Lodgeblog

Trine Lise Sletteng & Britania Lomax on 'The Experience'

2012-01-31T07:18:00.000+02:00

Chanters Lodge has enjoyed tremendous support from the Norwegian community in Zambia, and indeed from Norwegians in Norway, since the lodge opened in July 1998. In recent years, we have often accommodated students during the notoriously 'slow' months in Livingstone of January and February. This year is no exception, so we were delighted to invite Trine Sletteng (left) and Britania Lomax (above) on to the most recent edition of 'The Experience' - that's our regular Sunday night radio show on
Zambezi 107.7 fm, airing at 20.30 hrs for an hour, and streaming live on the internet. Our show is a great mixture of Zambian and international pop music as well as lively chat with our guests of the week, and is hosted by Milli Jam and George Kaufela, two of Livingstone's top DJ's/radio presenters.

Trine and Britania, guests at the lodge, are student teachers at the University of Tromso in northern Norway, Trine is in her 4th year of study and Britania her 3rd. The girls told listeners that they were in Zambia for one month's practical teaching training at Nansanzu Basic School in Livingstone, but they had not yet started their work due to a string of unforeseen circumstances at the school. They were scheduled to begin their teaching stints the following day. "Nervous?" We wondered. "More nervous about appearing on radio right now!" They replied, but we assured them that there was no need to be nervous about either event! We were sure the Grade 8 and Grade 9 students they were scheduled to teach would be delighted to see and learn from them. Between them the girls would be teaching art, history, home economics and English.

The music on the show was great and rather different on this edition. We opened with 'Drive By' from Train - not a well known band in Zambia. This was coupled with 'Only Human' by Tim McGraw featuring Ne-Yo, a track from Tim's latest country album. George featured 'Vitumbuwa' a huge Zambian hit for 2in1 (the word means fritters, fried food hawked by street traders in Zambian cities). He coupled that with Slap D featuring Maureen Lilanda with 'Iyo Nyimbo'. Milli Jam picked Sean Paul's 'Hold On', back to back with K'Naan featuring Nelly Furtado with 'Anyone Out There?'

One of the reasons our show is popular locally is that we give away a prize of a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge every week to the first person to text us telling us who's singing our 'oldie of the week'. This week the track was Destiny's Child's 'Bootylicious' and the prize was quickly snapped up! Another regular feature on the show is our 'pick of the week' - a track that we're tipping for chart success in the future. This week our selection was Flo Rida ft T_Pain and LMFAO with 'Run To You'. We closed the show with Cover Drive's hot single 'Twilight'.

Trine and Britania told listeners they were single and married respectively and that Tromso had been very warm recently but was very cold when they left for Africa. "Very warm?" we queried. "Yes" they said, it was +1C. We laughed and gave them an idea of what 'very warm' meant in Livingstone! The girls told us about the walking safari they'd done a few days previously in the Mosi-o-Tunya National Park as well as the gorge swing and flying fox they'd braved that very day. Had Livingstone been what the girls expected? "Oh yes!" They said "we were told its real name is Luvingstone and we do love it!" We loved them too, wishing them the best of luck while they were here!

Faced with the inevitable 'last question' Trine said that in ten years' time she'd like to be settled down with a good job, nice home and two children. Britania told listeners she would be 'travelling the world one day at a time'. "Good luck!" We said!

Roberto

2012-01-29T07:30:00.000+02:00

George Kaufela, co-host of our Sunday night radio show reports on Roberto's recent interview with UKZambians. We wish him the best of luck!

UKZambians: When is your new album coming out?
Well, the new album is expected out in April, we pushed it to April simply because we'd love to let people know the new music so they get to enjoy the album to the fullest.

UKZambians: What is the title of the album and who is featuring on it?
It's been crazy trying to figure out what it should be called, but I finally settled on MY NAME IS… ROBERTO, I feel I have reached a point where I would love everybody to know my dreams and goals. What better way to remind everyone what my name is? I have a couple of surprises on my new album. So far I have featured BrathaHood Music only rapper, YOUNG RIKO, it also has Pope from Nigeria, T Bozz from Botswana and a few more that we shall unveil when the album drops.

UKZambians: Who is distributing the album?
We are in talks with all major distributing companies through out Zambia, and also distributors in Africa and Europe as we would love to make the album available across all continents.

UKZambians: What songs and videos are you promoting?
Currently CHAWAMA has been on promotion and I'm really happy with its performance and as of now we are kick starting our campaign to promote a new song called OSANISIYA SO feat YOUNG RIKO, it has a video that will be promoted with the song, side by side so look out for that.

UKZambians: You just launched your website, what do fans expect to see on your website?
Well firstly I don’t want to just have a website but we want it to be an interractive tool and of course a source of information.

UKZambians: What other things are you doing besides working on the album?
Besides my album I am working on Young Rikos album and working on Manas 2nd album, I am also working on Titani`s album - she’s the only female on BrathaHood label. I am also helping out on Ozzy’s new album.

UKZambians: Any international tours planned?
International tours? Of course, in fact soon I hope to kick start that and expose my music, this year I hope to do a lot more of traveling to promote my new material.

UKZambians: You recently lost your father and we are sorry about that but how have you been able to get back on your feet?
It surely hasn’t been easy, and his passing has been a blow to all of us, but we keep him in our spirits and he was a hard working man. He surely was one person who never loved unfinished work no matter what, and it's that spirit in him that I have adopted.

UKZambians : We applaud you for that man! Now your songs “Love You More” and “Chawama” are doing great on radio and their videos are awesome, what categories where they nominated in at the BNB Awards and did any of them win?'
Love You More' was nominated it was in the best R&B category, Jk won in that category

The Silver Plate

2012-01-27T07:51:00.000+02:00

This one from a Zambian friend of mine on Facebook - actually it was from her mum!

A mom visits her son, who lives with a girl roommate, for dinner. During the course of the meal, his mother couldn't help but notice that his roommate was very pretty! She had long been suspicious of a relationship between the two, and this had only made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between him and his roommate than met the eye. Reading his mom's thoughts, his son volunteered, “I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, we are just roommates."

