I had no idea what to expect out of this Christmas season. I occasionally would ask people what was done here for Christmas but the answers were usually vague and not terribly helpful so as the season approached I was still in the dark as to what was about to happen.
The first Christmassy things occurred when I spent my Saturday with my host parents in two absolutely packed grocery stores buying food for Monday. This marathon shopping trip, which took about six hours from start to finish, netted us a lot of food, some fire crackers, and an artificial Christmas tree.
Saturday also marked a crisis point for my Christmas. I had been told by a few different people in my family that there was no tradition of gift giving in their family. Since I had received the information from multiple sources I was feeling pretty confident in my decision that I was in the clear and would not need to find gifts for the numerous family members (this also would have been difficult because people come and go with some regularity, especially during the holiday season. There would have been no way of knowing who exactly required a gift). On the evening of the 23rd, however, I thought that, just in case, I should ask my host father one last time. "Oh, yes, we do gifts," he said. As my heart palpitated I asked, "so should I have gifts ready for Christmas?" The response was yes. Shoot! I was told that gifts would be done on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. This did not give me a lot of time to prepare.
After much frantic thinking I developed a plan. I had enough things to cover myself for the rest of the family, I figured, as long as I could get a soccer ball for the little boys. So on Christmas Eve before church I went to the market in search of a soccer ball. None was to be found. It was time to move to Plan B. I figured I would give the boys some Chicco biscuits (cookies) with the promise of a soccer ball to come on Tuesday. The problem was solved, at least temporarily.
The Christmas Eve church service was pretty much like any other, although much of the singing was familiar Christmas songs. These, however, were translated into Nyanja. Fortunately, they all appeared in the song book and so I could easily sing along, even if I wasn't always sure what I was singing. The sermon, I presume, was something Christmas related but I can't be sure because I didn't understand any of it (I busied myself reading the short New Testament letters).
After church I was dreading the gift moment. It never came, however. The rest of the day passed as if nothing was out of the ordinary. It must be coming on Christmas Day, I figured.
There was a Christmas morning service but I was assigned to stay home to cook. Males don't cook in Zambian society, but I had made my family a "Canadian" meal once (spaghetti) and they asked me to cook them a Christmas dinner Canadian-style. I was a little disappointed to miss the Christmas service - maybe this was where a Zambian Christmas would finally reveal itself - but when those who went returned 5 hours later (from a service that was supposed to take an hour) I was glad that I had been assigned to stay behind. We had searched high and low for a turkey but none was to be found so I made roast chicken, stuffing, cooked beans and carrots, and seasoned potatoes. One interesting side note is that we have no cooking dishes but pots so everything had to be stuck in the oven in pots.
I finished cooking at about 13:30 and just as I was leaving the kitchen the girls of the family came in and started to cook. In addition to our chicken dinner we also had plenty of rice, beef, pasta and sauce, potato salad, cabbage salad, and a cake. While waiting for this food to be prepared we did what Zambians love to do - watch TV. Some programming was OK - the South African adaptation of Dickens's "Christmas Carol" was well done. Others, such as a half-hour infomercial on a local grocery store were less exciting. We ate at about 16:30ish, a long wait after having breakfast at 9:00!
In the evening we dropped off a family who had visited for the day and then settled in to the TV shows we watch every week day. One of the boys even asked me to tutor him with his Grade 7 Social Studies. I was shocked - here it was Christmas Day and he wanted to be taught! I told him to wait till the next day.
Back to the gifts. There was no moment of giving. No one gave any one a gift either big or small. So at the end of the day I gave a gift to my family as a whole - a Christmas book from Canada - that was very much appreciated.
Christmas, therefore, was pretty much a normal day. The only difference was that I was home all day instead of being at work. By the end of the day I was so happy, though. Normally I experience joy because it is Christmas. This year I experienced joy because Christmas was finally over. The days preceeding it had been pretty tough as far as homesickness goes so I was happy to have it done with. I could finally move on with regular life.
While Christmas might have been a bit of a let down, I'm told that the real celebration is at New Years. Since I am not one that usually does a whole lot for this occassion I am sure that I will get more than normal. Even if Christmas here is nothing to write home about, I'm thinking that New Years will be and am really looking forward to it.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
My Vacation
Last week was the MCC retreat. A good time was had in contemplation and in talking with the other SALTers and IVEPers. It was very interesting country side around where the retreat took place, alongside Lake Kariba. On the way there it was very hilly and the vegetation differed from the regular scrub bushes that one sees in abundance here. The villages appeared to be very poor. I kept expecting Rod Black or Fred Penner to come out of the huts filming a World Vision infomercial.
On one day we visited one of the worlds largest crocodile farms, home of 90,000 Nile Crocodiles. Croc farming is apparently quite a complex process and needs to be very scientifically regulated. For example, the temperature at which the eggs are kept determines the sex of the offspring (females is 32 degrees, males is 40 degrees). Also, the first egg to hatch makes a sound to signal to the others that it is time to come out. This means that if you have a room full of eggs you have to be on the ball or otherwise the whole room will want to start hatching, premature or not. I got to hold one of the young ones - now I can say I have held a crocodile. Once the crocs are four or five years old they are butchered for their skin and meat.
We also visited the breeding ground where the big ones live. They can live up to 100 years old and get very huge. We got to watch as chunks of cow were thrown at the crocodiles. A great experience! Their huge teeth just went right through the bones!
We also took a sunset cruise on Lake Kariba. This started off slowly as we got stuck on a submerged tree only metres from the start. After much effort, a group of locals managed to lift the boat off the obstacle and the cruise could be under way. Kariba is a massive artificial lake that was created when the British dammed the Zambezi River. Our base was on an inlet and it took us an hour on the boat just to get out to the main part of the lake. The people who lived there were given a sum total of 3 pounds while their traditions and livelihoods were completely uprooted. Sounds like a fair trade.
