uprooting the pumpkin

Social media, innovation and technology CAN change the world

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:26:00 +0000

Last Monday 23^rd September I attended the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Social Good Summit at Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka. The summit was all about how social media, innovation and technology can be used to make the world a better place. It brought together bloggers, press, celebrities, leaders, CEO’s, non profits and little old me. You can imagine how excited I was at the prospect of being in the same room as so many thought leaders and sponging off a little of that knowledge.

I'm the one with the huge flowers on my dress. Its a wonder we managed to listen in on the summit as we all spent it tweeting for social good!

There were some interesting and enlightening panel discussions.

Dr Mupanga Mwanakatwe, the CEO of Zamtel, sat on the panel for “Empowering local communities through connectivity”; he seemed highly enthusiastic about making his company fit for the technological demands of our times.

Mark Bennet of iSchool spoke about the recently launched tablet, Zedupad, which, as well as other informative applications, has the entire primary school curriculum. If you haven’t heard about this interactive educational tool, visit the site. I guarantee you will be as enamoured with it as I am.

Mark Chilongu of Africa Directions told us about Photo Voice a tool that youths in Mansa are using to tell their story. His organisations ethos is about nurturing the creativity of young people and using it as a means of educating them. Lukonga Lindunda of BongoHive had a similar point of view. Their message resonated with me as our education system can be somewhat stifling and probably misses out on some of the imaginative ideas students and young people in general can have.

Someone who stood out for me was Lelemba Phiri of ZOONA. She didn’t come in with a slide show of all the things her organisation does or give us a long speech advertising their services, she told us real stories illustrating the impact ZOONA has had on small business owners who would otherwise have little access to funding. It was a lesson in how to communicate with the youth. We need meaningful discussions. Show us what you are doing in a way that we can relate to. It’s really not that difficult.

This brings me to the politicians. I talk about social issues. I’m not big on analysing every single thing that our politicians do or say but I have to mention this.

It’s absolutely awesome that politicians are getting into technology and social media. Emmanuel Mwamba, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting spoke about how government departments need to make sure their websites are updated, he was at pains to point out that he even has a Facebook account.

Here’s the thing though. Social media and technology has changed the face of political interaction. It’s no longer a one way conversation. We want to talk to the politicians too. We want to be able to see evidence of what they are doing; we want them to be prepared to explain why they are doing it and then be amenable to receiving feedback from us.

I’m not an advocate of his politics. I don’t know enough about him, but a politician who is doing an awesome job of telling his constituents what he is up to is Matero Member of Parliament Miles Sampa. Check out his Facebook page and you will see why I’ve singled him out.

I was honoured to have been invited to the Social Good Summit.

Later on in the week I had the chance to visit an organisation that is introducing exciting, innovative methods at grassroots level.

You are going to love this! Well, I do anyway. Seeing what this organisation is doing was like having been in a classroom learning the theory and then going out into the real world to experience what it’s really all about.

The Peoples Process on Housing and Poverty in Zambia are doing an fantastic job of trying to alleviate the growing problem of inadequate low cost urban housing. They focus on community generated solutions. I’m not going to harp on too much because I've written a lot and sometimes pictures can tell the story so much better.

Here is a project that significantly cuts down the cost of building a house by using sand instead of bricks and mortar.

Female applicants preferred

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:43:00 +0000

I’ve spent the best part of a year trawling through endless newspapers and websites. No, I’m not that obsessed about news, I’ve been looking for jobs. You get up in the morning spend what money you have on newspapers, rifle through them, barely glancing at the stories and wonder what you will do with the rest of your day when yet again you realise that that K3 was spent in vain. It’s the depressing face of youth unemployment.

I’ve since abandoned the newspapers and discovered that you get so much further by networking, just putting yourself out there, but that’s not what I want to talk about, yet. I want to talk about something that stood out to me. I saw it scribbled at the bottom of countless advertisements. There seemed to be jobs created specifically to address it advertised everyday. Gender; the new buzzword, its absolutely everywhere.

Of course, I write a lot about gender inequality so I’m bound to notice these things, but it keeps cropping up.

I’m doing a short course at the University of Zambia and almost everyday a lecturer mentions the word gender, often as though it’s some new-found phenomenon imposed on us by those interfering Westerners. ‘In Zambia’, they say proudly, ‘we only have two genders’.

One of my lecturers is a ‘gender person’, works in that field. At the end of his lesson he asked all the Lozis and Tongas who had brought them to Zambia, he also asked the Chewas who chose their chiefs. The right answer was of course women. ‘There’, he concluded, ‘don’t let anyone tell you that it is not in our culture to have women in politics’. I was grinning from ear to ear until the lady in front of me commented that the kind of politics he had described was of a lower calibre. You know I didn’t let that one go, right?

The Junior Reporter is a magazine produced by young Zambians; teenagers, who have been given a platform to highlight issues that affect them. Last months publication was dubbed, ‘The Gender Issue’, there’s that word again. It had articles such as, “I Can Do a Man’s Job, “Why So Few Female Politicians?” and “You Can’t Beat and Love”. Much of the magazine was thought provoking and hard hitting.

As part of the Barefeet Festival, the Junior Reporters hosted a discussion about gender and had the opportunity to question representatives from the Ministry of Gender, Women for Change and Save the Children. It was a lively event and I’m sure it’s true to say that we all learnt a lot about some of the policies government has set in place to combat Gender Based Violence as well as the challenges faced in implementing them.

During the discussion the audience was asked to recount some of their experiences of Gender Based Violence. A young girl stood up and told her story. It was harrowing but it wasn’t about GBV and the representative from the government was at pains to point this out, he said we should be careful to understand what GBV actually is.

Bertha Ngozi of Save the Children summed it up perfectly by placing emphasis on the fact that Gender is a social construct. Only when we truly understand this statement and its implications can we effectively educate people about the need for equality of opportunity.

Oh, and yes, I’m still on the look out for that dream job. Law graduate turned creative, advocate for gender equality, good communicator, seeks employment, will consider offers from men as well as women.

The Barefeet Festival; A rip - roaring success.

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 06:01:00 +0000

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of being able to cover the Barefeet Festival. I didn't really know a lot about the organisation or the festival. If I’m honest I was just excited about the chance to get plenty of material for the blog, maybe do a bit of networking and have some fun during the week.

You see, I’ve been having a pretty rough month. Has me singing Ronan Keating’s, ‘Life is a Rollercoaster’, and not in a cheerful manner. You know, the kind of month when you do the bare minimum because you just don’t have the inclination, motivation, energy or creativity to do much more.

This festival was a chance to get out of that rut. If nothing else it would keep me busy, just what I needed to get my mind off things.

Let’s just say I got a lot more than I bargained for. This is going to sound a little clichéd, but the Barefeet Festival was a truly cathartic experience for me.

One of the things you realise when you return ‘home’ is that your friends have moved on and you need to make new ones.

I got to the launch alone and didn't really know what to expect. I needn't have worried. You know all that talk of the internet and social media destroying ‘proper’ human interaction; absolute poppycock. The only people I knew at that launch turned out to be individuals I’d met through Twitter, but it didn't stop us having a good time.

It was an interesting evening with some exciting tidbits of things to come. I wasn't, however, too keen on the hosts insistence that we ROAR at every possible opportunity.

One of the acrobats at the launch

A funeral for mediocrity

This little boy had us holding our breaths he was tossed about every which way

Randy McLaren a spoken word artist from Jamaica

My friends and I being Pompi groupies

I kept an open mind and attended an acrobatic workshop at the Lusaka Arts Theater. The plan was to go there, take a look at what was happening and maybe take some notes. It was my first time at the theater in many years. Everyone told me that it was now nothing more than a drinking place. The TV at the bar was showing those ever dramatic Hispanic soaps, hardly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of, ‘the Arts’.

I started to recognise faces, and hair, lots of dread-locked hair. I thought to myself, ‘I hope this is not a festival for us by us’. Can you tell I was a little apprehensive?

Well, true to form I got roped in. Who cares that I wasn't dressed for jumping up and down, sprawling across the, very dusty, hardwood floor. Don’t wear white jeans to an acrobatic workshop!

It was nice to interact with people from across the world, of varying ages and quite questionable acrobatic experience.

Amateur acrobatics

The enthusiasm was infectious, it crept up on me. I resolved to attend more events and volunteered to take part in a debate about the state of Art in Zambia.

The debate took place last Thursday and I’d say the events of that day marked a turning point in my appreciation of the Festival.

I arrived at the NASDEC sports complex and it was an absolute hive of activity. Incidentally its self evident that the government is far more interested in sports than the arts. There were what must have been hundreds of young people milling around, chalk all over their bodies and clothes made of sacks trailing behind them. OK a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture. It was absolutely buzzing; drumming and singing could be heard around the venue but true to form my experience of the day was a more sedate, cerebral affair.

I witnessed and took part in discussions about innovation, creativity, democracy, even gender inequality. It was a positively, stimulating day. Just to be in the company of so many within the creative industry who are passionate, not just about their work but about their role in the development of our country, really inspired me.

The final day marked my ‘Road to Damascus’ moment. Yes, I really did just use that analogy. You might say I’m being a little dramatic; it was after all just a musical concert. Let me explain myself. It was a Saturday night; yet again I walked in alone, apprehensive but didn't spend the evening that way. Instead I spent it singing and dancing along to the various acts on stage in the company of people I’d like to think of as my friends.

More talk of lions

As the acts came on, I started to notice a theme. The Mwale Sisters invited a group of young girls on to the stage to dance and when they inevitably wiggled their way through the music told them that life was not all about winding your waist. Maybe they should have a word with Miley. Mutinta invited us to sing along to Nibani, a song that condemns the tendency of other people to magnify our limitations. Randy McClaren saluted all hardworking Zambians.

One thing resonated with me, as act after act performed, whether through their lyrics or like Hope Masike by their stage presence. It was about empowerment.

This is one talented lady, Hope Masike

One of the Mwale Sister. I'm not ashamed to say one of the highlights of the evening was a surprise appearance by Anna Mwale.

Pompi and Hope Masike

The lovely Mutinta

I finally got it. Art and creativity lead to innovation and empowerment. I didn't just get it, I felt it. I have been energised by attending this festival and witnessing so many young people, fearlessly pursuing their dreams.

And all that talk of lions and silly roaring? It’s about agitation as opposed to complacency; making an impact in the best, most creative way that you can. So, I’m ROARING through this year, looking forward to what next years Barefeet Festival has in store for us.