About a week later, his roommate came to him saying, “Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the silver plate. You don't suppose she took it, do you?" He said "Well, I doubt it, but I'll email her, just to be sure." He sat down and wrote : Dear Mother: I'm not saying that you ‘did' take the silver plate from my house, I'm not saying that you ‘did not' take the silver plate, but the fact remains that it has been missing ever since you were here for dinner. Love, your son.

Several days later, he received an email from his Mother which read: Dear Son: I'm not saying that you ‘do' sleep with your roommate, and I'm not saying that you ‘do not' sleep with her. But the fact remains that if she was sleeping in her OWN bed, she would have found the silver plate by now, under the pillow… Love, Mom.

Mummy knows best!

'The Experience' is Mission Possible!

2012-01-25T10:15:00.000+02:00

Meet Ruth and Richard Wallis from Cambridge, England, guests on the most recent edition of 'The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela', our weekly radio show. 'The Experience' is a great mixture of local and international music, as well as lively and interesting conversation with our guests. Chanters Lodge sponsors the show which airs live every Sunday from 20.30 - 21.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm. The programme has been a popular regular feature on local radio more or less continuously since October 2007. The station reaches an audience within a 75 km radius of Livingstone and also streams live on the net. The links are on the station's site here, and on the lodge site here.

Richard told listeners he'd worked in Zambia for ZCBC (Zambia Consumer Buying Corporation) between 1972 and 1977 and explained that ZCBC were the stores in which Zambians shopped before there was Shoprite! The company was a parastatal (quasi Government) organization. He must have shocked our audience telling them there were so many shortages in those days, that when the stores were due to receive a consignment of cooking oil, sugar or other essential commodities, the first thing management did was to call the police, asking them to come and control the inevitable crowd who would flock to the store the moment they heard that a commodity was back in stock! Long queues and rationing were the order of the day.

After Richard returned to UK amongst other positions held he was the managing director of Scripture Union's chain of retail book stores. Ruth had been working for the same chain. Steven told listeners his first wife Susan had died in 2005 and in 2007 he and Ruth had married. In the same year Richard established Mission Possible with a mission to advance the Christian faith by serving the poor, forgotten, and marginalised by serving children and families at risk, training Christian leaders and distributing Christian literature. Mission Possible works in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda as well as Zambia in Africa, and in some European countries too. While back in Zambia Ruth and Richard would be conducting leadership training for upwards of 100 interdenominational pastors in Livingstone. "Great stuff!" We said, and meant it!

The music on the show was right up to date. We opened with Jesse J's UK number one 'Domino' back to back with 'More Than This' from One Direction. George's Zambian selection promoted CQ featuring Exile with 'Ndekeleni' and 'Ikashishita' by Pilato featuring Chif. Milli Jam dropped 'Losing' by Joe Thomas and 'Try' by Frank Ocean. We usually give away a prize of a dinner for 2 at Chanters Lodge every week to the first person to text us telling us who's singing our oldie of the week, but this week no-one listening knew it was Paul Simon singing 'Boy In the Bubble', so no prize! Sometimes I do make it tough! My pick of the week was Madonna's 'Masterpiece' and we closed with hot Nigerian Davido's hot 'Demi-Duro'.

We wondered whether Ruth and Richard would have time to do any of the tourist activities during their week in Zambia with daughter Anna and grand-daughter Beatrice. "Well" said Ruth "we've already seen, heard and felt the Falls!". "Felt the Falls?" I wondered. "Yes" said Ruth "I've never felt so wet in my life!" We laughed. "Do you work?" I asked Ruth and she explained to listeners that apart from helping Richard with Mission Possible she drives a mobile post office for Royal Mail back in England. Richard also revealed that he chauffeur drives for a limousine company to help meet the expense of running their NGO. "Any famous passengers?" I wondered. "Sometimes" he said "recently Ken Clarke", explaining to listeners that Clarke is currently Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in UK.

This Christian, engaging and loving couple told listeners that when they left Zambia at the end of the following week they would be proceeding to Rwanda for more missionary work. Their answer to the inevitable question? In ten years' time they hoped to be still fit, strong and fulfilling Mission Possible's mission! Bet they are too!

David Livingstone - 200th Anniversary

2012-01-23T10:03:00.001+02:00

From The Post, Zambia

David Livingstone Bicentenary (200th anniversary) UK liaison officer Belinda Hodge has announced plans to develop this event into a world-class festival and draw tourists from all over the world. During a recent media breakfast meeting in Livingstone, Hodge said David Livingstone, the Scottish explorer accredited with being the first European to see and name the Victoria Falls, was committed to exploration, medicine, education and eradication of slavery and was still an active campaigner 200 years later.

Hodge said the event to be commemorated in 2013 would also involve cultural exchange between schools and universities in Zambia and UK. And Livingstone-based David Livingstone Bicentenary 2013 committee liaison officer Frederick Mwendapole said the celebrations would include international arts, cultural and sporting festivals.

"The events to celebrate 200th anniversary of David Livingstone will be held between March and October 2013 in Livingstone. The event will promote Livingstone as a preferred tourism destination as tourists from abroad will come to Zambia and Livingstone in particular," Mwendapole said. He said Zambia would work closely with several countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region to host the occasion.

"As you may be aware, David Livingstone was born in 1813 and it will be 200 years in 2013 from the time he was born. We are seeking to establish links between United Kingdom and Livingstone in Zambia to mark the bicentenary of David Livingstone. We want to ensure that there is a lasting legacy moving forward from this bicentennial year," said Mwendapole.

And Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) tourism services manager Jocelyn Mutinta said the event would help to market Livingstone and Zambian tourism products in general to the outside world. Mutinta appealed to companies to support the event and the marketing of Zambian tourism by helping in celebrating a man who is credited with having first documented the Victoria Falls, and later died in Zambia in 1873 at Chitambo mission.

Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) member Active Monze said the event was a welcome development because it would go a long way in promoting Livingstone town as a preferred destination for tourists.

Zambia and Zimbabwe will also co-host the 20th Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly in 2013 in Livingstone and Victoria Falls town.

Biscuits

2012-01-21T07:27:00.000+02:00

Here's another one from a Facebook friend:

A young lady was waiting for her flight in the VIP lounge of a big airport. As she'd need to wait many hours she decided to buy a book to read to pass the time. She also bought a packet of biscuits. She sat down in an armchair to rest and read in peace. Beside the armchair where the packet of biscuits lay, a man sat down in the next seat, opened his magazine and started to read.

When the young lady took the first biscuit out of the packet, the man in the next chair took one also. She felt irritated but said nothing. She just thought: “What a nerve! If I was in the mood I'd punch him for daring to do that!” For each biscuit she took, the man took one too. This was infuriating her but she didn’t want to cause a scene.

When only one biscuit remained, she thought: "Ah! What will this irritating chap do now?” The man, took the last biscuit, divided it into half and gave her one half. That was too much! She was now very angry! In a huff, she insulted the man, took her book and her things and stormed to the boarding area to catch her plane. When she sat down in her seat inside the plane, she looked in her bag to take out her spectacles and to her surprise, her packet of biscuits was there untouched and unopened!

She felt so ashamed. She realized that she was wrong and that she'd forgotten that her biscuits were still in her bag. The man had shared his biscuits with her, without feeling angry or bitter while she'd been very angry thinking she was sharing her biscuits with him and now there was no chance to explain herself or to apologize.

The moral of the story?

There are 4 things that you cannot recover.

- The stone after the throw...the word after it’s said...the occasion after the loss and the time after it’s gone. So always be careful and patient!

AfriConnect

2012-01-19T07:17:00.000+02:00

This is potentially good news from AfriConnect - but I do wish their ISpot tickets did not have to be accessed through the useless Kazang/Spargris (As a matter of interest the Spargris Facebook page has no likes and access to the Kazang site is very difficult). It would be nice too if AfricConnect provided better value for money. ISpot is very expensive to use and their one month ticket, whilst only lasting less than a week with normal use, is much faster than their cheaper tickets and that's not fair. I'm not too sure about the comment lower down about slow speed internet 'changing rapidly' in Zambia - anyway it's not happening in Livingstone that's for sure.

This piece is from MarketWatch

"Airspan Networks Inc., a leading provider of broadband wireless access networks, announced today that AfriConnect Zambia, an Internet Solutions Provider in the Vodacom Group of companies, has selected Airspan 4G equipment to deliver broadband services to the capital of Lusaka and several other major cities in Zambia.

AfriConnect offers wireless-based Internet solutions throughout Zambia that are resilient to the environments in which they are deployed and quick and easy to install. Their solutions provide quality, high-speed communication for all key markets including residential, the rapidly expanding business community, and key sectors such as Healthcare, Government, Agriculture, and NGOs. The Company will now be able to better serve these markets with advanced 4G connectivity powered by Airspan infrastructure.

The deployment, operating in the 2.5 GHz band, employs Airspan's flagship Air4G compact, macro base station, suiting the AfriConnect deployment with technology that enables wide area coverage and extremely high capacity. The first phase of the project includes several thousand subscriber terminals to be deployed in the capital, Lusaka, and is expected to expand coverage into additional towns and cities.

"AfriConnect focuses on delivering high quality products and service to our customers," commented Mark Bennett, Managing Director of AfriConnect. "There is a lot of new international fibre optic capacity coming into Zambia at present, and we knew we needed a means to get this additional bandwidth out to our clients. We conducted extensive testing with several vendors and subsequently selected Airspan, whose products demonstrated superior technology and the best results in our environment. Airspan's leadership in 4G technology will give us a competitive advantage in the field and will enable us to deploy the first 4G network in Zambia."

Zambia had gained a reputation for having slow connectivity, but that is changing rapidly. AfriConnect is driven to bringing affordable and dependable broadband connectivity to the Zambian community. "Innovative service providers like AfriConnect are rapidly growing their businesses to expand connectivity throughout the typically underserved regions of Zambia," commented Amit Ancikovsky, President of Products and Sales at Airspan. "AfriConnect uniquely leverages its local presence and the Airspan powered 4G network will help take its customer offering to the next level."

This is potentially good news from AfriConnect - but I do wish their ISpot tickets did not have to be accessed through the useless Kazang/Spargris (As a matter of interest the Spargris Facebook page has no likes and access to the Kazang site is very difficult). It would be nice too if AfricConnect provided better value for money. ISpot is very expensive to use and their one month ticket, whilst only lasting less than a week with normal use, is much faster than their cheaper tickets and that's not fair. I'm not too sure about the comment lower down about slow speed internet 'changing rapidly' in Zambia - anyway it's not happening in Livingstone that's for sure.

This piece is from MarketWatch

"Airspan Networks Inc., a leading provider of broadband wireless access networks, announced today that AfriConnect Zambia, an Internet Solutions Provider in the Vodacom Group of companies, has selected Airspan 4G equipment to deliver broadband services to the capital of Lusaka and several other major cities in Zambia.

AfriConnect offers wireless-based Internet solutions throughout Zambia that are resilient to the environments in which they are deployed and quick and easy to install. Their solutions provide quality, high-speed communication for all key markets including residential, the rapidly expanding business community, and key sectors such as Healthcare, Government, Agriculture, and NGOs. The Company will now be able to better serve these markets with advanced 4G connectivity powered by Airspan infrastructure.

The deployment, operating in the 2.5 GHz band, employs Airspan's flagship Air4G compact, macro base station, suiting the AfriConnect deployment with technology that enables wide area coverage and extremely high capacity. The first phase of the project includes several thousand subscriber terminals to be deployed in the capital, Lusaka, and is expected to expand coverage into additional towns and cities.

