Leadership Poker: Trumping with A.C.E.

Chipolopolo Fans a a game. They featured in establishing scenes about the
importance of football to Zambia in my documentary e18hteam (eighteam)

Over the past couple of months, I have had a series of conversations and experiences at events that have convinced me even more that A.C.E. is the right way to professionally deal with what is going on around me and in the world today, in my own small way.

The first major instance was a Twitter conversation I had with the talented and insightful Zambian songbird Chembo about representation at the first TEDx Eucalyptus Road in Lusaka. Her contention with the organisation of the event by Bloom Management was that there were non-black faces being streamed from abroad as part of the experience.  I contested that the important thing was that there was a high representation of women, particularly in the on-site break out sessions to discuss the themes, which is still unusual for Zambian events.  We agreed to disagree, as she feels strongly that black people/ Zambians should speak to their own people.  I agree to some extent, foreign and mostly non-black faces and organisations are given  far too much freedom to come and tell us how to be ourselves without consultation or understanding of who we are, what we need and what we need to do to get to where we want to go.  I feel however, that sometimes issues like Black Lives Matter, an issue borne from a minority status and amplified worldwide due to the fact that Western Media dominates global media, can obscure reality. We also are prone to jump on the cause bandwagon, designing events round things like HeForShe to show we do care about women, but not to actually really do the work to give women and girls their rightful chance to find their place in society.

We here in Zambia are in the majority, identifying as Black.  When you go to events and hear speakers, the majority of them are usually black/ Zambian.  The problem is they are almost always all men, and a lot of the time its the same recycled speakers unless it is dubbed a women’s event and even then there may not be a female majority. I think it is important to focus on what is salient here, not to bring issues from other places and erroneously conflate them out of solidarity, or issues brought from experiences elsewhere. I do think it is important for young Zambian women to see people who look like them doing more than myopic destiny expected of us. And I do believe both men and women need to give the female perspective chance and also realise sometimes it’s not about gender but about knowledge. Same with race. Does it matter the delivery vessel if the truth is being spoken?! I attended the TEDx event and had a transcendental experience in the breakout session with CEO of COMESA‘s business council Sandra Uwera, who I need to follow up with about encouraging Africans to buy local and products made on the continent and how this ties to how we see ourselves. I enjoyed that fact that she was in a powerful position and from her questions and comments it was clear she was qualified for her job and was the right choice to moderate. If that had not been the case however, I would have written about how disappointed I was. She made me proud to be an African Woman in the world today trying to move things forward.  She is #goals!

Earlier this month, I organised at Modzi Arts thanks to Founder Julia Kaseka’s openess to the idea of showing my documentary e18hteam, with a discussion afterwards about Zambian identity, the future of youth in the country, and the importance of art in public discourse.  The day of, Zesco did not disappoint and was annoyingly and stereotypically inconveniencing, deciding to loadshed that area for the first time in Modzi Art history.  Though we didn’t show film, Samba Yonga and Tangu Msimiko were great panelists with insightful contributions and Julia was an awesome moderator.  During the talk, an audience member asked if I had chosen the panel to be all female on purpose. I have had many conversations about how to ensure better representation and I am not for putting a woman on the panel just to have one. I believe in equality and equity.  If you select the requisite people to speak on the right things I think it will all balance out. If there are no qualified women, don’t force the issue and end up fulfilling another stereotype that women are given opportunities by affirmative action without qualification.  However, I do believe at this time, if you have the choice with equally qualified people, I think one should tend to favour the ladies over the gentlemen, till diverse panels are the norm. In the case of my event, I picked Samba because her company Ku-Atenga Media is one of the reasons my documentary has been well recieved and successful and she knows the film and its journey inside out. I chose Tangu because she reached out to me about mentorship and is interested in creating discourse between creatives as well as in the mechanics of film distribution. We also happened to represent young Zambia being in our 20s and 30s.  Giving women a platform to speak was a coincidental bonus.

Modzi was able to screen the film the next day and I spoke with the audience after and the conversation focused on the fact that we as Zambians need to realise that the Chipolopolo’s story reflects who we are as a people. I have had interactions with young Zambians during and after the elections where they have expressed fear that the legacy of the Freedom Fighters and the current administration will be lack of agency for those of us who follow them.  That they have no place in the country, and that efforts to belong are futile.  I reminded the audience that just like the Zambian National Football Team, we have bounced back from other tragedies such as the deaths of two of our Presidents in the last 10 years, by coming together and persevering peacefully.  I also noted that despite being blindsided continuously with things like loadshedding descending upon us without warning repeatedly ad infinitum, ad nauseum, we continue to innovate and find ways to carry on and succeed.  We did not give in after the day before’s debacle, we rescheduled and made time to have the event properly.  In our lives, we know we have it inside us to surmount the challenges thrown at us and eventually find the strength to keep moving.  Unbeknownst to me, there was a young, Caucasian American lady moved by my impassioned oratory.  She took the opportunity to express how my words gave her hope for the USA, as she wrapped her head round Donald Trump being President-Elect at the edict of her people. She was elevated to tears (I don’t believe crying is a reduction by default but can also be a expression of your strength to being open to expressing vulnerability unabashedly) as she spoke and apologised.  I told her there was nothing to be contrite about, as we are all living through these trying times and it is important to reach out to one another however we can, wherever we are.  I first went to America after September 11th and remember how people rallied together and was present during the first memorial commemorating the tragedy.  I have no doubt America will recognise its greatness and make lemonade out of this this current batch of lemons and slay like Beyonce.

