Sorry for not putting much on in the last month of my stay in Zambia. I really had better intentions, for awhile anyways. I had even written some, put them on a flash, and brought them to school but for some reason they didn't work. After that I just sort of stopped.
I felt now that the year is complete I should post at least a brief concluding note. The year was tremendous for me - I truly enjoyed getting to know the staff and students at both schools where I worked and I was able to see much of Zambia. To quote the Zambian national anthem, Zambia was my "land of work and joy in unity." Every day I gained tremendous meaning from my interaction with the students and my teaching. I was truly blessed to have had this amazing opportunity. For that I am very thankful to the schools for their tremendously warm welcome and to MCC for doing the ground work to set it all up.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The Top 5 Made in Zambia Products...and the Top 5 Things Zambia Should Import
The government here has recently bemoaned the slow start to the "Buy Zambian!" advertisement campaign. I guess I'll do my part by highlighting what I think are the top 5 made in Zambia products that I use on a regular basis. I'll balance this out with the top 5 products that Zambia should import because they are made here so poorly (aka the top 5 worst products made in Zambia). While making this list though, I realized that many of the items on my list were probably actually made in Zimbabwe. So maybe it is the things that should be acquired from somewhere other than Zambia or Zimbabwe.
1. Cabana and Maheu - these are two beverages that have won a place in my heart. The former is a milky-fruit drink, the other is a maize based sweet beverage that not only quenches your thirst but satisfies your hunger.
2. Chiccos (see today's post).
3. Peanut butter - Zambia actually makes some pretty decent peanut butter. And, judging by the label on the side of the container, it is really quite natural - just some peanuts, oil, and salt.
4. Laundry paste - Zambia has many different militaristic-sounding brands that all, for some reason start with 'B'. The main ones are "Boom" and "Bullet" but there is a third one that I've seen around called "Bazooka." Watch TV for a few minutes and you will see plenty of advertisements for the first two.
5. Grenadilla Squash - Squash is something made by many companies in Zambia (some much better than others). You use it to make water into juice. Just pour a little into the bottom third of your cup and add water to the top. Grenadilla (aka passion fruit) is by far the best flavour. My host dad used to always by Pineapple flavour (and I think had been for years) but when he discovered Grenadilla once by accident he will never go back, and I am thankful for it.
The Top 5 Things Zambia Really Needs to Import (or should get from somewhere other than Zimbabwe):
1. Television: anything Zambian made on television is, at its best, the equivalent of a local cable channel in North America. At its worst you can see the actor start the camera before entering the scene. Fortunately, much of Zambian TV is already imported (from all over the world, I might add).
2. Jam: I'm not actually sure if the jam here is made in Zambia or in Zimbabwe. All I know is that the "Mixed Fruit" jam that most people eat is far removed from fruit. I think they just stick a few apple cores and melon rinds in a blender, add some sugar, and call it jam. Some people say it tastes like ketchup. I don't quite see that, but I'm looking forward to real jam.
3. Margarine: I reported earlier that Gold Band margarine smelt so bad that I could hardly have it as the same table as me. I maintain that stance and won't touch the stuff. It is just so incredibly bad one wonders how they are able to call it margarine.
4. OK, I've run out of ideas and I have to get going. Nothing is really manufactured in Zambia. I should have realized this before attempting the list. After all, I am teaching this to my Grade 9 Civics class right now. Zambia exports agricultural products (ie sugar and maize), and minerals (especially copper) but imports manufactured goods. No wonder this side of the list never got very far.
1. Cabana and Maheu - these are two beverages that have won a place in my heart. The former is a milky-fruit drink, the other is a maize based sweet beverage that not only quenches your thirst but satisfies your hunger.
2. Chiccos (see today's post).
3. Peanut butter - Zambia actually makes some pretty decent peanut butter. And, judging by the label on the side of the container, it is really quite natural - just some peanuts, oil, and salt.
4. Laundry paste - Zambia has many different militaristic-sounding brands that all, for some reason start with 'B'. The main ones are "Boom" and "Bullet" but there is a third one that I've seen around called "Bazooka." Watch TV for a few minutes and you will see plenty of advertisements for the first two.
5. Grenadilla Squash - Squash is something made by many companies in Zambia (some much better than others). You use it to make water into juice. Just pour a little into the bottom third of your cup and add water to the top. Grenadilla (aka passion fruit) is by far the best flavour. My host dad used to always by Pineapple flavour (and I think had been for years) but when he discovered Grenadilla once by accident he will never go back, and I am thankful for it.
The Top 5 Things Zambia Really Needs to Import (or should get from somewhere other than Zimbabwe):
1. Television: anything Zambian made on television is, at its best, the equivalent of a local cable channel in North America. At its worst you can see the actor start the camera before entering the scene. Fortunately, much of Zambian TV is already imported (from all over the world, I might add).
2. Jam: I'm not actually sure if the jam here is made in Zambia or in Zimbabwe. All I know is that the "Mixed Fruit" jam that most people eat is far removed from fruit. I think they just stick a few apple cores and melon rinds in a blender, add some sugar, and call it jam. Some people say it tastes like ketchup. I don't quite see that, but I'm looking forward to real jam.
3. Margarine: I reported earlier that Gold Band margarine smelt so bad that I could hardly have it as the same table as me. I maintain that stance and won't touch the stuff. It is just so incredibly bad one wonders how they are able to call it margarine.
4. OK, I've run out of ideas and I have to get going. Nothing is really manufactured in Zambia. I should have realized this before attempting the list. After all, I am teaching this to my Grade 9 Civics class right now. Zambia exports agricultural products (ie sugar and maize), and minerals (especially copper) but imports manufactured goods. No wonder this side of the list never got very far.
Chicco Biscuits...A Quality Product at a Quality Price
I do a lot of snacking these days. This is probably a combination of the early morning breakfasts which leave a long time till the late lunches, the long bike rides, and the desire to be as full as possible before settling into a lunch of dried fish or kapenta (or achieving an alternate taste in my mouth afterwards). I often try and get some fritters (a deep-fried dough product; it is sort of a cousin to a doughnut) but, if there aren't any fresh fritters around my next choice is a package of Chicco biscuits.
Chiccos are square cookies and come in packs of two. In Lusaka one pack costs K500 ($0.12ish) so they certainly fit the budget. Every little shop sells them and since there is a little shop every 10 metres along the road they are very easy to get a hold of.
Here are the Chicco flavours in my order of preference:
1. Malt 'n Milk: The creme de la creme of Chiccos.
2. Chocolate: this was the first flavour I had and it remains a favourite.
3. Banana: this is a brand new flavour (exciting stuff!) and is surprisingly good. I thought it would taste like the banana medicine that I'm sure every North American child has had some exposure to, but they actually taste alright.
4. Coconut: this is one of the "original" flavours and I thought it was pretty good. That was, at least, until I discovered Malt 'n Milk.
5. Strawberry: another new flavour. Think of a strawberry wafer except with no icing, just wafer. Then make it significantly thicker. The result is not all that great.
6. Orange: These last two are a toss up because they both taste downright horrible. I have never been a fan of orange cookies, and Chiccos didn't even come up with a reasonable facsimile of something that might taste good. One time a student had some in class (not allowed) and I confiscated it. To make my point I thought I would take a bite or two, but found that one was more than enough for me.
7. Butter: Think of sinking your teeth into a bar of margarine, except one that is hard and is shaped like a cookie. Blech!
So that is my brief introduction to a Zambian product that both tastes good and comes and at a very reasonable price.
Chiccos are square cookies and come in packs of two. In Lusaka one pack costs K500 ($0.12ish) so they certainly fit the budget. Every little shop sells them and since there is a little shop every 10 metres along the road they are very easy to get a hold of.