On one day we visited one of the worlds largest crocodile farms, home of 90,000 Nile Crocodiles. Croc farming is apparently quite a complex process and needs to be very scientifically regulated. For example, the temperature at which the eggs are kept determines the sex of the offspring (females is 32 degrees, males is 40 degrees). Also, the first egg to hatch makes a sound to signal to the others that it is time to come out. This means that if you have a room full of eggs you have to be on the ball or otherwise the whole room will want to start hatching, premature or not. I got to hold one of the young ones - now I can say I have held a crocodile. Once the crocs are four or five years old they are butchered for their skin and meat.
We also visited the breeding ground where the big ones live. They can live up to 100 years old and get very huge. We got to watch as chunks of cow were thrown at the crocodiles. A great experience! Their huge teeth just went right through the bones!
We also took a sunset cruise on Lake Kariba. This started off slowly as we got stuck on a submerged tree only metres from the start. After much effort, a group of locals managed to lift the boat off the obstacle and the cruise could be under way. Kariba is a massive artificial lake that was created when the British dammed the Zambezi River. Our base was on an inlet and it took us an hour on the boat just to get out to the main part of the lake. The people who lived there were given a sum total of 3 pounds while their traditions and livelihoods were completely uprooted. Sounds like a fair trade.
For the past several days we have been in Livingstone and area. We stayed at Fawlty Towers - a backpackers place that I would highly recommend to anyone expecting to visit the Livingstone area (since that is probably none of you, the recommendation is a bit of a moot point but I give it nonetheless). The rooms were cheap, clean, and well maintained, there was a swimming pool, satellite TV, free internet, and, best of all, the activities we wanted were all easily booked and we were picked up straight from the place every morning we had something booked. They sure know how to do tourism well down there.
The first day we visited the Falls and hiked down a steep trail to the bottom of the gorge where we had a picnic lunch. There were plenty of baboons on the way to provide entertainment - including one who ran up and tried to steal Mark's apple (since the baboon had touched it anyway, he didn't feel compelled to eat the rest.) I negotiated for a couple of curios - a rhino and a man. I think I did OK - K5000 ($1.25) for a nicely carved face and K13500 ($4.30ish) for the rhino. It is so frustrating dealing with the dealers there because they assume you are a tourist with lots of money. Since I had been to the Lusaka craft market I knew what was a reasonable price (about a third of their starting price) but by the disappointed sound in their voices as I made the deal I think I got them to a respectable price.
One very neat activity we did was a one day canoeing safari on the Zambezi River. This was great although the canoes were actually yellow rubber dinghy type boats - real canoes are called "Canadian style" canoes - a reason for national pride, I figure. It was a great way to see some wildlife - hippos, crocs, elephants, etc. On canoe you have to give the hippo a lot of respect - usually we would cross to almost the other side of the river. It's a good thing we had a guide because often what we thought were rocks would turn out to be hippos or crocodiles. Unfortunately we saw the elephants just at the same time as we hit the biggest rapids on the route so we didn't have much time to watch.
The first day we visited the Falls and hiked down a steep trail to the bottom of the gorge where we had a picnic lunch. There were plenty of baboons on the way to provide entertainment - including one who ran up and tried to steal Mark's apple (since the baboon had touched it anyway, he didn't feel compelled to eat the rest.) I negotiated for a couple of curios - a rhino and a man. I think I did OK - K5000 ($1.25) for a nicely carved face and K13500 ($4.30ish) for the rhino. It is so frustrating dealing with the dealers there because they assume you are a tourist with lots of money. Since I had been to the Lusaka craft market I knew what was a reasonable price (about a third of their starting price) but by the disappointed sound in their voices as I made the deal I think I got them to a respectable price.
One very neat activity we did was a one day canoeing safari on the Zambezi River. This was great although the canoes were actually yellow rubber dinghy type boats - real canoes are called "Canadian style" canoes - a reason for national pride, I figure. It was a great way to see some wildlife - hippos, crocs, elephants, etc. On canoe you have to give the hippo a lot of respect - usually we would cross to almost the other side of the river. It's a good thing we had a guide because often what we thought were rocks would turn out to be hippos or crocodiles. Unfortunately we saw the elephants just at the same time as we hit the biggest rapids on the route so we didn't have much time to watch.
We had a free day during which we went to the Falls area again. We walked to the bridge to watch the bungee jumpers and then continued on to the Zimbabwe side. We walked for quite a ways - until we got to the border post - before checking the cost of a visa ($65) and returning to Zambia. Apparently, visas for Canadians were only $30 quite recently but the Zimbabweans upped it to reciprocate Canadian charges for Zimbabweans.
In the afternoon we had some ultimate rest and relaxation. The backpackers place offered massages for K50,000 ($12.50) so we took in one of those and then settled down to watch an NFL game on the satellite TV.
The last couple days we were on a safari in Chobe National Park in Botswana, about 50 minute drive from here. This is best known for its 65,000 elephants of which we saw plenty. We had a river cruise first which, in addition to hippos, crocs, and birds, also produced thousands of elephants. Later that day, a lion crossed right in front of our path with her two cubs. Mostly there were huge numbers of various antelope - impala, kudu, situtwela (apparently, very rare), puku, and sable (although these were far away). We also saw giraffes, more elephants, warthogs, etc. On our way back to camp we had a bit of an incident with an elephant that didn't particularly like our truck but everything went smoothly. It was neat to sleep in the bush although the guide did warn us about the potential dangers - lions, hyenas, etc. - that awaited us if we had to go to the bathroom in the night.
The second day started off with a disastrous game drive - we didn't see anything but impala all morning. Since impala are a dime a dozen it made for quite a lame and boring time. I have to say though that impala are way nicer than Canadian deer, with whom they would be roughly comparable. Its as if someone went through the whole park and groomed every single impala just for us. We had seen some buffalo tracks only 20m from our campsite but were unable to track them down.
