Education and Arts: Education, Literacy and the 2026 Tripartite Elections

When the Elephant Moves, So Must Our Minds

By Sydney Muponda, PhD | Educator & Literary Expert

We say in Bemba: Ubushiku bufwile insofu nelyashi lyansomfu — the day the elephant dies, the news is about the elephant. Zambia’s 2026 Tripartite election cycle is that elephant. Nominations are done. The nation is watching.

But watching is not enough.

My doctoral research on *The Role of Literacy in National Consciousness Raising and Development in Zambia* revealed a troubling pattern: many Zambians participate in elections without truly understanding what democratic participation demands of them. We show up. We vote. We go home. And then we wonder why development remains slow.

Education is not merely a tool for personal advancement, it is a fundamental pillar supporting the very fabric of democratic governance. This applies urgently to those seeking public office, those casting votes, and the citizens expecting meaningful development from the outcome of voting for the leaders of their choice.

Candidates must be held to account not just for promises, but for demonstrated understanding of public service. Voters must choose with conscience, not with loyalty to patronage. A functioning democracy requires a literate, participatory followership and a morally grounded leadership.

Literacy builds that conscience. Zambia deserves enlightened participation, not just elections.

Sydney Muponda, PhD, is an educator and literary expert. This column appears weekly.
+260 975 016 180
sydneymdocs@gmail.com