Here are the Chicco flavours in my order of preference:
1. Malt 'n Milk: The creme de la creme of Chiccos.
2. Chocolate: this was the first flavour I had and it remains a favourite.
3. Banana: this is a brand new flavour (exciting stuff!) and is surprisingly good. I thought it would taste like the banana medicine that I'm sure every North American child has had some exposure to, but they actually taste alright.
4. Coconut: this is one of the "original" flavours and I thought it was pretty good. That was, at least, until I discovered Malt 'n Milk.
5. Strawberry: another new flavour. Think of a strawberry wafer except with no icing, just wafer. Then make it significantly thicker. The result is not all that great.
6. Orange: These last two are a toss up because they both taste downright horrible. I have never been a fan of orange cookies, and Chiccos didn't even come up with a reasonable facsimile of something that might taste good. One time a student had some in class (not allowed) and I confiscated it. To make my point I thought I would take a bite or two, but found that one was more than enough for me.
7. Butter: Think of sinking your teeth into a bar of margarine, except one that is hard and is shaped like a cookie. Blech!
So that is my brief introduction to a Zambian product that both tastes good and comes and at a very reasonable price.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Chasing Day
One of the sad realities at any school where pupils have to pay to attend is that, when they don't, there are consequences. Both my schools rely on student fees to provide for almost the entire operating budget as there is no government funding. These fees are not all that large, but for people with low (or no) incomes they can be difficult to pay. Then again, there are also those who just don't really care about their children's education and so don't bother to pay. I think that generally the schools have significant pity for the former but none for the latter.
To make parents pay up, schools have a policy of "chasing" those who have yet to pay. Starting a couple weeks into the term and on a regular basis from then on, the headmaster will go to each class with the list of who has and has not paid. Those who haven't paid yet will be taken outside, yelled at for awhile, and then "chased" - sent home. I never really have gotten used to the sight of large portions of a class being taken outside and disciplined in this matter. It is also a little bizarre to teach on "chasing day" because your class is suddenly half full. If you have a class of 40, and twenty of them have been chased, you get a pleasant class size of 20 for the day.
"Chasing" is a reality of community school life. After all, the school needs to receive the school fees to pay for maintenance and, hopefully, the teachers. Nonetheless, I can't say that I like being around when the exercise takes place. I feel sorry for some of the kids because they can't afford to pay, and for others because their parents don't bother paying.
To make parents pay up, schools have a policy of "chasing" those who have yet to pay. Starting a couple weeks into the term and on a regular basis from then on, the headmaster will go to each class with the list of who has and has not paid. Those who haven't paid yet will be taken outside, yelled at for awhile, and then "chased" - sent home. I never really have gotten used to the sight of large portions of a class being taken outside and disciplined in this matter. It is also a little bizarre to teach on "chasing day" because your class is suddenly half full. If you have a class of 40, and twenty of them have been chased, you get a pleasant class size of 20 for the day.
"Chasing" is a reality of community school life. After all, the school needs to receive the school fees to pay for maintenance and, hopefully, the teachers. Nonetheless, I can't say that I like being around when the exercise takes place. I feel sorry for some of the kids because they can't afford to pay, and for others because their parents don't bother paying.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Where is the Ball?
I found a video of a hockey game at the MCC Guest House a while ago and last week I got the chance to show it to my host family. This was after a long conversation the night before where I was explaining to my host father the details of hockey and curling. He was really interested in the business side of the whole thing - how much were players paid, how big were the facilities, etc., but also was keen to see hockey in action.
Everyone gathered around the TV and I tried to explain what was going on. They were really impressed that people could move on ice like that. For sure, they kept saying, people should be falling down and losing their balance. Every time someone would start skating fast there would be some excitement as the Zambians could hardly believe that someone could do such a thing.
My host mom also kept asking, "where is the ball?" I guess we needed an American FOX-style comet tail. I sat by the TV and used my finger to show where the puck was going. I guess that following the puck is a bit of a learned skill after all.
The final factor that impressed them was the cold. The game that I had was the outdoor game in Edmonton from a few years ago so it was actually legitimately cold, -20 degrees or so. Right now we are pretty cold here and it is about 10 degrees, maybe a little colder, at night. Temperatures in the negatives were a bit of a stretch for them.
After watching a period it was time for bed. Hopefully we'll watch some more one day. If not, at least I've done my part to spread the gospel of hockey.
Everyone gathered around the TV and I tried to explain what was going on. They were really impressed that people could move on ice like that. For sure, they kept saying, people should be falling down and losing their balance. Every time someone would start skating fast there would be some excitement as the Zambians could hardly believe that someone could do such a thing.
My host mom also kept asking, "where is the ball?" I guess we needed an American FOX-style comet tail. I sat by the TV and used my finger to show where the puck was going. I guess that following the puck is a bit of a learned skill after all.
The final factor that impressed them was the cold. The game that I had was the outdoor game in Edmonton from a few years ago so it was actually legitimately cold, -20 degrees or so. Right now we are pretty cold here and it is about 10 degrees, maybe a little colder, at night. Temperatures in the negatives were a bit of a stretch for them.
After watching a period it was time for bed. Hopefully we'll watch some more one day. If not, at least I've done my part to spread the gospel of hockey.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Zambia Update
Seeing as Zambian news is probably not coming from the mouth of Peter Mansbridge any time soon here are my top 5 Zambian news stories of 2006-7.
1. The Zambian election: President Mwanawasa was re-elected for a second (and final) five year term. The Patriotic Front and its aggressive leader, Michael Sata, cry foul and continue to exchange insults with the ruling party (the MMD). The two are bitter rivals with a long history of hate between them so the war of words goes back and forth with some regularity.
2. President Chiluba guilty of corruption. A British court found Chiluba guilty in a civil case regarding approximately $40 million of misappropriated money. Chiluba, who clings to an illness as an excuse to avoid court dates, will likely soon face a long awaited criminal trial in Zambia. Chiluba left office in 2001 (after Zambians overwhelmingly opposed the idea of him changing the constitution to allow himself to hold on to power) and his handpicked successor, Mwanawasa, has since been pursuing corruption charges against him. In another war of words, Chiluba and Zambia's first president, Kenneth Kaunda, who also hate each other, bicker regularly through the media as well.
3. Zambia loses to a vulture fund. Zambia recently received significant debt relief but these benefits may all be for not after they lost in court to a "vulture fund" and will be forced to pay up money that could otherwise have been used for health or education. The debt, which originated with a tractor purchase from Romania in the 1970s, was nearly written off in the early 1990s before the vulture fund snatched it up.
4. The government continues to face off against the opposition parties and numerous NGOs over the enactment of a new constitution. The long awaited process, which has yet to really get off the ground, is needed to revamp the current constitution in order to, among other things, reduce the power of the president. Naturally the president wants to wait as long into his five years as he can before getting moving on something that will limit his own powers, instead wanting to leave it to his successor to live with the consequences.
5. The Keep Zambia Clean campaign begins in earnest with the destruction of the homes of numerous people living in "illegal" settlements and pushing vendors off city streets. Most vendors were on the streets in the first place because there was not enough market space to hold them so simply removing them without providing an alternative doesn't seem like a terribly effective solution. This one did make international news, if only briefly. Oh well, it did accomplish one thing - the downtown streets are much cleaner. Now if only they could do something about the rotting garbage everywhere.
1. The Zambian election: President Mwanawasa was re-elected for a second (and final) five year term. The Patriotic Front and its aggressive leader, Michael Sata, cry foul and continue to exchange insults with the ruling party (the MMD). The two are bitter rivals with a long history of hate between them so the war of words goes back and forth with some regularity.