How to survive in Zambia

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 05:18:00 +0000

Last Wednesday I attended ‘A Magical Night of Music Under the Stars’. It was a brilliant event for a worthy cause. Action for Empowerment Zambia is raising funds to complete the building of Chibolya Medical Centre in Lusaka.

We were treated to some beautiful music, ranging from violin recitals to original songs in local languages. The array of talent on display was truly impressive.

The musicians all got together at the end of the night to sing a rendition of ‘We Are the World’. This is no longer about people half way across the world helping poor Africans; we are doing it for ourselves.

There was an auction and you could bid on massages, facials, a Bubu from Nigeria, even a goat; the perfect example of an all embracing Africa, borrowing from others whilst retaining our own traditions.

The ambiance was great and I got to meet many like minded people while sipping wine and cowering around braziers to warm ourselves. It was a multi-cultural, cosmopolitan crowd. If you needed proof of the famed middle classes of Africa this was it.

It’s great to be back in Zambia and when I first got here I was overwhelmed by just how much was going on. It was nothing like the lethargic, negative mood in a recession ridden UK. Everyone here seems to be busy taking advantage of the huge potential for growth. Believe the hype people.

If, however, anyone tells you settling back in is easy they are stretching the truth a tad. So here are some useful tips for all the recession fleeing cheetahs out there.

· Be ready with an explanation for why you have returned.

Remember when you had to answer the question, ‘Where are you from?’, and you knew it could mean anything from, ‘Why are you here?’ to ‘Why do you look and sound different to the rest of us?’ Well, it’s pretty much the same here. I mean who in their right mind leaves the prosperous West to come back and live in Zambia?

· Find other returnees to talk to.

Your family and friends are glad to have you back but they will soon tire of your constant comparisons to your former life. ‘Back home’ was always a mystical land were everyone was laid back and the quality of life was awesome, now you wonder how you will live without a regimented sense of order.

· Plan your TV schedule.

We are truly in a global village. We can watch TV shows mere days after they premiere in the rest of the world. You don’t have to miss out on the Twitter conversations about live sporting events. Andy Murray about to win Wimbledon? DSTV has you covered. ZESCO, the local electricity supplier, on the other hand might not. There is nothing more exhilarating than the relief of getting to the end of a match just in time to beat the load shedding.

· Corruption? What corruption?

It’s a fine line between corruption and getting something done; figure out where you draw the line. It may sometimes feel as though bureaucracy is designed to make you give in and pay someone a little extra.

Want a national registration card? If you have dreadlocks you might want to consider wearing a wig to look more ‘natural’, bringing a letter from the Rastafarian Association will also help.

Trying to get a driving license? You will be accorded the opportunity to fast track at every point, you don’t need to see an actual doctor to get your medical form stamped and taking the test is a minor inconvenience best avoided.

· Beware of the bugs

Your blood has been contaminated by foreign air and the mosquitoes can smell it. They absolutely love it and are all out to get you. When they do get you they don’t just leave you scratching, they leave you with huge tender lumps and bumps. Arriving in the rainy season? Get acquainted with the various brands of mosquito repellents and no matter how hot you feel, close your windows and cover up.

· No need to restrict yourself to the shops

Why walk into a shop when you can buy anything, anywhere you want to. Stuck for something to eat at home? Why not pick up a rabbit or duck from the traffic lights. In fact stay in the car; you can get everything you need from the traffic lights. Pets, CDs, sunglasses, fruit, newspapers, you name it they’ve got it, remember to haggle as you drive away, don’t worry they’ll keep up the pace.

And my final tip;

· Take a ride in a mini bus.

No, I mean it. Take a ride in a mini bus. If you really want the heads up on what it takes to make it in Zambia get on the bus.

Watch the conductors shouting and scrambling for customers knowing that if they don’t they won’t be on the journey back. It would be awesome to have sanity on the roads. To do away with call boys and have those talking British buses that always turn up on time. It would all be nice and orderly but how would you ensure that the call boys end up in formal employment?

Upset that you didn't get to finish the latest episode of Mad Men because of yet another power cut? Your fellow passengers are probably living in accommodation were they have to share the cost of electricity across a block of rooms making sure that there are restrictions on the types of appliances they can have.

Does standing in line at the Road Traffic and Safety Agency make you want to take up an ‘agents’ offer to fast track you? Corruption is rife because of poverty but it also exasperates it by syphoning money away from public bodies. The people on the bus would be happy to line up waiting to pick up their licenses because it means they can afford a car.

Those bugs are annoying but you can get some of that foul smelling spray to ward them off. If you do get ill you’ll probably choose from one of many private hospitals to go to. Some of your fellow passengers don’t have that luxury. I once got on a bus with a man who had to carry his daughter on his back between stops because she had broken her leg and the nearest hospital to him was miles away.

Cut the hawkers at the traffic lights some slack. Don’t knock the hustle. There are thousands of graduates who can’t get jobs, what chance do those guys have?

You’ll be squashed and uncomfortable on that bus but you will have no illusions about the very real disparity between the privileged middle classes and the vast majority of the populace who are only just getting by.

So, what’s the answer to that question? Why did you come back? Why are you thinking about coming back? It’s different for everyone, but something I've come to appreciate is that a lot of the reasons for not coming back are pretty superficial in the grand scheme of things.

The real face of domestic violence; not just another statistic

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 07:59:00 +0000

Very few of us like Mondays. You’ve had a great weekend and want it to continue. You might have had such a ‘good’ weekend that you walk into work feeling a little rough, a little worse for ware.

A few Mondays ago our housekeeper walked into work more than a little rough. Her face was puffed up. She had a black eye and a large swollen lip.

Typing those words reminds me how shocking it was. Yes, it was a struggle to keep a straight face and look directly at her as she told her story, but even more shocking was the fact that she was here, in our house, having walked a considerable distance from her own, expecting to work.

How often have you pulled a sickie because you felt a little under the weather?

She left her house that morning having fought with her husband in front of her children only the night before; knowing that he would be released from jail that morning and would probably be at home waiting for her when she got back.

He hit her on her face to stop her parading herself. She would have preferred some body shots. That way, she said, she would be able to walk the streets without anyone knowing what was going on at home.

‘At least if he had finished paying my bride price , Ba Aunty, at least then it wouldn’t be a big problem but he hasn’t even paid for me and he is beating me’. They tell me a bride price is traditional and does not lead to gender discrimination.

Her brother in law came back home after the ‘fight’. He saw blood on the living room floor and asked his brother what had happened. He refused to listen to his brother’s explanation and barged into the bedroom. It was too much for him and he informed the police.

The police told her they would only charge him if she willed it, but after much pleading on his part they told her to forgive him, he is, after all, her husband and the father to her children. They would keep him in prison overnight and charge him K200 for the assault. He has to pay her the money. I wonder how they will ensure that he pays her. Her husband does not have a steady income. She is the main breadwinner.

Her mother told her to stay unless he did it again. This is the second time he has beaten her so badly. The last time she was pregnant with their first born. Her mother was also a victim of domestic violence.

I have written posts about domestic violence. They have been full of statistics and references to reputable sources. The statistics are shocking, difficult to believe. The stories are shocking too but the truth is after a while it is easy to get desensitised.

Shock, It’s what we are supposed to feel. Who can forget how shocking the image of Rihanna’s battered face was? I have felt real emotion when confronted with such images and stories but nothing can compare with having someone in front you living that story.

I have seen this woman come into work everyday telling me about the difficulties she faces at home. I have been to that home and seen her children.

I have been back in Zambia about 9 months and haven’t written a blog post in almost a year. I could make many excuses. I wasn’t connected to the internet for the first few months. I’ve been getting used to seeing Zambia not through some rose coloured nostalgia fuelled glasses but as my reality and it hasn’t always been easy. I’ve found that just as I didn’t quite ‘fit in’ in the UK I don’t quite fit in here either and that was a little confusing at first because after all this is meant to be ‘home’.

I could use all those excuses but the truth is I’ve been a little embarrassed, feeling as though my voice couldn’t possibly have been that authentic. How could it have been? I wasn’t living the reality of what I was writing. How was I any different from the numerous journalists writing about ‘Africa’ knowing they would be going back to their comfortable lives? Yes, I had the unique perspective of someone who has lived both in the West and in Zambia and I know I wrote some pretty good posts about my personal experiences but when it comes to social commentary nothing beats being on the ground. I suddenly understood why so many Zambians had misgivings about those of us living in the Diaspora. How dare we purport to know anything about their lives?

I’m not saying that my reality is the same as our housekeepers. My bedroom is bigger than her house. There is, however, something to be said for proximity and I do have a platform to be able to tell her story. Hopefully I can contribute even in some small way to bringing about change in attitudes towards gender discrimination.

Last Monday was like a wake up call for me. I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself, come clean with all of you and keep writing. I realised that I wanted to tell this story, had to tell it. I have passed up the opportunity to tell so many stories that deserve to be heard this past year.

So I’m done feeling embarrassed, I’m taking this as a life lesson learnt and choosing to continue telling stories because now, I’m in a position to put faces to the statistics.

Africans: Pawns in the Battle?

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:51:00 +0000

Last week I listened to a report by Gabriel Gatehouse on BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight. The discussion centred around Uganda, its prospects for economic growth and the rising level of investment from China and Chinese companies. China is now a larger trading partner to Uganda than the UK.

Mr Gatehouse cited Hilary Clinton's warning about Africa being careful not to allow neocolonialism and used solely for its vast natural resources. He, as so many others have done, fashioned the argument in terms of a clash between the West and China on how to deal with Africa. In fact his opening question was whether or not the battle for Africa was being lost by the West.

One of the interviewees was the Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina; if you have not read his thoughts on 'How to Write About Africa' you must. He emphasised the growth of Africa as one attributable in part to Africans holding their governments to higher account and demanding better infrastructure. He also mentioned some of the successful technological advancements (Wainaina's home country was the birthplace of Ushahidi ).

Try as he might to shift the argument away from Africa being simply a pawn, talked of in terms of its relationship to possible donors/investors, Mr Gatehouse was not interested. The possibility of a scenario reflecting the Cold War seemed a much more exciting prospect than that of Africa's huge population and natural resources proving pivotal to change on the continent.

I could feel Wainaina's frustration. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I considered writing a strongly worded letter to the BBC about the fact that they insisted on saying that the King of Spain had been hunting elephants in Africa when they knew full well what country he was in. Yes, it would have been very English of me and made a huge difference. In the end I sent a tweet.

Even more recently during the Olympic opening ceremony the BBC commentators insisted on describing every African country according to how long ago they had had wars or how poor they happened to be, without much mention of the competitors.

