by the colonial government that allowed the indigenous Zambian parties to take part in the general elections. The results of the first democratic elections where impressive enough to see a lot of progress ahead. The United Federal Party (colonial party), got 15 seats in the Legislative Council, while UNIP got 14 and the African National Congress (ANC) got 5 seats. The Legislative Council was the governing body or parliament of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The ANC under Harry Nkumbula and UNIP under Kenneth Kaunda joined hands to form a coalition governing body to ensure they had a greater say in the country’s governing body, the Legislative Council, against the colonial party - the United Federal Party. The road ahead was smoother than the one behind. Continued concessions kept giving the indigenous Zambian political parties greater say and eventual self-rule, which officially came on October 24, 1964. About Zambia’s annual Independence Day celebrations, Lewis Changufu says, “Independence Day plays a very important role in the history of this country. It is our nationhood and we should all keep on reminding ourselves of where we come from. One day we shall overcome.” He acknowledges that the race is not yet over, particularly with high poverty levels. “I am just happy that there is peace which gives me hope that some miracle may happen some day. But things are not okay in my country.” His main solution out of poverty: “To get out of this mess, we should start with being more sacrificial because people are still poor.” (as interviewed by Nebert Mulenga). Sacrifice could be Lewis Changufu’s middle name. He knows what it takes to sacrifice one’s needs and wants for bigger, more critical societal causes. His education level goes no further than secondary school (high school) but his heart enabled him to successfully challenge a system so well designed to keep him in chains. Changufu served as Zambia’s first Minister of State for Defense and Security after independence. This came as no surprise. It was routine in the UNIP party regime to have rotations so it’s also not surprising that he served other posts. These include Minister of Information and Postal Services, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Power, Transport and Works. He resigned from politics in 1974. His legacy continues: sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice for fellow mankind. References
Musonda Bwalya, A Theological-Ethical Framework for Economic Development: The Case of Zambia, submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree, Faculty of Theology Pretoria, University of Pretoria, South Africa, August 2001 Times of Zambia Printpak, Nebert Mulenga. Lewis Changufu unravels original Cha Cha Cha blue print Times of Zambia Printpak, Kelvin Sichizya, ‘No dogs allowed’ notice haunts freedom fighter Aaron Mulenga UK Zambians, Zambia’s First Cabinent | 
