It’s amazing what one can learn from and about a person by just walking with them –masks of stereotypes fall and all you are left with are human beings and the lines on the faces that represent their lives stories. After having lived in the village for the past few weeks suddenly ‘rural’ people don’t seem as rural anymore.
Lovemore Sipukula, the captain doesn’t look a day over 30 in my opinion but he’s just turned 47, the only sign of which are the few lines around his eyes. A leader, a motivator, a believer, a visionary; still single because he claims to not want to deal with the troubles of a married life; skilled in not just farming but also in bricklaying, sand mining, animal rearing and the list goes on. He’s decided that he wants to give back to the community and so decided to work with my partner organization. He understands the need for the community to take ownership of its development. He pushes the project on and boosts the morale of the rest of the VCFs, who he considers family, when they don’t see the point or the light at the end of the tunnel; he sees the assets of the community even if they don’t necessarily, and recognizes the endless possibilities. He once told me, as we were on one of our many walks to visit a fellow friend in another village, “you know Chimbo (my community given name), the real job lies in motivating the people. If you want to mobilize the resources of a community you need to first mobilize the people”. I was impressed. He has plans to start goat rearing as there has been a drastic decline in livestock rearing since the epidemic that took place 10 yrs ago. When livestock were dying by the hundreds, leaving whole families to take up farming as a form of livelihood. He doesn’t have the initial capital to start it yet but he’s determined. He’s saving up. 
Gladys Kabongola Chama, a widow with six children, was kind enough to gift me a chicken. She says I haven’t tasted a real chicken until I’ve eaten a chicken from the village, none of that GMO stuff she says. She said she lost her husband two years ago. They told her it was a severe case of malaria. She now farms maize on her own with her six children. She says she wasn’t able to yield enough maize to sell because she didn’t have enough fertilizer which is very expensive. She spends whatever spare time she can afford volunteering with my organization. She wants to start an adult literacy class.
Ebby, like a true Tonga man, likes his women as much as his drink, and also very smart. Smooth with his words and a quick learner. He is one I would call a “Public Relations” man. Still single for obvious reasons but insists that he’ll settle down one day and has asked me to find him a Muzungu (foreigner) wife like myself. He wears second hand Italian shoes (which seem to be the fashionable thing for men to wear in Zambia) as he rides his bicycle that he received from World Vision. He farms cotton and maize for a living.
Nicolas, a small built man with a million dollar smile, a church elder, a father, a farmer. His
family has been farming maize ever since his father (a well known member and cattle rearer of the community) lost 400 of his cattle to the epidemic. He used to work for Dunavant, a cotton distributing company, but he wasn’t receiving his monthly wages from his supervisor. He tried to complain to the manager in the head office in Lusaka. But the supervisor was paly with the manager at the head office, and so his complaints fell on deaf ears thereby forcing him to quit his job. He’s back to farming maize again. He always insists on giving me a ride on his bicycle on my way to the Information Centre even though the poor man seems like he’s about to croak at the end of the journey. He says I’m a heavy woman but he’s a used man and can carry my weight all the way to Lusaka if he had to.
Juliet Kofu, a widow of three children and also my host mom. Makes MacGyver references and improvises like one too (she’s able to ride a bicycle that has no breaks and has its pedals missing). Farms enough maize to keep the family going. Wants to start growing cotton but doesn’t have the manpower to do it. She insists I add glycerin to my body lotion (which it seems like all Zambians do) to help get rid of my dry skin and refuses to let me wear my pants until I let her wash it for me because it’s too dirty (I think differently ;)). She watches patiently as I struggle to cook nshima and takes over when I finally give up. Leslie, Sharon and Veronica act a lot like the way my siblings and I do. Leslie is a spunky 15 yr old, who can be loud, nutty and bullies her sisters because she knows she can. Sharon is 12 yrs old, quieter than her other two sisters, has a head on her shoulders and a hard worker who will do the household chores without being asked. Veronica is a 9 year old who is relatively tall for her age, has a cute smile and a twinkle in her eye that spells mischief.