2. President Chiluba guilty of corruption. A British court found Chiluba guilty in a civil case regarding approximately $40 million of misappropriated money. Chiluba, who clings to an illness as an excuse to avoid court dates, will likely soon face a long awaited criminal trial in Zambia. Chiluba left office in 2001 (after Zambians overwhelmingly opposed the idea of him changing the constitution to allow himself to hold on to power) and his handpicked successor, Mwanawasa, has since been pursuing corruption charges against him. In another war of words, Chiluba and Zambia's first president, Kenneth Kaunda, who also hate each other, bicker regularly through the media as well.
3. Zambia loses to a vulture fund. Zambia recently received significant debt relief but these benefits may all be for not after they lost in court to a "vulture fund" and will be forced to pay up money that could otherwise have been used for health or education. The debt, which originated with a tractor purchase from Romania in the 1970s, was nearly written off in the early 1990s before the vulture fund snatched it up.
4. The government continues to face off against the opposition parties and numerous NGOs over the enactment of a new constitution. The long awaited process, which has yet to really get off the ground, is needed to revamp the current constitution in order to, among other things, reduce the power of the president. Naturally the president wants to wait as long into his five years as he can before getting moving on something that will limit his own powers, instead wanting to leave it to his successor to live with the consequences.
5. The Keep Zambia Clean campaign begins in earnest with the destruction of the homes of numerous people living in "illegal" settlements and pushing vendors off city streets. Most vendors were on the streets in the first place because there was not enough market space to hold them so simply removing them without providing an alternative doesn't seem like a terribly effective solution. This one did make international news, if only briefly. Oh well, it did accomplish one thing - the downtown streets are much cleaner. Now if only they could do something about the rotting garbage everywhere.
50 Days . . . 50 Adventures
As of yesterday, there were 50 days left in my Zambian stay. That is pretty scary - time is really flying by. I guess now when people ask when I'm leaving I can say "next month." There are a lot of good things to look forward to about going home, and a lot of things that I'm really going to miss. In the meanwhile I might as well pack in as many adventures as I can.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Murder in Macha
Took what may be my last real trip out of town this past weekend, this time to visit fellow MCCers in Macha, a small community a couple hours off the main road in Southern Province.
It is always interesting getting out and seeing very different parts of the country than the one that I live in. Although there are naturally many similarities, the quiet and calm rural atmosphere paints a stark contrast in comparison with the bustling city. I think that that is what I notice the most about rural Zambia - the quietness and the sense of calm and peace. When you get into the compounds here there is lots of excitement and things happening. I guess both have positives to them and so it is nice to be able to witness the other side of the country.
Although Macha may be insignificant in terms of national history and politics, it is central to the identity of Zambian BICs. It was here 100 years ago that a Kansan woman named Frances Davidson established the first BIC mission in the country. It is still home to the largest BIC congregation in the country, the surrounding area is dotted with numerous BIC schools and Macha has a BIC hospital. The other main feature of Macha is a malaria research institute funded by Johns Hopkins University in the US. The result is that, for a rural area, there are huge numbers of white people around. When I was there, for example, we were looking around the hospital when a group of 15 white students from Messiah College (a BIC institution in the US) came around the corner. Don't see such large groups of muzunguness every day!
We spent a bunch of time looking around the area on bike seeing the sites - a dam, the school, the air strip, some villages, the water tower, etc. Pretty exciting stuff. There was a peer education workshop for which I was asked to help contribute something on media influence with another MCCer. We made as good a presentation as one can make with two minutes of prep work, but media influence didn't seem particularly relevant when many in the group came from villages where there really isn't a whole lot of media.
Probably the highlight was Saturday. A goat had been purchased and was bleating in the back yard of an MCC worker. We had someone who knew what they were doing kill it with us, skin it, and cut up all the meat which we then braiied (barbecued). Every step along the way was documented by photographs (the last time they had done this it was all videotaped; not having such technology I had to resort to still photography). The guy who did it was incredibly skilled - all the cuts were precise and nothing was wasted. I don't think I had ever participated in the killing of an animal before, at least not in such an intimate way, but still find myself firmly in the meat-eating camp. In fact, it tasted incredible!
Otherwise the weekend was just spent relaxing: visiting, watching movies, playing games, and so on.
It is always interesting getting out and seeing very different parts of the country than the one that I live in. Although there are naturally many similarities, the quiet and calm rural atmosphere paints a stark contrast in comparison with the bustling city. I think that that is what I notice the most about rural Zambia - the quietness and the sense of calm and peace. When you get into the compounds here there is lots of excitement and things happening. I guess both have positives to them and so it is nice to be able to witness the other side of the country.
Although Macha may be insignificant in terms of national history and politics, it is central to the identity of Zambian BICs. It was here 100 years ago that a Kansan woman named Frances Davidson established the first BIC mission in the country. It is still home to the largest BIC congregation in the country, the surrounding area is dotted with numerous BIC schools and Macha has a BIC hospital. The other main feature of Macha is a malaria research institute funded by Johns Hopkins University in the US. The result is that, for a rural area, there are huge numbers of white people around. When I was there, for example, we were looking around the hospital when a group of 15 white students from Messiah College (a BIC institution in the US) came around the corner. Don't see such large groups of muzunguness every day!
We spent a bunch of time looking around the area on bike seeing the sites - a dam, the school, the air strip, some villages, the water tower, etc. Pretty exciting stuff. There was a peer education workshop for which I was asked to help contribute something on media influence with another MCCer. We made as good a presentation as one can make with two minutes of prep work, but media influence didn't seem particularly relevant when many in the group came from villages where there really isn't a whole lot of media.
Probably the highlight was Saturday. A goat had been purchased and was bleating in the back yard of an MCC worker. We had someone who knew what they were doing kill it with us, skin it, and cut up all the meat which we then braiied (barbecued). Every step along the way was documented by photographs (the last time they had done this it was all videotaped; not having such technology I had to resort to still photography). The guy who did it was incredibly skilled - all the cuts were precise and nothing was wasted. I don't think I had ever participated in the killing of an animal before, at least not in such an intimate way, but still find myself firmly in the meat-eating camp. In fact, it tasted incredible!
Otherwise the weekend was just spent relaxing: visiting, watching movies, playing games, and so on.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Malaria Moments
When I awoke on Friday I knew that something was amiss. My stomach was feeling really quite awful, but I thought that maybe the bike ride to work would make things feel better. After all, a few times I have had a queasy stomach that has settled down over the course of the day.
This time, no such luck. As I continued at work, I kept getting more and more tired,to the point where I was asleep on the director's couch. Fortunately, one of my MCC colleagues was at school working on the computers so I was able to get a ride with him to the doctor where it was confirmed: I had malaria.
I figured that this was a mixed blessing: if I had to suffer it might as well be something recognizable as opposed to miscellaneous but miserable stomach ailment. At the same time, one hears enough malaria horrible stories to want to tempt fate too much.
For the rest of the day I was confined to bed, hardly able to think let alone move. Sometimes I was chilled and had blanket after blanket piled on me, and at other times I was really hot. The upset stomach continued throughout the day, culminating in one unfortunate moment late in the afternoon. Otherwise I slept, and slept, and slept.
By Day 2 the cure had really started kicking in. I was tired and not up for a whole lot but was able to be up and about reading and watching TV and eating relatively normally. Day 3 was even better. Today I went to the clinic and was proclaimed cured. I am still pretty tired - to the point where I'm doubting my ability to teach this afternoon - but otherwise feel pretty fine. The anti-malarials I take regularly helped take the sting off it and the cure worked pretty efficiently.