This brings me back to my original sentiments that I expressed to Chembo.  You can learn and be inspired by anyone.  I think opportunities globally should be given to qualified people of all races, colours, creeds, gender, sexual orientation and identities, because as humans, our strength is in our diversity and we all have something to offer.  I think it is important to distinguish between local and global issues surrounding misrepresentation and the flat out blocking of certain perspectives and voices so we intervene and rig for the good accordingly, not to just jump on some cause’s bandwagon for the wrong reasons. Sometimes we need to give voice to those that irk, confuse or have differing opinions or appearance, so long as the intent is to not to promote hate, intolerance and to divide to rule and profit selfishly.  Even if the outcome is agreeing to disagree, I think there is much to learn from our differences and solutions to the worlds problems will continue to come from finding common ground. Tonight my film is showing at the Southern African Institute in Basel and has been given the honour of being the Opening Night screening to officially start the Zambia in Motion Festival.  The aim of the festival is to bring the curated history to life through indigenous voices, to a Swiss audience.  The fact that a tiny country a quarter of the world away is preserving our history and is reaching out to better understand who we are is beautiful.  It is the essence of what A.C.E. is all about: Cultural exchange. Building bridges. Learning from history. Making new paths. Learning and growing together.

Leading is not only about taking care of your own, but its also about reaching out to the other side to gain understanding, to lend a helping hand and above all letting love guide us to conquer all.  We need more of this in the world right now. How are you going to spread the feels and bring people together? What are you going to do to bring about understanding, empowerment and opportunity?

For inspiration, watch e18hteam on video on demand anytime, anywhere online here.

For more on the A.C.E project, bookmark the blog, where this article first appeared, and follow it and ZeDream Team on Instagram.

Madness and Tea

One of the beauties of the internet, is I continue to get tangled in webs woven by beautiful Black (and African) women around the world.  Twitter is the best place for that.  I have met ladies whom I feel I know like the lines on my palms, and yet we have never occupied the same space physically.

As I have no picture with Malaka,
I have substituted her with some
sistren eye candy and my latest pic
repping the hooded clan.
 Photo taken by Vince Banda 

One such dame is one of my favourite girl crushes Malaka.  I first came across her when trying to find a transcript of the famous Intellectual Scum conversation by Field Ruwe, but did not really get to know her till we both featured in a Google hangout about African women, sex and love.  This lead to the epic Twitter love affair of the hooded sistren.  The profound nonsense that we spout out in abundance is so much fun.  I get to Big Pun and she shines in her irreverently unabashed, insightful, crazy and intelligent way. She is the sage and I am the jester. And vice versa - I Yoda to her Jar Jar Binks. I look forward to finding nuggets on my TL to jump-off from and flex my witty muscles.  I can't wait for us to go on our train excursion.  She thinks I'll forget. I have proof-o. Don't make me juju...

@whoops_c 😱😱😱 Stop playing. Me + you + 🍗 +🚊???

— Malaka. (@AbenaGyekye) April 3, 2016

@whoops_c Hooded clan session in effect! This is great! I can't wait. Let's hope they don't kick us off for #LaughingWhileBlack

— Malaka. (@AbenaGyekye) April 3, 2016

@whoops_c LMAO!!! You know! Let me go and find my white cloth.

— Malaka. (@AbenaGyekye) April 3, 2016

So really, she is already aware of my powers so she best not try me. Once she returns to the motherland, we are planning! Yes, it's by force as we say here in Zed.

Anyhoo, back to the point of this post. So Malaka, posted this "old man rant" about how Africans in the West end up pandering to the stereotype of waxing lyrically about the Africa of Heart of Darkness and National Geographic photographs, not the perfectly imperfect blend of tradition and modernity, light and darkness, poverty and wealth, aet cetera, ad infinitum, and everything in between that actually currently exists on the continent. Right now I'm obsessed with nuance: adding more viewpoints to the debates that are going on locally and globally. The article made me think about how we in Zambia are completely suckered into this form of presentation to get the approval of some NGO, to get some accolade, to lure foreign direct investment or a new aid program, to get our names out there. We crave foreign validation to feel worthy. It's sad. We are enough! Just put yourself out there honestly and D'Arcy will like you just as you are Bridget Jones ;}.

This led me to have the exchange with her, storified below.  I hope it makes you think about the way we represent ourselves, and about how if we don't allow for nuance, we who are the made the "Other" will remain stagnant. If you are part of the "Us" group, who dictate what rhythms the Other has to dance to, think about your part in perpetuating this nonsense.  There should only be one we, a diverse group called the human race, trying to make it the best way they can and accepting of the way others are. 

Like this post? You can find more in Twit Tuesday..

For more information about my journey this year and to keep up-to-date with the world of MbA, follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Mama Monday: Ghanaian Food and Drink Photo Journal

When I was in Ghana in January, to my friends' pseudo-chagrin, I decided to awaken the Asian in me and take copious photos of the food and drink I ingested and imbibed.  I ate a lot and I ate well.  In another life I was a Gold Coast native, I am sure of it! Enjoy :)

HOME COOKING AND DRINKING

Akpeteshie cocktail with Campari and Tonic Water

Akpeteshie is a Ghanaian alcoholic spirit made from sugar cane.  