Trying to change the narrative about Africa can be like hitting your head against a brick wall. I strongly believe that until we see Africa differently we can not hope for a more mutually beneficial relationship with the rest of the world.

Frustration can be a panacea for change and in some part lead me on my own personal journey. I told you all about it in a previous post and I now have another blog that I hope will encourage you to follow me on my journey to find my own way to join in the tremendous positivity and growth that there is on the continent right now.

Societally imposed self constraint; appraising my wardrobe

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:12:00 +0000

I've been meaning to write this post for a long time now.

The furore in Malawi that came about as a result of women being stripped for wearing trousers presented the perfect opportunity, but I did not take it. I told a friend about it and she urged me to write the post because she could not get her head around the idea that the clothes I wore might be unacceptable in what purports to be a liberal society, but I did not. I read Caitlin Moran's thoughts on the way women regard clothes as an expression of who we are, but still I couldn't get over this writers block.

And then one of my 'Tweeps' said this and I had to respond!

EKOW SHALDERS ‏ @APOTITIMATI That I do not agree totally,when you meet someone who has dressed to attract client you will know ASAP! So let them be.

Its summer! Well, for now; the predictably volatile English weather is set to shock us back into our winter coats and scarves this week.

In my excitement, I've had a total revamp of my wardrobe. pushed my coats to the back and wrestled sandals,dresses,skirts and shorts from the bottom of my suitcases.

I'm not the only one.

Every where I look I see shorts and cropped tops. It seems that the look du jour is shorts that barely cover the derriere . I walked behind a woman clad in such attire in my local shopping centre and I was quite shocked. Perhaps I'm showing my age! Despite my shock I didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that said woman was evil, corrupting all our morals and an indictment on a society that has lost its way. I didn't think to myself, 'she deserves to be stripped for wearing such clothing'.

Stripping is, of course, an extreme reaction. The more subtle way to show displeasure with a woman's clothing would be to be judgemental and simply dismiss her as indecent. This kind of disapproval may not at first seem harmful but here's why it might be.

I know from personal experience the amount of time and effort it takes to carefully select the 'right' outfit taking care to ensure it's not too 'offensive'. You look at yourself in the mirror and decide after some deliberation that you love the outfit and the way you look even with that little bit of extra flesh on show.

Then you walk out of the house and are suddenly conscious of seemingly judging eyes.

A group of men stand on the corner and you brace yourself for what they might say to you. In fact, they need not say anything, their stares say it all. You are like a piece of meat on display at the butchers. You no longer walk with your head held high. You feel as though you want the ground to swallow you up.

The women whisper about how 'loose' you must be. They are threatened. Surely a woman dressed the way you are must be after their husbands. The bible says you must be modest, you are obviously not Christian enough.

You think to yourself, 'next time I wont wear this, next time I'll decide to blend in'.

Society has won, but are you the same person? If clothes are an important form of expression, what does it mean to have that taken away from you?

I look at my wardrobe and I know that a lot of it would be frowned upon in my home country. Do I cull it in readiness for my return or do I decide that it is more important to express myself the way I see fit?

Of course it could be that I'm completely paranoid. Is it only me that feels this way? And why am I shocked about the woman in the really short, shorts?

Oh, and y'all know I'm not a proponent of the over sexualisation of women so please don't use that argument against me.

A Change is Gonna Come: The power struggle between Africa's youth & it's leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000

The British Media and the Global South is a short film that attempts to investigate why the Western media, British in particular, portray Africa in a predominantly negative way.

The interviewees make the usual points, the press are only interested in negative stories and if Africans want a different narrative of their continent they should tell it themselves.

If you are in the habit of reading blogs and using social media you will know that the younger generation are already telling their own far more complete story. In fact, they are not only the narrators of that story they are also the characters.Yes, they acknowledge the problems on the continent, but they are brimming with solutions. They are either thinking of ways to, or are already taking positive action towards progress in their countries.

Case in point? This video shows a successful, positive, African, business woman. Magatte Wade certainly does not seem to suffer from any sort of inferiority complex. She is truly inspirational!

I've been mulling over my last post and the penny dropped. The problem with Walter's opinion is not the fact that he uses provocative language. It is the constant reference to the past. To what we as Africans have failed to do.

Field Ruwe's account of this conversation is not telling us anything new. It may be said in a blunt manner, but it is certainly not a light bulb moment for most of us.

In fact, in my opinion what is most disturbing about Walter's assessment is the conclusion, as I see it, that only intellectuals can contribute to the development of our continent. I firmly believe that equality of opportunity, a creative mind and self belief can go a long way.

African leaders, who incidentally are mostly dinosaurs, are not so different to the Western media or Walter. They see Africa's problems, but are not offering many useful solutions. They are still recycling the same old ideas, weighed down by their fight for independence and consequent 'failure' to achieve what they had envisioned for their nations.

Field Ruwe asserted as much when he wrote about the lack of innovation amongst our leaders. I would, however, point out that while Mr Ruwe talks about waiting a term or two for a new President who will encourage innovation we, the youth, are less patient. One of the major characteristics of a lot of the demonstrations and movements in Africa is that they are taking power back from governments, not waiting for the powers that be to act.

This Tweet says it all;

LaetciaB Laeticia

“We are neither Communists, Catholics nor socialist. We are African nationalists. We reserve the right to choose our friends " #Lumumba

The old categories are gone. We are so connected that all those artificial differences don't matter any more. We are able to see what those in more developed countries have and can no longer be content with scraping by.

This is not just an African story it is a global phenomenon. Consider this highly rated (if strongly worded) comment by a reader of The Guardian regarding proposed US legislation for the control of on line piracy ;

Kinelle

18 January 2012 5:31PM

Let's be honest, the people behind SOPA/PIPA are smart, very smart. They know without a doubt the bill will not put a dent in piracy. The kind of people who pirate and run piracy services are far too smart to be brought to heel by mere legislation and have continued to elude the best efforts of the US and it's lackeys. SOPA/PIPA exists for one reason, to protect an ageing and crooked business model, dominated by large corporations who are slowly but surely being eroded by people like you and me.

These corporations want to stifle the Internet because the Internet is the biggest threat to their dominance that has ever existed. For decades, through control of radio stations and television channels, corporations have made bank, but now, all the money in the world can't save them from guys in their bedrooms and home-made studios creating content that is more relevant to the current generation.

The variety the big media corporations refused to provide because it "wasn't profitable", is now being provided by hundreds of thousands of amateur, semi-pro and professional independent creators and directors and we're all competing for the most important currency of all, time. The time you spend watching our material is time you don't spend watching theirs. It's money directly out of their pocket that they could have been earning before the Internet came along and that's the hilarious thing about this whole deal. Piracy is not what's killing their profits, completely legitimate competition from the Internet is.

They use the cause of "fighting piracy" as a Trojan horse to force through bought and paid for legislation to kill independent content creation for good because they can see the end is nigh for their ageing and increasingly irrelevant business model. They know they cannot win legitimately, so they do what they've always done, exploit a corrupt political system to bully and extort their way to what they want.

This is what SOPA/PIPA are really about and that is why you should oppose them. You are standing up for what your generation represents, just as previous generations have done the same on a slew of different issues. As much as those in power would like us to believe we are the apathetic, lazy generation. The truth is we are anything but and that scares the shit out of them.

Zambian Intellectuals are Lazy

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:15:00 +0000

You know the feeling. Yet another forwarded message that tells you to read to the end and keep an open mind. Well, with a title about 'lazy intellectuals and an opening scene involving a man who seems just plain racist I was tempted to bin this one. I'm glad I didn't. There are many generalisations and the language sometimes feels crass but I defy you not to pause for thought and wonder if there's something in it.

The email was sent to me by my Dad so naturally I'm searching for some sort of subliminal message!

I'd be interested in your thoughts!?

Hunt for Successor 8

By Field Ruwe

They call the Third World the lazy man’s purview; the sluggishly slothful and languorous prefecture. In this realm people are sleepy, dreamy, torpid, lethargic, and therefore indigent—totally penniless, needy, destitute, poverty-stricken, disfavored, and impoverished. In this demesne, as they call it, there are hardly any discoveries, inventions, and innovations. Africa is the trailblazer. Some still call it “the dark continent” for the light that flickers under the tunnel is not that of hope, but aapproaching train. And because countless keep waiting in the way of the train, millions die and many more remain decapitated by the day.

“It’s amazing how you all sit there and watch yourselves die,” the man next to me said. “Get up and do something about it.”

Brawny, fully bald-headed, with intense, steely eyes, he was as cold as they come. When I first discovered I was going to spend my New Year’s Eve next to him on a non-stop JetBlue flight from Los Angeles to Boston I was angst-ridden. I associate marble-shaven Caucasians with iconoclastic skin-heads, most of who are racist.

“My name is Walter,” he extended his hand as soon as I settled in my seat.

I told him mine with a precautious smile.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“Zambia.”

“Zambia!” he exclaimed, “Kaunda’s country.”

“Yes,” I said, “Now Sata’s.”

“But of course,” he responded. “You just elected King Cobra as your president.”

My face lit up at the mention of Sata’s moniker. Walter smiled, and in those cold eyes I saw an amenable fellow, one of those American highbrows who shuttle between Africa and the U.S.

“I spent three years in Zambia in the 1980s,” he continued. “I wined and dined with Luke Mwananshiku, Willa Mungomba, Dr. Siteke Mwale, and many other highly intelligent Zambians.” He lowered his voice. “I was part of the IMF group that came to rip you guys off.” He smirked. “Your government put me in a million dollar mansion overlooking a shanty called Kalingalinga. From my patio I saw it all—the rich and the poor, the ailing, the dead, and the healthy.”

“Are you still with the IMF?” I asked.

“I have since moved to yet another group with similar intentions. In the next few months my colleagues and I will be in Lusaka to hypnotise the cobra. I work for the broker that has acquired a chunk of your debt. Your government owes not the World Bank, but us millions of dollars. We’ll be in Lusaka to offer your president a couple of millions and fly back with a check twenty times greater.”

“No, you won’t,” I said. “King Cobra is incorruptible. He is …”

He was laughing. “Says who? Give me an African president, just one, who has not fallen for the carrot and stick.”

Quett Masire’s name popped up.

“Oh, him, well, we never got to him because he turned down the IMF and the World Bank. It was perhaps the smartest thing for him to do.”

At midnight we were airborne. The captain wished us a happy 2012 and urged us to watch the fireworks across Los Angeles.

“Isn’t that beautiful,” Walter said looking down.