I guess now I can say I have had the big M. It wasn't pleasant, but at least its over.
This time, no such luck. As I continued at work, I kept getting more and more tired,to the point where I was asleep on the director's couch. Fortunately, one of my MCC colleagues was at school working on the computers so I was able to get a ride with him to the doctor where it was confirmed: I had malaria.
I figured that this was a mixed blessing: if I had to suffer it might as well be something recognizable as opposed to miscellaneous but miserable stomach ailment. At the same time, one hears enough malaria horrible stories to want to tempt fate too much.
For the rest of the day I was confined to bed, hardly able to think let alone move. Sometimes I was chilled and had blanket after blanket piled on me, and at other times I was really hot. The upset stomach continued throughout the day, culminating in one unfortunate moment late in the afternoon. Otherwise I slept, and slept, and slept.
By Day 2 the cure had really started kicking in. I was tired and not up for a whole lot but was able to be up and about reading and watching TV and eating relatively normally. Day 3 was even better. Today I went to the clinic and was proclaimed cured. I am still pretty tired - to the point where I'm doubting my ability to teach this afternoon - but otherwise feel pretty fine. The anti-malarials I take regularly helped take the sting off it and the cure worked pretty efficiently.
I guess now I can say I have had the big M. It wasn't pleasant, but at least its over.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Winter Sets In
Some how, before coming here, I had the illusion that Africa is always hot. Let me tell you now that it is not. As North Americans are now safely beyond the grasp of winter (let's hope!), Zambia is slowly settling into it. This is not a frost and snow kind of winter but it can get pretty cold nonetheless. This is exacerbated by the fact that houses are not built to keep cold out. The exterior wall of my room is mostly window; a window which leaked heat in the hot season and now cold in the cold season. In fact, the temperature inside the window is pretty much equivalent to the outside temperature, and my bed is right by the window.
Temperatures were pretty comfortable before leaving for Zanzibar. My first taste of winter came the night after I got back and I woke up sometime very early in the morning because it was cold. I checked the thermometer on my alarm clock and it told me that it was just under 15 degrees. The next day I got another blanket from MCC which was a smart move because, when I checked the temperature the next morning, the thermometer (located about a foot above my head) was reading a balmy 12.7 degrees.
I am now decked out for winter. My bed has been reinforced with the second blanket. I had a wonderful salaula sweater but unfortunately I left it on the bus when I came home from Zambezi. I even invested about $1.25 in a touque. If it keeps getting colder I may just have to use it some time. Since the coldest months are June and July, I just might have to. On the plus side, the days are still warm and it is a lot nicer to bike on a cool morning than a hot one.
Temperatures were pretty comfortable before leaving for Zanzibar. My first taste of winter came the night after I got back and I woke up sometime very early in the morning because it was cold. I checked the thermometer on my alarm clock and it told me that it was just under 15 degrees. The next day I got another blanket from MCC which was a smart move because, when I checked the temperature the next morning, the thermometer (located about a foot above my head) was reading a balmy 12.7 degrees.
I am now decked out for winter. My bed has been reinforced with the second blanket. I had a wonderful salaula sweater but unfortunately I left it on the bus when I came home from Zambezi. I even invested about $1.25 in a touque. If it keeps getting colder I may just have to use it some time. Since the coldest months are June and July, I just might have to. On the plus side, the days are still warm and it is a lot nicer to bike on a cool morning than a hot one.
26 Hours In a Truck
Once again there has been a lapse in entries, this time due to a trip I took to Zambia's Northwestern Province. MCC was providing some blankets for the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries program there to distribute to victims of recent flooding and I got to tag along to see the sights and take some pictures of the distribution.
I was to be based in the town of Zambezi (located, go figure, on the Zambezi River). To get there, one first travels north of Lusaka, through the Copperbelt and then west into Northwestern Province. After about 600 kms you hit Solwezi, the first (and only) major town in the province. Solwezi was once a small frontier town but has recently grown rapidly, particularly due to the development of two large mines nearby. In the brief time that I spent there I thought it was a bit out of sorts with itself - a small town having to take on big town responsibility. It was as if a skinny person gained a lot of weight and their clothes didn't really fit any more. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the town but, then again, I can't think of much positive to say about it.
Perhaps my view of the town was clouded because, after leaving Lusaka at 4:45 and arriving there at 17:00ish (with several stops in Lusaka and Kitwe along the way), I was wanting to get back on the road. Alas, we had to spend many hours waiting for some people to catch up with us so they could ride on the back of the truck for the rest of the way. As night approached I wasn't particularly enamoured with the notion that the driver had been awake since 3:30 and there were still at least 10 more hours of driving to go.
A random highlight from 26 hours on the road: we were somewhere on the 230km stretch between Kitwe and Solwezi when, out of nowhere, a guy walked out of a village wearing an Oilers jersey.
All went well, however, and after driving through the night we arrived at our destination at about 6:00 the next morning, about 26 hours after departing Lusaka. I wanted to get down to business right away, knowing that my time there would be brief.
That afternoon the first blanket distribution was done - to the Zambezi District Hospital. It is the major hospital for the district and is falling apart. The mattresses are crumbling, beds are breaking, and if it weren't for some current renovation work, the building would be too. The hospital had no bedding to speak of so the blankets were eagerly welcomed and staff and administration were overjoyed. They had no money to get any bedding on their own and, with cold season setting in, were getting desperate in the search for a solution.
The crops in the Zambezi area were also completely wiped out this year. The crops, consisting of maize, cassava, and rice, were either flooded by the river (to the west) or received far too much rain (to the east). The soil there is incredibly sandy and so any attempts to fertilize were leached away into the soil. The result is that food prices are double what they are in the rest of the country, especially damaging when no one has a crop of their own to fall back on. No organizations have planned food relief for this year and the government, which proclaimed that it had taken care of the people of Zambezi, provided a sum total of 2.5kgs of mealie meal per family. That won't last a week, let alone till next harvest.
Zambezi had some interesting characters that I saw in only one day. There was the pastor who tried to raise a woman from the dead with an allnight prayer vigil. Then there was a "mad" person (the word for anyone with a mental illness) who lives in the grave yard and, rumor has it, eats stillborn babies. Probably such characters exist here too but I just don't here about them.
Unfortunately my Zambezi trip came to an end sooner than I had anticipated. On the first afternoon of my visit there I got a phone call informing me that a good friend in Lusaka had passed away. By the next day (which was the first available bus) I was back on the road to Lusaka. The bus was nice enough, although they liked to cram as many passengers on as possible and as a result the aisles were often filled to capacity for short stretches. It seemed to stop at every three-hut village along the way, which got a little tedious after awhile. The net result was that the bus quickly acquired a lovely stink of body odour. In the end, however, the bus connections all worked out very well and the distance was covered in a mere 20 hours.
I was to be based in the town of Zambezi (located, go figure, on the Zambezi River). To get there, one first travels north of Lusaka, through the Copperbelt and then west into Northwestern Province. After about 600 kms you hit Solwezi, the first (and only) major town in the province. Solwezi was once a small frontier town but has recently grown rapidly, particularly due to the development of two large mines nearby. In the brief time that I spent there I thought it was a bit out of sorts with itself - a small town having to take on big town responsibility. It was as if a skinny person gained a lot of weight and their clothes didn't really fit any more. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the town but, then again, I can't think of much positive to say about it.
Perhaps my view of the town was clouded because, after leaving Lusaka at 4:45 and arriving there at 17:00ish (with several stops in Lusaka and Kitwe along the way), I was wanting to get back on the road. Alas, we had to spend many hours waiting for some people to catch up with us so they could ride on the back of the truck for the rest of the way. As night approached I wasn't particularly enamoured with the notion that the driver had been awake since 3:30 and there were still at least 10 more hours of driving to go.