The afternoon boat drive made the day. We found a herd of about 100 buffalo just across the river in Namibia. Then the hippos were all out of the water, where they usually spend the day, grazing because it was a cloudy day. What a great animal. They were definitely Mark and my favourite. A quick hippo fact: they eat 40 kg of grass a day. No wonder they are so fat.
The second day started off with a disastrous game drive - we didn't see anything but impala all morning. Since impala are a dime a dozen it made for quite a lame and boring time. I have to say though that impala are way nicer than Canadian deer, with whom they would be roughly comparable. Its as if someone went through the whole park and groomed every single impala just for us. We had seen some buffalo tracks only 20m from our campsite but were unable to track them down.
The afternoon boat drive made the day. We found a herd of about 100 buffalo just across the river in Namibia. Then the hippos were all out of the water, where they usually spend the day, grazing because it was a cloudy day. What a great animal. They were definitely Mark and my favourite. A quick hippo fact: they eat 40 kg of grass a day. No wonder they are so fat.
Nothing comes cheap when you are doing such things but it was a great time and well worth it. It is nice, however, to be out of the company of rich tourists and back in the more familiar confines of Lusaka.
Vacation
Last week was the MCC retreat. A good time was had in contemplation and in talking with the other SALTers and IVEPers. We also had lots of time for recreation.
On one day we visited one of the worlds largest crocodile farms, home of up to 90,000 crocs. Croc farming is apparently quite a complex process and needs to be very scientifically regulated. For example, the temperature at which the eggs were kept determines the sex of the offspring. I believe it was 32 degrees for females and 40 degrees for males. We also got to hold one of the young ones that was just a few days old. When the crocodiles reach four or five years old they are killed and their skin is sold (usually to Japan) and their meat is also sold. Then we visited the breeding ground where the big ones live and watched as the feeders threw chunks of cow to the crocodiles. Their teeth could grind straight through the bones. A great experience!
We also took a sunset cruise on Lake Kariba. This started off slowly as we got stuck on a submerged tree only metres from the start. Everyone had to be taken off the boat and, after much effort, several locals were able to free the boat from the obstacle. The cruise was great, and importantly, the food was also amazing!
On one day we visited one of the worlds largest crocodile farms, home of up to 90,000 crocs. Croc farming is apparently quite a complex process and needs to be very scientifically regulated. For example, the temperature at which the eggs were kept determines the sex of the offspring. I believe it was 32 degrees for females and 40 degrees for males. We also got to hold one of the young ones that was just a few days old. When the crocodiles reach four or five years old they are killed and their skin is sold (usually to Japan) and their meat is also sold. Then we visited the breeding ground where the big ones live and watched as the feeders threw chunks of cow to the crocodiles. Their teeth could grind straight through the bones. A great experience!
We also took a sunset cruise on Lake Kariba. This started off slowly as we got stuck on a submerged tree only metres from the start. Everyone had to be taken off the boat and, after much effort, several locals were able to free the boat from the obstacle. The cruise was great, and importantly, the food was also amazing!
For the past several days we have been in Livingstone and area. Our home for this time was a backpackers hostel type place called Fawlty Towers. I would highly recommend it to anyone going to the Livingstone area. Not only were the accommodations clean and comfortable but there was a swimming pool, satellite TV, free internet, and it was very easy to book all the activities we wanted through them. Then we were picked up from there every morning so we didn't even have to worry about transportation.
The first day we visited the Falls and hiked down a steep trail to the bottom of the gorge where we had a picnic lunch. The ecology is very interesting in that area because it is almost like a mini-rainforest, conditions that don't exist elsewhere in Zambia. There were plenty of baboons on the way to provide entertainment, one of which even stole Mark's apple on the way down the trail. I negotiated for a couple of curios - a rhino and a man. I think I did OK - K5000 ($1.25) for a nicely carved face and K13500 ($4.30ish) for the rhino.
Our first organized activity was a canoeing safari on the Zambezi River. This was great although the canoes were actually yellow rubber dinghy type boats - real canoes are called "Canadian style" canoes - a reason for national pride, I figure. It was a great way to see some wildlife - hippos, crocs, elephants, etc. Unfortunately we saw the elephants just at the same time as we hit the biggest rapids on the route so we didn't have much time to watch. They really know how to do tourism here. Everything was well organized, we were given a breakfast (to our surprise) before heading out, lunch was great, the guides were well trained, etc. Everything ran like clockwork - an absolutely amazing job by everyone involved!
The first day we visited the Falls and hiked down a steep trail to the bottom of the gorge where we had a picnic lunch. The ecology is very interesting in that area because it is almost like a mini-rainforest, conditions that don't exist elsewhere in Zambia. There were plenty of baboons on the way to provide entertainment, one of which even stole Mark's apple on the way down the trail. I negotiated for a couple of curios - a rhino and a man. I think I did OK - K5000 ($1.25) for a nicely carved face and K13500 ($4.30ish) for the rhino.
Our first organized activity was a canoeing safari on the Zambezi River. This was great although the canoes were actually yellow rubber dinghy type boats - real canoes are called "Canadian style" canoes - a reason for national pride, I figure. It was a great way to see some wildlife - hippos, crocs, elephants, etc. Unfortunately we saw the elephants just at the same time as we hit the biggest rapids on the route so we didn't have much time to watch. They really know how to do tourism here. Everything was well organized, we were given a breakfast (to our surprise) before heading out, lunch was great, the guides were well trained, etc. Everything ran like clockwork - an absolutely amazing job by everyone involved!
We had a free day during which we went to the Falls area again. We walked to the bridge to watch the bungee jumpers and then continued on to the Zimbabwe side. We walked for quite a ways - until we got to the border post - before checking the cost of a visa ($65) and returning to Zambia. Unfortunately, it was much cheaper for Canadians entering Zimbabwe until recently when they raised the rates due to the high price of Canadian visas for Zimbabweans. Some time we will have to bite the bullet and pay the money to see the Falls from the other side. That afternoon we used the satellite TV to watch an NFL football game and had a massage at a place at the backpackers place we were at. Talk about relaxation and renewal.