From my middle seat, I took a glance and nodded admirably.

“That’s white man’s country,” he said. “We came here on Mayflower and turned Indian land into a paradise and now the most powerful nation on earth. We discovered the bulb, and built this aircraft to fly us to pleasure resorts like Lake Zambia.”

I grinned. “There is no Lake Zambia.”

He curled his lips into a smug smile. “That’s what we call your country. You guys are as stagnant as the water in the lake. We come in with our large boats and fish your minerals and your wildlife and leave morsels—crumbs. That’s your staple food, crumbs. That corn-meal you eat, that’s crumbs, the small Tilapia fish you call Kapenta is crumbs. We the Bwanas (whites) take the cat fish. I am the Bwana and you are the Muntu. I get what I want and you get what you deserve, crumbs. That’s what lazy people get—Zambians, Africans, the entire Third World.”

The smile vanished from my face.

“I see you are getting pissed off,” Walter said and lowered his voice. “You are thinking this Bwana is a racist. That’s how most Zambians respond when I tell them the truth. They go ballistic. Okay. Let’s for a moment put our skin pigmentation, this black and white crap, aside. Tell me, my friend, what is the difference between you and me?”

“There’s no difference.”

“Absolutely none,” he exclaimed. “Scientists in the Human Genome Project have proved that. It took them thirteen years to determine the complete sequence of the three billion DNA subunits. After they were all done it was clear that 99.9% nucleotide bases were exactly the same in you and me. We are the same people. All white, Asian, Latino, and black people on this aircraft are the same.”

I gladly nodded.

muzungu, muzungu and yet he’s a riffraff. Tell me why my angry friend.”

For a moment I was wordless.

“Please don’t blame it on slavery like the African Americans do, or colonialism, or some psychological impact or some kind of stigmatisation. And don’t give me the brainwash poppycock. Give me a better answer.”

I was thinking.

He continued. “Excuse what I am about to say. Please do not take offence.”

I felt a slap of blood rush to my head and prepared for the worst.

“You my friend flying with me and all your kind are lazy,” he said. “When you rest your head on the pillow you don’t dream big. You and other so-called African intellectuals are damn lazy, each one of you. It is you, and not those poor starving people, who is the reason Africa is in such a deplorable state.”

“That’s not a nice thing to say,” I protested.

He was implacable. “Oh yes it is and I will say it again, you are lazy. Poor and uneducated Africans are the most hardworking people on earth. I saw them in the Lusaka markets and on the street selling merchandise. I saw them in villages toiling away. I saw women on Kafue Road crushing stones for sell and I wept. I said to myself where are the Zambian intellectuals? Are the Zambian engineers so imperceptive they cannot invent a simple stone crusher, or a simple water filter to purify well water for those poor villagers? Are you telling me that after thirty-seven years of independence your university school of engineering has not produced a scientist or an engineer who can make simple small machines for mass use? What is the school there for?”

I held my breath.

“Do you know where I found your intellectuals? They were in bars quaffing. They were at the Lusaka Golf Club, Lusaka Central Club, Lusaka Playhouse, and Lusaka Flying Club. I saw with my own eyes a bunch of alcoholic graduates. Zambian intellectuals work from eight to five and spend the evening drinking. We don’t. We reserve the evening for brainstorming.”

He looked me in the eye.

“And you flying to Boston and all of you Zambians in the Diaspora are just as lazy and apathetic to your country. You don’t care about your country and yet your very own parents, brothers and sisters are in Mtendere, Chawama, and in villages, all of them living in squalor. Many have died or are dying of neglect by you. They are dying of AIDS because you cannot come up with your own cure. You are here calling yourselves graduates, researchers and scientists and are fast at articulating your credentials once asked—oh, I have a PhD in this and that—PhD my foot!”

I was deflated.

“Wake up you all!” he exclaimed, attracting the attention of nearby passengers. “You should be busy lifting ideas, formulae, recipes, and diagrams from American manufacturing factories and sending them to your own factories. All those research findings and dissertation papers you compile should be your country’s treasure. Why do you think the Asians are a force to reckon with? They stole our ideas and turned them into their own. Look at Japan, China, India, just look at them.”

He paused. “The Bwana has spoken,” he said and grinned. “As long as you are dependent on my plane, I shall feel superior and you my friend shall remain inferior, how about that? The Chinese, Japanese, Indians, even Latinos are a notch better. You Africans are at the bottom of the totem pole.”

He tempered his voice. “Get over this white skin syndrome and begin to feel confident. Become innovative and make your own stuff for god’s sake.”

At 8 a.m. the plane touched down at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Walter reached for my hand.

“I know I was too strong, but I don’t give it a damn. I have been to Zambia and have seen too much poverty.” He pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something. “Here, read this. It was written by a friend.”

He had written only the title: “Lords of Poverty.”

Thunderstruck, I had a sinking feeling. I watched Walter walk through the airport doors to a waiting car. He had left a huge dust devil twirling in my mind, stirring up sad memories of home. I could see Zambia’s literati—the cognoscente, intelligentsia, academics, highbrows, and scholars in the places he had mentioned guzzling and talking irrelevancies. I remembered some who have since passed—how they got the highest grades in mathematics and the sciences and attained the highest education on the planet. They had been to Harvard, Oxford, Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), only to leave us with not a single invention or discovery. I knew some by name and drunk with them at the Lusaka Playhouse and Central Sports.

Walter is right. It is true that since independence we have failed to nurture creativity and collective orientations. We as a nation lack a workhorse mentality and behave like 13 million civil servants dependent on a government pay cheque. We believe that development is generated 8-to-5 behind a desk wearing a tie with our degrees hanging on the wall. Such a working environment does not offer the opportunity for fellowship, the excitement of competition, and the spectacle of innovative rituals.

But the intelligentsia is not solely, or even mainly, to blame. The larger failure is due to political circumstances over which they have had little control. The past governments failed to create an environment of possibility that fosters camaraderie, rewards innovative ideas and encourages resilience. KK, Chiluba, Mwanawasa, and Banda embraced orthodox ideas and therefore failed to offer many opportunities for drawing outside the line.

I believe King Cobra’s reset has been cast in the same faculties as those of his predecessors. If today I told him that we can build our own car, he would throw me out.

“Naupena? Fuma apa.” (Are you mad? Get out of here)

Knowing well that King Cobra will not embody innovation at Walter’s level let’s begin to look for a technologically active-positive leader who can succeed him after a term or two. That way we can make our own stone crushers, water filters, water pumps, razor blades, and harvesters. Let’s dream big and make tractors, cars, and planes, or, like Walter said, forever remain inferior.

A fundamental transformation of our country from what is essentially non-innovative to a strategic superior African country requires a bold risk-taking educated leader with a triumphalist attitude and we have one in YOU. Don’t be highly strung and feel insulted by Walter. Take a moment and think about our country. Our journey from 1964 has been marked by tears. It has been an emotionally overwhelming experience. Each one of us has lost a loved one to poverty, hunger, and disease. The number of graves is catching up with the population. It’s time to change our political culture. It’s time for Zambian intellectuals to cultivate an active-positive progressive movement that will change our lives forever. Don’t be afraid or dispirited, rise to the challenge and salvage the remaining few of your beloved ones.

Field Ruwe is a US-based Zambian media practitioner and author. He is a PhD candidate with a B.A. in Mass Communication and Journalism, and an M.A. in History.

The Hidden Truth; combating gender based violence in Zambia and beyond.

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:59:00 +0000

This week I was asked why we are marking 16 days of activism against gender based violence as opposed to doing it 365 days of the year. The man who asked this was right, gender based violence does, sadly, occur every day of the year, but, as I said to him, what we want is maximum exposure to be able to focus peoples minds on this issue.

Too many women suffer domestic violence for a number of reasons that I have spoken about before .

Domestic violence does not just involve physical abuse. It is also psychological and completely erodes the self worth of victims.

This afternoon I have been watching a documentary produced by a group of women from Samfya , Zambia who were able, with the help of training from Camfed, to tell the story of women in their community that had suffered abuse. I was so inspired by the courage of these film makers and the women who featured in the documentary that I had to share it with you.

If you are prompted for a password please use hiddentruth .

Hidden Truth 2 from Camfed on Vimeo.

Wasn't it particularly pertinent to see Beatrice, the teacher, say she was ashamed because she thought that as someone who was educated it shouldn't be happening to her. Domestic violence can affect anyone!

Since the documentary was made the Zambian government have implemented anti gender based violence legislation which should hopefully lead to a higher conviction rate.Women will not now have to prove that they have been abused by showing an open wound, as was the case when gender based violence was covered by the law on assault.

The documentary may have been filmed in Zambia but the reasons that underpin domestic violence and the experiences of these women are sadly universal. We were lucky to be able to chat to two of the women involved in producing the documentary during a webinar organised by the World Wide Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Mwelwa and Penelope told us how much of a struggle it was to get women to break the silence and agree to speak on camera, but they also told us about the rewards.The film has been screened in their local community and across Zambia and they say the response has been overwhelming. Women have realised that they are not alone and men have been educated as to the rights of their partners.

The greatest change that they called for is a cultural one. In order for women to be able to speak out they need to feel that they would have the support of their communities and those in authority.

Ask not what your continent can do for you......

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:30:00 +0000

This year has been a seminal one for me. I started this blog on a whim and had no idea just how much of an impact it would have. I wrote what I thought about various cultural and news stories. Then I began to want to learn more about how the gap between the privileges I have whilst here in the UK and the reality of living in a country like Zambia, were the majority of people live below the poverty line, could be bridged. I wanted to do more than just write about poverty.

I watched and wrote about the documentary The Peoples Supermarket. It seemed like such a great idea! At the end of that post, I called on someone,anyone, to take up the mantle. To do more than just talk about social ills. One of my Facebook friends turned my appeal on its head. Why didn't I do it?

Many people question the on line community.They say it's not real and somehow takes away from our physical relationships. This blog has taught me just how wrong that assumption is. People that I have met and talked to on line have had a profound impact on my life. They have given me the impetus to try to do what I've always wanted, to have a positive impact on peoples lives.

Social enterprise was now on my radar, combine this with my love for African fashion, prints in particular and an idea was born.

Cut a long story short...I am now selling on behalf organisations that work with women in Africa to teach them crafts and the running of their own businesses. In addition, I am working on my own product line of goods made with African fabrics.

Just like the blog, I am learning as I go along, refining my ideas, but what's clear is the BIG idea. It's not 'The Zambian Peoples Supermarket' but I would like to eventually run my own social enterprise. To establish a small scale manufacturing base in Zambia producing the kinds of goods that I am currently selling here.

