Zambia’s New Politician - Young, Female and Powerful

Throughout Africa, young women have slowly been rising through the ranks in business and politics. In 2018 Mali and Botswana both appointed female ministers, which was a huge turning point for both country’s. The situation in village councils however is very strikingly different. Women are barely represented on these councils and little seems to be changing. 

One woman in Zambia however, is shaking things up. 26 year old Buumba Malambo is the youngest councillor in Zambia, and has many supporters in her region. During her time as a councillor she has helped 700 school children get study loans. 

Yet when Buumba applied for the election, she was harassed. Men would come to her house at night and throw stones at it. However this violence has not stopped her. She will continue to fight, and she believes she will win. Talking about why it is important that young people and young women should go for politics, she states “it is important because we have the ideas, the creativity, the new mind set. We are a new generation. And if I don’t do it, nobody else is going to inspire other young people.”

Still only 9% of Zambian politicians are women. There is still a long way to go.