A random highlight from 26 hours on the road: we were somewhere on the 230km stretch between Kitwe and Solwezi when, out of nowhere, a guy walked out of a village wearing an Oilers jersey.
All went well, however, and after driving through the night we arrived at our destination at about 6:00 the next morning, about 26 hours after departing Lusaka. I wanted to get down to business right away, knowing that my time there would be brief.
That afternoon the first blanket distribution was done - to the Zambezi District Hospital. It is the major hospital for the district and is falling apart. The mattresses are crumbling, beds are breaking, and if it weren't for some current renovation work, the building would be too. The hospital had no bedding to speak of so the blankets were eagerly welcomed and staff and administration were overjoyed. They had no money to get any bedding on their own and, with cold season setting in, were getting desperate in the search for a solution.
The crops in the Zambezi area were also completely wiped out this year. The crops, consisting of maize, cassava, and rice, were either flooded by the river (to the west) or received far too much rain (to the east). The soil there is incredibly sandy and so any attempts to fertilize were leached away into the soil. The result is that food prices are double what they are in the rest of the country, especially damaging when no one has a crop of their own to fall back on. No organizations have planned food relief for this year and the government, which proclaimed that it had taken care of the people of Zambezi, provided a sum total of 2.5kgs of mealie meal per family. That won't last a week, let alone till next harvest.
Zambezi had some interesting characters that I saw in only one day. There was the pastor who tried to raise a woman from the dead with an allnight prayer vigil. Then there was a "mad" person (the word for anyone with a mental illness) who lives in the grave yard and, rumor has it, eats stillborn babies. Probably such characters exist here too but I just don't here about them.
Unfortunately my Zambezi trip came to an end sooner than I had anticipated. On the first afternoon of my visit there I got a phone call informing me that a good friend in Lusaka had passed away. By the next day (which was the first available bus) I was back on the road to Lusaka. The bus was nice enough, although they liked to cram as many passengers on as possible and as a result the aisles were often filled to capacity for short stretches. It seemed to stop at every three-hut village along the way, which got a little tedious after awhile. The net result was that the bus quickly acquired a lovely stink of body odour. In the end, however, the bus connections all worked out very well and the distance was covered in a mere 20 hours.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Labour Day and a Wedding
Tuesday was a holiday here (Labour Day). For each holiday there is a march past the president and then numerous speeches in front of the Freedom Statue, a significant (although disappointingly small) national landmark. I hadn't been to the national festivities for a holiday yet so I went with my host father to these ones. Not much to report there - we were late and missed the march past and the speeches were interesting enough but there is no point in repeating what was said.
My host dad had asked that morning if I could go to a wedding with them that evening, but to my surprise we also went to the ceremony straight from the Labour Day festivities. I had had no idea that I could end up in a wedding so I was wearing a T-shirt and some pretty casual trousers. When they watch their wedding video they will wonder who the scruffy looking white guy is in the back (especially since I didn't know either the bride or the groom).
The wedding and reception were in many ways a carbon copy of North American wedding events. The steps were all recognizable and the same, although maybe done in a different order than weddings I have attended. The reception included plenty of dancing and loud music and an MC who was apparently very funny in a local language I didn't understand. Most impressive was the highly choreographed dance routines by the wedding party. They had both a nicely arranged entrance (which must have lasted about ten minutes) and then another couple routines later on.
One thing I noticed is that the success of weddings seems to be measured by how many dignitaries you can attract. The presence of the local MP was mentioned on numerous occasions and on the ride back home my host parents were talking about weddings they had attended and making remarks like: "oh, that was a very good wedding. They had cabinet ministers and justices there." The guest-of-honour, who made a speech of advice to the couple (informing them to not use their cell phones as tools of infidelity), was also a former government official.
My host dad had asked that morning if I could go to a wedding with them that evening, but to my surprise we also went to the ceremony straight from the Labour Day festivities. I had had no idea that I could end up in a wedding so I was wearing a T-shirt and some pretty casual trousers. When they watch their wedding video they will wonder who the scruffy looking white guy is in the back (especially since I didn't know either the bride or the groom).
The wedding and reception were in many ways a carbon copy of North American wedding events. The steps were all recognizable and the same, although maybe done in a different order than weddings I have attended. The reception included plenty of dancing and loud music and an MC who was apparently very funny in a local language I didn't understand. Most impressive was the highly choreographed dance routines by the wedding party. They had both a nicely arranged entrance (which must have lasted about ten minutes) and then another couple routines later on.
One thing I noticed is that the success of weddings seems to be measured by how many dignitaries you can attract. The presence of the local MP was mentioned on numerous occasions and on the ride back home my host parents were talking about weddings they had attended and making remarks like: "oh, that was a very good wedding. They had cabinet ministers and justices there." The guest-of-honour, who made a speech of advice to the couple (informing them to not use their cell phones as tools of infidelity), was also a former government official.
Zanzibar Vacation
How does one encapsulate a week in paradise in a few paragraphs? I’m going to have to try, however, given the incredible holiday experience I just had.
Last week we headed off on the 44-hour train ride from Kapiri Mposhi (a town a couple of hours north of Lusaka) to Dar-Es-Salaam, where we were to meet another friend and proceed to Zanzibar. The trip got off to a slow start when I was stuck between two incredibly fat ladies for the bus ride from Lusaka to Kapiri. The day got better though, as we boarded our train, settled into the “luxuries” of our first-class cabin and prepared for a couple of days of train life. Since there were four of us we had a compartment to ourselves and this was where we spent basically our entire trip. Someone always had to remain there to protect our stuff from the numerous suspicious characters that occasionally roamed the hallways. Otherwise, it was comfortable, spacious, sleeping was easy, and we enjoyed hours of games (dice and Yahtzee being particular favourites), reading, talking, and watching scenery from our window.
All was going well until the afternoon of the second day, about 24 hours into the trip, when we stopped in Mbeya, a city in southern Tanzania, for an extraordinarily long stop. After much frustration we finally departed only to wake up that night to find the train stopped. Clearly it had been stopped for some time and it didn’t appear like it was going anywhere anytime soon. As it turned out, 16 hours was spent in the middle of no where. The cause: a derailment further ahead down the tracks that took some extensive cleaning up and track repair. Since we had acquired very few Tanzanian shillings at the border, were beginning to run out of water, and needed to contact our friend somehow, things were getting a little tight. Fortunately, we were able to convince the people on the train to accept Zambian kwacha even though we were in Tanzania and our problems were solved. Finally, we were back on our way and pulled into Dar at about 5 am on Sunday morning – 60 hours after our departure from Kapiri.
We met up with our friend and headed off to the port to catch an early ferry across the ocean to Zanzibar. Upon arrival we quickly waded through the obligatory port touts, got our Zanzibari stamp in our passports, were swamped by the intense heat and humidity, and found ourselves in a culturally and historically vibrant community that is the result of hundreds of years of international trade and interaction between Africans, Arabs, Indians, and Europeans.
The old quarter of Zanzibar Town is known as Stone Town. Normal navigation can be thrown out the window – narrow alleyways cut between the tall stone buildings. Large elaborately decorated doors frequently appear on the houses, although one has to be careful of the numerous bikes and scooters that zip up and down the “roads” while admiring these historical structures.
