Twit Tuesday: #BringBackOurGirls

Thought this picture of Muslim women that I took in Zanzibar in 2011 was
appropriate as many of the mothers asking for the world's assistance are
just as colourfully dressed and  I hope the girls are found and are
able to grow to become happy, educated women too.

Last week one of my Stanford little ones sent me an email imploring me to support the #BringBackOurGirls campaign through a Change.org petition.  This cause is particularly close to her heart as like the girls abducted from Chibok Secondary School, she too is not only Nigerian, but also from the Northern region and Muslim.  She has benefitted from the power of education with it taking her to boarding school in England and to one of the best universities in the world.  She is able to be whoever she wants to be and has never been restricted by her faith or her gender.  She has blossomed uninhibited to be an accomplished independent young woman, in large part due to the support of her family in her endeavours. To witness what has happened at the hands of Boko Haram must be a pain that  is particularly acute for her to bear.  I immediately obliged and then thought what more can I do.

I had already been thirsting to know more, and was wondering why the world had not already covered it the way they had instantly reported on the recent MH370 plane crash, the South Korean Ferry disaster or the on-going political and ethnic unrest in Ukraine.  I think that this issue of human rights and terrorism affects the world as it brings to the fore the issue of human trafficking which has been plaguing world for centuries (albeit in different forms over time) and deserves the same coverage, if not more.   These heinous actions have now gone completely underground, yet millions of adults and children are plucked from their homes all over the world every year and sold and/or forced into some sort of servitude unbeknownst to the average world citizen.  Boko Haram knew this and completely exploited this opportunity to pluck girls so brazenly from the safety of their boarding school, and are proudly talking about this diabolical act and how they seem to have gotten away with it.

Pop culture has taken a stab at bringing this issue to light.  In Taken, a cult mainstream film, Liam Neeson's daughter is abducted in Paris and is drugged and sold for a rich man's entertainment aboard his yacht. He turns over every stone to find her in a manaical rampage.  I recently watched an indie, I am Slave, about a Sudanese girl who is stolen as a child and taken all the way to England with the family who own her.  They give the impression she is employed as a maid, but really has been taken against her will, and has grown up unpaid and worked like a horse.  Both movies rocked me to my core.  The thought of things like this happening as we go about life is extremely troubling and scary.  There are so many layers to our world, many unseen, sinister, and dangerous. 

None of the girls are so lucky as to have a CIA trained father to use his contacts and experience to free them, and luckily some of the girls were able to escape like the girl in I am Slave was eventually able to do. Fortunately, they have parents who love them, who are outraged that the Nigerian government and military did nothing to protect them even though there are reports that they were forewarned.  They started a social media campaign on Twitter through the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.  It has taken weeks for the world at large to respond.  Now the news is filled with colourful images of mothers in mourning.  I wonder whether they may have found comfort sooner, if Nigerian and global support had come earlier.

I have just heard about an event here in Lusaka to be held this Saturday, 17th May, from 09:30 to 12:00 at the Civic Centre.  The hope is to get Zambians more involved in helping and being more informed about the current situation and the larger issues the Chibok girls have brought to light.  There will be children marching in support and various knowledgeable people speaking about the issues at hand.

I will write more about this after the event and once I know more about what we are doing here in Zambia.  In the meantime, you can keep abreast with all information, social media and petitions to do with the Chibok girls at BringBackOurGirls.com and about the Zambia Cares campaign here.

#ZambiaCares #BringBackOurGirls event will be held on SATURDAY 17TH MAY, 09:00 - 12:00, CIVIC CENTRE, CHURCH ROAD, LUSAKA. All are welcome to attend and lend their support :)

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.

Things on Thursday: TAMBA - Love

Last month on Valentine's Day I was privileged to converse with a diverse group of beautiful, soulful and wise African women thanks to the affordances of social media, and technology's potency in this day and age.  It  never ceases to amaze me the way we continue to service our viscerally inherent need to communicate and share ideas through innovation and creation!  Just as we need food and drink to fuel and sustain life physically, our mind needs sustenance through connection, facilitated by our ability to express ourselves.  So what better way to launch Things on Thursday (the last of the day themes) with "this thing called love" he he he he ;}

Here is the video of the Google + Hangout, organised by the awesome ladies at Adventures From the Bedrooms of African Women, discussing the topic: the Metamorphosis of Love. Btw ukutamba in Bemba means to watch, hence the tag TAMBA which I am using to curate video content.

