As Namibia celebrates its 36th Independence celebrations, Zambia's founding President Kenneth Kaunda's son Kaweche has cautioned Namibians not to fall into the trap of division. 

Kaunda, a Pan-Africanist, says the peace that Namibia enjoys now did not come about by accident, as people, including his father, Kenneth Kaunda, and his associates, worked hard for its attainment. 

Kenneth Kaunda's contribution to the independence of Namibia cannot be overemphasised. 
He may be gone, but his legacy lives on. 

His eldest son, Kaweche, born in 1958, shared corridors with veterans, including Namibia's founding president, Dr Sam Nujoma, prior to the nation's independence in 1990. 
He recalls the confidence displayed by the liberation struggle icons, even when things appeared impossible. 

"They were with us in and out of the state house. I remember walking in the corridors of the state house as a student, and I would run into President Nujoma quite often, and I would sit and chat with him and ask him, 'Uncle, do you think you're really going to get the independence of Namibia?' and he would say, 'Yes, yes, yes, Sonny, we will.'" So the confidence they showed in what they were doing showed that they were determined to get what they really wanted."

When finally Namibia was granted its independence, Kaweche was not among the earliest to visit Namibia. 
He shares how he was reprimanded for visiting the Independent Namibia quite late.

"On my first trip to Namibia, when I arrived at the airport, I think I went there a few years after independence, and the gentleman, upon realising that I was Kenneth Kaunda's son, said, You're supposed to be the first one here.'"

As Namibia celebrates its 36th Independence, Kaunda has a message to all Namibians. 

"My word is that peace in a country is not an accident; you actually have to make sure that you maintain it that way, and loving one another is a key, so please, as Namibians, they should not fall into the trap of divisions amongst people; everybody is equal to everybody. The peace that is there now didn't come by accident; other people fought for it, people worked for it, and people died for it, and that should always be remembered. " 

Kaunda expressed pride in Namibia's current political status quo, saying Namibia is moulding a new wave of political discourse.

"The days of judging somebody based on their gender are slowly – we are not there, but they are long gone. You take the person by the content of their mind." 

Kaweche Kaunda, now 67, is a dedicated supporter of Pan-African movements.
He was a part of the recently launched Institute of Pan-African Studies's Zambian chapter at the Oliver Reginald Tambo House heritage site in Lusaka.