Our first day was spent looking around Stone Town, getting our bearings, and dealing with important logistical issues. Probably the most interesting attraction on this day was the House of Wonders, the former palace of the sultan which has now been converted into Zanzibar’s national museum. It forms an impressive landmark on Stone Town’s water front. It also is known as the site of the shortest war in history – when the British navy bombarded it the sultan surrendered within 40 minutes. I guess one could call it the original “shock and awe” campaign. Another highlight included the former slave market (Zanzibar used to be the centre of the slave trade coming out of eastern Africa until the British forced the Arabs to shut it down). An Anglican church was built on the site of the original market, although some musty basement rooms where slaves were kept in large numbers in horrid conditions have been kept for posterity.
Throughout the trip we were constantly blessed with Zanzibar’s amazing assortment of fresh fish and fruit. Surely this was the healthiest I’ve ate all year! We also ate on the ocean front all but one night. Dining room tables won’t quite be the same again. I had numerous species of fish for the first time during this trip: shark, barracuda, swordfish, a tuna steak, snapper, king fish, and I sampled some oyster, squid, and some other miscellaneous sea creatures.
Our second day on Zanzibar was spent on a spice tour. This was the only day where the rain seriously impacted our program as it rained throughout the tour and I ended up absolutely soaked. We were shown a huge number of bushes, shrubs, grasses, and trees that produce an endless array of spices. Zanzibar used to be a major exporter of spices; now most produce is only for local use although cloves remain an important export. The tour also included a visit to a nearby beach where, for the first time, I set foot in the Indian Ocean. The crystal clear warm waters and endless line of palm trees along the beach made for quite the idyllic setting. We visited another slave attraction – a cave where Arab traders hid slaves after the British had banned the slave trade. This deep natural cave along the beach was used to accumulate slaves before loading them onto boats at night time.
During our safari experience earlier in the year I had managed to get fairly close to some impressive land animals. Nothing was quite like swimming with dolphins, however. We were taken out in a boat in the ocean to find dolphins. When a pod had been found we donned snorkelling gear and jumped in to swim with them. Once they got too far away we would get back in the boat, find them again, and jump again. Often they had dived down pretty far so you could see them from above. That was cool enough, but on our last swim I turned around to find a group of dolphins no more than a few metres away from me. Pretty cool!
After a few days in Stone Town we headed off to the north of the island to enjoy the beach. In addition to enjoying the sandy beaches and crystalline waters, the guys went out fishing with some locals during the first day in Nungwi. We had boasted to ourselves that we would be hauling in huge fish, but it became quickly apparent that we were not fishing for such beasts of the sea. The tiny hooks were meant to catch little fish, which we did reasonably well, although certainly not in comparison with our local guides. That evening we got a local restaurant to cook up our fish, which they did and then served with cooking bananas and cow stomach. The next day many of us were feeling some stomach problems of our own – guess the fish got the last laugh!
On our second day in Nungwi we took a boat to a nearby island for some snorkelling. I thought it was pretty great, since I had never really been snorkelling before, although others with more experience had seen better elsewhere. In the evening we were determined to avoid the unpleasant gastrointestinal results of the night before so we looked for the most western restaurant we could find. Alas, even this approach failed, and one person on the trip ended up with some food poisoning.
During our last full day in Zanzibar we headed back to Stone Town. The guys headed out to Prison Island, an island off the coast of Stone Town, to see a giant tortoise sanctuary and do a little more snorkelling. A little souvenir shopping in the evening and the next morning rounded off the trip.
There was one last adventure in store. We had flown from Zanzibar to Dar, where we were catching a flight to Lusaka. On our way to clear the final security checkpoint to gain access to the boarding area we heard over the intercom: “Passenger E, P, P initial S this is your final boarding call for Zambian Airways flight to Lusaka.” This was then repeated for the other three members of the group. Never had I had my name announced over an airport intercom. The lucky thing was that we had just left a restaurant where we couldn’t hear any of the announcements. A few minutes later and we would have missed the flight. Its not even that we were late – the plane just happened to be leaving half an hour early.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The Smoke That Thunders
The African name for Victoria Falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya which, in English, translates into "the smoke that thunders." It seems like a much more applicable name for such an impressive monument to nature than the name of a fat English queen who never set foot anywhere near the Falls.
I have been to Vic Falls (the one advantage of this name is that it is slightly shorter) three times now. The first time was in October. I probably wrote an article about it at that time but I can summarize it by saying that I was taken by its breathtaking height. There was almost no water in it then as it was the height of the dry season so we were able to walk right across the top of what is now surging river water. Then we returned in December. By this point there was a little more flow and you could feel the mist on your face from the other side of the canyon. I guess you could call this "medium flow."
On this trip, however, the Falls were at their most spectacular state, the peak of water flow. The river is over a kilometer wide at this point and the entire mass of it plummets down immense cliffs. The resulting mist and spray not only soaked us as we stood across the gorge from the Falls but also could be seen from Livingstone, several kilometers away. It felt like one was standing in a cloud with the mist shrouding much of what you could see in most directions.
I think probably every foreigner who has ever set foot in Zambia has made their way to Victoria Falls. Far fewer Zambians have seen their natural wonder, although there seemed to be a fair number of them when we were there. If you ask around in Lusaka, though, you won't find many people who have been there and I'm sure the same could be said for the rest of the country. Foreigners, including myself, have a passionate desire to get there because it is the one internationally recognize tourist attraction in the country. Locals, aren't quite so keen. I asked a friend if he would like to see the Falls some day. He said maybe he would but that he had already seen them on TV many times so wasn't all that interested. Don't know if this is indicative of wider opinions, or if it is just that most Zambians don't have the money to travel to see them (this is probably the major reason) but they certainly seem to be less of a deal for Zambians than they are for me.
Nonetheless, the Falls leave no doubt that they are one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it has been great to see them at these three stages of water flow.
I have been to Vic Falls (the one advantage of this name is that it is slightly shorter) three times now. The first time was in October. I probably wrote an article about it at that time but I can summarize it by saying that I was taken by its breathtaking height. There was almost no water in it then as it was the height of the dry season so we were able to walk right across the top of what is now surging river water. Then we returned in December. By this point there was a little more flow and you could feel the mist on your face from the other side of the canyon. I guess you could call this "medium flow."
On this trip, however, the Falls were at their most spectacular state, the peak of water flow. The river is over a kilometer wide at this point and the entire mass of it plummets down immense cliffs. The resulting mist and spray not only soaked us as we stood across the gorge from the Falls but also could be seen from Livingstone, several kilometers away. It felt like one was standing in a cloud with the mist shrouding much of what you could see in most directions.
I think probably every foreigner who has ever set foot in Zambia has made their way to Victoria Falls. Far fewer Zambians have seen their natural wonder, although there seemed to be a fair number of them when we were there. If you ask around in Lusaka, though, you won't find many people who have been there and I'm sure the same could be said for the rest of the country. Foreigners, including myself, have a passionate desire to get there because it is the one internationally recognize tourist attraction in the country. Locals, aren't quite so keen. I asked a friend if he would like to see the Falls some day. He said maybe he would but that he had already seen them on TV many times so wasn't all that interested. Don't know if this is indicative of wider opinions, or if it is just that most Zambians don't have the money to travel to see them (this is probably the major reason) but they certainly seem to be less of a deal for Zambians than they are for me.
Nonetheless, the Falls leave no doubt that they are one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it has been great to see them at these three stages of water flow.
Groly To the Lord
Spelling mistake? Well, that's what I would call it. This sign on a minibus I saw this morning is no mere spelling mistake, however. Not only did Glory become Groly but it is also indicative of the wider trend among Zambians that Rs and Ls are often confused in written and spoken English. This is something that I may have mentioned before, but the sign made me think of it again.
