Zambia Shall Be Free

by Kenneth D. Kaunda

Book by Kaunda, Kenneth

Genres: Africa, African Literature, Nonfiction, Historical

202 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1962

About the author

Kenneth Kaunda was the first President of Zambia.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenneth Kaunda is revered as one of the early African leaders, nationalists, visionaries, who led their countries to political independence; in this case Zambia. By the time he published this book, Zambia was more or less on the cusp of such independence. Remarkably, Kaunda would go on to lead the country for almost 3 decades! (And by the way he is still alive, and on the way to becoming a centenarian.)

Kaunda always loved literacy and education from the very beginning, as both his parents were teachers (his father also a parson). All this we learn from this work, the early life of Kenneth Kaunda, and his determination to garner political freedom for his country (ironic that much later on in his life, Kaunda would somewhat be persecuted on the grounds that he was not even a Zambian!) His commitment to Zambia is very much obvious here, how education could help in forging the country ahead (Kaunda whilst in power did start wholesale changes/innovations in the educational sector)

Kaunda met the young lady who would become his wife early in life and they were to be together as man and wife for some 60 years, before her death. In this work, we see the hard work Kaunda and his then political colleagues put in, the meetings, the strategies, the sacrifices including incarceration - with the patent vision in sight: the political independence of Zambia. The latter country has now been "free" for well over 50 years; but we can look back on the genesis (generally) in this book.

[Heather Phillips]

I read this in preparation for visiting Zambia for the first time. Although it is an autobiography of Kaunda, I learned a lot about the history of the country and it's struggle for independence. I was inspired by Kaunda's steadfast convictions in the independence in his country. Reading the book gave me a greater empathy for African organizers who had to peacefully convince the British government of self-rule. His patience was definitely tested over and over, and the horrors of white supremacy were made more concrete in his personal descriptions. I was disappointed that the book wasn't updated after independence was gained. It was published in 1962, just two years before independence. I wished it had covered all the way through his presidency. But highly recommend to anyone interested in Zambia or freedom organizing.

[Andrew-Knox B · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great read and would recommend it to anyone, young and old.

[Daniel Polansky]

An autobiography written while the author remained a Colonial rebel, before he became Zambia's president for life. Thoughtful and even lyrical, there's nothing in it that would make you think 'oh, this guy will betray all his principles once given the chance.' Which you can read either as 1) power corrupts or 2) he was always a liar.

[Michael Boisture · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prolonged roast of British rule in northern Rhodesia goes so hard

[Brian Mctribouy]

This is the best starting point for anyone who wants to get to know the man. Having read this, i now understand the background to some of the decisions that KK made. For instance why KK stoped eating meat LOl. Even more importantly it will give the reader insight into just how selfless and passionate KK was in the liberation struggle for africa