Zambia World Wide

Greetings friends, Zambians and globalfolk,

tiyende pamodzi, mtina umo (lets go together with one heart)

tiza onana, mwesu ndi mwesu, kwaseri kwa mitambo (we shall meet again,eye to eye, beyond the clouds)

Our dad sacrificed his place at a uni back in india and sailed across to Africa to work towards supporting our grandparents and all the family back in the village in India.

Somewhere in the Indian ocean their passenger liner was intercepted by a german u boat, whose captain questioned (via a megaphone), their captain whether they were carrying anything towards the war effort.he managed to convince him for this not to be the case.

They were allowed to carry on with their jouney! ----the decks below were filled with arms and soldiers!!!  thus I live to tell this tale.

He found his way to Chipata and got a job to man a little trading post in the middle of the wilderness a few miles north of Chipata. He was on his own and had to look after the goods in the shop as anything missing would be deducted from his wage of one pound a month.

There was no door in the shop front and at night he would prop up his bed against the entrance and sleep.  His main worry was not the wild animals coming up to the door (including lions), but to ensure nothing was stolen as this would grossly affect his earnings and thereby his support for his family members back at home (his parents and 5 siblings).

He then sponsored his brother to come and join the effort and grew from strength to strength and started to call their other brothers and sister and their families.  He was very proud of his 'family' which grew to almost 150 members residing in Zambia by the time he passed away a few years ago.

Our mum never let us know what trials they went through in the remote jungles where we were born (4 brothers and two sisters).  On my insistance when I last visited her before she passed away she then disclosed to me that not only was there no electricity but no running water, nor a well to draw water from.  She had to go barefoot in the jungles to look for water and at times had to dig up a dry river bed to find the muddy water which she would filter through a cloth into a clay pot and bring home to boil!!

At the age of 7 we moved to lusaka on the back of diesel truck.  The diesel fumes and the dust on the road was overpowering.

I will never forget that journey as we went past all the small communitiy posts like Katete, Kawere, Petauke, Sinda, Kachalola, the Luangwa bridge, Chinyunyu hot springs..a gravel road that was cut through the wooded and remote areas.

I attended my first lessons at Lotus Primary School and eventually gained enough o level passes to study A levels and uni in the U.K.

My other brothers and sister all graduated and so have many of our children.  At the last count my dad was rewarded for sacrificing his one degree in india for a total of 20 degrees in his immediate generations. How many more to come?

Man proposes but GOD undoubtedly disposes.

There are so many other memories of Zambia.

We were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be born and to grow up in such a wonderful country with a very warm and welcoming nation. I cannot think of any other country in the whole of africa that has not had a major crisis, war, revolution, inter tribal or inter-religious issues taken at extreme levels, apart from Zambia. It is definitely a tribute to the nation.

May it prosper and thrive and remain proud and free and live in joy and unity