Conversations with History: Kenneth D. Kaunda

[perfectchronic]

This guy was Saddam Hussein's best friend believe it or not.

[rickjames21]

I also have met KK.... Was born while he was President of the great nation of Zambia.

[rudmyster2]

Mr.Kaunda said the most important word Love he got this from God almighty who gave us but one thing we must have to be in his favor that is to Love one another.I also like the fact that he would not seperate politics from humanity and what is right.,

we all just listened to a MAN.

[ykoshy]

I've played football with KK in my backgarden here in London when I was about 8! He did a cruyff turn aged about 70!

[1888junkteam]

excellent work!

[sokokelvin]

KK go ,,we are behind you...thanks very much to our zambian hero ,,God bless him. Such men are living saints!! GO KK GO KK

[sokokelvin]

ba slimeyd ....what are you saying? ngatamwakwata fyakula just shut it.........

[Artisantiago]

Kenneth Kaunda's and Julius Nyerere's models should be studied in detail by our Third World countries. Zambian Humanism of KK led a breakthrough from a wasted colony to a developing country with proper health, education and no street kids (among other facts admitted by his selfsame ploitical opponents). A movement whose key factor for development was the Human Being instead of the "completely free market & enslaved citizens". . .

[messinapete]

Go KK

[Soulmus]

KK is a great model for Peace and love for humanity to study and understand. Being an American I spend over two years in Zambia, One the safest Countries in the World, when KK was in power the Zambian dollar was stronger then the American dollar, no easy task for a so-called third world Country

[Carolina6587]

Are you sure you spent that long in Zambia? Its currency is the Kwacha, not the "Zambian dollar". Besides the accolades and fame he receives now, it should be noted that Kaunda was a dictator who stifled any opposition within and without his party, was accused of torture, and plunged our economy into debt. We Zambians have a soft spot for our first president, yes, but we do remember that he was not quite the "great model for peace and love for humanity" that the West claims he is.

[maputo95]

hesrufc, KK was not the only black leader to meet with white South African presidents; Hastings Banda of Malawi met with them as did Houphouet-Boigny of the Ivory Coast as well as Bongo of Gabon among others!

[fortehworld]

Banda, Houphouet-Boigny were right bastards though. Dictatorial, nationalist leeches to their country. Kaunda was different. Bongo was somewhere in between.

[lee2575]

Fortehworld - you are right! Banda was the idiot that supported the aparthied government is South Africa.

[hesrufc]

KK shows what Mugabe could have been.

The policies both pursue formed by their experience of colonialism. They have both made horrendous economic errors.

KK finally realised when it was time to go and accepted the results of a Democratic election.

My respect for KK is greater after his fall from power than it was when he was the President. He put peace in the country above his own needs and political ideals.

[slimeyb]

what about the billions in aid that their taxpayers have sent to africa, only to have it stolen? and i don't blame them for not caring - having lived there and seen the blatant disregard the leadership have for the development and betterment of their own people, i'd also loose interest. their 'ballsy moves', are all rhetoric - what have they really done?

[kapwepwe]

i can't stand this man and his lies

[hesrufc]

Your choice of name is very apt then.

Not my favourite either. Made some awful mistakes but put in context he is no Amin, Mugabe, Moi or Mobutu

KK was a frontline leader in the struggle for black majority rule in Southern Africa. He allowed ANC and Zimbabwean freedom fighter camps in Zambia but was also the only African leader to meet and talk with RSA white presidents during apartheid period. For those peaceful efforts he deserves some respect - even from a white African like me.

[slimeyb]

KK forgot to mention his government's denial for years when HIV/AIDS arrived in Zambia. Our GP dared to write about it in the Lancet in the 80's and was given 48hrs to leave Zambia. As usual, he employs the ridiculous affectation of the hanky. When will the politically correct West confront the truth about bullies like KK, who held onto power in Zambia through a corrupt one-party-state, and then blamed the colonists for his failings. The interviewer is so patronising and ignorant. Embarressing!!

[soccersprincess]

"the politically correct West"???

[slimeyb]

Yes, the inability of the West to critisize incompetant African governance for fear of being branded, or seen as 'racist'.

[soccersprincess]

I disagree. First of all, I could never call the West politically correct. Western countries are the ones which exploited African nations and aided chaos. Second of all, certain Western countries make really ballsy moves...I don't think many of them care about getting a 'racism' tag...I think that the issue is that they don't really care about Africa much at all.