16th January 2018
TO WHOM THESE LETTERS MAY COME
Greeting from the Royal Court of the 38th Chitimukulu, Kanyanta-manga II
I am Kanyanta-manga II, the 38th Chitimuku of the Bemba people of Zambia in Central Africa. The latest national population census of Zambia took place in 2010. According to this census, there are 73 ethnic groups in Zambia. The Bemba ethnic group is 21% of the national population; the other 72 ethnic groups put together are 79% of the national population. While Chewa, Lala, Lunda, Tonga, and Lozi ethnic groups are a majority population in a province each, the Bemba ethnic group is the majority population in five of the ten provinces of Zambia. Bemba is the language of communication for most Zambians (33.5%) and half the urban population (49.5%) use Bemba for communication.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that I will be leading a delegation visiting New Mexico in April 2018 to share cultural, educational, and economic development opportunities that can be beneficial to both Zambia and New Mexico. We hope to participate in an exchange with governmental leaders, Native American peoples, schools, museums, and businesses. The Sister Cities programme involving the cities of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Clovis and their counterparts in Zambia will also be an important feature of this visit.
As traditional leader of the Bemba people, I look forward to strengthening our relationship with Women To Be, an Albuquerque-based non-profit. This organisation and the Bemba Royal Establishment are developing an international business plan to bring health, education, and employment opportunities to the women and girls of both Zambia and New Mexico.
Christine Glidden, President of the Women To Be, and I seek to become strong partners as we share the belief that girls are the greatest untapped resource known to humankind. They are a gift to us and their success insures our own.
Mwinelubemba Chitimukulu Kanyanta-manga II
Image credit: Embassy of the Republic of Zambia
