THE death of Paramount Chief Mpezeni IV, David Njengembaso Jele, marks the end of one of the most defining traditional reigns Zambia has ever witnessed. For over four decades, Inkhosi yama Nkosi Mpezeni was not merely a traditional ruler sitting on a throne in Eastern Province. He became the living identity of that throne itself. From the time he ascended to the chieftaincy in June 1982 at only 31 years old, David Njengembaso Jele grew into a towering national figure whose image, authority, humour, wisdom and charisma became inseparable from the institution of Paramount Chief Mpezeni. Much of Zambia’s younger generation has grown up knowing no other Paramount Chief Mpezeni apart from David Njengembaso Jele. To many citizens, especially those...