Clockiwse from fork: shito, jollof rice, stir-fried veggies, corn
bread pudding, gari foto, potatoes au gratin, bbq chicken

Shito is a Ghanaian condiment that literally translated means pepper.  It is made with ginger, pepper, smoked powdered herring and shrimp, onion, garlic and spices.  Jollof rice is the grain cooked in a tomato based sauce with onion, garlic, ginger, chilies and spices. It is a staple in many West African countries.  Gari is made from mashed, dried and fermented cassava that turns into granules.  Gari foto has egg, and corned beef mixed in with the cassava.

STREET FOOD

Roasted grounuts: peanuts and roasted plantain

One of the main reasons I had been wanting to go to Ghana, apart from visiting my uni friends, is PLANTAIN!! Plantian is eaten all over West Africa. How I love me some plantain.  Had never had it roasted before.  Bought this off the street a lot during my trip.  A yuick and easy snack and soooo satisfying.  As they say it's the simple things in life that have the most profound effect: in this case on my belly :) 

FOOD IN THE RAW

This is a yam out the ground.  This one was about metre long.  It
was ridiculously heavy!

Yam is a tuber that is common in West Africa.  95% of all yam grown in the world comes from this region and can grow to 1.5 metres and can weigh as much as 70kg!  

DRINK

A  malt non-alcoholic beverage not found in
 East and Southern Africa

This stuff is brown liquid crack man! Soooooo yummy.  Made from the same formula used for the beer Guinness but tastes so much better and doesn't get you drunk so you can indulge as much as you want :)

DINING OUT: TANTE MARIE RESTAURANT, ACCRA

Tante Marie is an Accra restaurant situated in a converted DC 10

Another non-alcoholic malt beverage

Castle's version is not as good as Guinness'.  This was not as full-bodied and as punchy.  Felt a little watery and did not have the same syrupy feel and rich taste.  Try this one first so things can only get better.

For starters L-R: Fried Plantain and
fried chicken wings with shito

The plantain was spiced with chilli and ginger.  

Entree R-L: Grilled Tilapia with Acheke

Tilapia is eaten all over Africa and tastes just as good in Ghana.  Acheke is like couscous and originally eaten in Cote D'Ivoire and Senegal. It is made from cassava, a root that can grow in the harshest conditions and is common in the tropics: mainly Africa, Asia and South America.

Entree L-R: Fried Plantain and Red Red

Plantain was fried plain.  Red Red is a bean stew fried in palm oil and this version used cassava fish as the protein.

Entree L-R: Boiled Yam, Egusi soup

Egusi soup is made with seeds from squashes, melons or gourds such as pumpkin or watermelon, mixed with water, palm oil, spices and vegetables and/ or meat.  This was made with spinach.  It is famously a Nigerian dish but has spread to other West African countries.

STREET FOOD

Plaintain chips L-R: unripe (savory), ripe (sweet)

As you can see I really overdosed on plantain.  How could I not when it is so versatile.  There are so many ways to prepare it.  When in traffic how can you resist buying a coupla packets?!  I prefer the sweet to the savoury but they are both tasty :)

Roasted maize

I do have to say that Ghanaian grown maize does not hold a candle to Zambian maize.  Tasty but the grain is smaller, harder and not as sweet in my opinion.

COCKTAILS:

HILLBURI RESORT, ABURRI

I was instructed to...

Cocktail with ginger, cucumber and apple

...but I am not a beer drinker so I substituted a cocktail instead to accompany my enjoyment of the view he he he.  This drink had  a local name that has escaped me sorry :(.

REPUBLIC BAR AND GRILL, ACCRA

Bisap Cocktail

Cocktails at Republic are ridiculously cheap.  I got this gargantuan cocktail for about 10 cedis! Can't remember its colourful local name but it has bisap: hibiscus juice, mint, and rum in it and it was so lovely I had to have another but I got a smaller one.   Everything in moderation he he he.

DINING OUT: TSARLEY KORPEY RESORT, ADA

L-R: salad, grilled barracuda, shito, yam chips

Love me some seafood, especially the meaty fish kind.  Dorado is still my fav, but barracuda is tasty too :)

SHOPPING IN OSU, ACCRA

Coconut water on the roadside

Can't stand coconut - its taste and texture are an abomination.  However it has redeeming factors: it's water is a tasty, healthy and restorative drink, the milk taste nice in curries and its oil makes my hair lovely and soft he he he ;}

Pistacio and malaga gelato

Cashew nut gelato

Love this twist on gelato.  Cashew nuts are common crop in West Africa so when in Accra do as the Romans do I guess he he.  I really enjoyed this, it tasted so sweet and creamy with great texture from the crushed nuts.

HOME COOKING

Okro soup with banku

Okro soup is made with okra, palm oil and contains meat, fish and veggies.  This version had crab, fish, beef chunks and salted cow skin.  Never had salted cow skin - it is gelatinous in texture and is very tasty.  Banku is made from pounded corn and cassava dough that is first fermented then  mixed with hot water.  This tastes like a fermented version of Zambian nshima: maize (and cassava) flour staple dish in East and Southern Africa.

L- R: Goat Stew and Eba

Eba is made with Garri added to hot water and mixed with a wooden spoon and is a harder form of accompaniments like banku and nshima.