As I write this I have just read this tweet, it epitomises exactly how I feel now;

african_dream African Dream™

its amazing how when you doubt yourself and question the objectives of what you are doing, something good comes up... #AfricanDream

I don't know where this journey will take me and I have had a lot of doubts (mostly revolving around getting a 'real' job) but whenever I question myself someone sends a positive email or I read something that reaffirms my belief in solutions for African problems that start with us.

Yesterday was the opening of The Punch Gallery in the centre of Nottingham. I thought I'd share these pictures with you. You can find out more about us here.

Last month while I was selling at a festival a Ghanaian man and his wife came to my stand. He was so excited and proud of what I was doing. That is what Africans deserve. To be proud of our continent and what we can give to the world!

Zambian youth join the social media revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:22:00 +0000

Yesterday started pretty much like every other day. I woke up, groped around for the radio and checked for that addictive flashing light on my BlackBerry. My Dad had sent a text message describing how the family had travelled to Chingola from Kalulushi. He said that spirits were high and the turnout was impressive. Of course! Election day was here.

Now, I'm a news junkie and I couldn't bear the thought that something so significant was happening in my home country and I wasn't part of it. The BBC and Al Jazeera just wouldn't cut it. I searched frantically on line for a news source and discovered QFM radio. Their coverage of the elections has been exemplary and I'm still listening to them now, but this is the age of social media. I had to know what everybody else was saying about the elections, how could I form an opinion on my own!

I turned, as I often do when something momentous is happening,to Twitter. It was abuzz with people talking about their voting experiences and gauging the mood of the country. It was calm, there were long lines of people, students were singing the national anthem before they voted. They were reporting alleged anomalies, a polling station here hadn't opened yet, ballot papers there had printing errors, they had to change polling stations at short notice. I was hooked!

As events unfolded and reports of possible violence in small pockets of the capital started trickling in, we were in the loop. Audio clips and photographs were posted, people who had been in the area tweeted about what they had seen. With everything happening so quickly there were contradicting reports. People asked if Bantu Watch, the crowd sourcing website that was launched this year, was still accessible from within Zambia. Some said it was, others disputed this.

People started to question the authenticity of reports and we had some interesting debates, most of which seemed to be centred around whether or not the Electoral Commission of Zambia had done a good job.

That's yet to be seen, but what is clear is that this year the apathy that is often attributed to the youth was all but gone. We were engaged with what was happening. When we had disagreements, it didn't degenerate into baseless insults about candidates or their parties. It was based on facts and afterwards we acknowledged that we were part of the same movement. We wanted our voices to be heard and recognised that this was indeed democracy in action.

We even had time to bemoan the international press for describing Michael Sata of the PF as a 'former British Rail porter' and concluding that the election was in essence a referendum on China. How dare they presume to know our country better than we do!? I'm sure most of us wouldn't care if investors came from the moon as long as the Zambian people benefited far more than they are now.

There are those who have dismissed social media as, 'not real media'. It was at times a surreal experience, for example, we actually had a discussion about false nails and the fact that some girls had reportedly not been allowed to vote until they had removed them!

Anyone who is dismissive of social media does not understand its immense propensity to empower people. We had a voice!

I have seen tweets saying that no matter what happens, this election has changed the playing field. The youth will not be easily pushed aside. The next election may be ground breaking. If someone can harness the youth vote and truly represent us, it is possible for the revolving door of dinosaur politicians to be closed.

Its my hope that this level of political engagement does not end with the elections and that we can continue to scrutinise the powers that be and hold them to account while they are in office as well.

And no, my heading is not dramatic. This is a revolution. A revolution in who controls information and how it is shared. Truth is always about perspective. We are now able to tell our truth.

Zambian Elections:The Mining Industry; A Critique

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:11:00 +0000

Copper is by far the most important commodity that Zambia produces. In June/July of this year minerals and their products constituted a staggering 77% of total exports. Any credible discussion about the future of our country must include an examination of the industry.

If you are an active part of the Zambian on line community you will have noticed that there is a growing division between those who would like emphasis to be placed on the fact that the Zambian economy is growing and those who are more pessimistic.It is undeniable that GDP is indeed rising.

This year the Zambian base metal mining industry will produce over 750,000 tons of Copper and approximately 10,000 tons of Cobalt. This level of Copper production has not been achieved since the 1970's. Copper prices are at record high levels and the Cobalt prices are robust. The continued growth of the BRICS will ensure that demand for metals will increase despite the economic instability in both the US and Eurozone countries.

It isn't just Copper that is doing well;in the 2009/2010 planting season Zambia produced a record maize harvest. The 2010/2011 planting season is projected to bring in even more.

Zambia's inflation, as reported by the Zambian Statistics Office, is currently 8.3% and The World Bank recently upgraded Zambia to a lower middle income country.

Zambia's economy grew by 6.5% in 2010 and a 7% growth rate has been projected for 2011. The major economic growth areas are Mining, Agriculture,Construction,Tourism and Banking.

Inspite of all these positive statements and statistics,poverty levels in the country remain high. Access to health services is inadequate,funding to education is grossly inadequate and unemployment levels are unnacceptably high.

The rest of the private sector is at a disadvantage owing to poor infrastructure that could lead to higher costs for businesses and to cap it all off bank lending rates are relatively high (currently about 26% on average) , this stifles small scale industry growth.

The Zambian mining industry will remain the engine of the Zambian economy for at least the next 25 years, as was mentioned in the discussion at ZIMEC. This seems to me like an alarmingly short span of time and means that it is more important than ever for the country to maximise the revenue and other benefits from the industry.Unfortunately this does not seem to be happening.

There have been reports of poor health and safety practises, environmental protection and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Talking to people who live in mining towns across Zambia, it is clear that foreign workers are employed even when comparable Zambians are available to take up the jobs. When that happens here in the UK, there is much disquiet amongst the local community, and rightly so!

Much of the current discourse centres around the payment and distribution of taxes within the industry. This video from the BBC addresses the main points.There is definitely a disconnect between the amount of revenue that the government apparently receives from mining companies and the benefits felt by workers and local mining communities.

So what are the best ways to ensure that the country is maximising the potential of the mining industry to promote future growth and diversification of the economy? Well, it may be helpful to look at the history of the sector.

Before nationalisation of the Zambian mining industry, the mining companies literally built and ran the towns in which they operated.All the amenities were provided. I grew up in a number of mining towns and apart from schools and hospitals we had a number of sporting clubs run by mining companies.

Following natonalisation, this level of CSR was continued. After the privatisation which began in 1997, the development agreements that were signed went some way in trying to ensure that the new investors continued with an acceptable level of CSR. Unfortunately implementing this has been difficult due to the varying backgrounds of the investors.

Although it may not be feasible to go back to the days when towns were literally an extension of the mines, it is reasonable to expect a certain level of CSR and this can only be achieved through government intervention. This is also true of education and training of local workers by employers.

The way forward

Throughout this series I have stopped short of supporting any specific political party and will not do so now, however it is imperative that we scrutinise any manifesto with these points in mind;

The prescription of a tax regime no matter how attractive on paper will not produce any fruitful results unless proper strategies for collection and distribution are implemented.
Tax authorities and the government should be both transparent and able to be held accountable for the distribution of mining revenue.
Policies about the mining sector should include consideration of all stakeholders including workers,local communities, the environment and ultimately the people of Zambia.
Minerals are a finite resource. Diversification of the economy is of paramount importance and will only be achieved by taking advantage of current growth and encouraging entreprenuership.
Any long term plan for the industry should include strategies for encouraging training and education of local people so that in future we are not wholly dependant on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Pointing out areas of improvement does not make one less of a patriot. Its great that Zambia is moving in the right direction, but lets not become complacent. Economies thrive only through being incredibly robust. The UK had to realise that it was no longer cost effective to rely predominantly on manufacturing. They left that to the Chinese and instead concentrated on niche, high end production and financial services. Zambia must also evolve in order to ensure that jobs are not only created within the mining industry but across the country.

Zambian Elections: Does Mining Benefit Africa?

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:57:00 +0000

This debate took place in Lusaka during the first Zambian International Mining and Energy Conference and Exhibition. On the panel were, Clare Short formerly part of the Blair government, now of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Situmbeko Musokotwane Finance Minister, Felix Mutati of Mopani Copper Mine, Ghanaian natural resources activist Steven Manteaw and Andrew de Simone from Brazilian mining firm, Vale Brazil.

It was a heated discussion and covered such wide ranging topics as foreign and local investment, trasparency of government and the tax system and the impact of mining on local communities.

Its a must watch for anyone trying to decipher which of the cacophony of voices from various political parties are saying the right things about the future of our most important industry and wondering why, despite all the growth that has been experienced the majority of Zambians are still living in poverty.

Here is the link. There are 5 parts to the discussion, a total of about 45 minutes viewing time and well worth it!

Zambian Elections: Mr Vezzy

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:47:00 +0000

This series has been about looking at organisations that create non traditional jobs and showing just how diverse our economy can be. What could be more unconventional than the entertainment industry? The lure of making it big in this sector is huge!

We now have a vibrant music industry and I was curious to know just what it takes to actually make a living as a musician in Zambia today, so I went all showbiz and spoke to Zambian hip hop artists Mr Vezzy.

Tell us about yourself and when/how you got involved in music?

I have always surrounded myself with music and I love all kinds of it.I loved music so much that I felt a strong desire to make some myself.It just so happens that I have a certain level of respect for words and the power they have so I try and use my words as a 'force for good'.

What is it like making a living in the music industry in Zambia?

That is one of the craziest ideas anyone has ever come up with, "I'll make a living from music" in Zambia. Unfortunately its not very rewarding as we do not have the proper structures to support that.Artists live off show money because royalties and record sells just cant do it. So the power is to the artist with the most popular song at the time, the more your phone rings, as in people calling you to go to their shows, the longer you can stretch your bread time.

What do you think can be done to encourage a bigger music industry( I'm thinking here about sales of CD's, access to music facilities and royalties)?

Wow great question. I think one of the ways would be to get corporate Zambia to embrace the artists and begin to see the potential that lies in the right associations.Hopefully we can have young people to come up with fresh ideas on how to create beneficial relations between the corporations and the artists.

Also our artists need managers, people that will work at developing the artist into a marketable brand and also change people's attitude towards our artists. I think artist are constantly ridiculed because truthfully most of us are struggling financially and also some of us do not conduct ourselves appropriately when in public.