I warn you, my mic that day decided to go on strike, refusing to amplify my voice.  I have been told if you use your earphones and turn up the volume as loud as you can, you can hear me.

You can also check out my post on Valentine's Day that summarises some of my views on love, and my post with links to the other ladies' blogs.

Soul Food Friday: Spreading the Love on Valentine's Day :)

I don't actually believe in Valentine's Day on a personal level.  It is too close to my birthday for one - would rather be spoilt then than have someone skimp coz they are thinking they have to do something again not before long.  More importantly there are 364-5 days in the year that you should be making an effort to show your love in.  Knowing you are going to express yourself on a certain day with everyone else in such cliched ways can make it rote. The best kind of special is not only thought out, but also spontaneous so the receiver is pleasantly surprised.  OFTEN.  REGULARLY.   

However, if this is the day you want to profess your love or reaffirm your commitment to someone, please go ahead!  If you can find meaning in this day, who am I to rain on your parade?!  Exactly, so go make someone feel special.  Ignore the above paragraph and bring on the love fest.

As for me, I am going to profess universal love, wish all you readers a Happy Valentines day, and proceed to express my sentiments through photo and video xo  

And if you would like to celebrate it with me, I will be speaking on a panel of African women bloggers during the Metamorphosis of Love Google + Hangout hosted by Adventuresfrom.com at 19:00 CAT, 17:00 GMT.

© George Mutale

Though you may try my patience, my passionate patriotism will never be extinguished.  Zambia I will always love you xo

For those of you who need reminding.  You deserve to be loved because you are "full of wonder"!  Do not sell yourself short and allow yourself to be loved in a lesser fashion because you do not think you should want or demand better.  Don't settle and don't be afraid to pursue that someone who you think is out of your league, life is too short and you are too special.  We are all on this earth for a reason, and that is enough.  And we all deserve that divine requited love :) xo

Love should fill you with rapture.  If you need food for your soul to open you up to love and its possibilities, watch this beautiful documentary. The artist's love of African print and cloth opened her soul up to create such inspired art.  Imagine what watching it could do for you...

LEMBA: African Female Bloggers and the Metamorphosis of Love

Mazuba Kapambwe blogger at Afrosocialiting
and I after the Ngoma Awards in
Lusaka, December 2012.
Photo by Silumesii Maboshe
© Pencil Case Studios

Tomorrow as I have mentioned I will be speaking with other wonderful African women about the "Metamorphosis of Love".  This all happened because one of my Stanford besties happens to be besties with Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah of the Adventures from the bedrooms of African Women. I crashed her bday party while falling in love with Ghana in January and afterwards reached out without looking like too much of a stalker fan (ahem I hope he he he).

In my early days of blogging, the Adventures blog was one of my go-to sites for inspiration.  I was so impressed by how bold these women were as, sex is such a taboo subject on the continent.  So is love.    We talk about AIDS and the perils of fornication, and if we do talk about love and sex it's in a church during a wedding where you are given blessing to copulate for procreation and where love is celebrated in a very traditional fashion for a coupla hours.  I digress, as I was saying, this blog inspired me to blaze my own trail with my own voice.  They disappeared for a while, which led me to believe they had been abducted by the forces of silence, but they thankfully came back.

Nana introduced me to Malaka Gyekye Grant, the other half of Adventures.  And then it clicked after a couple of exchanges  that she is the woman of Mind of Malaka whom I had stumbled upon after looking for the original of You Intellectual Scum account and I had another round of geeking out on Twitter with her.  Both have been so kind as to think that I may have something to say about love and the African woman.  I have not blogged much about the subject to be discussed - this post is the only one completely dedicated to it in the Love tag is and I have only made one PSA about safe sex, though I did speak about sexual choices in this post and discrimination here. I basically have skirted around both issues, only really directly addressing them in the first year of the blog and in the AIDS tag.  