The last couple days we were on a safari in Chobe National Park in Botswana, about 50 minute drive from Livingstone. It is best known for its 65,000 elephants of which we saw plenty. We had a river cruise first which, in addition to hippos, crocs, and birds, also produced thousands of elephants. Later that day, a lion crossed right in front of our path with her two cubs. Mostly there were huge numbers of various antelope - impala, kudu, situtwela (apparently, very rare), puku, and sable (from far away). We also saw giraffes, more elephants, warthogs, etc. I think if we had been there a week or two earlier, before the rains, we would have seen much more because there would have been less water inland and more animals would have been at the water. On our way back to camp we had a bit of an incident with an elephant that didn't particularly like our truck but everything went smoothly. On the second day we started off with a game drive which was a bit of a disaster - didn't see anything but impala all morning. It had gotten off to a smooth start - we had seen buffalo tracks no more than 20m from our campsite. Unfortunately, no matter which way we went we couldn't find them. The afternoon boat drive made the day though- finally saw the elusive buffalo - and also saw hundreds of hippos out of the water. Hippos are another amazing creature - right up there with the giraffe.
Ordinary life will likely seem a bit mundane for awhile now. There will be no hippos around the corner or no baboons stealing apples. It was certainly a great trip. Even though all the activities don't come cheap they were certainly worth it.
Ordinary life will likely seem a bit mundane for awhile now. There will be no hippos around the corner or no baboons stealing apples. It was certainly a great trip. Even though all the activities don't come cheap they were certainly worth it.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Signs of the Holidays
I have always associated the beginning of the Christmas season with the start of Advent. Christmas was also associated as coming some time after the start of the snow. Once it felt like winter, Christmas could come. Seeing as Advent is not even mentioned in my church and snow is unlikely to occur when it is over 30 degrees outside, I have had to find some new signs of the holidays.
For one, all the women are getting their hair done. Not just some women. It seems every female in the country has had their hair plaited in the last week. I'm told that this is what happens - as soon as school ends the women and girls get their hair done and then in January, when school reopens, they will all return with short hair.
There is also another less pleasant aspect of the holidays. Since the children aren't at school they are put to work and, as a result, child labour skyrockets. If you go to the markets or walk down the streets these days the sellers are not men and women they are little boys and girls. I guess that is what is necessary for lots of people to survive, although it doesn't make the reality any more pleasant
Certainly not all the children are working and so there are many more children around in the community. If they go to Chimwemwe, they yell out "Mr. Eppu, Mr. Eppu, how are you?" I far prefer being "Eppu" or "Eppo" or "Apple" then simply anonymous muzungu so this is a positive development.
The rain was also supposed to be a sign that Christmas was coming but the rainy season has yet to set in here. I saw on a map that the rest of the country has had normal rains except for a narrow band in them middle which includes Lusaka. It is still far too hot, and still no rain.
Celebrating Christmas here will, I'm sure, be full of interesting surprises. My family has asked me to make them a turkey so I will try my hand at that. I'm not quite sure what a Zambian Christmas dish is or, for that matter, any of what a Zambian Christmas entails. I've asked a couple of times but the answer isn't very clear. I'm guessing that it will be a more church-oriented Christmas than what has often happened in the past, but even that is only speculation. So I'll wait and see and find out what the festive season has in store.
For one, all the women are getting their hair done. Not just some women. It seems every female in the country has had their hair plaited in the last week. I'm told that this is what happens - as soon as school ends the women and girls get their hair done and then in January, when school reopens, they will all return with short hair.
There is also another less pleasant aspect of the holidays. Since the children aren't at school they are put to work and, as a result, child labour skyrockets. If you go to the markets or walk down the streets these days the sellers are not men and women they are little boys and girls. I guess that is what is necessary for lots of people to survive, although it doesn't make the reality any more pleasant
Certainly not all the children are working and so there are many more children around in the community. If they go to Chimwemwe, they yell out "Mr. Eppu, Mr. Eppu, how are you?" I far prefer being "Eppu" or "Eppo" or "Apple" then simply anonymous muzungu so this is a positive development.
The rain was also supposed to be a sign that Christmas was coming but the rainy season has yet to set in here. I saw on a map that the rest of the country has had normal rains except for a narrow band in them middle which includes Lusaka. It is still far too hot, and still no rain.
Celebrating Christmas here will, I'm sure, be full of interesting surprises. My family has asked me to make them a turkey so I will try my hand at that. I'm not quite sure what a Zambian Christmas dish is or, for that matter, any of what a Zambian Christmas entails. I've asked a couple of times but the answer isn't very clear. I'm guessing that it will be a more church-oriented Christmas than what has often happened in the past, but even that is only speculation. So I'll wait and see and find out what the festive season has in store.
The Hockey Sweater
Roch Carrier's classic book, "The Hockey Sweater," described the emotional connection that a hockey sweater (particularly, for the wrong team) had on a young Quebecker. Receiving the Toronto Maple Leafs sweater was a disaster, especially considering the passion he had for the Rocket Richard and the ridicule he received from his fellow youngsters.
As can be expected, hockey sweaters here create none of the emotional reactions that are described in Carrier's work. They are, however, worn with some regularity and it has been one of my hobbies to count the number of teams that I see. So far I am up to 15 - half the NHL - and am still counting.
Anaheim and Los Angeles are by far the most represented. There are a lot of LA Kings backpacks floating around - there must have been a big shipment sometime of those. As for the jerseys, maybe they are from Canadian kids who realized how stupid the Anaheim fad was. Or perhaps they were bought my Californians who briefly gained interest in the game only to realize that they were Californian and should not care. The top Canadian teams are from the Original Six - Montreal and Toronto. I presume that this is simply because there is far more merchandise from them than anyone else floating around. Other teams that have been represented so far include: Phoenix (it looked like a brand new jersey), Minnesota, Ottawa, New York Rangers, Boston, and many more. I also saw Oilers and Flames gear but it was being sold in a market and was not being worn so I haven't counted that in my list.
