Meet Linda, first female president of Zambia's Law Association

“There is no way I am not finishing my term.”

These words spurred Linda Kasonde, the first-ever female president of the Law Association of Zambia to stay on course amid a difficult pregnancy, eventual child loss, and the ensuing prejudice about her ability to steer the largest and most powerful professional association in her country.

In her new memoir, Women, Resilience and the Will to Lead, Linda shares raw but courageous, unfiltered but empathetic and difficult but necessary accounts of her experiences as a woman holding a public office.

“Do you consider yourself a politician?” I ask as I settle down for our interview at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel on Nairobi’s Hurlingham Estate.

“I have an appreciation for politics, I understand how it works. I enjoy reading about political situations across different countries, including my own. However, I don't think I would make a good politician because I see the world in very black-and-white terms—something is either wrong or right. And the kinds of compromises you have to make when you are a politician, I am not quite sure I could do that,” she says.

Rule of law

In hindsight, she says it was not all in vain. She went through the challenges to ensure democracy in Zambia survived. Now she is keen to make sure the younger generation appreciates that, and they also dare to fight for the things they need to fight for to preserve the rule of law, constitutionalism, social justice, and democracy.

“I wrote the memoir to process what I have been through over the last couple of years. The memoir mostly covers the period between 2016 and 2021. It was an intense and precarious time for the country. We were at the precipice of becoming more authoritarian and less democratic. A lot was at stake,” she says.

Women, Resilience and the Will to Lead has been launched in Lusaka, Zambia; Johannesburg South Africa; and Nairobi, Kenya. “I chose Kenya as a launch destination because Kenya is a vibrant country. People here write and read. Kenya is also a populous country and one of the strongest countries on the continent,” she says.

But before we continue, I ask Linda how the experience of child loss sits alongside her career ambitions. I ask cautiously because I am not sure if I should bring up the subject. Child loss experiences are hardly discussed by women in leadership, particularly by African women, she begins.

“Giving birth is a very life-changing experience. Even though I do not have children now, I understand something of motherhood through that process of carrying and birthing a child. The reason I told that story was to highlight the issue of maternal and infant mortality in my country. Most women have no access to good healthcare. Even though I gave birth at one of the best hospitals in Zambia, they did not have a ventilator for my baby. Who knows? The story could have been different if there was access,” she says.

Like many African countries, Zambia has a heavy patriarchal leaning in the norms and expectations that colour the lives of men and women from childhood.

“At family functions, as a child, I noticed men and women sat at different places, and women were expected to serve the men. However, I come from a long line of strong-minded, and powerful women on both sides of my family. It never really occurred to me that I was less than a man intellectually.

“I went to private schools, and there was no difference in treatment between the boys and girls. My first real contact with gender stereotyping was when I stood for positions in the Law Association of Zambia. I was challenging the stereotype that women should play a supporting role to men, the vice-presidency being the ceiling for women in the association,” she says.

By writing the book and sharing her experiences, Linda hopes to encourage more women to step into leadership, document their stories, and leave the lessons behind for posterity.

“The women of my mother’s generation were instrumental in smoothing the way for women of my generation to take up leadership positions. Up until the 1980s in Zambia, there was no paid maternity leave, salaries were pegged to your husband’s if you were married. And so, if you were married, you received less remuneration than men. Women could not get loans without their husbands. So much has changed for us because of my parents' generation.”

This awareness is what burdens Linda with the need to smooth the way for female leaders who come after her.

“Now people can imagine a female Law Association of Zambia president. Previously, it was perceived as a male role and women didn’t belong in those positions. Once you challenge the status quo, once you break the glass ceiling, it becomes so much easier for others. More people become more comfortable coming into these leadership spaces after ‘the radicals’ lead the way.”

One of the chapters in her memoir is "It Matters How It Starts". These are the same words Linda uses to answer the question of what gave her the courage to press on and stay grounded when everything around her was tough.

“My parents passed on family values to me such as honesty and integrity, and not taking shortcuts. My faith as a Christian is also critical. When I think about the life of Christ, He stood up and spoke truth to power no matter the consequences. The ultimate consequence was death. For me, leadership means standing in your truth, no matter the circumstance. That gave me the courage to persevere in the trials that I faced.”

Support system

In many societies, people do not like it when women stand out, and Zambia is no exception. She sometimes felt isolated. Linda advises women to find their tribe, like-minded people with whom they can form a community, and who can support them because it is difficult to be resilient without the support of family and friends.

“I talk about mental health and wellbeing in times of acute stress and moments of vulnerability in the book. You need to find a way of decompressing during stressful times. It got to the stage where I had a major outburst because there was no outlet for all the pressure I was under. Find support and avenues for self-care. You may not avert a catastrophe, but if it happens, take time to heal, recover, process, and learn whatever you need to learn from the situation and then move on. Do not punish yourself endlessly. And when you’re wrong, apologise,” she says.

Writing the book has allowed her to process the things that happened. It was important for her to tell her story vulnerably so that other people learn from her experiences, wholesomely.

“I am still saddened by the fact that the independence struggle of Zambia is always told through the lens of the ‘founding fathers’. Who were the founding mothers? What did they do? To me, it is important to document the stories of women. I hope more women write memoirs to liberate other women, democratise history, and show that it is not a bad thing to tell the stories of women leaders.”

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