Pounded palm kernels

L-R: palm nut stew and fufu

Palm stew is made from the liquid extracted from pounding palm tree kernels mixed with onion, tomato, ginger, onion, garlic, chilli and spices.  This recipe used chicken but can also be made with meat.  Fufu is a common carbohydrate accompaniment in Ghana and Nigeria that is made from boiled cassava that is then pounded into a dough.  It is eaten with soup and is swallowed whole (I tried chewing it just so I could understand why you are told to swallow it.  I agree with the traditional, tried and tested way it has been eaten for centuries he he)

Palm nut stew served with Banku, accompanied by a
semi-sweet white wine

Back in the day at school RFL had taught me how to make light soup which is a tomato based soup made with stock, onion, bay leaves, chilli, garlic, ginger and potatoes and I loved it. I can say out of all the soups and stews I have had, including groundnut, palm nut stew has now eclipsed light soup as my favourite Ghanaian dish.  It was the last thing I ate before I left so I ended on a high note :)

For more on Ghana, check out the country's tag right here in MbA.

Woolgather Wednesday Debut: The Illusion of Space for Multiple Stories and Identities

Mutanga Lindunda and I are the same yet different: We are
both Zambian.  I am slightly older, she is married.  She has a
weave, I have styled my own hair.  She is a career woman,
I am an entrepreneur.  She is a mother, I am an Aunty.  We
both love technology, believe in equality and both respect
each other's life choices by celebrating our differences and
embracing our similarities.  We both feel the pressure to
 conform to the perceived notion of what it is to
be a professional in Zambia today.
 © BongoHive 

First can I just geek out on this new word I have discovered!  I am in the process of naming each day of the week for the blog to help me focus my ideas and to structure my writing in order to post more.  

Wednesday was whooping my bleep a little (okay a lot) as I couldn't figure out a word that encapsulated the profoundity in nugacities and the power of excogitation - in other words the awesome possumness of nonsense that inspires and my love for pondering life's questions from identitiy to the concepts, schemas and codes that populate and inform our existence.  I finally stumbled upon and happily discovered this word woolgather  - synonyms include: fantasise, stargaze, ponder, excogitate, mull over, ruminate, as well as hallucinate, which all fit  to describe the cauldron of thoughts that mix and mingle in my mind, from which insightful and/ or silly posts are then created.

2014 has been declared the year of finding and owning the multiple yet unified voices required to express my Afropolitaness proudly, and to expose, celebrate and respect the various ways in which Zambian and African identities can, have and will manifest.  However, while I decided that this would be my goal for the year I realised that although many of us: abwana ba Afrika strive to actively raise our voices and express ourselves, we are doing exactly what we vilify the western hegemony in global media does: narrowly depicsing and essentialing our continent, culture and peoples.  We are also creating silos of identity, instead of allowing for fluid exploration and evolution.  We are starting to impose certain acceptable identities on ourselves which is more dangerous.  It is much easier to write off outsiders for not having an understanding of the intricacies and experience of being an African, but it is perhaps a lot harder, a lot more personal, and a lot more emotional when your own peeps tell you you do not belong, that you do not fit it, that your identity will not be recognised as the norm and therefore is not authentic and/ or is a fringe freakish identity best hidden from view.

Naturally having a nervous condition has had me explore this extensively on the blog.  Zambia is a very conservative country and I have struggled to maintain my voice and not modulate or frankly to resist the urge to just disappear from view all together to avoid people's very violent and insidious reactions that then lead to them somehow trying to snuff my light out. Two weeks ago I spoke on the radio about my life's journey and how I have come to be at peace with myself and the struggle, my choices and my identity and I spoke about my experience rocking natural hair at a documentary film screening.  This Friday I will be speaking about love and relationships in a Google + Hangout with fellow African women organised by the lovely ladies from the blog adventuresfrom.com. I am hoping that through sharing my experience and thoughts I will be able to create more dialogue about these issues surrounding finding your voice and living your truth.

As Zambia turns 50, I feel like we are schizophrenic.  We do not allow for a myriad of identities to bear the common stamp of being Proudly Zambian but continue to want to box people into a select few ways of expressing oneself, particularly with girls and women.

Here is to being who we are, and allowing each other to be, agreeing to disagree, and taking the time to look deeper to see that despite being profoundly different, we are fundamentally all the same :)

Hangout with me and other awesome African women speaking on the Metamorphosis of Love panel on Google+ organised by the Adventures blog this Valentine's day 17:00 GMT, 19:00 CAT.   