The other sports are represented as well, but my level of caring is not nearly as high. Basketball, baseball, and NFL gear are all worn with frequency. The CFL, so far, has been no where to be seen. For one there is less merchandise from it and, maybe, those who have it are less likely to give it up.
All these sports shirts and a wide variety of other clothing are a result of the booming used clothes trade. This trade, which almost wiped out Zambia's indigenous textile industry, can be seen everywhere and there are large markets dedicated solely to it. As a result, it is not uncommon to see shirts from Canada, whether for Brampton Minor Soccer, or the Alzheimer's Walk in Vancouver, or for the University of Manitoba. A little piece of home, right here in Zambia.
As can be expected, hockey sweaters here create none of the emotional reactions that are described in Carrier's work. They are, however, worn with some regularity and it has been one of my hobbies to count the number of teams that I see. So far I am up to 15 - half the NHL - and am still counting.
Anaheim and Los Angeles are by far the most represented. There are a lot of LA Kings backpacks floating around - there must have been a big shipment sometime of those. As for the jerseys, maybe they are from Canadian kids who realized how stupid the Anaheim fad was. Or perhaps they were bought my Californians who briefly gained interest in the game only to realize that they were Californian and should not care. The top Canadian teams are from the Original Six - Montreal and Toronto. I presume that this is simply because there is far more merchandise from them than anyone else floating around. Other teams that have been represented so far include: Phoenix (it looked like a brand new jersey), Minnesota, Ottawa, New York Rangers, Boston, and many more. I also saw Oilers and Flames gear but it was being sold in a market and was not being worn so I haven't counted that in my list.
The other sports are represented as well, but my level of caring is not nearly as high. Basketball, baseball, and NFL gear are all worn with frequency. The CFL, so far, has been no where to be seen. For one there is less merchandise from it and, maybe, those who have it are less likely to give it up.
All these sports shirts and a wide variety of other clothing are a result of the booming used clothes trade. This trade, which almost wiped out Zambia's indigenous textile industry, can be seen everywhere and there are large markets dedicated solely to it. As a result, it is not uncommon to see shirts from Canada, whether for Brampton Minor Soccer, or the Alzheimer's Walk in Vancouver, or for the University of Manitoba. A little piece of home, right here in Zambia.
The Diaspora
Saskatchewan is a wonderful province. This has not, however, stopped the continuous outflow of its residents. One only has to go to a football game in any province in the country and you will see the results - Rider Green is displayed proudly throughout the nation.
Yesterday I was wearing a Saskatchewan Roughriders shirt at a choir practice when a woman came up to me and asked if I was really a Rider fan. I replied that indeed I was and went on to explain that I had come by it honestly - going to school in Saskatchewan, family connections, etc. Sure enough, she was from Weyburn and still kept up from time to time with the Riders news. I was just shocked that someone actually knew what the Riders were, let alone finding a supporter from Weyburn!
I guess the diaspora is alive and well even here. I knew people fled to Alberta or BC looking for work, but Zambia? I guess things must be really desperate!
Yesterday I was wearing a Saskatchewan Roughriders shirt at a choir practice when a woman came up to me and asked if I was really a Rider fan. I replied that indeed I was and went on to explain that I had come by it honestly - going to school in Saskatchewan, family connections, etc. Sure enough, she was from Weyburn and still kept up from time to time with the Riders news. I was just shocked that someone actually knew what the Riders were, let alone finding a supporter from Weyburn!
I guess the diaspora is alive and well even here. I knew people fled to Alberta or BC looking for work, but Zambia? I guess things must be really desperate!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
More on the Media
Earlier I had made a couple of observations on the media. Here is another one. Before that, however, let me comment on another example of gruesome imagery in the media. The other day four construction workers were killed when the building they were working on collapsed. MUVI-TV, and undoubtedly ZNBC (although my family mostly watches MUVI) displayed the pictures of the dead and mutilated bodies lying prone on the ground with their brains dashed all over the ground.
Now for my new observation. The editorial bias of "The Post," the nation's private newspaper is incredibly left wing, at least in international affairs. News from Cuba frequently makes the front page, as did the victory of Hugo Chavez in the recent Venezuelan elections. This was accompanied by an editorial which proclaimed that Zambia should learn from Venezuela and that Chavez's anti-neoliberal agenda was a model for the world to copy. It further proclaimed that Chavez was the only one who could possibly fulfill the hopes of the poor and complete the Bolivarian Revolution. Certainly a different perspective than, let's say, the "National Post" would give.
This is interesting because such a bias is not discernible on Zambian issues and none of the political parties here, with the potential exception of UNIP (the former governing party which is now but a shell of its former self) is particularly socialist. I've read that MMD, the current governing party is supposedly social democratic, but this must just be to be able to put a label on it. Similarly, the second biggest party, the Patriotic Front, may be populist but doesn't adhere to left-right labelling. Unlike in Canada, where one could argue that there is a right-wing, centrist, and left-wing party (whether or not these parties stick to these lines is another matter) there are no such clear distinctions here. From a Western perspective, politics here are not particularly easy to label. I guess that's how a newspaper can on one hand root for Castro and Chavez and then take quite a centrist position on Zambian issues.
Now for my new observation. The editorial bias of "The Post," the nation's private newspaper is incredibly left wing, at least in international affairs. News from Cuba frequently makes the front page, as did the victory of Hugo Chavez in the recent Venezuelan elections. This was accompanied by an editorial which proclaimed that Zambia should learn from Venezuela and that Chavez's anti-neoliberal agenda was a model for the world to copy. It further proclaimed that Chavez was the only one who could possibly fulfill the hopes of the poor and complete the Bolivarian Revolution. Certainly a different perspective than, let's say, the "National Post" would give.
