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Simon Zukas: Difference between revisions
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By the early 1960s, around 1,000 Jews lived in Northern Rhodesia. But after Zambia's independence in 1964, numbers began to dwindle, part of a larger exodus of whites from the country. There are now fewer than 50 Jews left in Zambia.<ref name="cnn"/> | By the early 1960s, around 1,000 Jews lived in Northern Rhodesia. But after Zambia's independence in 1964, numbers began to dwindle, part of a larger exodus of whites from the country. There are now fewer than 50 Jews left in Zambia.<ref name="cnn"/> | ||
== | == Political career and activism == | ||
As a soldier in East Africa during World War II, he had acquired a profound distance for racism and the assumptions of white superiority that seemed to him part and parcel of the colonial enterprise. Overcoming African suspicions, he helped organise opposition to Federation, one of the few whites to work with African groups. It cost him most of his white friends at the time when it was difficult to be accepted on familiar terms by Africans.<ref name="biography"/> | |||
Zukas played a key role in Zambia's struggle for independence from Britain in the 1950s, and went on to be a government minister after independence. | Zukas played a key role in Zambia's struggle for independence from Britain in the 1950s, and went on to be a government minister after independence. | ||
Zukas was an important activist for Zambia's independence. After a stint in the army and at university in Cape Town he campaigned against colonial rule, which led to him being deported to England in 1952. He continued to campaign from London, until being invited to return home when Zambia finally won its independence in 1964.<ref name="cnn">[http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/19/world/africa/zambia-jewish-history/index.html CNN, The forgotten story of Zambia's Jewish settlers, January 19, 2012]</ref>. He stayed in exile for eleven years.<ref name="biography">''Simon Zukas. Into Exile and Back'' - Bookworld Publishes, 2002</ref> | Zukas was an important activist for Zambia's independence. After a stint in the army and at university in Cape Town he campaigned against colonial rule, which led to him being imprisoned for eight months and eventually deported to England in 1952. He continued to campaign from London, until being invited to return home when Zambia finally won its independence in 1964.<ref name="cnn">[http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/19/world/africa/zambia-jewish-history/index.html CNN, The forgotten story of Zambia's Jewish settlers, January 19, 2012]</ref>. He stayed in exile for eleven years.<ref name="biography">''Simon Zukas. Into Exile and Back'' - Bookworld Publishes, 2002</ref> | ||
He gradually became disillusioned with the UNIP and [[Kenneth Kaunda|President Kaunda]]’s one-party state and became one founders of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD). After the party’s triumph in the [[1991 elections]], he served as [[Member of Parliament]] and a member of the government in several positions, finally resigning after the government tried to prevent Kaunda from [[1996 elections|contesting the presidency in 1996]] on the grounds that he was not a Zambian citizen.<ref name="biography"/> | |||
In 2001, he was chairman of opposition [[Forum for Democracy and Development]] (FDD) party. | |||
While Zukas may be the highest profile of Zambia's Jews, collectively the small Jewish community helped shape the country.<ref name="cnn"/> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
