People’s Tribunal

It is raining honorary degrees

Dear Judge Mbadwa,

My Lord, you might have noticed that it is raining doctorate degrees of the honorary nature in the country and that blessing has not eluded us native authorities.

Nyasas of all types are assuming the doctor of letters status after achieving something in the various fields of academic research.

So, what an honour  do I have to address you My Lord, after attaining one of  the highest academic qualifications in social anthropology together with my colleagues;  native authorities  Kamenya, Kaonga, and Ngalawangalawa.

My Lord, the venerated college, Sighbust Institute, awarded us these degrees after we underwent a rigorous academic exercise that culminated in successfully defending of our doctoral theses.

It was an academic journey well travelled and we have thus conquered.

My area of specialisation, of course, was on the Mbonadology of Mlauli among the Ngamanja people.

My colleague Ngalawangalawa researched on the Social Aggregates of Zholmwe Language while Kamenya’s thesis dwelt on the Religiosity of Bigdance.

If you are still interested, Kaonga researched on Cultural Remigration of Lakeshore tribes to South Africa.

We believe we have now joined the league of the elite educated personalities in the country, something that puts us at par with the likes of Dr Lazaro of the Cockerel clique, Dr Sauli Cloud of the Unified Transgressors Mob (UTM), Dr Mwanga of Odya Zaeni Alibe Nzeru and Dr Mbuye Ramasimu and many more. Of course, The Venerable Professor Mapwiya and Dr Jolijo Chadyaka of the blue camp are in there.

We also acknowledge the pacesetters in the academic sojourn we later embarked on ourselves, including Professor Chenje Pagolo, Dr Channel Rust, and Dr TallyStar Chazizira.

Don’t you think we now have the required qualifications to be deemed commentators of repute like Dr Henz Chingakome and others?

Those who questioned our credentials when we were commenting on current affairs on the political scene on the Nyasaland National Television will be silenced for good.

My Lord, we believe we have earned the respect they previously denied us  when they regarded us as village idiots without independent of thought.

Maybe Dr Bob Chanunkhira of the School of Cultural and Heritage will take notice of our achievements and hire us at the faculty he leads or the Department of Sociology at the College that God loved most will see how they can utilise us.

But I have written you because some Nyasas were sneering at us during our graduation ceremony. Aren’t we allowed to be recognised as most educated native authorities in the country?

Others before us have achieved higher academic qualifications and were not subjected to public ridicule like us.

There are professors who were honoured after researching and publishing widely on urban looksism and street uglyism, yet the public accepted them. What is wrong with us?

This academic stigma being displayed by the public is in our view not only illegal and unconstitutional but also an infringement on our right to be educated.

Can you write a legal opinion that will guide future handling of such issues? I rest my case, My Lord.

Regards,

Londa, Phd.

 

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