Check out the other ladies who will be a part of the Metamorphis of Love Google+ Hangout at 19:00 CAT, 17:00GMT which will be facilitated by Malaka and produced by Nana:

Tosinger from the Nigeria and the USA

The Rambling Roommates from Ghana

Tiffany from South Africa and Kenya

And just for Malaka, as promised, I appeal to a baller Nigeria to be pimpin' and donate to Blogging Ghana's indiegogo campaign to help Ghanaian bloggers tell more stories. Or anyone else with deep pockets for that matter :)... 

@AbenaGyekye how about I get a Nigerian baller to give on this poor Zambian's behalf ha ha ha! When is the deadline, waiting to get paid...
— Ngosa Chungu (@whoops_c) February 10, 2014

Polychronic Global Music Mix

As promised, here is the 3-4-10 post of music that defies the laws of time, polychronic in nature: timeless due to  the artists' refusal to be limited by the Zeitgeist to produce music that is ever present in the past, the now and the tomorrows to come.  List is in no particular order, all these songs are dope yo! (For more music explore the Music and African Music tags ) Enjoy! :) 

Top 3 songs right now:

1. Bruno Mars - Locked up

2. PSY - Gangnam Style

3. Contolola - Zone Fam

Top 4 African songs:

1. EME ft. WizKid - Dance For Me

2. Pompi - Packaging

3. Emeli Sande - My Kind of Love

4. Fuse - Azonto

10 songs from the past? present? future?

1. TIV ft Vector & Proverb - Komole

2. E-Sir ft Nameless - Boomba Train

3. Olly Murs - Dance With Me Tonight

4. African Connection - Ami Oh

5. Cactus Agony - Bush territory

6. Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You (True Tiger Remix ft Dot Rotten & Scrufizer)

7. La Roux - Tigerlilly

8. Daley ft Jesse J

9.  Holstar - Past, Present and Future

10.  Kryptic Kids - H.O.H. (Head Over Heels)

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 :).

Zed Culture Part III: A Call to Arms

This post originally featured on Unchain Africa Press in June 2012.  I have been looking to post it at the right time on MbA. It has been modified slightly from the original.  This is also dedicated to OXFORD SHIRT,  and appropriately is posted during her birthday month.

“You Lazy (Intellectual) African Scum”  recounts the frank, chance meeting between an American venture capitalist and a Zambian. This man of the Caucasian persuasion, depending on the way one reads the retelling, either comes off as arrogant, insensitive and even racist, or, he is a man that understands that capitalism has no morals, that money begets money, that many in the financial sector have no qualms about exploiting whomever to get it, but through his travels has made some astute and insightful observations about Africa and its educated elite.  This recounting of a coincidental plane meeting went viral at the beginning of the year and has touched a very sensitive place in the African psyche.

Whatever your view of this exchange between two men from two different continents are, it is a welcome addition to the debate about the state of Africa and what we on the continent are doing about it.  Jacqueline Musiitwa, a proud Zambia, decided to defensively attack the American. Her tone is caustic, vitriolic and dismissive. Even though she acknowledges that there are Africans who leave and turn their back on Africa once they are educated, it is clear that she has decided that this man is racist, ill-informed and evil.  She acknowledges that some of us still have an inferiority complex and that Zambia, and the continent, still have a way to go to being in an economically sound place, but has missed the crux of this account.  She has committed the opposite of the sin that is the colonised mind: she appears to be bitter, and herself prejudiced, letting these shortcomings cloud her judgement. She has focused on the (evil) white man, rather than what the men’s discussion has brought to the fore.  That makes her no better than the type of people she seems to despise.

The point is that the American is well aware that there is no difference between races and that we are all capable of achieving great things.  If he had been sitting next to a Kenyan and had done business there and had the same experiences, he would have probably said the same thing.   Zambia was merely the example to serve a much greater purpose: talking about the state of many parts of the continent.  We Africans are some of the most educated people in the world and yet we are not a force in it.  The Economist reported that even though many of the continent’s countries sported high growth figures, despite the global economic downturn, last year we only contributed to 2.5% of the world's output.  We may be blessed with raw materials that are pivotal to the world today, but we are not using this wealth to develop and progress wisely.  In DRC, instead of its coltan reserves being harnessed to uplift its people or to make technological equipment such as mobile phones, it is being used by rebel militia to fuel the conflict that is disempowering women and terrorising villages.  Nigeria supplies a fifth of the USA’s oil and yet in January its own people were lining up for fuel.   Many of us complain about our governments, corruption, discrimination and the fact that we do not have this or that but do not follow-up proactively enough, if at all.  We as individuals need to do more, and the intellectuals, both home grown and those with exposure to other cultures, countries and continents through education and work, need to be at the forefront, leading the rest into a better future.