The R/L confusion extends to many words: right/light, river/liver, full/four, lay/ray, lake/rake, play/pray. For example, someone might say, "my lake is broken" when they mean "my rake is broken." Or people will talk about the "Zambezi Liver." In my Grade 8 class last term I tried to hit back. We carefully went through how to pronounce the letters and then moved on to some words getting the class, then small groups, and then individuals to try pronouncing the words. The effort was futile so after a few efforts I gave up. I then gave a short reading test where they had to read out sentences like "I turn on the light" but I discovered that much of the class wasn't able to do any reading, let alone differentiate between two letters.
I think that this confusing letter-switch might be a result of local languages. The word "to come" in Nyanja is "bwera" which is pronounced "bwela." I hear that in Tonga there is no "R" but that some Ls are pronounced as Rs. Given these pieces of evidence I think I can conclude fairly safely that this is the root of the confusing situation.
For someone not used to switching Rs and Ls at random (or should that be landom?) this can be confusing. When someone tells you that the play at church it takes a little while to realize that they meant that they pray at church. I'm getting a little quicker at it though now. Who knows, maybe I'll even start doing it too someday.
The R/L confusion extends to many words: right/light, river/liver, full/four, lay/ray, lake/rake, play/pray. For example, someone might say, "my lake is broken" when they mean "my rake is broken." Or people will talk about the "Zambezi Liver." In my Grade 8 class last term I tried to hit back. We carefully went through how to pronounce the letters and then moved on to some words getting the class, then small groups, and then individuals to try pronouncing the words. The effort was futile so after a few efforts I gave up. I then gave a short reading test where they had to read out sentences like "I turn on the light" but I discovered that much of the class wasn't able to do any reading, let alone differentiate between two letters.
I think that this confusing letter-switch might be a result of local languages. The word "to come" in Nyanja is "bwera" which is pronounced "bwela." I hear that in Tonga there is no "R" but that some Ls are pronounced as Rs. Given these pieces of evidence I think I can conclude fairly safely that this is the root of the confusing situation.
For someone not used to switching Rs and Ls at random (or should that be landom?) this can be confusing. When someone tells you that the play at church it takes a little while to realize that they meant that they pray at church. I'm getting a little quicker at it though now. Who knows, maybe I'll even start doing it too someday.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The Meals I Dread
It has been a while since I've done a list, so here goes another one. The five worst relishes (side dishes) with nshima. I should point out, however, that most nshima relishes are really good but some I would rather do without.
1. Kapenta - the thought of these little dried or fresh fish makes me gag. The worse part is that when you eat them it stinks up the whole house and the taste remains in your mouth for the rest of the day.
2. Caterpillars - chewy and not particularly tasty.
3. Dried fish - some dried fish is OK (mostly due to the salt content), but I had one kind of dried fish whose skin was sort of slimy. That was not my favourite, one can be sure.
4. Impwa - these can be OK but often they are served cold and have a funny taste to them. They are a vegetable but I can't really figure out how to explain them beyond that. You eat them whole and I think that they are boiled before eating.
5. Chihuahua - of all the greens, this is my least favourite. I far prefer rape or cabbage (which is , by far, my personal favourite).
There you have a list of my least favourite relishes. I would give a list of my favourites but it would be not particularly interesting: beef, sausage, chicken, buka fish, cabbage, and mince meat (ground beef).
1. Kapenta - the thought of these little dried or fresh fish makes me gag. The worse part is that when you eat them it stinks up the whole house and the taste remains in your mouth for the rest of the day.
2. Caterpillars - chewy and not particularly tasty.
3. Dried fish - some dried fish is OK (mostly due to the salt content), but I had one kind of dried fish whose skin was sort of slimy. That was not my favourite, one can be sure.
4. Impwa - these can be OK but often they are served cold and have a funny taste to them. They are a vegetable but I can't really figure out how to explain them beyond that. You eat them whole and I think that they are boiled before eating.
5. Chihuahua - of all the greens, this is my least favourite. I far prefer rape or cabbage (which is , by far, my personal favourite).
There you have a list of my least favourite relishes. I would give a list of my favourites but it would be not particularly interesting: beef, sausage, chicken, buka fish, cabbage, and mince meat (ground beef).
Monday, April 02, 2007
Global Family Report - Chimwemwe
Every six months, MCC produces reports for people who sponsor a Global Family program at several schools in Zambia. Two of the schools that receive support from Global Family are the schools where I work. Here is a sneak peak of one of these reports:
National News:
Zambia has remained stable since the September 2006 elections, although an ongoing war of words continues between the main opposition leader, Michael Sata, and the president, Levy Mwanawasa. Currently the major political issue in the country is developing a new constitution to, among other things, reduce the power of the president. Opposition parties and numerous NGOs and church groups have campaigned hard for many years on this front, and some continue to complain that the government is dragging its feet. The government, for its part, maintains that a process is in place. It is widely assumed that the issue will be settled near the end of Mwanawasa’s presidency.
Zambia has made international news recently for its defeat in court by a “vulture fund.” In the late 1970s Zambia bought tractors from Romania with the funds to be paid over time. In the 1990s, Zambia was close to reaching an agreement with the Romanian government to buy out the loan for a fraction of its cost, when it was bought up by this fund, who then demanded the full value of the loan (around $40 million). As a country that recently was able to increase health and education spending dramatically due to debt relief, it would be a major blow to Zambia’s social services if it was forced to pay out a large sum to this creditor.
School News:
Another term is now complete at Chimwemwe School, and as usual, this term has brought its own unique set of challenges, setbacks, and opportunities. Last term was made difficult because several teachers left the school for positions in government schools. We continued to lose teachers this term, this time due to illness and childbirth. Losing any teachers from a barebones staff has consequences, but, this term, three were lost for extended periods. At times, there were more classes than there were teachers, so staff would juggle multiple classes at the same time. The result has been that extra duties have been shared among all staff members, whether that meant teaching additional classes or assisting with the administration.
Shortly after the previous newsletter, Grade 7 and 9 students from throughout the country wrote national examinations to determine who would pass on to Grade 8 and 10. Those who do well are given places in government schools in the next grade. Chimwemwe School had good results from the exams, which is a positive sign about the quality of education being provided. These exams also have an impact on the Grade 8 intake at the school. The students that come to the school either failed the exam in Grade 7 or are unable to go to a government school. As a result the ability of students in the Grade 8 class ranges widely from those who can read and write very well to those who remain illiterate, which makes accommodating the educational levels of the Grade 8 students difficult.
In late November Chimwemwe received internet access from a local internet service provider. The staff are now quite proficient at it, while the older students have all received lessons and can now be seen filling the computer room to play a variety of educational games or read the news. The facility also serves as an internet café, a facility which has been successful in raising much-needed resources for the school. You can check out Chimwemwe’s new website at www.chimwemwe.ac.zm. Computer lessons also started at the primary level this term. Since we currently only have four computers, it was a bit of a challenge to accommodate classes ranging in size from 35 to 70, so much of the work was done in the regular classroom. Nevertheless, the computer lessons were very popular for the younger kids, and parents were very happy to see that their children were learning some skills with the new machines.
Chimwemwe students also participated in inter-school sports this term. Pupils participated in the disciplines of football (soccer), netball (for girls), and occasionally in girls football. The players were eager and practiced hard but, alas, no wins came the school’s way. More importantly, however, everyone enjoyed themselves and students improved their skills as the term went on. Next term the whole school will be involved in inter-class games and athletics.
Samson Kayonde, GF Recipient:
I had the opportunity to visit the house of Samson Kayonde, a student who successfully completed Grade Nine with the help of the Global Family program. Samson is nineteen years old and has been a double orphan since 2000. His mother died in 1989, his father in 2000, and his lone sister in 1990. He currently lives with his grandmother, Betty, and six others; five of these are double orphans. No one in the household has a regular job. In order to support the family the grandmother raises a little money by making and selling table clothes, although she often only sells one or two of these in a month. Samson and the others try to help out by finding piecework in the community. When I asked how they can afford to eat, let alone worry about other necessities, the response was “we just survive.”
