Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika (born 10 July 1943,

Senanga Senanga is the capital of the Senanga District, which is located in the Western Province of Zambia. The town is situated on the eastern bank of the Zambezi River, at the southern end of the Barotse Floodplain. It lies on the main road running pa ...

) is a

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

n politician who has served as Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. She presented her credentials to U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

on 26 February 2003.

Life

Lewanika, who attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, began her career as a teacher. Her higher level education started in 1964 when she obtained a degree in home economics and a master's degree the following year from California Polytechnic State University. Her doctorate in elementary education came from

. She was a lecturer and professor of education at the

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

. She was later employed by

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

as a regional adviser for East and Southern Africa. In 1991 she was elected to Parliament for the

Movement for Multiparty Democracy The Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) also known as New Hope MMD is a political party in Zambia. Originally formed to oust the previous government, MMD controlled an absolute majority in parliament between 1991 and 2001, when its past lead ...

(MMD) in Zambia's first multi-party polls since 1972. She was a member of that parliament until 2001. She was appointed as the Ambassador to the United States in 2003 and in 2006 she was recognised as "ambassador of the year" for her work on behalf of her country. She was still serving as ambassador in 2008.Her Excellency Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika of Zambia
, AfricaFiles.org, Retrieved 2 February 2015 She was one of two women who ran to be

President of Zambia The president of Zambia is the head of state and the head of government of Zambia. The office was first held by Kenneth Kaunda following independence in 1964. Since 1991, when Kaunda left the presidency, the office has been held by seven othe ...

in the elections of 2001, capturing about 0.6 percent of the vote under the

Agenda for Zambia The Agenda for Zambia (AZ) was a political party in Zambia active between 1996 and 2002. The party was associated with Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika and his sister Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, and drew most of its support from Western Province. ...

(AZ) banner. After the election she became Ambassador and Special Envoy for,

Levy Mwanawasa Levy Patrick Mwanawasa (3 September 1948 – 19 August 2008) was the third president of Zambia. He served as president from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. Mwanawasa is credited with having initiated a campaign to rid the corrupt ...

, the new Zambian President when he was Chairman of the African Union. She was awarded an honorary degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

by her alma mater, California Polytechnic State University, in 2009.Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika
, California Polytechnic State University,

San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly hal ...

, Retrieved 2 February 2016

Family

She is the daughter of King Lewanika II of

Barotseland Barotseland ( Lozi: Mubuso Bulozi) is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of eastern and northern provinces of Zambia and the whole of Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga Province. It is the homeland of the ...

. Due to this fact, she currently holds the titles of

princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

and

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...

emerita in that kingdom. Her brother, Prince Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika, is also a politician. She is married and has two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbikusita-Lewanika, Inonge 1943 births Lozi people Members of the National Assembly of Zambia Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni Academic staff of the University of Zambia 20th-century Zambian women politicians 20th-century Zambian politicians Ambassadors of Zambia to the United States Barotseland Zambian women diplomats Movement for Multi-Party Democracy politicians UNICEF people Ambassadors of Zambia to Brazil Living people 21st-century Zambian women politicians 21st-century Zambian politicians Women ambassadors California Polytechnic State University alumni Zambian officials of the United Nations People from Senanga District