Rather than be offended by this account, let us take it as an opportunity to take stock, to re-evaluate our position, and to figure out a way to affect change for the better.   This is a call to arms for intellectuals to use the knowledge they have amassed and transform it into innovation, solutions, development and change. The newly certified generation of educated Africans should help the continent on the ground, or from abroad in any way they can, no matter how small. We as Africans need to stem the tide of vulture funds, and reduce the reliance on Western economic and humanitarian aid.  Instead we should be inspiring each other to innovate, create and collaborate on the continent and with the world.  It is up to us to show that Africans are achieving great things, from the grassroots level to the lofty echelons of government and business.  Many of our local media do not cover the work people are doing in their communities and what great things already happening on the continent.  We need to encourage ourselves to use the tools we have acquired locally and abroad to better our future and stop the systematic exploitation of our lands and people.

            

We need to be inspired by people such as Fred Swaniker who started a leadership academy in South Africa to encourage secondary school children hailing from all corners of Africa to think about how they can contribute to the continent. We need to believe that we have African products to offer like Magatte Wade, and fight against African stereotypes like Olivier Nizeyimana. We need to continue to create and support sites like the Zambian Entrepreneur that “match entrepreneurs and investors” and Celebrating Progress Africa that highlights success stories and provides a forum for debate.  And we need to support women like Bethlehem Tilahun who created the worlds first and only WFTO fair trade certified footwear company, soleRebels, as this recent New York Times article outlining female entrepreneurship driving African economic development highlighted.  We also need to take control of and produce the messages and the definitions of who we are that are transmitted through global media.

We need to ramp up our mission to fully reclaim ownership of our continent and its destiny that continues to be bright despite being obscured by our inability to more actively fight for it, even though we have the means to do so.

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. 

Joyeux Jour De L'Afrique Tout Le Monde! :)

Painting by an Evelyn Hone student hanging at the College's
Art Studio located at the Lusaka Showgrounds

Je suis desolée pour mon français mal.  I'm sure that is wrong too but at least I have tried - it's the thought that counts :). Happy Africa Day, Africa Freedom day, Feliz Dia de África and if you are in Kenya Happy Madaraka Day (celebrated in Kenya on June 1st to commemorate the day the country achieved internal-self rule during colonial times before attaining full independence on 12th Dec 1963) in advance.  In French today really does sound like a day to be up to no good by getting your freak on.  Or some precursor to Halloween...I digress as usual, I have to find a way to stop this nonsense! Today is all about positivity and celebration of our lovely continent, and to remind ourselves that we are not shackled by outside forces, we are the only ones standing in the way of unlocking our potential by either being to afraid to use it or by letting others continue to keep us down. 

First I would like to celebrate my country, Zambia.  2012 has been a great year for me so far, as it has finally given me the opportunities to justify me wanting to repatriate and make the continent my base, even though people have repeatedly tried to discourage me.  As much as I enjoy and have friends in the West, the motherland is my home and I am meant to be here contributing to its development and to changing perceptions about her for the better.  In these last five months I have met with some wonderful people through sport, media and technology.  And then of course, my love for the African continent never ceases, it only grows. This is a milestone year for me, having entered my fourth decade and I feel so young, and alive and for the first time in a long time like there is an exciting and fulfilling life ahead of me and that the African Dream is a reality and am already making headway and living it.  So I'm going to do a 3-4-10 to express being "Proudly Zambian. Positively African": the tagline for my soon to be formed TV and film production company (more to come about that soon :)). 

3 people and/ groups I'm crushing on:

1. The Chipolopolo and their AFCON win

TIA.  Copyright infringement does not apply here. Many street
vendors sell a lot of  illegal and unsanctioned Chipolopolo
merchandise.  This team"photo" can be purchased
at any traffic light.