This is interesting because such a bias is not discernible on Zambian issues and none of the political parties here, with the potential exception of UNIP (the former governing party which is now but a shell of its former self) is particularly socialist. I've read that MMD, the current governing party is supposedly social democratic, but this must just be to be able to put a label on it. Similarly, the second biggest party, the Patriotic Front, may be populist but doesn't adhere to left-right labelling. Unlike in Canada, where one could argue that there is a right-wing, centrist, and left-wing party (whether or not these parties stick to these lines is another matter) there are no such clear distinctions here. From a Western perspective, politics here are not particularly easy to label. I guess that's how a newspaper can on one hand root for Castro and Chavez and then take quite a centrist position on Zambian issues.
Upcoming Events
First of all, although the recent posts have been bitter and not particularly pleasant, I'm not in a terribly bitter mood right now. For some reason, though, despite having a break from school I'm stressing out. During school time I would work from dawn till dusk and didn't feel an ounce of stress. Now I prepare for a holiday and every little thing seems like a mountain to climb.
Some exciting plans are afoot for the coming weeks. First will be MCC Retreat at a guesthouse on Lake Kariba, a massive man-made lake on the Zambezi River. Attractions will include a sunset cruise and a trip to a large croc farm. This will be followed by some vacation time spent in Livingstone and area with possible side trips including a safari in Botswana, canoeing on the Upper Zambezi, and walking safaris in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Then will be Christmas and somewhere in that time I will go with my host father to the Copperbelt, where he does some work with the Church of the Nazarene and manages a large farm for his deceased son. At any rate, I won't have internet access for a good chunk of time after this week.
Thank you to everyone who has been faithfully reading my musings and observations. At first I thought no one would read it but it has been pleasant to get the e-mails saying that people read it. Thanks for that.
Some exciting plans are afoot for the coming weeks. First will be MCC Retreat at a guesthouse on Lake Kariba, a massive man-made lake on the Zambezi River. Attractions will include a sunset cruise and a trip to a large croc farm. This will be followed by some vacation time spent in Livingstone and area with possible side trips including a safari in Botswana, canoeing on the Upper Zambezi, and walking safaris in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Then will be Christmas and somewhere in that time I will go with my host father to the Copperbelt, where he does some work with the Church of the Nazarene and manages a large farm for his deceased son. At any rate, I won't have internet access for a good chunk of time after this week.
Thank you to everyone who has been faithfully reading my musings and observations. At first I thought no one would read it but it has been pleasant to get the e-mails saying that people read it. Thanks for that.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Thank You Hollywood
Thank you Hollywood for celebrating World AIDS Day.
Thank you for granting us a few minutes of your celebrities' time to record ads for our listening pleasure. We now know to "strap it on before we get it on."
Thank you MTV for your anti-AIDS concert. I'm sure that many were entertained. Now you can spend the next 364 days using sex to sell your programming.
Thank you Madonna. If only there were millions of celebrities with savvy publicists there would be no orphans in Africa!
Thank you GAP for selling RED shirts and donating half the profits to AIDS efforts. It is good that you have found a way to profit off the consciences of the fashion obsessed.
Thank you Geri Halliwell. I'm sure that while you are lounging in luxury hotels you spend your time musing about the impoverished women you visited here. At least you didn't need an orphan as a souvenir.
Thank you Hollywood for caring. At least while you waste countless millions on useless luxuries your consciences will rest easy knowing that you did something for those "poor" African orphans you saw on TV.
I'm sure that the kids of Chipata or Ng'ombe, Matero or Chilenje, feel better today knowing that you care for them (while you spend more money than they will ever know).
At least the kids don't deceive themselves. In many ways they will be richer than you ever know.
Thank you for granting us a few minutes of your celebrities' time to record ads for our listening pleasure. We now know to "strap it on before we get it on."
Thank you MTV for your anti-AIDS concert. I'm sure that many were entertained. Now you can spend the next 364 days using sex to sell your programming.
Thank you Madonna. If only there were millions of celebrities with savvy publicists there would be no orphans in Africa!
Thank you GAP for selling RED shirts and donating half the profits to AIDS efforts. It is good that you have found a way to profit off the consciences of the fashion obsessed.
Thank you Geri Halliwell. I'm sure that while you are lounging in luxury hotels you spend your time musing about the impoverished women you visited here. At least you didn't need an orphan as a souvenir.
Thank you Hollywood for caring. At least while you waste countless millions on useless luxuries your consciences will rest easy knowing that you did something for those "poor" African orphans you saw on TV.
I'm sure that the kids of Chipata or Ng'ombe, Matero or Chilenje, feel better today knowing that you care for them (while you spend more money than they will ever know).
At least the kids don't deceive themselves. In many ways they will be richer than you ever know.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Reflections on AIDS
Seeing as December 1 is World AIDS Day, I thought I would mark the occasion by commenting on my experiences with HIV/AIDS here in Zambia.
The statistics are staggering. 17% of Zambians, one of every six people, has the virus. This resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths in 2005 (think what the reaction would be in North America if we had 3000 September 11s annually) and the life expectancy has dropped below 40 years. It is estimated that 1 in 5 children have lost at least one parent to aids (people speak of either single or double orphans here; single orphans having only lost one parent, and double orphans losing both). AIDS has ravaged the whole country, but it is the urban areas that have suffered the most. Although less than 40% of Zambians live in urban areas, 54% of those suffering from AIDS live in cities. In most predominantly rural areas the prevalency rate is somewhere between 10-20%. In Lusaka it is estimated that over 30% of the population has AIDS.
When I arrived I expected to hear a lot more about AIDS then I have. I know of three people who have AIDS out of all the people that I have met. One simply does not talk about such things because of the stigma related to being identified as HIV positive. There are many others who I guess must be positive but I'm sure that I'll never know definitively.
