The ‘One Zambia One Nation Motto:’ Implication on Multiculturalism

Zambia is one of the countries in Africa which is largely and predominantly heterogeneous in terms of tribes or ethnic groups. The nation boasts of 73 different ethnic groups each with a different cultural and traditional orientation. This multicultural aspect of the nation was one of the challenges faced by the independent government led by President Kenneth Kaunda and the United National Independence Party (UNIP) in 1964 shortly after gaining control from the colonial masters. It was clear at that time that despite Zambia being one country, it was ethnically divided and that, according to President Kenneth Kaunda, posed a great danger to the unity of the nation. Important to note is the fact that in the decade immediately before and after independence, ethnic tensions remained a distinct threat to Zambian unity. The ethnic divisions, which had fermented in the pre-independence period began to spill-over into the new nation. After independence, ethnicity remained the strongest and most logical form of identification for many Zambians. It was in response to this challenge, to which Kaunda was highly attuned as a result of his own family’s history, that Kaunda developed and effected a political ideology and agenda of nationalist unity. In this article, we argue that the ‘One Zambia One Nation Motto’ was not only meant to unite the 73 ethnic groups in Zambia but also to unite Africa for a common good as expressed by heads of states and representatives at Dr. Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda’s state funeral on 02nd July, 2021 at Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, Zambia. Furthermore, we discuss in this article the implication of ‘One Zambia One Nation Motto’ on multicultural aspect.