CAN OR SHOULD LATE PRESIDENT SATA’S WIDOW, CHRISTINE KASEBA CONTEST THE PRESIDENCY? It’s culturally and traditionally objectionable in Zambia for the widow to jump into the political arena so soon after the death of her husband. She should mourn her husband away from the public eye for …. I don’t know how long. This is the traditional description of mourning and prescription for dealing with loss or grief. The “modern” or scientific way of dealing with grief is that the surviving spouse seeks the company of friends or relatives that should speak hope and optimism. He or she should engage in activities aimed at helping others so that the mind may diminish emphasis on the loss. Biologically, the brain pushes to the periphery thoughts of grief in the event that the survivor takes on activities that are far removed from the source of grief. This is the way in which the body builds up emotional resources necessary to fight off grief. The biological process of dealing with grief seems to be in conflict with the traditional approach. From a scientific standpoint, Dr. Kaseba would be doing herself greater good if she stepped into the political arena as the nature of politics would crowd out of her mind thoughts of grief arising from the loss of her husband. But be that as it may, tradition is so powerful in influencing the way we order our lives so much so that even in the face of scientific benefits to the contrary, the surviving spouse may have to respect culture at the expense of health. I am not, however, so naïve as to think that there may not be other considerations here. Human beings, by their very nature, are self-seeking. It could be that she is seeking office because of the pomp and splendor in addition to the special privileges that it comes with. The prospects of losing such privileges could be traumatizing to anyone. Having been First-lady, she may have grown confident that she has what it takes to be president. After all, she may have been the architect of certain policy decisions that her husband took while he was alive. Another consideration is the possibility of some private interests that stand to be served with the candidacy of the first lady. They may have made her believe that the interests of her late husband’s party stand to be served well by her participation in politics. She may have been made to believe that other seekers of this office are not doing so with good intentions. But when all is said and done, Dr. Kaseba’s decision does not really matter: all that matters is what the electorate will decide. When you dealing with a very traditional electorate, you better be ready for what is coming your way.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 09:34:45 +0000
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