Anti-AIDS clubs are a regular feature of most schools here now. At my schools, though, I'm not sure exactly what they do to oppose AIDS. I have been involved a little bit with the Anti-AIDS club at Chimwemwe School, helping them practice poems and songs. Sure they sing songs and say poems about fighting AIDS but I don't think that this has had any impact on the school or the wider community.
A more positive development seems to be Peer Education - where youth are trained to talk to other youth about issues regarding HIV/AIDS. My host brother is involved in one such program so I've heard much about it. This seems to have much more potential for success, however its ability to disseminate beyond the original participants depends greatly on the abilities and hard work of the peer educators. When you depend on 15 year olds to carry your message, success is not guaranteed. Naturally some will be eager and want to spread the information they have learned. Others will probably be lazier, or will just get information wrong. Peer education, I believe, is a very positive step in the right direction, but it is not without its flaws.
There are also numerous billboards throughout the city with facts about AIDS. For example, there is one with a picture of a small girl with the headline written in bold "Sex With Me Does Not Cure AIDS." This is apparently a common misperception. Yet, while there may be many of these billboards, there are far more advertising beer with such slogans as "For A Man Who Knows What He Wants" while depicting a man dancing with a scantily clad woman in a bar. Seems like a good message in a country wanting to fight AIDS.
AIDS, and its effects, are not something that is always apparent. You don't see people walking down the street and know that they have AIDS. It is silent and unseen, but at the same time colours every aspect of society. You have to read between the lines in order to see its effect on people and on the nation. For example, I had some students who were single or double orphans. There are lots of reasons why parents die, but in this country there is one culprit that is more likely than others. There are other ways that you can see AIDS without seeing AIDS - people are sick, people are at funerals, etc.
It is clearly hypocritical for Westerners to condemn Africans for their "loose sexual mores" while our media constantly portrays sexual images, uses women as objects only worthy because of physical beauty and while study after study shows that youth are involving themselves in sexual activity. I saw one study published in a local newspaper here that suggests that North Americans actually have sex at a younger age, on average, than Africans. Young Zambians are certainly having sex, but so are young Canadians, young Americans, young Brits, and so on. The idea that Africans are some how wild, sex hungry savages should have been left in the Victorian Age and has no place in the 21st century.
This is not to say that there is not much to criticize about sexual morality here, especially in an age when AIDS is so prevalent. I am reminded of the Independence Day celebrations at school where while teenage girls were dancing boys would run up and stuff money into their bras or back pockets, where girls would gyrate to traditional dances, and where sexually explicit behaviour was, if not celebrated, certainly condoned. And this was at a school that prides itself in fighting AIDS. I don't want to come here as an outsider and proclaim that Zambian traditions are evil and must be abandoned. It does seem, however, that some reforms must be made. When 1 in 6 people have a deadly disease, and more contract it every day, clinging to traditions that encourage women to dance in sexually provocative manners or practices where girls are trained how to be a proper woman and then dance topless in front of the village men, seems to be ridiculous. I'm sure everyone who has read "The Lottery" in school could recognize the comparison.
One thing that I have noticed is how many young women here have kids - in a Grade 10 class that had 5 girls, 3 had kids. One of my Grade 8s missed most of the term to take care of her sick child. Clearly many people are having sex, and are doing so at a young age. The message of abstinence, abstinence, abstinence may sound good at the church meetings (and these are all church going youth) but clearly doesn't make a difference in the realities of their lives. I don't want to bash the benefits of abstinence and I hear that it is making some difference, but unless babies do indeed come from storks, one merely has to count the number of unwed mothers to see that the message really is not sinking in. I certainly don't want to blame the mothers either. While the mothers are the ones carrying around the kids, the males who helped produce the child are rarely anywhere to be seen. There are also many older men who will buy nice presents for their young girlfriends in exchange for sex, many women who are forced into prostitution by poverty, and many young girls who would be heavily pressured by their boyfriends.
A fundamental problem in the AIDS pandemic is the power dynamic between males and females. For a woman it is very difficult to say no if a man desire to have sex. I heard on the news the other day that 57% of women here have been sexually abused. Basically, three out of five. There was a story in the newspapers recently from Southern Province. A grade six girl was raped by an older man. Instead of pressing charges against the man, the girl's parents then forced her to marry him. Even if a woman practices abstinence, and then is faithful to her husband, she can still contract AIDS if she has the misfortune of having a philandering partner. Hence the change of the motto from "Be Faithful to One Partner" to "Be Faithful to a Faithful Partner."
The future is bleak and I don't have much, if any, optimism. I hear that the prevalence rate is not increasing as quickly, and in some demographic sectors, is decreasing. This is good news. More and more people are going for VCT (Voluntary Councilling and Testing) and are getting ARVs (anti-retro virals). There is still a long way to go. Less than 0.5% of the rural population has gone for testing and the number in the cities is only around 1%. The relationship between men and women is not changing and neither are male attitudes about sex.
If I sit in the back of the bus on the way to work I can see 12 people in front of me. Then I look at each row of three people. According to the odds, an average of one in each row has HIV/AIDS. They are probably a mother or a father, and some day their child will join the swelling ranks of single or double orphans. Their child will have to go live with their grandmother, will suffer the trauma of losing a parent, will have a disruption in their education, might be sick themselves.
This is AIDS. You may not see it, but it is there. All you see is the results - crowded hospitals, parentless children, poverty, funerals. One in three. This will happen to one in three people that I meet here in the city. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even next year or in five years. Nevertheless, they remain on death row with no chance of appeal.
The statistics are staggering. 17% of Zambians, one of every six people, has the virus. This resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths in 2005 (think what the reaction would be in North America if we had 3000 September 11s annually) and the life expectancy has dropped below 40 years. It is estimated that 1 in 5 children have lost at least one parent to aids (people speak of either single or double orphans here; single orphans having only lost one parent, and double orphans losing both). AIDS has ravaged the whole country, but it is the urban areas that have suffered the most. Although less than 40% of Zambians live in urban areas, 54% of those suffering from AIDS live in cities. In most predominantly rural areas the prevalency rate is somewhere between 10-20%. In Lusaka it is estimated that over 30% of the population has AIDS.