Samson has been attending Chimwemwe since Grade Five. He likes science and says that some day he would like to become an accountant. Like most Zambians his age he enjoys playing football and going to church. Samson is a quiet, thoughtful, and polite young man who under his quiet demeanour shows an undeniable determination to succeed.
The house was dark inside because the family cannot afford electricity and there are very few windows. Betty’s husband was building the house, but died before it could be completed. There is enough space to live in but one can still see the remains of unfinished walls around the front of the house. At the back of the plot there was a small garden where the family is able to grow a few vegetables and onions for their own consumption. Samson said that he enjoyed working back there and I can see why. It was quiet, shady, and a cool breeze lifted the day’s heat.
On our return trip to school I asked Samson again how they afforded food if there was no income. He thought for a second, as if deciding whether or not to share a secret. “Sometimes,” he said, “we don’t eat for three days.” Samson explained how he always came to school anyways, just so that no students could guess that he had not eaten.
Samson is a tremendously eager and ambitious youth. On one of my first days at Chimwemwe School he came to me asking if I could teach him French lessons. My busy schedule did not really allow for many lessons, but we did have a session or two. It is a tremendous compliment to Global Family that such a youth, coming from circumstances more difficult than most North Americans (myself included) can comprehend, has been given the gift of an education and hope for the future.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Zam-Zim Relations In an Era of Turmoil
I have received some questions about the mood in Zambia regarding its beligerent neighbour to the south, Zimbabwe, so I thought I would share a little bit about the general sentiments on this side of the Zambezi. Generally, the people that I talk to are strongly anti-Mugabe and argue that he has gone too far and it is time for him to go. There is very little talk of the West being a major contributor to Zimbabwe's problems, although the issue of land reform occasionally does come up.
Politicians of all sorts have also waded in on the controversy. Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of Zambia (who some would say was dictatorial himself during some of his reign), has taken what could be called a centrist position. He has called for conciliatory efforts to be taken to bridge the gap between ZANU-PF and the MDC. In his recent statement on the issue he also criticized the British for failing in its Lancaster House constitution promises regarding land reform, but didn't seem to cast the entire blame of Zimbabwe's problems at the feet of the British.
The second president, Frederick Chiluba (who has the distinction of being the only president that my host father can't seem to say anything nice about), has come out in support of Mugabe. He blamed the west and its media for sensationalizing the issue and even "cursed the day that Tsvangerai was born."
The current president, Levy Mwanawasa, and his administration have been cautiously critical of their southern neighbour. They did criticize human rights abuses publicly, which is a laudatory step. There was a rumour that a recent visit by a Zimbabwean Minister of State was to complain officially about these comments but it is unclear whether this was the case or not.
Zambia is used to facing tumultous neighbours. Being situated in between such beacons of peace as DR Congo, Mozambique, Angola, and Zimbabwe is what has made Zambia's identity as a peaceful nation (see a previous post) central to its identity. It will be interesting to see how Zambia's political leadership, and its regular people, deal with the challenge of relating to a close ally that seems to have lost all sense of proper governance.
Politicians of all sorts have also waded in on the controversy. Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of Zambia (who some would say was dictatorial himself during some of his reign), has taken what could be called a centrist position. He has called for conciliatory efforts to be taken to bridge the gap between ZANU-PF and the MDC. In his recent statement on the issue he also criticized the British for failing in its Lancaster House constitution promises regarding land reform, but didn't seem to cast the entire blame of Zimbabwe's problems at the feet of the British.
The second president, Frederick Chiluba (who has the distinction of being the only president that my host father can't seem to say anything nice about), has come out in support of Mugabe. He blamed the west and its media for sensationalizing the issue and even "cursed the day that Tsvangerai was born."
The current president, Levy Mwanawasa, and his administration have been cautiously critical of their southern neighbour. They did criticize human rights abuses publicly, which is a laudatory step. There was a rumour that a recent visit by a Zimbabwean Minister of State was to complain officially about these comments but it is unclear whether this was the case or not.
Zambia is used to facing tumultous neighbours. Being situated in between such beacons of peace as DR Congo, Mozambique, Angola, and Zimbabwe is what has made Zambia's identity as a peaceful nation (see a previous post) central to its identity. It will be interesting to see how Zambia's political leadership, and its regular people, deal with the challenge of relating to a close ally that seems to have lost all sense of proper governance.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
"The Raid:" A Week Later
Just wanting to put a bookend to the story of last week's police raid. The room is now reopened. I have been told that they still have some things to work out with the council but everything is under control and I'm sure an amicable solution will be reached. At any rate, lessons and computer use are continuing as normal now.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Stefan Epp, Sports Master
Throughout the term I have been involved in the sports program at Chimwemwe School, mostly through coaching the netball team. The Senior Teacher and Sports Master (the title given to the person responsible for the sports program) always referred to me as the Sports Master but, in reality, he did most of the job. This involved organizing matches, booking facilities, and generally being the person responsible for the overall program. This arrangement worked well. I helped out where I could but, not being particularly familiar with the duties of a Sports Master and only being at the school three days a week, I could not function full time in the position.
Fate, however, had other ideas for my role in the sports program. The teacher responsible had ended up in hospital with quite a serious stomach problem. Since no one else was involved in the sports program it was up to me to either let it die or keep it going, so I took upon myself the mantle of Sports Master. My initial foray into the world of sports masters went fine. With the help of the director I contacted a school and set up a match for Saturday morning. Then I wrote to the appropriate authorities to book the ground. Things were going good. I was two for two. When I arrived on Saturday morning I was surprised to find that our students had even shown up on time. A remarkable occurrence!
Alas, it was not to be. The other team didn't show up. A bitter end to a promising beginning. I will see next week if I attempt it again. I might be limited by our sports infrastructure - the football is now completely dead and there is no money for a replacement or to pay the grounds fees for that matter (so if I do organize a game, I foot the bill). At the same time, I am really keen to get our kids at least one more game. After all, the girls netball team has practised all term three times a week to play two games and one football match. The boys football team has only played three times as well. I think that I probably care more about this than the kids do. After all, as long as they are having fun at practise, that's the important part. Maybe I will use my mighty sports master powers to focus on intramural sports instead - that way more kids can play at less cost to myself and the school. Sounds like a win-win situation.
Fate, however, had other ideas for my role in the sports program. The teacher responsible had ended up in hospital with quite a serious stomach problem. Since no one else was involved in the sports program it was up to me to either let it die or keep it going, so I took upon myself the mantle of Sports Master. My initial foray into the world of sports masters went fine. With the help of the director I contacted a school and set up a match for Saturday morning. Then I wrote to the appropriate authorities to book the ground. Things were going good. I was two for two. When I arrived on Saturday morning I was surprised to find that our students had even shown up on time. A remarkable occurrence!
Alas, it was not to be. The other team didn't show up. A bitter end to a promising beginning. I will see next week if I attempt it again. I might be limited by our sports infrastructure - the football is now completely dead and there is no money for a replacement or to pay the grounds fees for that matter (so if I do organize a game, I foot the bill). At the same time, I am really keen to get our kids at least one more game. After all, the girls netball team has practised all term three times a week to play two games and one football match. The boys football team has only played three times as well. I think that I probably care more about this than the kids do. After all, as long as they are having fun at practise, that's the important part. Maybe I will use my mighty sports master powers to focus on intramural sports instead - that way more kids can play at less cost to myself and the school. Sounds like a win-win situation.
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