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The Tribulations Of Prince George
By Yuyi Libakeni
UEFA Euro 2004
is now in full gear assembling Europe’s big guns in Portugal. While
in nearby Greece the concern for Athens 2004 is international
terrorism; for Portugal it is English hooliganism. In fact it has
been suggested that English football fans be banned from traveling
to Portugal, and now true to their colours, the English have already
demonstrated their riotous behavior leading to calls for their
deportations. Indeed of the 34 people detained 33 are English, a
senior British police Officer remarking, “it was English yobs
getting drunk and disgracing their Country”.
Now the other
day the BBC reported that the English are planning to drop their
600-year Patron Saint, St George, accusing him of being responsible
for the now well known English football hooliganism. Ironically,
Edward III adopted St. George for his massive powers over evil! And
this looming fate of St George reminds me of a string of changes
that Prince George in Lusaka has had to endure.
The present Los
Angeles Boulevard (running from Addis Ababa roundabout through
Longacres to Kabulonga roundabout) was previously known as Prince
George road after the prince of that name who visited (more
correctly, who passed through) Northern Rhodesia in 1934 laying the
foundation stone for the government Secretariat building in Lusaka*.
In passing it may be pointed out that the Governor, Ronald Storrs,
was overwhelmed by the deplorable condition of Government House in
Livingstone saying that it was “the worst Government House in the
Empire” adding “I only wish it had fallen to me to welcome him ie
Prince George, to Jerusalem or Cyprus …where I had an excellent
grand piano ..” But as fate would have it, Storrs was saved the
agony by receiving an early transfer – a month before the prince
arrived.
Later, the
Addis Ababa–Longacres section was named Rennie after Gilbert Rennie
**, Governor 1948-54 (the Longacres-Kabulonga section retaining
Prince George). Governor ousting royalty? Well, as if to undo this
it was later decided to drop both Prince George and Rennie naming
the whole stretch
Brentwood Drive
– after the small English town of Brentwood which had twinned with
Lusaka. Regrettably, relations between Britain and Zambia “went sour
during the year 1971/72” according to Lusaka Mayoral minute of that
year. The sharp exchanges between Britain’s Iron Lady’ Margret
Thatcher and Zambia’s Super Ken over Rhodesian Independence at the
1979 Commonwealth Conference in Lusaka did not help matters and
Saddam Hussein’s visit later provided the opportunity to redraw the
compass – Brentwood succumbed to Saddam Hussein Boulevard. But then
the “Third Reich” of Fred Chiluba could not countenance what they
saw as the ‘Stone of Scorn’ and so
Los Angeles
Boulevard
surfaced. “Change”, Plato taught, “is corruption, evil;” and Heaven
knows what next lies ahead for Prince George!
* The Prince
who was visiting the Union of South Africa had to pass through NR
for his next date
in
Elizabethville (Lubumbashi). The foundation stones in Lusaka, the
English Church in
Luanshya
and Nkana Recreation Club were all last minute arrangements.
** Rennie gave
his name to Gilbert Rennie Secondary School (Kabulonga Boys)
and his
wife, Jeane, to Jeane Rennie (Kabulonga Girls) and Lady Rennie
(Ngwerere) Nursery. |
July 2004