CD sales are another story, I know people do buy them, but there is also a lot of piracy, a situation which is not helped by artist releasing singles only, which can't be marketed in Zambia and these end up on unauthorized compilations. I'm guilty of this too!

Do you feel supported as a Zambian artist within the country. What did you think of the decision to have Fally Ipupa singing for the Zambia Tourism Board?

It goes back to what I said as regards to how the Zambian artist is perceived. We just don't have the star power. We need to get real, the same people who complained about ZTB bringing Fally to launch a Zambian campaign are the same ones that go to his shows when he comes to Zed, but will not offer similar support to a show by local artists.I think that unfortunate occurrence should be a call for all to do a little soul searching. How do we grow our artists without giving them the support that we give foreign artists? We artists need to determine how we can increase our worth.

You've performed with international musicians. How important is it that Zambian artists are recognized beyond our borders?

Africa is getting smaller by the day with the advent of the Internet,social networks and continental TV channels. I think its very important that we begin to break out. My boy Ozzy The General had a song that topped charts across the continent and that has raised his profile. I believe such big moves are what will also help change how we are perceived locally. Lets make our music "Bigger than Zed".

You sung a song about the elections this year. Why did you feel the need to do that and what are your hopes for our country?

That's a song I did back in 2006. I just got the chance to do a video for it now and used current events and images as a back drop. I noticed radio stations were beginning to add it to their play lists. Its a message that remains relevant 5 years down the line and possibly for many more years to come.

I hope people are listening to what the candidates are saying, paying attention to their conduct so as to be in the position to make a better informed judgement and vote wisely. Let us not be swayed by public sentiment or cheap propaganda but instead make analyses and vote based on what makes sense to us.

Tell us about any upcoming events, songs, collaborations or anything you have in store for the future?

I'm currently working on a project that I can't really talk about yet, but I'm getting help from all over the world and will be working with various artists in the zed. The idea is to try and expose Zambian talent to as wide an audience as possible.

Election Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 17:49:00 +0000

Songs imploring the youth to vote are now a permanent feature of elections around the world. Here are selection from Zambia.

Zambian Elections: The Best of Zambia

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Communication has revolutionised the world! Good communication infrastructure is absolutely integral to the development of a country. It could make the difference between stifling growth by restricting access to goods and services or allowing a nation to flourish by facilitating effective trade both within and between countries.

Apart from the obvious trade purposes there are also a number of social benefits to good communication, it could, for example, lead to greater exposure to new and stimulating ideas from around the globe.

The Internet is by far the single most important form of communication with some going as far as to suggest that it should be a human right!

I was interested to find out about the role of the Internet in Zambia and who better to talk to than the Best of Zambia. The Best of Zambia is a business directory with a difference. Not only does it provide a portal through which companies can advertise their products and services, it has also taken up the task of promoting Zambia as a great business and tourist destination. This is in order to dispel the myth that there are no or very few products and service providers in the country . The aim is to cater to a broad audience, including, Zambians both abroad and within the country, investors and business to business customers.

I spoke to Sara Brown of The Best of Zambia about the site and her views about the outlook of Internet usage in Zambia;

Tell me about your site, who runs it and how it came into being?

The site has been created and developed by a company called Something Beckons in the

. thebestofzambia.com in

Zambia

is run by a Zambian company called Papayi. It has been nearly three years in the making and the site you see is version 3! We have been improving it constantly and a lot of the improvements have come from relevant feedback from our clients in

Zambia

Something Beckons is run by a Zambian family. Well my Dad is Zambian and my Mum is English. I was born in Monze and my younger bother was born in Mpongwe. We moved to the

when I was 18 and my brother 13. We have been slowly developing a design business here in the

then on one of many return trips to

Zambia

(after the Internet was alive and kicking in the

) my Dad wanted to eat out and there was no information online. The idea developed from there! We set up the Zambian company to manage the delivery of the site services in

Zambia

when we were ready to launch.

What do you aim to achieve with it, what is your mission?

Our mission is to connect businesses with their target audiences by putting information about their products and services on the web. But we have standards. Quality is essential and so we insist on good images (taking the pictures ourselves if necessary) and we write about our clients ourselves. Access to information about products and services in

Zambia

and in many African countries in general is hard to come by. It shouldn't be that way. Also, we believe that there is a place for all kinds of businesses (within reason) and historically only high profile businesses with the knowledge and budgets to match have benefited from the web. We have created a service that is also affordable for smaller Zambian businesses and why not? A lot of what we do involves educating our clients of the possibilities the web can bring.

Who are your customers/members and how are they selected?

Any business in

Zambia

can be a member of thebestofzambia.com . Our customers pay a yearly fee to subscribe to the site. By being a member they get a quality online presence and access to our marketing services (through our social media channels and newly launched on-line magazine). Our philosophy is that we will represent any business that is legal and we have internal standards too - we can't guarantee it, but we want end users of the site who do business with a company represented on thebestofzambia.com to have a decent and honest experience.

How long has your site been running? What changes have you seen in this time especially considering the steady rise of Internet usage in

Zambia

Nearly three years. It was a battle at first! Many did not get the concept and we still have to educate people. But more and more Zambians are using the web as there are now more and more mobile phones users in

Zambia

with Internet access. Slowly but surely we are getting to interact more and more with our clients and site users in

Zambia

through our social media channels and e-newsletters. We got into the market very early and it's changing for the better quickly.

Thinking back to when you were setting up. How easy was this and how easy is it to run an on line enterprise in

Zambia

In short - it's tough! Our original business model did not include a Zambian office. But Zambians are Zambians and we like to do business face to face. But this has turned out to be one of the best things. We have a real connection with our members, something we could not have without our local presence. The Internet is so up and down and painfully slow at times. When your job involves working online all the time this can be challenging. Poor Internet in

Zambia

negatively affects the value Zambians have in our offering. But technology can only get better and it is, slowly!

You describe yourselves as an alternative to a website for individual business. Do a lot of Zambian companies now have website or is there a gap in the market for a directory such as yours because not many do?

Not a lot of businesses have a website and most of those that do are poor quality in terms of content, navigation, usability, interactivity. They are also often out of date. Very few can actually be found online because you don't just make any old website, walk away and expect it to magically bring customers in. Our site is a business profiling website that gives companies up to four web pages to showcase themselves on a site that is about ensuring the members on the site are found through a whole raft of methods.

Do you have access to all the facilities and personnel necessary to run successfully?

Apart from better Internet it's really good. Phone lines can be challenging. Emails are still not checked daily by all. Those are the every day challenges. Apart from that, we have a great team of eight Zambian staff members. Employing Zambians is really important to us even if it does stretch our training allocation because our product and service is new to most Zambians.

How can the work you do be made even easier? What do you think is needed in order to enable an even more vibrant on line Zambian community to flourish?

Better quality, more dependable Internet. That has got to improve a lot, and quickly, to allow other online businesses to thrive. Oh and online payment systems are much needed. Couriers for the delivery of products bought online are also needed. There are many business opportunities!

How do you think the use of ICT can help in the development of

Zambia

So much potential and so little of it is tapped. I've read about projects where computers and Internet access are made available to a village. If children as young as five can learn about computers in the west, why can't our Zambian children? The Internet spreads knowledge. It makes businesses more competitive because suddenly people have a choice about whether to buy from business A or business B.

Zambia

needs competition to make service more efficient and less monopolised. Efficiency is key to the development of

Zambia

. We've got to be quicker and snappier than we are.

What is your ultimate vision for the site?

The site currently offers both a silver and gold package and we have just launched limited on-line advertising. We've yet to launch our platinum package (with benefits that will appeal to higher profile businesses) and update our blog to match the new site design. We also have ideas for space for more articles by us and contributions from site users. Ultimately we can take this same site and service to other African countries that could also benefit from our service.

In order to fulfil its purpose as 'more than just a business directory', The Best of Zambia also has an online magazine written by resident journalist Nambeye Katebe . The magazine is the place to go to find out about events, news and special offers.

The site is definitely on the way to achieving its stated aims of being,'simple, interesting and useful'.

The Best of Zambia is, as you would expect, highly active in the age of social media. To find out more about the site and the facilities offered visit www.thebestofzambia.com . You can also follow them on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/thebestofzambia or like their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/thebestofzambia .

Zambian Elections: The Big Issue Zambia

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:26:00 +0000

The Big Issue is a magazine that exists to offer poor people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income. It was established in the UK in 1991 and you can often see Big Issue vendors selling their copies on the street.

One of the founders of the Big Issue, John Bird, is known for taking a stance against charity. He argues that it often becomes a yoke to recipients. Instead, he advocates the provision of sustainable means to generate income. A permanent path from poverty. Many of you will no doubt have heard a rising number of similar arguments from commentators, none more vocal than the economist Dambisa Moyo, albeit on a national level.

These principles permeate through the organisation and constitute the core values of the Big Issue in Zambia. The Zambian Big Issue was established in 2007 and its stated aims are to focus on, " responsible entrepreneurship and innovation. Its first aim is to empower individuals who are currently socially disadvantaged and economically challenged giving them a proper job as vendors of a truthful and independent magazine."

The current edition of The Big Issue Zambia

I spoke to The Big Issue Zambia's editor Samba Yonga about the organisation and her vision for it;

Who do you work with and what criteria do you use to choose vendors?

The Big Issue Zambia is a not-for-profit NGO based in Lusaka which provides employment and training opportunities for people living in poverty, women with no access to income and people living with HIV. The project develops 'employable' people in order for them to earn a regular, dignified income and helps them to reintegrate into society thereby providing a decent living for themselves and their households. The Big Issue Zambia is based on the ‘street concept’ - vendors buy copies of the magazine at 50% of the cover price and sell them on, keeping the profit, its slogan “Working, not Begging” demonstrates this.

Are the vendors supported in any additional way?

In addition to sales we try to support their personal needs like health, education and housing but being a small organisation there is a limit to what we can do. Our plan for 2012 is to partner with various organisation to provide specific support to the vendors such as enrolling them in an education programme, business skills development programme or even a health scheme programme.

Why is it so important to place emphasis on the fact that the vendors are not begging?

The idea is to give a person back their dignity and give them a sense of accomplishment. Begging is such a spiritually depleting act. It robs a person of any form of self worth and giving the unemployed the means to create their own wealth accords them a chance at living a life where they earn respect even at a relatively low level.

You have been running in Zambia since 2007, how do you measure your success?

Success is relative. On the one hand I have seen about 10 of our vendors move on, meaning that they are no longer vendors and engage in meaningful employment or business, but on the other, I would like to help thousands not just the 700 or so that have gone through our programme. There is always more that can be done. Our aim is to scale up the project and provide an alternative for income generation to many more. We will take things step by step.

