Editor’s Comment
ZAMBIA is at a crossroads, and the Oasis Forum has chosen the most dangerous path possible.
Their announced nationwide “Black Friday” campaign is not a harmless protest; it is an act of sedition, a direct challenge to the authority of the State, the rule of law, and the peace that has defined this nation for over five decades. 
In calling citizens to take to the streets, wear black, and engage in coordinated car-honking, the Forum is openly promoting public disorder at a time when the country is still reeling from the Chiwempala stoning of President Hakainde Hichilema.
This is not activism. It is treason.
The Chiwempala incident was a wake-up call for all Zambians. Violence against the Head of State is the gravest threat to national security.
For the Oasis Forum to exploit the current climate to mobilise citizens for a Black Friday campaign is reckless and dangerous.
It sends a chilling signal that intimidation and mass disruption are legitimate tools of political engagement.
Zambia can not allow such provocations to stand, and authorities must act decisively to protect the nation against hooliganism.
The Oasis Forum, a coalition that includes the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), the Non-Governmental Gender Organizations Coordinating Council (NGOCC), and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), claims to be defending democracy.
At a media briefing, LAZ president Lungisani Zulu denounced the Constitution Amendments Technical Committee appointed by President Hichilema to oversee constitutional reforms, claiming it is “flawed, narrow, and partisan.” But there is equally nothing democratic about inciting mass disruption, threatening lives, and promoting division along ethnic and regional lines.
Criticism of government policy is legitimate, but sedition disguised as activism is surely not.
It is impossible to ignore the ethnic undertones of this agitation. The primary organisers hail predominantly from Northern, Muchinga, Luapula, and Eastern provinces. Historically, these regions have consistently resistanted any talk of a president from what they have termed, “the Zambeziregion.”
The Black Friday campaign is not only political. It is a continuation of historic tribal and regional hostility.
Zambia’s democratic maturity is measured by its ability to transcend tribal loyalties and govern inclusively.
The Oasis Forum’s actions threaten to roll back decades of progress in building a unified nation.
President Hichilema has a constitutional duty to safeguard the peace and security of Zambia. If he announces a state of emergency to counter threats posed by these orchestrated protests, such measures should not be misconstrued as authoritarianism.
The safety of citizens and of the presidency must always take precedence over political theatrics.
To label a decisive action aimed at protecting lives as dictatorship is an insult to logic and to the very principles of responsible governance.
The Black Friday campaign is a gross misrepresentation of democracy. Democracy is not measured by street protests, symbolic gestures, or mass noise campaigns. Lt is measured by respect for institutions, adherence to the rule of law, and the ability to coexist despite political differences.
The Oasis Forum’s attempt to leverage moral authority from churches, legal associations, and NGOs to foment unrest is a betrayal of the trust Zambians place in these institutions.
Authorities must act swiftly and without hesitation. The organisers of Black Friday should face the full weight of the law. Sedition, incitement to violence, and threats to national security are serious offences with grave consequences. Nipping this agitation in the bud is not optional. It is a constitutional and moral imperative. Any delay will embolden extremists, destabilise the nation, and threaten the lives of ordinary citizens.
Zambia has long been admired in the region for its peaceful political transitions and its culture of dialogue.
The Black Friday campaign threatens to unravel that legacy.
It is a stark reminder that ethnic and regional prejudices, if allowed to influence political activism, can quickly escalate into national instability. Citizens must reject this campaign unequivocally.
There can be no compromise when national security and the rule of law are at stake.
Suffice it to say that the Oasis Forum’s call for Black Friday is sedition masquerading as civic engagement. It exploits ethnic divisions, challenges the authority of the presidency, and risks violence in a nation that has been a beacon of peace.
Zambia must not allow its democratic values to be perverted by individuals and groups whose loyalty to tribe and region outweighs their loyalty to the nation. Authorities must act decisively.
Organisers must be held legally accountable. Citizens must stand united against this dangerous and treasonous provocation.
Democracy is built on dialogue, law, and respect for institutions, not chaos, intimidation, and division. Anything less is a betrayal of Zambia, its history, and its hard-won peace.
Black Friday, as proposed by the Oasis Forum, is not a protest. It is a threat, and Zambia will not be threatened.