"AfriConnect focuses on delivering high quality products and service to our customers," commented Mark Bennett, Managing Director of AfriConnect. "There is a lot of new international fibre optic capacity coming into Zambia at present, and we knew we needed a means to get this additional bandwidth out to our clients. We conducted extensive testing with several vendors and subsequently selected Airspan, whose products demonstrated superior technology and the best results in our environment. Airspan's leadership in 4G technology will give us a competitive advantage in the field and will enable us to deploy the first 4G network in Zambia."

Zambia had gained a reputation for having slow connectivity, but that is changing rapidly. AfriConnect is driven to bringing affordable and dependable broadband connectivity to the Zambian community. "Innovative service providers like AfriConnect are rapidly growing their businesses to expand connectivity throughout the typically underserved regions of Zambia," commented Amit Ancikovsky, President of Products and Sales at Airspan. "AfriConnect uniquely leverages its local presence and the Airspan powered 4G network will help take its customer offering to the next level."

Tim and Diane Seaborn Brown on 'The Experience'

2012-01-17T07:25:00.000+02:00

We were delighted to have guests all the way from San Francisco, California on the most recent edition of 'The Chanters Lodge Experience with The Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George Soulchild Kaufela' our weekly Sunday night radio show, airing at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 107.7fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station and streaming live on the internet. Our popular show is known locally just as 'The Experience'. Each week we offer a great mixture of local and international popular music, interesting and entertaining conversation with our guests of the week, as well as pop chart news from the UK and USA. One thing that makes our programme popular is that we give away a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge every Sunday to the first person to text us, telling us who's singing our 'oldie of the week'. This week the track was Dionne Warwick's 'Heartbreaker' - I thought our audience would struggle but we got a text with the correct answer very quickly!

Our guests Diane and Tim Seaborn Brown (above) told listeners they'd been married for 39 years and that Tim had recently retired from his job as a high school teacher of maths and computer science. When we asked Diane if she'd also retired she was rather hesitant with her answer. She did tell listeners she'd owned a pre-school for 25 years educating 100 students at a time and employing 10 teachers. She'd also spent time as a stock broker and as a recreational therapist for children with Down syndrome. Tim hailed originally from New Zealand where he and Diane had first met on a blind date, organized by mutual friends. "Was it love at first sight"? Asked Milimo (as usual). "Yes!" they agreed in unison! "One of the first things we did together was to watch a rugby match" Diane told listeners, explaining that as an American she'd understood very little of the game and totally didn't understand that no-one was yelling and screaming when one of the teams scored points! "Quite different from the States!" She observed.

The music on the show was as entertaining as it should be. Flo Rida's UK number one 'Good Feeling' opened the account, back to back with One Direction's 'One Thing'. George chose 'Kawilo' by B-Flow, Maureen Lilanda and Danny, coupled with Ozzy's 'Chimutengo Chamango' for our local tracks, and Milli Jam picked 'Oh Yeah' by TI featuring Trey Songz and 'Party' by Beyonce (this latter track in honour of Beyonce's recently born baby.) My tip of the week was the haunting 'Home Again' - Michael Kiwanuka's UK hit. 'Troublemaker' by Taio Cruz closed the show.

Tim and Diane told listeners about their fabulous African adventure explaining that they were about half way through their journey. Before arriving in Livingstone for four days they'd spent three weeks on an overland tour through Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho in the company of 17 young Australians. From Livingstone they would leave the following day for Zimbabwe and then on to Johannesburg. A four day safari in the Kruger National Park was on the agenda as well as two weeks 'lying on the beach' in Zanzibar. This energetic, loving couple would then spend some time as volunteers in Arusha before taking off for another safari through the Serengeti.

Having been asked the usual closing question Tim and Diane told listeners that ten years from now they'd still like to be travelling worldwide and saw no reason why this should not be the case. We saw no reason either!

CQ

2012-01-15T08:21:00.001+02:00

George da Souldchild-Kaufela, co-host of our Sunday night radio show 'The Experience' on Zambezi 107.7 fm, upcoming singing star, as well as our valuable and regular blog contributor keeps an eye on the local Zambian music scene for us! Here's his latest report on CQ and music piracy in Zambia!

"Fans of CQ may have to wait a while longer to get his new album because the 'Waziba' hit maker isn’t releasing one any time soon. CQ has revealed by interview from the USA that he's not making a solo album because of piracy, but instead he will focus on making an album with OC. The album is being exclusively produced by OC, Mister of California and Wreckless from Florida. CQ’s latest song “Ndekeleni” with Exile is enjoying massive airplay on local radio stations and his Digital X produced JK featured “Multi Lover” tune is excellent, but he insists that he is not releasing any album soon.

“I don't see myself releasing a solo album anytime soon, mainly because the system in Zambia is pathetic. We (musicians) invest too much and get too little out of albums, so I'd rather run with the new trend of just releasing singles. We get badly pirated after all the effort we put in, even going quiet for a year hoping that when the album is out it will make a lot of noise, only to find that pirates have poached maybe two songs and have then made what they call 'Zed Compilation'. This gives an impression that your album only has two hot songs which I find unfair. So, as long as the system doesn’t change I'm not changing my mind”, he revealed.

The star who is tight lipped about the collaborative album he's recording in the USA with OC said he'll focus on doing shows as he makes more money from them than from making an album. CQ says that music is a big part of his career but he has other lucrative ventures that take up a lot of his time. He's a print model for Black Rose and an actor who retains a permanent role as a barman in Kabanana. He also runs his own record label, Extra Large Entertainment, and is now looking in to opening a fashion clothing line to be called CQ Muzukulu."

Wish him the best of luck!

Kaufela

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000+02:00

The Post, Zambia's most popular newspaper, recently featured George da Soulchild aka Kaufela (above right, with Milimo), co-host of our regular Sunday night radio show, 'The Chanters Lodge Experience', in an in-depth interview. Why didn't George mention our show? We wanted to know. "I did but they edited it out" he told me. Shame on them, but great publicity for George!