Soul Food Friday: Hair Ninjas and Afrolicious Samurais

L-R Samba Yonga, Mwanabibi Sikamo, Me, Alice Kabwe,
Masuka Mutenda, Chiteu Muyoya-Mudia, Mwaba, Chisenga
Muyoya, Irene Banda Mutalima, and Mukuka Mayuka after
TEDx Lusaka last year.
© Chosa Mweemba of Fiahlink Photography

Natural Afro hair is a big deal.  It shouldn't be but it is.  The politics, angst and/ or liberation tied to it cannot be overstressed.  When I went natural in 2007, I did it for personal reasons.  I did not do it for for grander causes: to be more authentic or to be true to my roots.  The decision to relax my hair at 11 was due to the fact that I went to boarding school in Bristol, England at 11 and they would not let me braid my hair (they did the next term after my hair fell out responding to the sheer cold and the trauma my hair suffered from chemicals straightening and thus weakening my hair).  After that I spent the next half my life miserable every time I relaxed and always got scabs from the process and my hair never was as thick or as long as it was natural as a child.  I could feel the undergrowth, lovely soft virgin hair that was then destroyed every 3 to 6 months with each retouch.  I just wanted to feel that 24/7 and I wanted to know if natural hair was really harder to take care of.  It wasn't, it is easier and it fits my personality and lifestyle a lot better.  I also wanted to be able to wear a halo fro.  Unfortunately through education I have found out that Afro hair is much more diverse than the coarse and dry that is assumed to grow out of every black person's scalp.  My hair is too soft and too floppy to fro once it is longer than 4 inches so I cannot rock the 10 inch fro that was my original goal.  But I can do so many creative things with it that I had never imagined and so now I don't care and I can pseudo fro with twist outs :).

When it comes to beauty I am the easy-breezy lazy type.  And my afro hair fits in with that.  Last week as I mentioned I spoke on a panel after the screening of the documentary Kicking it with the Kinks.  During the discussion we talked about how even if your choice is not political, because of the current environment in Zambia it can be. You can be labeled the afrocentric, political and/ or militant type.  I am not pushing any agenda. I am astute and aware enough to acknowledge that black and African hair choice can be loaded, and while I do believe you should make an informed choice about how you wear your hair that is not based on the stereotype of all afro hair is kinky, coarse, dry, unmanageable and doesn't grow, but through exploration and understanding of the limits and the possibilities of the way your hair natural grows and curls out of your head, I do not begrudge anyone who decides to alter their hair texture, colour or chooses to add hair through extensions: weaves and braids. I do however take umbrage with the assumption that allowing my hair to grow out the way God intended is radical, and is political.  It's hair for bleeps sake really! It really should not be that deep.  Yes, yes, there are colonial and global media hegemonic forces that have contributed to the self-hate that many afro-haired women have internalised and it should be addressed, but as was pointed out in the discussion, it also is not that deep to people as well.  Each individual has their own hair journey.  And these issues come out in different ways with other races from straight and blonde being the ideal for example.

However I also acknowledge that my choice has impact and that I can be an ambassador for education and exploration and can even be inspiration.  I have always had people ask me how my hair is so soft and if I am wearing a wig and recently how I have been able to grow my hair especially when I have blowdried my hair straight.  Last year, the few months I was on Zambian television had a real impact.  I still hear stories of people who loved seeing me rock natural hair.  The most recent account was from a lady and her friends who used to hold viewing parties with their daughters and she expressed how much the young girls loved that I was able to present an articulate, educated and beautiful image with natural hair and chitenge clothing.  I made the choice to dress and style my hair that fit with who I am and honestly what was easiest as I had to do everything myself, I had no glamour team travelling with me.  I did not realise at the time that my innocuous and selfish, practical choice would touch people as profoundly has it has and still does.  I have vowed to honour that in the future.  I am truly blessed: it is a humbling priviledge to bring people happiness purely from the way I live my life.  

Tomorrow: Saturday 9th February, in Lusaka is a Natural Hair Workshop hosted by Masuka Mutenda and Mwanabibi Sikamo (who are in the picture above) of ZedHair.  It is a Q & A session about all things natural.  I hope to see you there if you can make it :)

Also look out for my post on TEDx Lusaka as videos are to be posted in the coming weeks...

Zed Culture Part IV: Polychronic vs Monochronic

 © Mwana ba Afrika 

In October, I attended my first TopFloor Public Discussion Forum.  The theme was "Zambian Cultural Identity" and featured insightful discussion lead by presentations from Ms Mulenga Kapwepwe, my Zambian girl crush, and  University of Zambia, UNZA, Professor Mubanga Kashoki.  The debate was framed around: "What is Zambia's cultural identity? What influence does Zambia's cultural identity have on business practices? What defines culture: Language? Dress? Protocol? What influence do these cultural indicators have on individual careers and business conduct? What are the hindrances?  What cultural elements need to be emphasised? Managed? Changed?"  What came out of the discussion was the importance of our concept of time, and how much that affects the legacy colonisation left us with: the disjuncture with our polychronic, historically fluid perception of time that is in constant battle with the monochronic, fixed, unidirectional notion that British brought with them .  

Over the next month, I have realised, even though I may have spent two thirds of my life in the West, in countries that operate monochronically, you can't take the African, the polychronic, out of me he he he.  Used it when I was over there with time difference to buy time or complain that I had lost it.  And now I really take advantage, particularly when operating with the USA, as I am half a day ahead, so can always stretch time out - when I don't get something done in my time, I go back in time and make sure it is done by the time it's that time half way across the world.  Also have to be aware that some people are ahead of time, like when working with my current collaboration partner from C1rca 1964, who is based in Australia.

I recently commented on Facebook that you can't operate on the continent if you cannot operate polychronically.  Now that I am working with the National Arts Council of Zambia, with a bunch of creatives to boot, I have been stretching time and having people stretch mine back.  As Ms Kapwepwe pointed out, in Indonesia they go so far as to call it rubber time.  The important thing is to get whatever it is done, worrying about the time wastes just wastes more time.  And sometimes deadlines can just be stressful.  Life is not linear, it never goes in a straight line: sometimes it goes off on a tangent, it gets a little wiggly, or just goes round and round and comes back to the place you started.  So time should accommodate that.  I am a much happier person since I ditched the 9-5 model and now work anytime between 9am and 2am everyday, take naps when I need to and am flexible enough to meet anyone, any place, and work for whomever, anywhere, thanks to the beauty of the Internet.  I am physically static but virtually limitless!  

