Zambia is full of good surprises. It is normal to have ecumenical services to celebrate important occasions in the life of the Nation. What a difference with Europe. There, it is a taboo to mention Christianity in the affairs of the State. In many places, the cross was banished from the schools or from any public building. People are afraid to accept their past and to recognize their roots. Religion has no place in politics, and when it does it is to be spoken against. In Zambia, nobody is afraid of quoting from the Bible or of seeking guidance from the word of God.
The elections were peaceful and the transition from one regime to the other went smoothly. People have understood that they have the power to say no and to vote out the ones who are mismanaging the country; and they are ready to exercise that power at the ballot box. They don’t need violence and war; they just need the stroke of a pen, and the powerful come tumbling down, leaving the place to others.
More than the clear vote for change, what surprised us most was the people’s vigilance, so that their votes could not be stolen. Those are attitudes of a democratic society that knows the value of freedom and of peace. And for all that we must give thanks to God.
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