United Party for National Development (UPND) Secretary General Stephen Katuka says it is disheartening to note that after achieving liberation, Africans are now colonising their own people.

In an interview, Katuka said there was nothing worth celebrating on Africa Freedom Day which falls on May 25, because Zambia was turning into a dictatorship.

“What freedom can I talk about? I don’t think there is any freedom worth celebrating in my view. What can I celebrate when we are getting into a dictatorship again? It was even better being colonized by a white man than being colonized by a fellow black man. So there is nothing worth celebrating and as a party we are not even celebrating that, how do you celebrate with the incarceration of our president? It doesn’t make sense and what celebration is there? I don’t think it’s necessary for anyone to celebrate anything, so we will not celebrate,” Katuka said.

“The day is called Africa freedom Day and it’s internationally recognised for all Africans when we got our freedom from the colonial shackles but now the Africans even after getting the freedom they have colonised their fellow blacks. Those who are governing think now they are the colonial masters, so Zambians must reflect and Africans in general must reflect on the question is are we really free? Is there need for the us to enjoy what our forefathers fought for? Is this what they sacrificed for and some of them even losing their lives?”

He said African Freedom Day should be used for reflection.

“If this is what they fought for then there was no need, they wasted their time and energy and if they were to wake up those who fought, they would realise that they actually made a loss. But in my view, it is a day for serious reflection. Where have we missed it? What has happened? Which way should we go now to correct the mistakes? That’s what we should do,” said Katuka.