On the blog, I promote the need for sustainable jobs as a route out of poverty and to prevent economic dependence. Is the Big Issue able to achieve this? How?

At the moment the project prints 2000 magazines every two months and has provided employment and training opportunities to over 700 people living in poverty directly, and about 4200 indirectly through the families our vendors support. The magazine also acts as an advocacy tool to engage stakeholders and ensure civil society is strengthened, and a robust, independent, pluralistic media initiated. We estimate that about 250,000 Zambian readers over a 3-year period as we steadily grow, including youth, policy-makers, the NGO community and ex-patriates, will be educated and informed through access to a rights-focused, social issues based street paper and receive a greater awareness of the social, economic, and political issues that affect their lives.

What has the response been like from vendors? Do you have any testimonies or success stories that you can tell us about?

The one we always talk about is our top selling vendor Robert, who through the project managed to save money to buy a camera and embark on his dream job as a photographer. He now runs a small business in photography. He also hopes to become a photojournalist. This is one example of avenues that the Big Issue opens up.

What's has the response from readers/Lusaka residents been like?

The readers appreciate the quality journalism that we produce and express that they would like to see more of it. We publish every two months and are looking into publishing monthly by 2012. To get it out to the readers more often.

Please find below a letter from a reader:

" I was pleased to see the Big Issue here in Zambia and was thrilled by the standard of writing; it has inspired me to want to get in the work that you do. I have always wanted to read about what is happening in the community and this is what the magazine is doing for us. Thank you."-Keti

Who writes for the Big Issue?

We have a pool of skilled Zambian writers. In addition to that, we have a partnership with Street News Service Agency and Reuters to exchange content and photography. This lends a high quality and credibility to the magazine.

What kind of policies would make it even more conducive for you to fulfil your potential as an organisation?

On a national scale it is really policies that provide access to Zambians to create a sustainable livelihood. This is not just about business but also the building of infrastructure and the development of social amenities such as roads, schools etc so that there is a pathway for progressive development.

If the vendors could ask for anything from the powers that be to help them out of the shackles of poverty, what do you think it would be?

There are many things they would ask for. We often ask our vendors what their ideal situation would be. Most of them talk about a chance at education, a chance business, a chance a job, a chance to the hospital... There's lots..

Finally how best can one support the work that you do?

Buy a magazine, talk about the Big Issue

Zambia

, support a vendor, join our group on face book, speak out against injustice, fight for equal access and of course help build the organisation.

To find out more about the Big Issue Zambia and support their work please visit the website http://www.thebigissuezambia.org/ .

Zambian Elections: Kutowa Designs

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:14:00 +0000

Kutowa Designs is the brainchild of self-taught, Zambian designer, Towani Clarke. The name, ‘Kutowa’ is derived from the designer's Tumbuka (which is a Zambian language) name Towani, meaning ‘to be so bright and beautiful that you dazzle’, a fitting description for this fashion line. Kutowa is a beacon, illuminating the newly emerging Zambian fashion industry, introducing fresh, modern, home grown designs to a market flooded by second hand, donated clothes from the west and cheap Chinese garments.

Kutowa celebrates originality whilst clinging to the foundations that birthed it, holding true to its core identity as Zambian. In fact one would say that this is the thread that holds the fabric of the label together, you see Towani was named by her Agogo (grandmother) who chose to defy the negativity surrounding her parents mixed marriage (her father was English, her mother Zambian) by asserting that far from being at a disadvantage, her grandchild would be ‘bright and beautiful’!

Towani’s aim is for everyone who wears her creations to ‘towa’, glow.

Towani modelling one of her own designs

Her signature tupendelo creation

Towani’s ascent into the fashion world was somewhat unusual. She obtained a degree in Agriculture and a Masters degree in business administration. In 2009 she took the bold move of leaving the commercial agriculture and business consultancy that she was working at in order to pursue her two passions of yoga and fashion. Talk about following your dreams! The business worlds’ loss was definitely fashions gain.

Her designs are beautiful, but they also undoubtedly pay homage to her dual heritage. They are a nod to the best of both Europe and Zambia, showing that the two are not mutually exclusive.

Tupenda, meaning we count, was one of Towani’s first collections. Anyone familiar with African fashion will know that it is often restricted to occasion wear. It can be quite loud and flamboyant, certainly not for the shrinking violet. Kutowa bucked the trend with this collection, producing designs that are not only exquisite but also wearable. The signature prints used work so well because they are teamed with thoroughly contemporary creations that could quite easily find a place on the British high street. This means that Kutowa can achieve something that African fashion has so far found difficult to accomplish, gaining a foothold in the mainstream market and appealing to a more varied clientele.

Towani certainly draws inspiration from her surroundings. The signature little round shapes are crafted from bottle tops known as tupendelo's in Zambia. When asked about her unusual methods, Towani explains that, 'you can penda (count) how many beers someone has drunk by counting the Tupendelos. The bottle tops were covered with fabric by women who live in Venta Combon not far from where I stay in the east of Lusaka. It's my way of saying everything and every counts even the bottle tops we throw away...'.

Her latest collection, Zuwa Moyo meaning ‘Sun Life’, contradicts popular assumptions of what African fashion is all about. It is inspired by the sun, its centrality to all life, the source of all our energy and its abundance in Africa.

The collection mimics the graduation of light from dawn to midday. Black and brown hues depict the start of the day whilst gold and white represent the stunning rays of the African sun. Each garment is accented by a motif of the sun. The colours are muted, earthy tones with classic cuts. The designs are reminiscent of elegant 70’s wear. Flower power, Zambian style!

The contrast between the two collections proves Towani’s versatility and creativity. Her customers may always be kept guessing as to the nature of any new collection but they can be absolutely sure that she will never compromise on quality.

The daughter of a women’s rights activist Towani also acknowledges the importance of ensuring that the women who work with her are able to adequately provide for their families.

I spoke to Towani about her vision for her fashion label, African fashion in general and Zambian fashion in particular.

How would you describe the Kutowa style?

Kutowa creates a fusion of old and new, European and African to come up with something fresh, modern, chic.

Who would you say is the target buyer of your brand?

Our buyers are young and old, living locally, regionally or outside the continent that love some essence of Africa and are hip and modern. Current clientele are friends and friends of friends in the African Diaspora, foreigners working in Zambia, upcoming Zambian professionals.

Why do you think there has been resurgence in African fashion especially amongst the youth and those in the west?

It has so much to offer in terms of richness of colour, pattern and design coming from the richness of the various cultures, tribes and their combinations, added with the African take on Western culture.

How would you describe the current state of Zambian Fashion?

The Zambian fashion industry is still very much in its infancy. While in other countries you expect buyers of clothes chains and stores to come to fashion shows to buy and mass produce designs in Zambia we are at the stage of selling our designs as one off customs made garments directly to the customer.

Zambia Fashion Week was exciting and bodes well for the Zambian Fashion Industry. Last year there was no fashion week as the organisers of the event for the last 5 years pulled out and moved on. So the rebirth of the event under new management of Afro Media is a promising sign for the industry. There were many new designers on the scene including Kutowa designs which was show casing at the Zambia Fashion week for the first time.

What do you think can be done to promote the industry and make more people choose to wear locally made clothes?

Perhaps we should give tax concessions for all parties in the fashion industry chain for locally produced apparel. This could include textile producers that have now currently gone out of business; we have several defunct textile mills in the country. Fabric importers, tailors and garment manufacturers, shops selling locally produced garments. A controversial way to promote locally made garments would be to insist all government ministers and MPs wear local garments as well as all personnel appearing on TV media in the country.

Do you have anymore upcoming events? Where and how can we see/ buy your products?

Kutowa Designs will be taking part in the Swahili Fashion Week in Dar es Salaam 3rd to 5th November.

If you’d like to see more of Kutowa’s designs and keep abreast of her new collections and events you can like her facebook page.

Showcasing her Zuwa Moyo collection at the Origin show in Mauritius

Zambian Elections: Magic Hands of Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:34:00 +0000

The story of Magic Hands of Africa is both awe inducing and inspiring. It’s the story of how someone, who did not have much herself, made a difference in other women’s lives.

Sandra Kasonso began beading as a hobby, eventually turning it into a small business, Ndona's Beads and Crafts, in 2005. Her urge to reach out to those less fortunate than her led her to provide employment for two women, one of whom was a teenage mother. The other was a woman named Florence who is married with 5 children. Like many women in Zambia, Florence depended on her husband to be the bread winner; unfortunately he spent most of his money on alcohol. Working with Sandra enabled Florence to feed, clothe and educate her children herself.

As a result of the positive feedback from one of her customers Sandra was nominated to attend a leadership mentoring summit in Cape Town, South Africa. The summit was held by an American organisation, Vital Voices Partnerships, whose mission is to invest in women by unleashing their leadership potential.

During this conference Sandra was impressed to meet successful business women who ran bead and craft businesses that in turn empowered over 450 women in Cape Town alone and 750 in Swaziland. This was how the seed was planted for an organisation that would itself eventually help to empower women in Zambia. Whilst at the summit Sandra met Angela Makena, who would go on to become her business partner.

Magic Hands of Africa was conceived in a bedroom at Sandra’s mother’s house. This sounds so much like many great stories. Think, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both of whom supposedly started out in garages, and now, well we all know where they are now. They say you make your own luck, through hard work and determination. These two women are certainly a case in point.

Sandra began with an investment of only K50,000 about US$10 from her bead making business. This was enough for her to procure 3 packets of beads and 4 rolls of fishing line. With nothing but these meagre supplies and a dream Sandra and Angela walked 5 kilometres to meet the first 10 women who would go on to make up the beginning of an organisation that none of them could have envisioned at the time.

Sandra asked the women to take a leap of faith. She didn’t know if this would work or not. The women had no experience of beadwork whatsoever, they were complete novices. Sandra remembers that humble, tentative beginning well. She tells me that when she finished training the first lot of women she turned to her business partner saying, “Now what, Angela? We’ve taught them how to make beaded lanyards, whose going to give us an order?”

She didn’t have to wait long for that first order. The Director of the Girl Guides Association, whose niece had been amongst those that where in attendance at the Vital Voices pan African summit, called to make an order. Her niece had been impressed by the beaded lanyards worn by participants at the summit and told her about them. The Girl Guides Association where organising an international workshop. They made an order for 200!

That was 4 years ago and Angela and Sandra haven’t looked back since.