When I arrived I expected to hear a lot more about AIDS then I have. I know of three people who have AIDS out of all the people that I have met. One simply does not talk about such things because of the stigma related to being identified as HIV positive. There are many others who I guess must be positive but I'm sure that I'll never know definitively.
Anti-AIDS clubs are a regular feature of most schools here now. At my schools, though, I'm not sure exactly what they do to oppose AIDS. I have been involved a little bit with the Anti-AIDS club at Chimwemwe School, helping them practice poems and songs. Sure they sing songs and say poems about fighting AIDS but I don't think that this has had any impact on the school or the wider community.
A more positive development seems to be Peer Education - where youth are trained to talk to other youth about issues regarding HIV/AIDS. My host brother is involved in one such program so I've heard much about it. This seems to have much more potential for success, however its ability to disseminate beyond the original participants depends greatly on the abilities and hard work of the peer educators. When you depend on 15 year olds to carry your message, success is not guaranteed. Naturally some will be eager and want to spread the information they have learned. Others will probably be lazier, or will just get information wrong. Peer education, I believe, is a very positive step in the right direction, but it is not without its flaws.
There are also numerous billboards throughout the city with facts about AIDS. For example, there is one with a picture of a small girl with the headline written in bold "Sex With Me Does Not Cure AIDS." This is apparently a common misperception. Yet, while there may be many of these billboards, there are far more advertising beer with such slogans as "For A Man Who Knows What He Wants" while depicting a man dancing with a scantily clad woman in a bar. Seems like a good message in a country wanting to fight AIDS.
AIDS, and its effects, are not something that is always apparent. You don't see people walking down the street and know that they have AIDS. It is silent and unseen, but at the same time colours every aspect of society. You have to read between the lines in order to see its effect on people and on the nation. For example, I had some students who were single or double orphans. There are lots of reasons why parents die, but in this country there is one culprit that is more likely than others. There are other ways that you can see AIDS without seeing AIDS - people are sick, people are at funerals, etc.
It is clearly hypocritical for Westerners to condemn Africans for their "loose sexual mores" while our media constantly portrays sexual images, uses women as objects only worthy because of physical beauty and while study after study shows that youth are involving themselves in sexual activity. I saw one study published in a local newspaper here that suggests that North Americans actually have sex at a younger age, on average, than Africans. Young Zambians are certainly having sex, but so are young Canadians, young Americans, young Brits, and so on. The idea that Africans are some how wild, sex hungry savages should have been left in the Victorian Age and has no place in the 21st century.
This is not to say that there is not much to criticize about sexual morality here, especially in an age when AIDS is so prevalent. I am reminded of the Independence Day celebrations at school where while teenage girls were dancing boys would run up and stuff money into their bras or back pockets, where girls would gyrate to traditional dances, and where sexually explicit behaviour was, if not celebrated, certainly condoned. And this was at a school that prides itself in fighting AIDS. I don't want to come here as an outsider and proclaim that Zambian traditions are evil and must be abandoned. It does seem, however, that some reforms must be made. When 1 in 6 people have a deadly disease, and more contract it every day, clinging to traditions that encourage women to dance in sexually provocative manners or practices where girls are trained how to be a proper woman and then dance topless in front of the village men, seems to be ridiculous. I'm sure everyone who has read "The Lottery" in school could recognize the comparison.
One thing that I have noticed is how many young women here have kids - in a Grade 10 class that had 5 girls, 3 had kids. One of my Grade 8s missed most of the term to take care of her sick child. Clearly many people are having sex, and are doing so at a young age. The message of abstinence, abstinence, abstinence may sound good at the church meetings (and these are all church going youth) but clearly doesn't make a difference in the realities of their lives. I don't want to bash the benefits of abstinence and I hear that it is making some difference, but unless babies do indeed come from storks, one merely has to count the number of unwed mothers to see that the message really is not sinking in. I certainly don't want to blame the mothers either. While the mothers are the ones carrying around the kids, the males who helped produce the child are rarely anywhere to be seen. There are also many older men who will buy nice presents for their young girlfriends in exchange for sex, many women who are forced into prostitution by poverty, and many young girls who would be heavily pressured by their boyfriends.
A fundamental problem in the AIDS pandemic is the power dynamic between males and females. For a woman it is very difficult to say no if a man desire to have sex. I heard on the news the other day that 57% of women here have been sexually abused. Basically, three out of five. There was a story in the newspapers recently from Southern Province. A grade six girl was raped by an older man. Instead of pressing charges against the man, the girl's parents then forced her to marry him. Even if a woman practices abstinence, and then is faithful to her husband, she can still contract AIDS if she has the misfortune of having a philandering partner. Hence the change of the motto from "Be Faithful to One Partner" to "Be Faithful to a Faithful Partner."
The future is bleak and I don't have much, if any, optimism. I hear that the prevalence rate is not increasing as quickly, and in some demographic sectors, is decreasing. This is good news. More and more people are going for VCT (Voluntary Councilling and Testing) and are getting ARVs (anti-retro virals). There is still a long way to go. Less than 0.5% of the rural population has gone for testing and the number in the cities is only around 1%. The relationship between men and women is not changing and neither are male attitudes about sex.
If I sit in the back of the bus on the way to work I can see 12 people in front of me. Then I look at each row of three people. According to the odds, an average of one in each row has HIV/AIDS. They are probably a mother or a father, and some day their child will join the swelling ranks of single or double orphans. Their child will have to go live with their grandmother, will suffer the trauma of losing a parent, will have a disruption in their education, might be sick themselves.
This is AIDS. You may not see it, but it is there. All you see is the results - crowded hospitals, parentless children, poverty, funerals. One in three. This will happen to one in three people that I meet here in the city. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even next year or in five years. Nevertheless, they remain on death row with no chance of appeal.
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