"Down in the tourist capital Livingstone, stands Zambezi FM Radio host and musician George Da Soulchild-Kaufela, formally known as George Mukwita. The Weekend post caught up with this multi-talented DJ after his scintillating Born and Bred performance in December last year, alongside TY2 on the track he featured called 'Spotlight'.

Q: Why Kaufela, your colleagues go by western names?
A: It all started in the studio, I did a song by that name, the fellas loved it and I think it best describes who I am, besides the fact that I'm Lozi.

Q: First time I heard of you was a song with the late Crystal Shaun, then Ty2 and Petersen. Now what are you up to?
A: Yes I've been singing for a long time but it's only now that I want to put my work in to an album. My debut release should be out this year. We're just putting everything together, trying to make sure we have the right strategies to give it the best promotion before and after it's on the market.

Q: Yes, coming to the songs. You stand out for singing in Silozi, most of your colleagues are into Bembalise-Nyanjalise, do you have a ready audience?
A: Plenty! Zambians dance to Congolese, Swahili…all Zambians have an idea of Bantu language. That being said I also use Nyanja, Bemba and English. It’s a mix - the best of all worlds. In other words my music is easy to listen to and understand.

Q: In your upcoming album you have collaborations with big names like Haamoba, Roberto, Petersen, K’Millian, Bflow and Ty2.Tell me, how do you manage to work with so many Lusaka based artistes when you're based in Livingstone?
A: They are all my personal friends so working with them was pretty easy. We had a lot of fun making and recording songs - we worked on the music when they came down to Livingstone. I'm also a promoter and organize shows in Sesheke and Livingstone.

Q: With which studio do you work?
A: Raising Sounds Studio in Livingstone. Roni does the work.

Q: What are you going to call your album?
A: Not yet decided. I'm tempted to call it KAUFELA MUSIC but like I said, we haven't yet decided.

Q: Face it, the RAP/RNB scene in Zambia is congested and competitive. Macky 2, Slap D, Afunika, Mampi, PJ etc so what's your game plan?
A: Competition yes, but I'm not worried about those guys, I just focus on my music. Roni and I make good music that can compete fairly anywhere in the world at any given time, it’s just a matter of time before we become household names! They should be worried about me! (laughs).

Q :Any last words to your fans and prospective fans?
A: We started out so simply just with Livingstone. Thank you very much for the love and support. It's now time to take it national then International - one step at a time and we'll soon get there. To those discovering me for the first time feel free to request for my music on your local radio stations and look out for my album dropping this year. Go for it! Big up to all the radio DJs that promote my music and all the night club DJs that do likewise, and to all the guys that hold me up! Cheers!

Dave & Hazel Roberts guest on 'The Experience'

2012-01-11T07:33:00.000+02:00

Meet old friends of mine Dave and Hazel Roberts (above), lively guests on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. For the uninitiated 'The Experience' is our popular Sunday night radio show airing between 20.30 and 21.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station, and streaming live on the internet. Zambezi 107.7 fm studios are situated on the 6th floor of Mosi-o-Tunya House, the large office block in downtown Livingstone opposite Livingstone Museum, and that's where we go to broadcast our live show every Sunday evening!

The programme is a great mixture of international and local music as well as fascinating conversation with our weekly guests. We give away a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge every week to the first listener to text us, telling us who's singing our 'oldie of the week'. This week the track was Phil Collins' 'Do You Remember?' The prize was quickly snapped up by Mwiinga. We also feature my 'Pick Of The Week - Tip For The Top' and my selection on this particular show was JLS with 'Pieces Of My Heart' - we'll see what happens in the charts if and when the track's released as a single.

Dave and Hazel told listeners this was their third visit to Zambia. They'd stayed in Livingstone from1998 to 2000 when they'd spent two years as volunteers at David Livingstone Teacher Training College, teaching student mathematics teachers. The Roberts' are both qualified maths teachers, and noted on air that the standard of maths teaching in Zambia had not been very good in the past. They felt they'd contributed a lot to help rectify this situation during their time in Zambia. They'd volunteered through VSO twice more after leaving Zambia, once in Malawi and once in Senegal and they'd also enjoyed both these tours of duty. Their current visit was part of a four week African holiday which had taken them first to South Africa then to Zambia. They were enjoying meeting old friends in Livingstone as well as visiting old haunts like Chanters Lodge, and they told listeners proudly that they'd been two of the very first customers at the lodge when it opened in 1998. "That's true!" I confirmed.

The music on the show was good, we opened with 'Hurts Like Heaven' a track from the brilliant Coldplay album 'Mylo Xyloto' back to back with 'Convertible' a great new recording from Chris Brown. George chose Exile's 'Auwe' coupled with Ty2 featuring Kaufela with 'Spotlight' - this was a special request from Dave and Hazel who demanded to hear some of George's work. "It's a great track!" They said. "Of course!" We said. Milimo dropped Bei Maejor's 'Fell In Love On The Dance Floor' and Ne-Yo's 'Regardless'. Coldplay's 'Paradise', the current UK number one, closed our show.

Dave and Hazel told listeners they were from UK and that they had two adult children as well as two young grandchildren. Although neither of them were from that part of Britain they were currently living near Wakefield, West Yorkshire in order to be near their grandchildren. They'd been married for 44 years, having met in 1966 at a meeting for maths teachers in Germany. "Was it love at first sight?" Milli Jam wanted to know. "No!" Quipped Dave in his Welsh accent (for he is of that race) "it was maths at first sight!". We laughed. This lovely, loving couple wished they had more time to spend in Zambia but sadly would be driving to Lusaka the following Tuesday and flying back to UK two days after that.

We wished them well and 'bon voyage', thanked them for taking the time to appear on our show, and hoped we'd see them back in Livingstone again one of these fine days!

Mathematics

2012-01-09T08:16:00.000+02:00

I loved this little story from a Zambian friend on Facebook!

A Zambian gentleman left this note for his wife:

My dear wife Misozi,

You will surely understand that I have certain needs, that you being 54 years old can no longer satisfy but I must say I'm very happy with you and I value you as a good wife.

