Ep38: Choose Your Target Wisely with Nawa Villy Sitali

TROUBLEMAKERS

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will,” Frederick Douglass

What does it mean to choose your battles wisely? In this episode, host Phil Wilmot sits down with Zambian activist Villy Nawa to unpack the strategy of isolating targets and forcing institutions to account for their failures.

From his first protest as a boarding school student demanding decent food to spearheading the Fix ZESCO campaign against Zambia’s national power utility, Villy shares stories that reveal the art of strategy in social movements. Rather than targeting the president or parliament with their fire, the movement held one institution accountable, and that decision reshaped the fight.

Key Ideas and Highlights

Everyday Struggles Spark Resistance: How bad food and arbitrary punishments at school inspired Villy’s first protest.

Narrative Is Power: The government reframed loadshedding as “you have nine hours of power” instead of “15 hours of power cuts.” Activists had to learn to frame their story just as skillfully.

Pick the Right Target: Why focusing on ZESCO, rather than the presidency, created space for pressure and accountability.

Attribution:

Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Trouble Makers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.

Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.

Resources & Show Links

Choose Your Target Wisely

Nawa’s Bio

Pillars of Power

Credits

Host: Phil Wilmot

Guest: Villy Nawa
Producer & Audio Editor: Rodgers George
Editor: Monica Kamandau

Music: Beautiful Trouble and Mwaduga Salum