{"id":75283,"date":"2025-08-14T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife"},"modified":"2025-08-14T12:07:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T12:07:50","slug":"adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife","title":{"rendered":"ADAMSON MUSHALA: AS TOLD BY HIS WIFE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. <\/strong><\/span>In December 1972, Adamson Mushala bundled his wife and five children including a two-week-old baby into a brand-new Land Rover 109 station wagon and drove away from their home in Mufumbwe.<\/p>\n

He told his wife they were heading to Mongu, Western Province, to attend a friend\u2019s wedding. But instead, they soon found themselves crossing the border into Angola.<\/p>\n

This was Mushala\u2019s escape from Zambia, marking the beginning of an armed rebellion against the Kaunda government that would last from 1976 to 1982.<\/p>\n

Before being killed by government soldiers, Mushala had become an enigmatic figure, inspiring both fear and admiration.<\/p>\n

Thirty-six years after his death, his widow, Rejoice, remembers him as a smartly dressed gentleman with a beautiful smile. A black-and-white studio portrait of him still hangs on the wall of her modest living room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe took that picture when we were in Angola,\u201d she says calmly, noticing my curiosity.<\/p>\n

Rejoice now lives in Kivuku, a small settlement in Kasempa, North-Western Province \u2013 just a few hundred metres from where she first met Mushala in the 1950s at Mukinge Mission School.<\/p>\n

After completing Standard Six Upper, Mushala trained as a game ranger, while Rejoice moved to Chizela (now Mufumbwe) to work as a community school teacher. They met again and fell in love.<\/p>\n

Rejoice had many suitors before Mushala, including the late Emmanuel Mulemena, who would later become a celebrated kalindula musician.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were many who wanted to marry me, but I believe God chose Adamson for me,\u201d she says, her eyes glinting. \u201cI don\u2019t know exactly what attracted me to him. Yes, he was tall, very smart, and looked good in suits \u2013 but I think it was simply God\u2019s plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiles. \u201cI liked the way he walked, and he had a beautiful smile. I also liked his complexion.\u201d She still calls him my black shine.<\/p>\n

In 1959, they married at Chizela Bible School, with European missionaries helping to arrange and sponsor the ceremony. \u201cMany people attended because it was the first of its kind in Mufumbwe,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt was a wonderful Christian wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their marriage, she says, was \u201cwonderful\u201d. \u201cHe really loved me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their first child, Bert, was born on January 16, 1960. By then, Mushala was already disillusioned with the British colonial government. \u201cHe hated the colonialists and wanted to join the fight for independence,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Both were active members of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) under Kenneth Kaunda. Rejoice recalls being present in 1961 when Julia Chikamoneka and other women protested topless in Lusaka against colonial rule.<\/p>\n

In 1962, at the height of the struggle, Mushala and other young men were sent to China for guerrilla warfare training. While there, he met Chairman Mao Zedong, who, upon learning Rejoice was expecting, gave him a parcel of baby clothes and toys with one request \u2013 to name the child after him. In 1963, upon his return, Mushala found Rejoice had given birth to a girl, and they named her \u201cMao\u201d.<\/p>\n

When Zambia gained independence on October 24, 1964, Mushala was living in Kamwala, Lusaka. \u201cWe all wore suits and celebrated,\u201d Rejoice recalls. But his joy was short-lived \u2013 he was disappointed after being overlooked for a post as head of the Wildlife Department, a job he loved.<\/p>\n

Feeling betrayed, Mushala left UNIP and joined Nalumino Mundia\u2019s opposition United Party, which led to his detention in Chinsali. Rejoice was placed under house arrest in Mufumbwe.<\/p>\n

By December 1972, Zambia had become a one-party state something Mushala strongly opposed. \u201cHe used to say, \u2018Why should a man stand against a frog? Does a frog represent the people?\u2019\u201d Rejoice remembers, referring to the YES\/NO ballot symbols.<\/p>\n

That same month, under the pretext of attending a friend\u2019s wedding in Mongu, Mushala persuaded Rejoice to travel with him. Two weeks after giving birth, she reluctantly agreed.<\/p>\n

After a week\u2019s stopover in Manyinga, she noticed soldiers in strange uniforms. Mushala revealed they were heading to Luanda, Angola. \u201cI didn\u2019t know we were going to Angola. He never shared his plans with me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The family eventually settled in Luanda, then later moved to South Africa. In 1976, Mushala returned to Zambia to begin his armed campaign. That was the last time Rejoice saw him.<\/p>\n

In November 1979, she returned to Zambia with her children but was detained for years under house arrest.<\/p>\n

On November 27, 1982, she was handed a newspaper reporting Mushala\u2019s death. The night before, she dreamt of him saying goodbye. Initially told she could attend his burial, she was later denied travel for \u201csecurity reasons\u201d and collapsed in shock.<\/p>\n

She remained in detention for two more years, staging a hunger strike with two other women. In 1984, she spoke to President Kaunda by phone, who told her she was free but advised her to settle in Lusaka.<\/p>\n

\u201cI refused. I didn\u2019t want people to think I was working with the government against my husband,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. In December 1972, Adamson Mushala bundled his wife and five children including a two-week-old baby into a brand-new Land Rover 109 station wagon and drove away from their home in Mufumbwe. He told his wife they were heading to Mongu, Western Province, to attend a friend\u2019s wedding. But instead, they soon found […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":75282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-75283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-zambia"],"yoast_head":"\nADAMSON MUSHALA: AS TOLD BY HIS WIFE - Zambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In December 1972, Adamson Mushala bundled his wife and five children including a two-week-old baby into a brand-new Land ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ADAMSON MUSHALA: AS TOLD BY HIS WIFE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In December 1972, Adamson Mushala bundled his wife and five children including a two-week-old baby into a brand-new Land ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-14T12:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-14T12:07:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/08\/sm_1755160833.610503.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"ADAMSON MUSHALA: AS TOLD BY HIS WIFE\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-14T12:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-14T12:07:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife\"},\"wordCount\":828,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2025\/08\/sm_1755160833.610503.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Zambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/adamson-mushala-as-told-by-his-wife\",\"name\":\"ADAMSON MUSHALA: AS TOLD BY HIS WIFE - 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