However, what I don't like about the polychronic nature, and of Zambians in particular, is that they don't distiguish between stretching time and not respecting other people's time.  I always believe that you should do what you do with your time to yourself, but respect that others may be different.  As I say Don't waste my time, it is not your time to waste.  There is a difference between just being late coz you can't be bothered versus being overextended, stuck in traffic or stretching the hours to fit everything into the day.  Sometimes Zambians take advantage of APT (African People's Time) aka CPT (Coloured Peoples Time) and turn up hours late for things for no apparent and then expect to be accommodated, huffing and puffing, causing more harm than good.  

Stretch the time, don't waste it!

My Kamanga Wear Dropped-Crotch
Jumpsuit, the first of many I'm sure,
just had my second altered to fit :)
 © Mwana ba Afrika 

This new understanding of time has also helped a lot with understanding my concept of African style.  Creativity is not linear either.  You need to be able to dip into the past, be rooted in the present and be flying in the skies of the future to truly tap into that energy and be creative.  Something can be new and old the same time e.g. same cut, different chitenge print.  Or how my earrings are in-style without following trends and can follow traditions while adding new creativity.  Everything is always in if you rock it :).   It's the same with music we make - it can never be placed to a particular year or decade, it can be attached to a place but not to a time.  Recently I have been particularly dispassionate about American music. It is so cookie cutter and people keep churning out songs just be be relevant and not to produce something new.  The videos are all the same, and there are forever naked women,  all trying to pass versions of nudity off as stylish and original. I'm really quite bored and disaffected. Even talented people like Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera seemed to have plateaued and/or worse plummetted into mediocrity with regards to song quality.

I like the electronic and dance sound coming from Europe, and Afro-pop continues to hit the spot, with the Nigerians leading the way.  I have also been leaning towards doo-wop 60s type songs like Olly Murs's last two singles, but the song that really brought this out is Bruno Mars' "Locked Up".  It has touched my soul in such a way because it sounds so old, yet so fresh, and will continue to do that because of how genius it is.  Same with PSY's Gangnam Style: reminiscent of the one hit wonders of the 90s like Macarena and Saturday Night but really original, futuristic and ultimately timeless.  I have also been discovering a lot of African music and thinking it's new, only to find out it was released years ago, and rediscovering old stuff too.  So I leave you with a promise that I will make a 3-4-10 post of music that defies the laws of time, polychronic in nature, and therefore timeless due to their refusal to be limited by the Zeitgeist and ever present in the past, the now and the tomorrows to come.

As promised, here  is the polychronic global music mix :)

Profound Nonsense At Its Best

My favourite Canadian just let me know about this and even though I am so busy right now, (check out a media company called Purple Tembo for more details he he he and follow links to like on Facebook and follow on Twitter he he he ;}),  I had to quickly post this.  This video is a collaboration between Norwegians and muntus.

I am always joking to my Northern Hemisphere friends whenever they complain of cold, as we in the South get roasted to a crisp, that I should bottle the excess sunshine and send it over to balance things out, and that they should do the same with the cold. I could use that freeze in my non-airconditioned car when needed (thankfully today I have remembered to open all the windows when I woke up, so when I start my journeying in a coupla hours I won't roast and turn into a tasty turkey bound for some Lusaka-resident American's Thanksgiving Table, as they celebrate the holiday here today he he he ;}).

This also reminds me of how real videos like this can be and at their worst like the KONY 2012 debacle earlier this year, and how one-sided aid is, when actually we could help each other out in both directions.  Earlier in the year I had a bout of my nervous condition and then through recovery I blogged about another vid that made fun of the way the West reports on continental affairs.  I will leave you with that coz that is another instance of profound nonsense. I hope to see more of this content in the future, satire is a great way to introduce a serious topic in an accessible way and get people talking about the inequalities negatively skewed to the way we Africans are reported in the media and are treated by the world :).

Woman Talk

Asikana Network Meet-up, October 2012

This year I haven't posted as much but when I have, it has mostly been about women things.  And that is what is inspiring me to start blogging again.  It all started with a Twitter conversation (no I am still not a twit, I just have a handle for my newly launched media company that I will talk about once I have something to say he he he).  I happened to come across a comment contributing to the BBC Africa debate on women  from Chisenga, one of the lovely ladies who founded the Asikana Network, and my reaction to it snowballed into a late night conversation about being a professional woman with sentiments rooted in the Zed environment:

Yes these two little women may look rather young
but are filled with wisdom beyond their years.
OK I am not looking or acting my age but do not be
deceived he he he he....

Chisenga: The fact that a woman's survival in a position depends on her ability to 'act like a man' is in itself an indicator

MbA: It is sad that we still have to deal with these issues today.  I feel like that everyday...

Chisenga: True, if you do something well then being told "you do it like a man" is seen as a compliment but we are DIFFERENT!!

