Constitution

ARTICLE I – Name

The name of the Organization shall be the Zambia Knowledge Bank. (ZANOBA)

ARTICLE II – Purposes

The purposes of the Organization shall be:

1. To document and validate Zambian culture and technology. In order to achieve this purpose, ZANOBA members will collect scientific data, information, and artifacts from urban, rural districts and villages of Zambia.
2. To promote acquaintanceship and communication between all those who are genuinely interested in the documentation and validation of Zambian culture and technology: newsletters, public meetings, conferences, and retreats. Each branch will have a ZANOBA District Resource Center that will house a museum, a library, research room, and administrative offices.
3. To educate, stimulate and promote public awareness of the nature and significance of Zambian culture and technology so that the public will be better informed in Zambia, on the African continent, in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the rest of the world.

Students from educational institutions such as schools, colleges, universities, and the general public will have access to the copies of materials such as books, newsletters, tape recordings, videotapes that will be produced by or on behalf of the ZANOBA organization.

All the published research and artifact exhibits done by the ZANOBA organization will be available to the public without discrimination. The materials will be available for consultation for educational and scientific use by students ranging from elementary school, college and university students.

The information published by ZANOBA will be available to the general public through its museum and resource center. If affordable, copies of published will be mailed to the public upon request.

ZANOBA will organize and sponsor activities such as public discussion groups, slide shows, forums, panels, lectures, plays, dance performances, and other cultural and technological demonstrations. These activities will disseminate knowledge about Zambian culture and technology to elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, and the general public.

ZANOBA will use radio, television, print and other media to spread the knowledge about Zambian culture and technology.

ZANOBA will carry out only the stated objectives and activities and shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or the corresponding provision of any other future United States Internal Revenue law.

If the ZANOBA organization is ever dissolved for any reason, the assets of the organization shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or corresponding section of any future government for a public purpose pertaining to the furtherance of knowledge and education about Zambian culture and technology. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a court of competent jurisdiction of the country in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes as disclosed and stated in the provisions of this constitution.

ARTICLE III – Membership

Section 1. There shall be THREE categories of members in the Organization: youth, (under 21 years old), adult (22 years old and older), and Life Time Members.

Section 2. Membership is open to all persons who genuinely believe in and are interested in achieving the purposes of the Organization.

Section 3. All members shall have the full rights and privilege of membership

Section 4. Membership dues shall be established by the executive committee and payable annually on schedule determined by the committee

ARTICLE IV – Officers and Committees and the Duties

Section 1. The elective officers of the Organization shall consist of a president, a vice-president, secretary, a treasurer, publicity secretary, and two committee members. Appointive officers are the Editor of the ZANOBA Newsletter, and the four coordinators for Africa/Zambia, Europe, United States, and Canada. The elected officers of the Executive Committee will make each of these appointments to three renewable terms.

Section 2. The President shall be the executive officer of the organization and shall administer the affairs of the organization under the direction of the executive committee, which the president shall chair. The president has responsibility for the appointment of all committees of the organization sometimes with recommendations from the Executive Committee where necessary.

Section 3. The vice-president, who shall serve in the absence of the president, shall have the primary responsibility for the program’s meeting once every five years or as determined by the Executive Committee.

Section 4: The secretary shall keep a register of all members and a record of all the meetings and activities of the Organization in Zambia, the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Section 5. The treasurer shall receive and disburse by check all funds of the organization, shall keep a full record of all such receipts and disbursements, and shall submit at each annual meeting of the executive committee a written summary of all receipts and disbursements

Section 6. (a) The organization shall have an executive committee and such other committees as the president or executive committee may consider desirable.

The executive committee shall be composed of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, public secretary, and two committee members.

The executive committee shall determine the direction and policies of the organization decide on activities to be sponsored, and have authority over the expenditure of such funds as available in the treasury of the organization. With the general direction of the President, the executive committee including distribution of educational materials to the public, shall have responsibility for executing programs of the organization; recommending types of field work, organizing the program for the annual Executive Meeting and the Five year members general meeting, publishing of the ZANOBA Newsletter

Besides the mandatory annual executive committee meeting, the executive committee shall meet on call of the president or request of any four of its members. Three members of the executive committee shall constitute a quorum for any meeting, which quorum must include either the president or the secretary.

The elective members of the executive committee shall have authority, if in their view any appointive members of the committee fail to carry out the responsibilities of their officers, to make new appointments effective immediately.

ARTICLE V – Election of Officers

Section 1. A nominating committee, comprised of the three most recent past-presidents, shall submit nominations for the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and publicity secretary. Nominations from the floor shall also be in order.

Section 2. The elective officers of the executive committee shall be elected every five years terms by a vote of the Organization.

Section 3. The terms of elective office shall run from the time of election at the five-year meeting until their replacements are named.

Section 4. If a vacancy occurs among elective officers, the elective members of the executive committee shall, as soon as possible, make an appointment for the unexplained term.

ARTICLE VI – Meetings

The organization shall hold at least one meeting every five years which shall be known as it Five-year meeting. The executive committee shall meet as necessary to direct the organization. Such additional meetings may convene in during the summer, June to August, in the United States, Canada, and Europe. When meetings are scheduled to be in Zambia, these will be held between August and October when it is warm and dry and travel may be the easiest for all parties.

ARTICLE VII – Amendments

This constitution may be amended at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present. Any proposed amendments, before being voted upon, must have been previously considered by the executive committee and published in the ZANOBA Newsletter.

____________________ July 29, 1997

Mwizenge S. Tembo, Ph. D.
Associate professor of Sociology
Co-Founder and Coordinator

____________________ July 29, 1997

D Frank Chisela, Ph. D.
Co-Founder and Coordinator