Comrade (Cde.) Hicks Sikazwe, author of three books; Zambia’s Fall-Back Presidents, Wasted Years, and Voters in Shadows

Comrade (Cde.) Hicks Sikazwe is a former Deputy Editor- in- Chief of the Times of Zambia once ranked among Africa’s best newspapers, where he worked for almost 30 years. He is the author of Zambia’s Fall-Back Presidents, Wasted Years, and Voters in Shadows

Hicks Sikazwe has sat on boards for the ZAMCOM, the Media Trust Fund, (MTF) and Commonwealth Press Union (CPU). Sikazwe was President of the Press Association of Zambia (PAZA) for two terms. The Journalist served as Commissioner on the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC). Together with the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), PAZA under Sikazwe heralded a vigorous media reform campaign that has contributed to the media diversity the country enjoys today. Sikazwe lives in Ndola, Zambia as a freelance Journalist, Media/Communication Consultant, Editor and Media Trainer.

The Author speaks to Sunday Oyinloye, Publisher Green Savannah Diplomatic Cable about his books, his thoughts on African political leaders, and other topical issues

Excerpts:

You are one of the Veteran Journalists in Zambia, why Journalism?

As a young boy at primary school, I always told people that when I grow up I would be writing books. I thought writing books was some kind of daily work. I never said I would go into journalism until I got to secondary School. From primary school, I was an avid reader; any book in English for me was game. While in grade six, two years before secondary school entry, I attempted to write two books. One of them I could not make the pages, so I copied chapters from Ngungi Wathiongo’s Weep not Child, and gave the manuscript to my teacher to go through. Then he said this is a good effort but do not copy from other books they can arrest you. He suggested that I should not read African writers’ novels that early until I go to secondary school. I also enjoyed listening to oral stories. I grew up on the Copperbelt, but every school holiday, I would go to the village in Mbala, northern Zambia, close to the border with Tanzania, while there I took interest in listening stories especially by my mother. So journalism for me was a calling from the word go and I think it is the best job or career in the world.

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