MbA: You have no idea how many times I've been told I operate like a man and it irritates me.  I do it like me man, like a woman hehe

Chisenga: But you do it like a competent woman! Once had a guy tell me I'm an 'evolved' woman just because I wasn't wearing make-up and heels!

MbA: It's sad that women are thought of as incompetent by default and that an indicator of that is make-up and heels.  We are diverse!

Chisenga: To them pretty and dolled-up = incompetent, masculine = competent! How does this play out [with you]?

MbA: Right now trying to strike a balance.  In Zed if I dress too 'manly' I intimidate generally and it makes women weirdly hostile

Chisenga: Ah and therein lies yet another challenge women hating and pulling each other  down instead of inspiring, mentoring and uplifting!

MbA:  These women stop me at the door when trying to see people...it's so sad.  I'm not out for your job! NO TO WOMAN HATE!

Chisenga: LOL!!! My friend once said never leave your CV with a woman if you're job hunting! This needs to stop!!

MbA: [Unfortunately] she would be right.  I have resorted to taking a man with me sometimes to bypass the hateration and he has noticed the hostility!

Chisenga: And when the other women see you talking to a man instead, they accuse you of trying to 'womanipulate'! Change begins with us!

MbA: It really does! Without knowing qualifications we like to judge.  And men don't help by favouring 'pretty' women

Chisenga: LOL sooo true!!!

This convo left me pretty bummed out as it reminded me of my struggle the last few months to present myself proudly as the woman I unapologetically am, while having to navigate the inherent negativities that have been infused into this identity by society, by both men and women, which are unfortunately magnfied in Zed :(.  Luckily a few days later I was able to meet with the Asikana girls and feel a lot better.  

The women who spoke at the meeting were both equally inspiring.  Shupe Mwanza, ICT Project Manager at World Vision Zambia was really encouraging about exploring and fighting for growth and development in your professional and personal life.  She also made me feel less alone when it comes to being perpetually exacerbated with Zed service as I have ranted about before on the blog.  She also said something that needs to continue to be said and that is that Zambians are lazy.  What I liked even more is that she was inspired by fellow Africans as an example to follow.  Her experiences working at EcoBank, a West African bank, showed her that Africans can be dedicated, hardworking and have high standards.  Their pursuit for excellence shamed her people on their own soil and instead of being intimidated, she embraced the challenge of being better and in turn is determined to encourage her fellow countrymen to follow suit.  As she said, how do we expect Zambia to change if we do not change ourselves?  To improve we need to constantly be evolving, to keep ahead through knowledge and reading and to stop with the excuses, the complaining. We need to take the initiative and just do it.

Cassandra Mtine, founder of ShopZed.com also spoke about starting and sustaining an online business. The site orginally started by catering to the Zambian diaspora looking to be able to help those at home, while making sure the money that is allocated actually goes to what it is intended for.  It has now expanded to include a myriad of solutions for Zambians at home and abroad.  She started the business in the US and has now returned to Zambia and with her female business partner, they are looking to expand their business including providing a platform for Zed business to be able to showcase their products and services to the world.  It is lovely to see women in a male dominated tech world not being intimidated and just getting on with it.  These young girls are providing an invaluable service and are constantly looking for ways to expand, to further satisfy and protect their customers and to contribute to Zambia's development.  So young, yet so entrepreneurial, focused and driven.  Great role models I love it :).

Asikana's new logo by Ruth Zozi

Just talking with the rest of the group afterwards made me happy too.  It is lovely to see women communing and supporting one another.  Asikana is an awesome possum space for women in tech because of the lovely ladies that have created it who are leading by example  by being open, friendly and eager to encourage and inspire.  The group is filled with smart, driven women who are beautiful on the inside and the outside which is just lovely to be around.  These girls made me feel a lot better and I am glad I took the time to crawl out of the cave I have been hiding in.  Sometimes you do need to look to the outside to regenerate.  Thanks ladies xo!

Asikana Network are currently spearheading a project to map out all the female African tech groups across the continent.  Check it out and contribute to their efforts here. 

MUNTU: Zed Series - Duncan Sodala: Slam Dunk Records CEO and Manager of Zone Fam aka Holstar, Zambian Hip Hop Artist And Poet

This interview was conducted in July 2011.  I have not posted it because 1. I am useless and 2. I also I needed a  segment of video edited and did not have the tools on my computer to do so he he he, which further enabled my procrastination.  This is the first male MUNTU, and I must say I could not have picked a better specimen to kick-off representation of Zed dudes.  

Nationality/ies: Zambian

Age: 30
Countries you have lived and studied in: Zambia, South Africa
African countries you have visited:  Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe

Education:  Diploma in Information Management, Institute for Management For Information Systems, (IMIS)

Profession(s):  Record Label CEO and Manager of Zone Fam, Compliance Officer for a Pension Fund

Personal Interests:  Music, Art, Poetry, Community Work, Youth Empowerment

Social Media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog, Website): Holstar,  Slam Dunk Records Ceo,  Slam Dunk Records Zambia, @SDRCEO, SlamDunkRecordsTV website and YouTube channel,  Holstar on ReverbNation

10 Questions

Muntu means person in the tongue of Mwana ba Afrika’s mothers before her.  As an acronym it stands for: 

Man (because I am male)

Under

National

Trust

and

Urbanisation

This is how I see myself and Zambia at the moment.  I trying to bring something new and hip to the table while serving my people at the same time.

