By George N. Mtonga II
An Anomaly: Elias Chipimo Sr
There are lives that should be mourned and there are lives that should be celebrated and Elias Chipimo Sr’s life is one that falls into the latter category. He was a man of many hats among the most important ones were father, son, brother, uncle, grandfather, diplomat, rebel, political activist, intellectual, legal scholar, and mentor. This indeed is not a life that demands tears, but a life that demands celebration. When I heard the news, I had no idea how to respond other than extend my condolence to the Chipimo family and afford them the privacy that this issue required. Then I contemplated on the man who has left us, who was he, what was he all about? I was listening to a song by Frank Sinatra that goes:
And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets I’ve had a few
But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes there were times I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all
And I stood tall and did it my way
I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried
I’ve had my fill, my share of losing
And now as tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no, not me
I did it my way
For what is a man what has he got
If not himself then he has not
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
Yes it was my way
I was prepared to write about Mr. Chipimo Senior but I strongly feel the song by Frank Sinatra says what I thought of the man. History will be very kind to Mr. Chipimo for his courage, his vision for a better Zambia ushered in the very democratic values we currently enjoy. His greatest stance for human right and democratic values came in the 1980s when at the prospect of losing everything that he had individually worked for he gave a speech that criticized President Kaunda and in the 1980s it was unheard of for an African president to face any criticism however justified. Those who dared followed the same path; social, political and economic marginalization. And that was the case for Chipimo Senior; but even with that fact HE was able to stand tall and vouch for his principles; ushering in the democracy that led to multi-party democracy and participatory democracy. This by far is one of his many contributions to the civic life of Zambia.
Men are never judged in the present; it’s when the present turns into the past and the future is bequeathed the luxury of hindsight do we take men to court for their actions. At this point we judge them for what they were and not what they hoped to be: and CHIPIMO SENIOR was Zambia’s son, one of our country’s truest sons, clothed in the splendor of dignity and principle, courage and determination. Indeed, he was an anomaly for his contemporaries, a rebel, an intellectual, a scholar and above all a great family man.
In Picture: Elias Chipimo Senior (Left) and Elias Chipimo Junior (Right).
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