Therefore, after reading this letter, I hope you won't wrongly interpret the fact that I'll be spending the evening with my 18 year old secretary at The Comfort Inn Hotel. Please don’t be upset - I shall be home before midnight.

With love,
Husband Makasa

When the man went home late that night he found the following letter on the bedroom table:

My dear husband Makasa,

I received your letter and thank you for your honesty about my being 54 yrs old.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that you are also 54 yrs old. As you know I'm a maths teacher at our local college. I would like to inform you that while you are reading this, I will be at the Marriott Hotel with Michael, one of my students. He is young, virile, and like your secretary he is also 18 years old.

As a successful businessman who has an excellent knowledge of maths, you will understand that although it may appear we're in the same situation, there's one mathematical difference -18 goes into 54 a lot more times than 54 goes into 18! Therefore I will not be home until sometime tomorrow!

Love always,
Your wife Misozi.

Guest Reviews

2012-01-07T06:59:00.000+02:00

As you probably know I have an intense interest in all things TripAdvisor, so no surprise that this caught my eye and as usual tnooz has the latest:

"Just a day before CEO Steve Kaufer fronted TripAdvisor’s first public listing on the NASDAQ, Expedia started telling a number of its global markets about the launch of its new hotel review system. Known now as Expedia Verified Reviews, only guests that stayed at a property can submit a review, by way of a form emailed to the customer after a trip. Expedia says the Verified Reviews platform has yet to be officially launched in the US and most of its other large markets, but consumers in Australia and New Zealand are already using a new feedback system and site visitors are being reassured about the authenticity of the reviews.

The review form is said to have been streamlined but allows guests to submit information which, when included in new filters on the site, will let visitors browse reviews based on proximity to amenities and attractions. Users will also be able to submit photos of the property. Expedia’s tie-in with TripAdvisor isn’t completely over – each hotel page on Expedia has an icon displaying the aggregated score on TripAdvisor of a property. A user will still be able to click on the TripAdvisor logo and be directed to the corresponding hotel page on TripAdvisor.

The relationship between Expedia and TripAdvisor at this level has often been slightly curious given that the former was once the parent company of the user review giant. TripAdvisor waited for many years in the UK, for example, before seeing its reviews appear on the Expedia site, whereas visitors to the Australia and Canadian versions saw content appear very early on in the review site’s rapid expansion around the global.

While the idea of having verified reviews is nothing new elsewhere, or indeed on Expedia, some will note the remarkable timing of the announcement and relaunch of the guest feedback platform, especially as TripAdvisor is currently embroiled in one of the regular periods when it appears to take a beating from many in the industry."

So we'll see what we see with guest reviews on the internet.

The Streits Experience

2012-01-05T08:18:00.000+02:00

For the first 2012 edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild we introduced a new opening track - Olly Murs' recent UK number one - 'Dance With Me Tonight' because, we told listeners, we wanted everyone to dance while they listened to the show! And so we do! 'The Experience' is our weekly Sunday night radio show airing at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, and streaming live on the internet. On this particular show we knew the streaming was fine as we had an entry from Kenya for the prize we give away each week - to the first listener to tell us who's singing our 'oldie of the week'. The track was 'Where Is The Love' by Black Eyed Peas and the prize was quickly snapped up by Otilia in Livingstone. As for our Kenyan listener, we told him to get on a plane and come and eat his prize!

Our guests on the show, pictured above, were the Streit family from Munich, Germany, though like me Bernhard Streit (centre) has been living and working in Africa for more than 40 years. Strangely our overseas careers both started in Mombasa, Kenya in the early 70's! We couldn't resist the temptation to reminisce on air about 'the old days' although our paths had not crossed at that time. Bernhard, a civil engineer and bridge builder, was accompanied on the show by his wife Gerda, a teacher back in Germany and son Robert a student from the University of Munich studying Biology. The only member of the family missing was Bernhard and Gerda's daughter Werena who'd been in Livingstone for Christmas, but was now back in Germany and we hoped listening live to the show on the internet.

The music on the show was great! After the opening Olly Murs track mentioned above, we dropped 'Born To Be Wild' - the latest from Sean Kingston and Nicki Minaj, back to back with Alex Day's UK Christmas hit 'Forever Yours'. George da Soulchild, about whom there was a big feature in Zambia's most popular national daily The Post the previous Friday showcasing his undoubted DJ and musical talents, chooses our local tracks each week on the show. This week his selections were Danny's 'Ifya Kon Ka on Ka' and Chika's 'Chimibaba'. Milli Jam chose LMFAO's 'Party Rock Anthem' which he told us is one of the most popular western tracks in the Livingstone clubs right now. He coupled this smash with Rihanna's beautiful 'Watch N'Learn'. After our oldie of the week, my 'Pick Of The Week' (another new feature for our show in 2012) was 'Cross My Mind' by Ludacris ft Damian Marley and Kevin Cossom. We spun the Military Wives and their lovely Christmas number one 'Wherever You Are' at the end of the show to say 'bye' to the holiday!

Bernhard and Gerda told listeners that they'd lived in Zambia in 2002-2003 when Bernhard was the civil engineer in charge of the construction of the bridge across the Zambezi between Sesheke and Katima Mulilo in Namibia - a beautiful bridge it is too! We demanded he now builds a bridge at Kazangula between Zambia and Botswana and we were treated to a lecture in why it was proving so difficult politically to get the project started, but Bernhard remained confident that the bridge would be built before long. The family had formed a consultancy company - Senex - in Zambia and were looking forward to settling in Livingstone in due course. We wanted to know if Robert had a girlfriend pining for him back in Germany, he said he had not. He told us he loves clubbing in Munich. Although he had not done the bungee jump in Livingstone he'd done the gorge swing and had also been white water rafting. Bernhard and Gerda had not!

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years' time, Bernhard and Gerda said they hoped they would still be around and enjoying life in Zambia, Robert said he hoped he would be following his chosen career as a marine biologist, living an exciting and interesting life. "Married with children?" I asked. The answer wasn't "yes!"