The, not for profit organisation, has moved from her bedroom to a small cottage in the Kabulonga area of Lusaka (Zambia). There have, of course, been challenges along the way.

Sandra had to invest personal funds into the business until it could sustain itself. The initial practise of giving 80% of the sales to the women had to be changed so that they now receive money in accordance to the number of pieces made.

The enthusiasm for the project is self evident. This was how Sandra described the inspiration behind their beadwork,

“I love making beautiful things I guess. Making beaded jewelry is something I
just stumbled upon by accident; it’s not something I always thought I would do. I
never imagined myself doing jewelry so I still get amazed every time I make
something! I get my ideas from various sources; my biggest inspiration comes
from customers. I make a piece, get comments and make changes, especially if I
get similar comments on how to improve it, then I incorporate those comments. I
also get ideas from magazines, the internet, and I always make it a habit to
visit bead shops whenever I’m outside the country. All these activities help to
inspire me, but the final product is my own. Other designs come through making
‘mistakes’ and when the ‘mistake’ looks good, we keep it! “

The organisation is still growing. Angela and Sandra have a very open relationship with the women who work with them. Together they make decisions that are beneficial to all of them in the long run. The organisation supplies the women with raw materials and gives them guidance on what to make, it then buys the finished bead work back. Each item is priced according to the complexity of the design.

Many of the women either sell vegetables, bananas or street food or work as maids. Magic Hands provides them with an extra source of income. Some of the women choose to put off being paid in order to save their money for bigger commitments.

Stories such as Royce’s inspire Sandra and Angela to continue with the life changing work they are doing. Royce is a mother of six children. Her husband thinks sending their children to school is a waste of money and as a result she personally educated her kids through the income she earns from Magic Hands. Royce has a son, Joseph, who understands and highly appreciates the value of education. He tells his mother that he’d rather eat nothing than lose out on the opportunity of going to school. Joseph appreciates that his educational dreams would not have been realised had his mother not been connected to Magic Hands. As a result of the skill that his mother has gained working at Magic Hands Joseph is now within a year of completing his secondary school education.

There are currently 20 women working with Angela and Sandra, each of these women has around 6 dependants. This means that the organisation is in effect helping to support just over 100 people. Vital Voices Global Partnerships didn't just invest in Sandra, but 20 women and over 100 girls and boys! That's what women can do and that's why it is important to support them.

The story does not end here.

Sandra is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Cavendish University and hopes to go on to a Masters programme in either Marketing or Finance. Angela is working towards a degree in Development Studies at Zambia Open University. They are both extremely passionate about uplifting the lives of economically disadvantaged women and girls. I don’t know how they manage to fit it all in!

Magic Hands of Africa currently sell their wares at craft markets. They are looking to expand to distributing to craft shops both within and outside of Zambia.

The pieces made by these women are absolutely gorgeous, with the intricate designs and colours. If you are looking for a statement piece, look no further!

To purchase anything or support this worthy organisation please visit the website.

Zambian Elections : The voice of the people

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:59:00 +0000

Its election season in Zambia. There are a number of clues of this;

There is a sudden surge in positive government activity.
The president is making endless announcements about what they are doing/will do for all of us.
The mud slinging between political leaders/cadres has escalated to embarrassing levels, in fact, kudos to you if you still know who belongs to which political party!

I'm sure there's a lot of positive campaigning going on out there as well!

The elections will be held on the 20th of September, just over 2 weeks from now. Like everybody else I have been reading, watching and listening to all the debate with some interest. I have to lament what I perceive as the lack of substantive discussion; long term policy debates about issues that will have a direct and lasting impact on people who should be making an informed choice.

In order to try and counteract this state of affairs I have teamed up with fellow Zambian blogger Mwana Ba Afrika . Our plan is to hopefully focus peoples minds on what political parties should be talking about. We aim to highlight organisations or individuals who are working, in their own ways, towards the continued development of Zambia.They are on the whole bridging that gap between what the government is/should be doing to ensure that wealth is created, not just at the top but across the spectrum, and what people are doing for themselves.

This year Zambia was upgraded to a lower middle income country, a great achievement! We would like this positivity to trickle down, and whilst it is important that we retain taxes from the mining industry, it is worth having the debate as to just how much more our country can leap forward if we work towards a situation whereby more people are in formal taxable employment.The organisations that we will talk to or highlight during this series are employment creators. They do not deal in handouts, instead they believe in the Zambian people and our ability to achieve poverty reduction through the attainment of skills and hard work.

We hope that as a result of reading these posts you will be able to ask more of our politicians and demand that they address our concerns. Towards the end of the series we will publish the manifestos of the main political parties and invite you to comment on their fitness for purpose.

A disclaimer that I feel we must make here. Neither ourselves nor any of the organisations or individuals that we have spoken to have any political affiliations that we are aware of. We do not wish to promote one political party over another, instead we are on the side of the people. It is they who should be the focus of these elections not the political elite!

If you have a particularly pressing point of view, we are more than happy to accept guest posts that are in the spirit of this series.

The Entrepreneurs

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:36:00 +0000

I defy you not to be singing along with the girls at the end of this documentary. It charts the journey of 150 young women from around Zambia as they embark on a training course that teaches them leadership and social enterprise.

I was particularly heartened to hear one of the girls describe leadership as, 'the ability to make others feel good about themselves'. How many of our leaders would say that?!

We can have a debate about some of the business that the women embark on, but one thing is undeniable, the confidence and pride gained by the participants cannot be taken away from them.

Feel good Friday:Standing up for our communities

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:43:00 +0000

Unless you have been under a rock for the last week, you know that England has been staggered by rioting and looting. The recriminations have begun and MPs , who had a special session last night, have been talking tough. The public, they say, clearly want the police and the courts to be more heavy handed.

I won't go into the sociological arguments that are being bandied about but I do want to pay homage to people who have resisted the urge to condemn the rioters as scum and call for police to fight violence with violence.

Tariq Jahan , the father of one of the men who was killed in a hit and run in Birmingham, was highly dignified in his response. He called on people to calm down and emphasised that he did not want any retaliation for the death of his son. It is widely accepted that his intervention may have prevented further rioting in Birmingham. This was no small feat. Birmingham has had race riots in the not too distant past and there was a palpable sense of tension about what might be done in the name of the dead men.

The effervescent Camila Batmanghelidjh has been steadfast in her defence of young people and the fact that we would do well to try harder to understand them rather than cast them as outsiders who do not deserve a stake in society. She has spent a large part of her life working with and listening to young people.

People across England have taken part in drives to clean up their communities.

As I write this, young people and charities who represent them have embarked on an anti riot march. They want to highlight the fact that there are plenty of young people who are engaged with society in a positive way.

It struck me that throughout this crisis we have either failed or refused to listen to and engage with a part of society that already feels alienated.

The original protesters wanted answers from the police. The police couldn't give answers but the simple act of them coming out to talk to the crowd may have gone some way to appeasing them.

Like children seeking attention some people decided to riot. I use this analogy because some of these people, despite being grown up, are wholly dependent on the state and do not lead the kind of responsible adult lives that most of us would expect them to. The police decided to stand back, not react. If you've tried to deal with a child having a tantrum you will know that ignoring them will only make them scream louder, until they tire themselves out. This is more or less what happened.

Like I said, I won't philosophise, but I will leave you with these questions. Why is it that the troublemakers did not pay heed to anything that politicians or the police said but did listen to people such as Camila and Tariq? Why were local communities so successful in warding off rioters? Those in power tell us that this was all about criminality pure and simple but why are they so quick to disregard the initial spark and the fact that apart from looting, many police stations were torched or attacked and politicians who have visited affected areas have been met with hostility?

Why is this a Feel good Friday item?! Because we should all celebrate the fact that there are numerous people out there who selflessly give to society. They do not get paid huge amounts to do this, they may not get paid at all, but the work that they do is invaluable

If you are one of these people I salute you, if not consider the fact that we cannot leave it all to the powers that be. We all need to step up and either support people within our communities or put ourselves forward and make a difference.

African solutions for Western Problems!

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:44:00 +0000

A couple of days ago I was listening to a radio debate. It was about plastic bags and the fact that millions of them are being handed out by the supermarkets and polluting the environment despite all the effort to make as choose reusable bags. I couldn't help but smile because I knew that this once, if they bothered to listen, Africa had a solution for them.

If ethical fashion means using locally sourced materials and ensuring that workers receive a fair wage for their labour then this project is the template. It literally involves materials sourced from the backyard of the people who make the finished product, helping to improve their environment, providing a sustainable income for them and contributing in a very valuable way towards the development of their society.

Gioto garbage slum in Nakuru is, sadly, the home of many people who do not have the means to afford descent accommodation. Like many African countries, Kenya has an almost non existent social security system. This means that numerous citizens are left to fend for themselves. Huge numbers of the population move to urban areas to pursue a better life; once there, they discover that jobs are scarce and housing is woefully inadequate.

The people in Gioto live off the dump. They collect items that may still be of value or can be recycled and sell them on. During a trip to

Kenya

, where he worked as a volunteer focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention and training, Ryan Clements was fascinated to discover that a bag sold to him by a woman who lived in the slum was created entirely from recycled material that she had gathered from the dump. The weaving was beautiful and the bag was both robust and easy on the eye.

Ryan was involved in fashion and immediately recognised the potential of the bags. He adjusted the design, making it more of a contemporary fashion accessory and Fashion. Love, Africa was born.

Women from the community gather, clean, disinfect and weave the totes from plastic bags that would otherwise exist as trash for up to 500 years. The bags are then sold to Fashion. Love, Africa thereby providing steady revenue for those who make them. In addition to this revenue, $10 from every sale goes towards projects in Nakuru such as relocation, medical assistance, savings/loan schemes and child sponsorship.

The most important aspect of any such project is the sense of self worth that will be felt by these women; each bag is named after the person who crafted it. I know I’d be proud to have such a beautiful testament to global collaboration and ingenuity named after me!

To find out more about Fashion. Love, Africa, support their work or purchase these one of a kind bags please visit www.fashionloveafrica.com .

And before you protest about my use of the generic 'Africa' I'll tell you that in this case I am right because I have discovered the same process is used by Chikumbuso Women and Orphans group in Zambia. Mary Fisher's blog has all the information you need about that particular group, you can also find out more and purchase bags from their facebook page.

Gorgeous bags the Chikumbuso project.

Osondi owendi......fortunately Africa has the best of both worlds

noreply@blogger.com (Mwanabibi Sikamo) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:24:00 +0000

What some like others may not. Tradition vs modernity. We need not choose,Africa is a brilliant blend of both! Have a great week!