Lovemore Sipukula, the captain doesn’t look a day over 30 in my opinion but he’s just turned 47, the only sign of which are the few lines around his eyes. A leader, a motivator, a believer, a visionary; still single because he claims to not want to deal with the troubles of a married life; skilled in not just farming but also in bricklaying, sand mining, animal rearing and the list goes on. He’s decided that he wants to give back to the community and so decided to work with my partner organization. He understands the need for the community to take ownership of its development. He pushes the project on and boosts the morale of the rest of the VCFs, who he considers family, when they don’t see the point or the light at the end of the tunnel; he sees the assets of the community even if they don’t necessarily, and recognizes the endless possibilities. He once told me, as we were on one of our many walks to visit a fellow friend in another village, “you know Chimbo (my community given name), the real job lies in motivating the people. If you want to mobilize the resources of a community you need to first mobilize the people”. I was impressed. He has plans to start goat rearing as there has been a drastic decline in livestock rearing since the epidemic that took place 10 yrs ago. When livestock were dying by the hundreds, leaving whole families to take up farming as a form of livelihood. He doesn’t have the initial capital to start it yet but he’s determined. He’s saving up. 
Gladys Kabongola Chama, a widow with six children, was kind enough to gift me a chicken. She says I haven’t tasted a real chicken until I’ve eaten a chicken from the village, none of that GMO stuff she says. She said she lost her husband two years ago. They told her it was a severe case of malaria. She now farms maize on her own with her six children. She says she wasn’t able to yield enough maize to sell because she didn’t have enough fertilizer which is very expensive. She spends whatever spare time she can afford volunteering with my organization. She wants to start an adult literacy class.
Ebby, like a true Tonga man, likes his women as much as his drink, and also very smart. Smooth with his words and a quick learner. He is one I would call a “Public Relations” man. Still single for obvious reasons but insists that he’ll settle down one day and has asked me to find him a Muzungu (foreigner) wife like myself. He wears second hand Italian shoes (which seem to be the fashionable thing for men to wear in Zambia) as he rides his bicycle that he received from World Vision. He farms cotton and maize for a living.
Nicolas, a small built man with a million dollar smile, a church elder, a father, a farmer. His
family has been farming maize ever since his father (a well known member and cattle rearer of the community) lost 400 of his cattle to the epidemic. He used to work for Dunavant, a cotton distributing company, but he wasn’t receiving his monthly wages from his supervisor. He tried to complain to the manager in the head office in Lusaka. But the supervisor was paly with the manager at the head office, and so his complaints fell on deaf ears thereby forcing him to quit his job. He’s back to farming maize again. He always insists on giving me a ride on his bicycle on my way to the Information Centre even though the poor man seems like he’s about to croak at the end of the journey. He says I’m a heavy woman but he’s a used man and can carry my weight all the way to Lusaka if he had to.
Juliet Kofu, a widow of three children and also my host mom. Makes MacGyver references and improvises like one too (she’s able to ride a bicycle that has no breaks and has its pedals missing). Farms enough maize to keep the family going. Wants to start growing cotton but doesn’t have the manpower to do it. She insists I add glycerin to my body lotion (which it seems like all Zambians do) to help get rid of my dry skin and refuses to let me wear my pants until I let her wash it for me because it’s too dirty (I think differently ;)). She watches patiently as I struggle to cook nshima and takes over when I finally give up. Leslie, Sharon and Veronica act a lot like the way my siblings and I do. Leslie is a spunky 15 yr old, who can be loud, nutty and bullies her sisters because she knows she can. Sharon is 12 yrs old, quieter than her other two sisters, has a head on her shoulders and a hard worker who will do the household chores without being asked. Veronica is a 9 year old who is relatively tall for her age, has a cute smile and a twinkle in her eye that spells mischief. 
Fights for the last bit of relish during supper by the fire are usually between Leslie and Veronica. This is because Leslie believes she’s been in the world longer which makes her entitled to it, Sharon (much like my sister Amy) sits quietly because she’s been in the world long enough to know that arguing with the first born is a lost battle and truly, a piece of fish is really not worth all that effort and energy, while Veronica (much like my brother Josh) has clearly not been in the world long enough to realize that pearly wisdom. I watch amused, realizing how much I’ve come to adore these girls and miss my own siblings. As I sit by the fire at the end of the day watching Juliet and the girls cook nshima for supper, sharing with each other the stories of the day and singing as we all watch the sun set I recognize that these people are my Dorothy. If there was any doubt before as to if I should have come here, they aren’t there now to say the least. They’re real people with virtues and flaws just like any of us. They have the same needs, wants and desires. They take pride in their country, themselves, their children, their farms and nshima making skills. Beautiful, intelligent, hardworking, calloused, hospitable, trusting, God fearing, and peaceful- these are the real people of Zambia.
3 comments:
That was awesome, Mary. Well done
I must digg your post so more folks are able to look at it, very useful, I had a tough time finding the results searching on the web, thanks.
- Norman
Hey Norman & Migdana,
Thanks I really appreciate the comments. I don't know how you even managed to find my blog but thanks for reading. It means a lot to me, truly!!
~Mary
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