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:31:00.003+02:00

Happy New Year! Wishing all blog readers, clients and staff of Chanters Lodge, Livingstone, Zambia, family, Facebook friends and Twitter followers a very happy and prosperous 2012!

Go Zambia!

2011-12-31T07:03:00.000+02:00

My niece and her husband recently settled in Cardiff and are about to open their own catering business - no wonder then that this story in WalesOnline grabbed my attention! We wish Professor Hall the best of luck in her remarkable project!

"Artwork by school children and professional artists in Cardiff and Zambia will go on display in an exhibition marking the start of a new link between the two. Professor Judith Hall is working to set up Go Zambia – a new community link between Cardiff and the Chongwe district in the Lusaka Province of Zambia. The aim is for experts in Cardiff to help the African community to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include reducing maternal and child mortality, improving environmental sustainability and achieving universal primary education.

The exhibition marks the first public event to raise awareness of the burgeoning link and all the art on display has been inspired by Zambia. Prof Hall, a consultant anaesthetist at UHW and head of the department of anaesthetics, intensive care and pain medicine at Cardiff University, founded the charity Mothers of Africa to reduce maternal mortality and has been working in Liberia, Ethiopia, Togo and Benin. Now she is in the process of setting up this wider link with Zambia.

“The idea is to have a multi-disciplinary project which can work more intensively in this country compared to what we’ve been doing before,” she said. “The main problems in the district are communication problems – there’s one road running through the district with a modern hospital at one end and a slightly older one at the other end. But most people live inland where travel is difficult and it can take hours to walk to the road and get help.

“Access to clean water and electricity is a problem immediately after you leave the road. Healthcare is arranged around health posts most of which have no electricity. Solar panels could transform practice. “Each post is run by a qualified nurse, working in isolation. There is no continuing education for staff. As a result morale and standards are probably very low because of this. Pregnant women cannot be delivered at night because there is no electricity. Many die on their way to hospital.”

Prof Hall, a former Welsh Woman of the Year, has organised the exhibition, featuring work by primary and secondary school pupils in Cardiff and professional artists, at the Butetown History and Arts Centre during January to raise awareness of Go Zambia."

Awesome!

Take Barclays With You - When You Die!

2011-12-29T07:20:00.000+02:00

A friend sent me this true story - perhaps knowing how much I just love Barclays Bank (Zambia) Ltd!

A lady died last January. Barclays Bank billed her for service charges on her credit card for February and March. They then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been £0.00, now it was somewhere around £60.00.

A family member placed a call to Barclays Bank:

Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you that she died in January.'

Barclays: 'The account was never closed. The late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'

Barclays: 'Since it's two months past due, it already has been..'

Family Member: 'So, what will they do when they find out she's dead?'

Barclays: 'Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Barclays: 'Excuse me?'

Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you, the part about her being dead?'

Barclays: 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone:

Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died in January.'

Barclays: 'The account was never closed. The late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

Barclays: (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info given)

Barclays: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member: 'Sure.' ( fax number is given )

After they get the fax:

Barclays: 'Our system just isn't set up for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'

Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. I don't think she'll care.'

Barclays: 'Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.'

Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'

Barclays: 'That might help.'

Family Member: ' Finchley Memorial Cemetery , Great North Road, Finchley,
London, Plot Number 1049.'

Barclays: 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'

Family Member: 'Well, what the f*** do you do with dead people on your planet?'

The Milli Jam Ingredient!

2011-12-27T07:10:00.000+02:00

Because of understandable family commitments on Christmas Day it wasn't possible to bring an outside guest on to the Chanters Lodge Experience on Sunday night for our last show of 2011, so we turned the tables on Milli Jam (above) and put him on as our guest! So, for one week only the show was 'The Chanters Lodge Experience with the George Soulchild Ingredient featuring Richard!' 'The Experience' is our weekly radio programme airing every Sunday from 20.30 hrs for an hour on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station. The show, a great mixture of music and chat, is popular locally, partly because we give away a prize every week to the first listener to text us telling us who's singing our 'oldie of the week'! On this particular show the prize was a dinner for four, two more than usual - because it was Christmas Day, and also because no-one had won the week before. The track was Brandy's 'Piano Man' and the winner was Keilher from Maramba! Great stuff!

"So, why are you called Milli Jam and what's your real name?" George wanted to know at the top of the show. Milli Jam explained that his real name is Milimo Jack Mudaala. 'Milli Jam' was created from the 'Mili' of Milimo the 'Ja' of Jack and the 'M' of Mudaala. "Ah!" We said! "Are you married?" We wanted to know. "Very, very married!" Came the reply with what we felt was undue emphasis on 'very'! Milli Jam went on to tell listeners that he has 7 children altogether. He'd lived in Livingstone since 1985 and had worked at 107.7 fm since 2006. Although he'd been offered full time employment with the station he'd preferred to remain part time as he was also now a manager again at Fairmount Hotel in Livingstone. "You've had a long love/hate affair with that place" I commented and Milimo admitted that his current stint was the third time he'd worked at the Fairmount! "They keep wanting me back!" He explained. "Yes" we said, grinning.

The music on the show was as good as usual. We opened with 'Cannonball' by Little Mix - last week's number one in UK I told listeners, but added that Military Wives with 'Wherever You Are' was the new UK Christmas number one as we went on air. Katy Perry's 'The One That Got Away' was next up. George chose 'Hampa Nawe' by Manas ft Recho, a new hot Zambian track, back to back with 'Feeling Feeling' by Macky 2. We dropped 'Right Here' Nicole Scherzinger's hit coupled with 'Talk That Talk' the title track from Rihanna's latest album. After the oldie of the week we played Rizzle Kicks - 'Mama Do The Hump'. "It must be a dance" George speculated. "Certainly hope so" I replied!!

