Online Reporter
Insele malumbo, Boyd Maliki
MUSONDA stood slightly shaken as a musclebound fellow he had never met before, suddenly blocked his path and began hurling a barrage of insults at him. Wondering how he should react to this bully, Musonda who had maintained his cool swirled around, coming face to face with an approaching small crowd of elderly folk who had just teamed up together.
Sensing the danger of becoming a possible victim of mob justice, the bully took off at a speed that left the onlookers in stitches.
“Well done, son, you handled the cowardly idiot so maturely,” said one elder, who appeared to have initiated the move against the bully. “In my culture we say, INSELE MALUMBO.”
Translated from Bemba language into English, the term INSELE means INSULTS while AMALUMBO means PRAISES.
“You see, son, you’re so outstanding in your Lone Star jeans, your colourful shirt and your shiny boots,” the old man pointed out. “But, did you see the way that dirty boy was dressed?”
Musonda smiled as he thanked the elders who had made him see the contrast between him and the rogue, who was now totally out of sight.
“Your neat presentation made him look like a chap who lives in a pigsty, so those insults were, in actual fact, a praise!” another elder chipped in as they bade young Musonda farewell.
Growing up in Zambia, most of our age group, although prepared to physically fight back bullies, adopted this INSELE MALUMBO attitude and one prominent person who used this tactic well and rose to prominence is none other than former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who sadly passed away on 6 June, 2025 aged 68 years.
Although a year or so younger than me, President Edgar Lungu and I attended the same primary school and high school in Kitwe. Personally, most of our group came to know the jovial young brother Chagwa in 1969 when we were in Grade Seven, our final primary school year at Chimwemwe “C” Primary School.
Chagwa was in the Fifth grade then, but he made himself known to us during our mid-morning school break, as he would gatecrash our daily discussion and debate of current affairs as reported in the local Press. Reminding Edgar he was a junior, did
not work, he jokingly smiled his way into hanging around with Grade Seven pupils whenever he could.
Talk of noisy moments in the junior classes wing when, say, a teacher temporarily leaves a class room for a stretch of time… the noise that will emanate from there will tell you Edgar Chagwa has taken charge! I remember one such event of cheering and ululation when the school head, Mr Ndubakwenda, threw his arms up in total surrender and declared, it must be that boy, Edgar again!
Now, here is how, from my personal observation, Edgar Lungu became a darling to the people of Zambia… he, knowingly or unknowingly used the INSELE MALUMBO tactic very successfully against his detractors!
I had clinched a syndication deal with my former employer in Zambia so I spent most of my time in Kitwe, Lusaka or back here in Bulawayo. During my stay in Lusaka, I became a keen reader of the independent newspapers that day after day had stories that portrayed Edgar as a drunk and addict of alcohol. Everything written about Edgar Lungu was mostly satirical, but the man was not worried and carried on enjoying life as if nothing bothered him. As for me, I became a fan of Edgar and realised later on
that those stories, despite their publishers’ intended results, were winning followers for the man.
In one such story, for instance, Edgar, as Minister of Home Affairs, was invited to honour a function or some fete at Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe town, where his favourite Jameson whiskey would be overflowing.
The minister drove to Kabwe at breakneck speed for this occasion, only to learn, upon arrival, that the function was cancelled. Disappointed and fuming, the minister didn’t wait to hear the rest of the story, so he drove off to the nearest watering hole
where his drink could be found.
In another newspaper story, Minister Edgar Lungu was invited to an open door function where alcohol appeared to have been left out on the menu or, put simply, beer at this function just wasn’t allowed. One cheeky or rather sneaky journalist took a picture of Minister Edgar having a go at his isitshwala.
This portrayal of Edgar eating food without one of his drinks was rather unusual, there just had to be an explanation somehow… and then, hey presto, the journalist proved himself right! Somewhere underneath the table, close to the minister’s right foot was a concealed beer bottle!
Zambians laughed all the way to the ballot box and voted Edgar Chagwa Lungu, a very brilliant lawyer, their sixth President.
l Maliki is a former Chronicle cartoonist and he has worked for other publications both in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
