The demokrataizaytion of the Zambian nayshen…” echoed through the air, met with a thunderous applause from the vast assembly – the largest gathering I had ever witnessed at a political rally. It was the year 1991, a momentous reintroduction to multi-party politics in Zambia since 1972 when the country became a one-party state under the leadership of President Kenneth David Kaunda. On that stage stood a man of small frame and stature, who would later ascend to become the second democratically elected president of the Republic of Zambia – Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba.

I had never witnessed such confidence and passion in a person before. It sparked my own passion for politics, with the large gathering of people repeatedly chanting slogans of “The Hour! The Hour!” demonstrating how a united voice could bring about positive change for both the country and the community. Reality soon set in – a joy-filled passion replaced by the onset of a prolonged journey of disappointments. Frederick Chiluba, who was fondly referred to as FTJ, assumed the presidency, yet not a single woman had a place in the inaugural eighteen-member cabinet. Alongside the democratisation of the nation came the unwelcome spectre of patriarchy.