Describe yourself in 3 words, list 4 things you that make you happy and describe Africa in 10 words.

3: Ambitious, Understanding, Personable.

4: Interacting with and making people happy. Spending time with Family. Achieving something, particularly when people say I can’t gives me great satisfaction.  Reconnecting with old friends, like I am with you right now.

10: Potentially the new world. Challenged internally but destined for greatness.

Recommend 3 websites, blogs and/ or books, 4 movies and/ or series and 10 songs and/ or music videos.

3: Of course I have to promote my own site: sdrtv.com.  From there you can visit the other sites and blogs I’m affiliated with.  

MS TV ran by artist Mufasa Shulizee keeps me up-to-date with music from Zed and Africa to stuff coming out  of the US.

Letters to a Young Sister by Hill Harper  

Everything he talks about in this book is what people should look up to and be inspired by regardless of their gender.

4: Heroes: get the whole DVD set, it is an amazing series.  I am an Anime fan, if I had to pick one film it would be Narutu.  I enjoyed the Hollywood film 10000 BC, it was funny and epic.  The Lost Boys is a great vampire flick.

10:

1. Unthinkable by Alicia Keys

2. Get Out by Zubz

He is a Zambian rapper who grew up in Zimbabwe and is based in South Africa.   This release was controversial as it talks about kicking out the oppressor.   The video showed  on Etv and SABC and within a month there were complaints.  It went to court and it was banned!

3. Thula by Young N9ne  

This Zambian singer/ rapper is based in the USA and really talented girl.  This is the first song I heard and it’s still my favourite from her.

4. Dear Future by Dope G ft Holstar and produced by Tekzilla.  

Beautiful song. 

5. Aston Martin Music by Rick Ross ft Drake

6. What She Said by Holstar ft CeeCeefied

7. Shaka Zulu on Em by Zone Fam  

This was my group’s breakout song: it has done wonders for us, people love it!

8. Asinamali by Tumi and the Volume

9. Power by Kanye West

10. Rolling by Chamillionaire

What have you or do you contribute to Zambia’s development economically, politically and/ or socially?

Duncan and his hip hop group Zone Fam

I have been especially dedicated to developing, cultivating and showcasing hip hop music in Zambia. We have come from a point where in 2004-5 there was no one listening to us, instead they were choosing to listen to international acts.  We only had one show on Zed radio playing locally produced stuff, now we have 5 or 6 shows across stations dedicated to this genre of music.  I have also made sure to be a part of many of the organisations that have helped to bring this about. I want to give a voice to those that wouldn’t otherwise be heard.  I promote whatever I can in the hopes they get the platform to showcase their talent that they wouldn’t have otherwise gotten.

I worked in youth media, in the sound engineering department for the radio show TrendSetters that has now evolved into the multimedia group Media 365.  I also worked for Bwafano Home-based Care for HIV/AIDS in Chazanga Compound in Lusaka.  They are the lifeline for 17,000 orphans.  It was a great experience as it brought home the effect this pandemic has had on our future, and fulfilling as I could see that we are taking steps to deal with the situation. 

What do you think is special about being an African man?

When you walk into a room you immediately either intimidate or are labelled.  You usually don’t turn out to be what people think you are.  I could be rich or poor, a criminal or a good guy.  We are always under- or overestimated so there is that element of surprise. 

I personally think the African man symbolises strength and not in the just in stereotypical physical sense of being able to keep a family safe from dangers and raising a proud family.

What do African men need to improve and how?

We need to learn how to work together more and network amongst ourselves.  We need to lessen the burden that African women have to bear in the family, the homestead.  This is more than just providing the money for food.  We will be making huge strides even if it is something simple such as taking just one thing off her list of things to do.

What do you think is special about the African woman?

I defer to a poem I wrote called African Woman credited under my alias Holstar:

What do African women need to improve and how?

Zambian woman have a harder time working together because of some of the constraints in society right now.   They need to find a way to rise up and stop being subservient. They should see themselves as equals they already are to African men and take charge as ultimately they are the heads of the household and in-charge of the daily activities of the family.  I will say there are women are getting educated and/ or coming back home from abroad and taking care of business here in Zambia, but there is still much room for improvement.

What role do the African diaspora and the global community have to play in the continent’s development and identity?

Both have a huge role to play. Sharing our diverse African culture with the international community and preserving it is what we on the continent need to do.  In a way our culture is seen to be dying out. We need to be at the forefront showing that it is very much alive, it is evolving and it deserves a more prominent and respected place on the global stage.

Sometimes it feels like the diaspora is not doing enough for example how BET did not air the best African act this year (2011)! Yes you gave the award but we want to see the win as that means something.

Are you satisfied with the way Zambia and Africa are portrayed in the media to the world?      

           

No, it’s a bit better these days but like I said no, I am not satisfied.  They don’t show the good things and the major advancements that are taking place here and in Africa.  Most us are still considered 3^rd world and we need to show our achievements to move forward, especially in the tech field, as well as socially and in the medical field.  Even with HIV/ AIDS. There are huge advancements that aren’t shown, such as how in Zambia we have brought down the amount of new infections considerably.   

3 Places and/ or Things That Make Zambia Special




4 Things Duncan has Learnt From



Like this interview? Check out the other MUNTUs :).  For more of  Duncan's poetic and musical side, check out this post.