Episode 08: Zambia, Part 3/3 - Conservation Coalitions on The Mighty Zambezi
There’s some audio to go along with this case study! Check out the episode @ our Podcast “Brym Labs” on Apple Music
In this week’s podcast episode, you’ll hear from Besa Kaoma, Environmental Education Manager for Conservation Lower Zambezi - one of the leaders of the NGO Coalition opposing the Kangaluwi Mining Project in the Lower Zambezi National Park - I would suggest reading the case study below for context before listening to the interview but here’s a look inside the episode:
Besa speaks about his career starting out as a gardener and evolving to an ‘Environmental Education Manager’ in the Lower Zambezi - outlining the curriculum he’s built to teach the communities about local conservation, why it’s important to protect the environment, and how he’s hoping to inspire the next generation of Besa’s to carry the torch forward.
The inception of the NGO Coalition ‘Save Zambezi, Safe Zambezi’ and how Besa engaged the local community chiefs and schools, as well as artists beyond the Lower Zambezi to raise awareness.
Besa explains why he refuses the claim that Zambians will be the ones to benefit from a mine like Kangaluwi, speaking about his time growing up on the Copper Belt and reflecting on working conditions for Zambians who worked there. Finally, we speak about ways that people around the world can engage with the online petition and other ways as well!
I hope you’ll have a chance to listen through!
Intro: The Mighty Zambezi & Victoria Falls
Surging over the cliffs of Victoria Falls, a rainbow-infused shower soaked us to the bone. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls is the largest curtain of water on our earth with its face stretching across both Zambia and Zimbabwe. The tail end of Rainy Season filled the Falls to the brim, over 150 million gallons of water per minute diving into the plunge pool below then erupting back up hundreds of feet to produce a never ending tropical rainstorm drenching everything within miles. The shades of green around us will be imprinted on my brain for a long time to come.
Gaining momentum as it continues its journey over the Falls, the waters of the Zambezi River flow Eastward through 6 countries and finally out into the vast Mozambique Delta and the Indian Ocean. The Mighty Zambezi is the 4th longest river in Africa and the largest East-flowing waterway, supporting millions of people in Southern Africa.
At the beginning of April, after witnessing the power of this aptly named Wonder of the World, Kampamba, EJ and I found our way to their friend’s family-run Lodge on the bank of the Zambezi River about 600 kilometers downstream - in the Lower Zambezi National Park. Alongside the Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe (just across the river), the two protected areas combine to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There, you will find 350 species of birds, as well as IUCN Red Listed species like the African wild dog, hippo, lion, pangolin, leopard, and a key population of African savannah elephants.
Getting there was a journey in and of itself. We maneuvered from Livingstone through the city of Chirundu, then across about 3 hours of roads meant for Jeeps rather than our rented sedan. We navigated around the fresh elephant dung in the last stretches of road and finally arrived alongside the River. Although we knew we were close to the water, in the pitch black darkness of our arrival we had no idea what was awaiting us in the morning.
After a gloriously sleepless night surrounded by a symphony of new sounds, we rose at sunrise to a reflection of orange and pink glancing off a flowing river. Peace resting on the surface, life teeming underneath. Hippos wrestling and bellowing, crocodiles waiting stealthily in the shoreline depths, eagles fishing for breakfast, and unforgettable elephant trunks draped into water from the bank downstream.
In awe, I found myself thinking… this seems pretty perfect. So many places in our world need something… What does this place need? The answer clearly screams: absolutely nothing! Or at least that’s what it seemed like to me, an outsider, on the surface. Over the time we were there, I learned about how the indigenous people live in harmony with the river, relying on it for their fresh drinking water and sustainably fishing from its banks to feed their communities. Animals across a thriving food chain also rely on the Park to enjoy the bounty of resources around them.
Along with my overwhelming awe came a sense of regret and apprehension… At the end of the day, my being there represented a threat to the health of these people and ecosystems. We were far enough into the park that there were no other tourists nearby, but over time, where money can be made and spent, people will come… then what happens? There was more to this story developing, I just didn’t know it at the time.
The Kangaluwi Copper Mine:
Beyond the impact of my presence, there was a looming threat on nearby shores, deeper into the park. If you’ve been following along with Brym’s research series in Zambia, you’ll know that one motif has been centered on the effects of our global capitalist system, especially with regard to international extraction of Zambian natural resources. Unfortunately, yet inevitably, this story also applies to this beautiful place…
I came across this article, written up in the Lusaka Times, the Zambian Capital’s local newspaper. The author is Tilyenji Kaunda, son of Dr Kenneth Kaunda who was the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. In addition to being a huge figure in the independence movement from British Colonial rule, President Kaunda was also a staunch conservationist and protector of the Lower Zambezi National Park.
The article from his son speaks out against the operation of an open-pit copper mine project called Kangaluwi. The project recently gained approval to commence drilling and has become a huge source of controversy in Zambia and across Southern Africa for the past few years. However, the physical operation has not yet begun and there are ways we can all act in opposition….
So, here’s some more information on what’s happening:
Who’s the mine owner?: The answer to this is complex which is an additional concern. Kangaluwi is owned by ‘Mwembeshi Resources Ltd’ officially registered in Lusaka, Zambia. However a majority of the company’s shares are held in Bermuda (used as a tax haven) and owned by a majority Chinese and Dubai-based conglomerate.