ILELELELELELELELELELELELELE!  People believe that it was divine destiny that we were able to win the trophy after 3 finals appearances each about 2 decades apart and  that our triumph came almost 20 years after the 1993 tragedy that wiped out a generation of Chipolopolo in one fell swoop and gutted the country in such a way that we never thought we would recover.  The boys showed us that if you believe and you work hard to realise your dreams, they are very much achieveable.  It is up to you to reach out and grab your opportunities and our national team did  that by demonstrating how shoot to kill with copper bullets all the way to the final, where they slayed the mighty elephants of Cote D'Ivoire.  The country was brought together during this time in a way I have not seen since forever and it has infused a new wave of possibility and opportunity.  All I can say is come next year in South Africa "One Zambia. One Nation.",  "Nafuti, Nafuti" (Again and Again), "Donchi Kubeba!" (Don't tell) he he he he he.  Basically shoot to kill, take no prisoners, we want another bloodbath. Natowts! 

2. Leymah Gbowee

The evidence of my shameless love for my No 1 girl crush is splattered all over Facebook he he he.  From her rocking African fashion to her beautiful mind, she's just da bomb yo! Recently she posted two insightful things on her page: 

"I spoke at a function today and shared my views on development.  Expatriate-led NGOs and funders should understand that the best work being done to address African's problems isn't necessarily on the Internet, at NGO meetings in the capital or in New York.  A lot of the best work  is being done by Africans who stay in their communities, who don't have website, and keep their door open even without funding."

"The greatest threat to security in West Africa is unemployed youth."  

I think the second quote extends to many parts of the continent. There are many a disgruntled youth here in Zambia for sure, who were promised jobs and have not seen the fruits from the seeds that were supposed to have been planted to create a employment tree with many branches extending to all industries.

3. Her Excellency Joyce Banda

My love for her is also painted all over my profile.  She came to power under tragic and unfavourable circumstances but has not let this unsettle her.  She has been a Big Mama and has gotten right down to business and has taken to the role of President of Malawi with grace, strength, positive controversy and aplomb.  Her outspokeness on President Bashir being allowed to attend AU meetings, her lifting of the homosexual ban to her sacking the Police Chief all within a month of taking on the top job show that she is not afraid to weild her power on behalf of her people in order to secure peace within her country's borders, secure Aid from overseas and to respect the human rights of her citizens.  I heart :).

You can read more about my love for the Chipolopolo in this post written after the AFCON semis (was too caught up in the Final and by the time I'd calmed down I decided not to write about it as I just wanted to enjoy the win.  One day I shall do something about what that meant but you can see evidence on Facebook.)  For more on my girl crushes read these posts: Positively Woman and My Recent Bout of that Icky Nervous Condition....

4 inspirational African proverbs:

1. Love the Truth even though it harms you and hate the lies even if they serve you - Morroco

2. Where there is love there is no darkness - Burundi

3. It is better to weep with wise men than to laugh with fools - Ethiopia

4. Help me during the flood and I will help you during the drought - Tanzania

10 songs I'm feeling right now:

From Zed:

1. No explanation needed for this one methinks (sorry about the bum in your face, I have no control over that.  It will go away when you play the vid he he he)...

2. As I said when I posted this on Facebook, this is a track that provides the soundtrack to your moment outside in the garden nursing a nice South African red. If it is really hot, a Rosé is a refreshing substitute...

3. Life can get too serious and so can people with their music.  I like this track coz it's light and infuses global pop sounds with Zambian flavour.  Easy going and easy to dance to...

From the continent:

4. Though sometimes it's good for music to have a message and have meaning.  Here is a good example...


5.  The Mr. Endowed to my Mrs. had to be on the list of course because it is no secret I am twisted over this Oliver-o he he he he ;}...


6.  We love to dance in celebration and will find any excuse to do so here on the continent.  It's a good thing that we make good dance tracks to move to...


7.  Though my friends keep telling me I'm better than that, I have no qualms about being a gold-digger of the trophy wife persuasion and if P-Square don't care I'll spend their money plenty...


8. "All I know is Swagger" coz like the Channel I'm original and they tell me all the time I'm "young gifted and African" and you know what, you are too (even if you weren't born here at some point we all came from this beautiful land albeit thousands of years ago he he he he) :)


9. Just love this track...


10. Started with a positive track about Africa and we shall end with one too :).  Activate Afrika!