What was the Approval Process?:
The Mine was Approved on May 7th, 2021 when the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) issued a letter approving the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) after only a 7-day review - a process of which many are skeptical.
The project had previously been rejected by ZEMA under the previous political administration…however, after the election of the new government, there was a new appeal made and ZEMA then approved.
Here is the official Approval Letter from ZEMA - thanks to Estella Snowden from CLZ for providing.
Who’s affected?: Over 20,000 people live directly on the banks of the river and depend on it for clean drinking water and food from its 2,000-ton subsistence fishery. This does not only impact the Zambian population but also communities in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique that either live along the banks or rely on its resources.
Who Benefits - A two-sided argument:
Pro-Mine: Mwembeshi Resources has done a good job marketing to local communities that this new mine will provide jobs and more income to the local community. They say that an estimated 250 jobs will be directly generated by the mine with the potential of more jobs available for supporting businesses. And that line of argument is gaining traction with the local people… while it seemed to me like the local communities ‘don’t need anything,’ they are enticed by the mine’s potential of bringing a livelihood to their families and helping provide more financial support than is currently available to them in their daily live.
Against the Mine: For this perspective, I spoke with Besa Kaoma, Environmental Education Manager for Conservation Lower Zambezi, who is working to engage local communities and educating them about the potential effects of the mining project and how to combat it. According to him, these proposed benefits are far outweighed by the 1,000 jobs + $4 Million annual wage bill that is generated from eco-tourism in the area, which will be impacted if the natural environment is harmed. The 250 mining jobs will most likely be labeled ‘unskilled’ in terms of their qualifications, a classic imperialist tool to underpay workers and exploit labor practices of indigenous populations (Walter Rodney). And they will only be short-term jobs… as Besa asks, ‘What happens when the resources are gone? What happens to the community then?’
Mining is a large industry that employs over 2.5% of the Zambian workforce, so it’s important to build an approach that includes these voices to consider how livelihoods can be supported along the River while also protecting the environment that so many count upon… that middle ground has been hard to achieve. One overall concept aiming to compromise and bring Zambians together comes from a new Coalition led by CLZ, WWF Zambia, BioCarbon Partners, which argues: “We believe that mining activities should be restricted to happening in mining areas of the country and should not be allowed in tourism and wildlife conservation areas that have their own ecological and economic value to the country.”
A Conservation Coalition Emerges
The Coalition mentioned above is gaining national and international momentum - their slogan ringing ‘Save Zambezi, Safe Zambezi’ . They are organizing an incredibly impressive and diverse set of NGOs, activists, academics, and artists, totaling 53 different official constituents. In the Podcast Episode for today, we spoke with Besa about his work and what he is hearing from the communities around the River.
Here’s what the Coalition is working on in addition to Besa’s work on the ground:
An Online Petition: Available to people from all over the world to sign in opposition to the mining project. I signed and hope you will too. They are only 600 signatures away from their goal of 50,000 and Besa says they will use this momentum to appeal to the government, showing that people in Zambia and all over the world are opposed.
A Social Media Campaign: through their Facebook Page and other avenues has reached over 1,073,500 people (and that number is from last year!)
‘If mines were that profitable Africa would be rich by now, but still it’s countries we sell to that seem to benefit not us so just leave the Zambezi alone.’ - Billy Banda
Artists’ Song: A group of well-known Zambian artists came together to create a song called Zambezi Niyatu, which means “Zambezi is ours”. As they sing, “Now there’s a looming ecological disaster, and we’ve seen it all before so we know what’s gonna happen after. We cut down, we burn, we poison, we kill, make concrete and steal.. We destroy nature’s beauty, and the planet until there’s no more resources, no nature to steal.”
I admire that in addition to a social media awareness campaign, they also have engaged artists to spread the message in a different way. Whether it’s song, visual art, creative writing, theater, film, or new forms of art we haven’t even imagined yet, the power of art and the role in ‘making the revolution irresistible’ (Toni Cade Bambara) should never be overlooked. The Save Zambezi Safe Zambezi intersectional approach to organizing is something we can all learn from.
I’ve asked Besa to keep us updated as things evolve with this project so we can keep our finger on the pulse and help support where possible.
Moving Forward - ‘Social Life of Things’ - An Exercise for Everyone at Home:
In Part Two of Brym’s research in Zambia - in the Copper Belt region - I mentioned an exercise called the Social Life of Things that can help us think through where our ‘things’ - and the ingredients of which they are made up - really come from. Coined as the ‘Anthropology of Stuff’, this exercise has helped me think through the relationships between nations and systems in our global economy as well as my individual role in it all. This has become even more poignant as we’ve had the chance to study copper mining across Zambia. Give it a try…
Take a look at your iPhone or Apple Computer - ask yourself: what’s in this? How did it get to me? Who’s hands pulled this from the earth? What systems are in place to make that happen? Hopefully these last two Brym Case Studies will start to paint a picture… to start, you can learn more about the journey of your iPhone HERE.
Avenues for Action:
Kangaluwi Mine, while having received approval last year, has not started yet! Share and get involved….
Change.org petition
Recommended Reading:
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Walter Rodney
Part 1 and Part 2 of our Research in Zambia
Organizations/Activists Referenced - If you’d like to be in touch, let me know!:
NGO Coalition documents for context on Kangaluwi mine as well as other actors involved.
Thanks for reading :)