Milli Jam told listeners that time had prevented him being able to do many of the activities available to tourists in Livingstone such as the bungee jump, lion encounter and elephant ride. Nothing to do with fear. "Yeah!" Said George, "you've only been here since 1985!" Some of us laughed, others didn't! Milli Jam told listeners how he just loved Arsenal Football Club. His all time favourite player was Ian Wright and his current favourite inevitably Robin van Persie. No surprise there! His favourite music is and has been R&B and hip-hop, and his all time favourite artist is Micheal Jackson - 'King Of Pop'. Milimo is famous in Livingstone for his great MJ dance routine but admitted that these days he needs about six Savannas before he can 'get in the mood'.

Milimo told listeners he'd love to have his own business in Livingstone10 years down the line, and on our part we thanked both he and George for their super presentation of our show since 2007 through 2011 and we looked forward to a successful 2012 for Chanters Lodge and Zambezi 107.7 fm.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:36:00.001+02:00

Merry Christmas to family, friends, guests, clients, facebook friends and Twitter followers from management and staff at Chanters Lodge, Livingstone!

The Auditor

2011-12-24T07:37:00.000+02:00

Thanks to a Facebook friend for this classic - apologies to all of this profession who might read and fail to be amused (they often are not amused)!

Once upon a time there was a shepherd looking after his sheep on the side of a deserted road. Suddenly a brand new Porsche screeches to a halt. The driver, a man dressed in an Armani suit, Cerutti shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses, TAG-Heuer wrist-watch, and a Pierre Cardin tie gets out and asks the shepherd, 'If I can tell you how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?'

The shepherd looks at the young man, then looks at the large flock of grazing sheep and replies, 'Okay.' The young man parks the car, connects his laptop to the mobile-fax, enters a NASA Website, scans the ground using his GPS, opens a database and 60 Excel tables filled with algorithms and pivot tables. He then prints out a 150-page report on his high-tech mini-printer, turns to the shepherd and says, 'You have exactly 1,586 sheep.'

The shepherd cheers, 'That's correct, you can have your sheep.'The young man takes one of the animals from the flock and puts it in the back of his Porsche. The shepherd looks at him and asks, 'If I guess your profession, will you return my animal to me?' The young man answers, 'Yes, why not?'

The shepherd says, 'You are an auditor.' 'How did you know?' asks the young man. 'Very simple,' answers the shepherd.'Firstly, you came here without being wanted. Secondly, you charged me a fee to tell me something I already knew. Thirdly, you don't understand anything about my business.....

Now can I have my dog back?

Lol!

Evans Kangwa Is Hot!

2011-12-22T11:04:00.000+02:00

No surprise that Evans Kangwa is hot property, anyone who watched the recent COSAFA Under 20's tournament (won by Zambia) will have been most impressed by his talent, including his great thunderbolt goal in the final. This yesterday, therefore, on StarAfrica.com comes as no surprise.

"Zambian side Nkana FC have temporarily iced the transfer of striker Evans Kangwa to South African club Orlando Pirates due to the latter’s mode of payment for the transfer fee. The teenage striker cost the South African champions $70,000 but their payment terms has placed the move in a balance.

According to officials of Nkana FC, the ‘Bucs’ were prepared to part with $40,000 with the remainder being cleared over a period of two years. “We have misgivings with the Pirates offer to pay the transfer fee in instalments. This is why we have insisted that the deal is not yet finalised,” Ken Mwanza, vice Chairman of Nkana FC was quoted by local media.

They have subsequently informed their South African counterparts to revise their payment plan for the services of the player. Orlando Pirates beat rivals SuperSport United to the signature of the striker following his spectacular performance at the recently held COSAFA U-20 Championship in Botswana where he was adjudged the top scorer and most valuable player."

Scott Taylor & Aimee Aspinall Drop Kick 'The Experience'

2011-12-20T08:16:00.001+02:00

Milli Jam, co-host of our regular Sunday night radio show, The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild, was quick to ask our guests last Sunday "which country do you come from?" Scott and Aimee, pictured above, told listeners that they were from New Zealand, Scott from Auckland and Aimee from Dunedin. "That's a small country near Australia that recently won the Rugby World Cup" Scott continued. Talk about getting it in early! "Where were you when that happened?" We asked this engaging couple. "Well actually I was there!" Replied Scott proudly, "and I was in London on the phone trying to make sense of what he was drunkenly trying to tell me!" Quipped Aimee. We laughed.

Our programme goes out at 18.30 hrs GMT every Sunday night on Zambezi 107.7 fm and is a cool mixture of music and chat. The show streams live on the internet too. We're popular locally not just for the great music we play, but because we give away a dinner for two at Chanters Lodge on each show! The prize goes to the first person to text us telling us who's singing our oldie of the week. On this particular show no-one won! Ha ha! The track I played was 'Macarena' by Los del Rio - everyone knew the track, no-one knew the artists. As our next show will be on Christmas Day we promised to carry forward the prize, make it easier and dinner for four people to compensate! So watch out for that one!

Scott and Aimee told listeners that they'd spent the last 7 years living in London, working but travelling whenever and wherever they could. Scott works in IT and Aimee in property management. This was their first visit to Africa and they were very much looking forward to their three week safari through Botswana, Namibia and South Africa which would start in a few days' time ending in Cape Town. From there they would head home to New Zealand for a visit with friends and family before moving to Sydney, Australia where Scott was scheduled to take up a new appointment. "Are you married?" Milli Jam asked. "No, but he's popped the question and I said yes!" Replied Aimee, breathless and excited!

The music on the show was cool and latest as usual. Dev featuring Enrique Iglesias with 'Naked' kicked off the programme back to back with Natalia Kills featuring Far East Movement and 'Lights Out'. Local tracks were 'My Police' latest from Magic Links featuring K'Millian coupled with 'Ngani i Gelo Wandi' by Macky 2 featuring Dandy Krazy and Kanene. Milli Jam featured 'Never Lost' by BoB ft TI and Coldplay, back to back with Rihanna's 'Drunk On Love'. We wound up with T-Pain's smash '5 O'Clock' featuring Lily Allen then Sway's 'Still Speeding'.

Aimee told listeners about her two years working in broadcasting in New Zealand. We wanted to know how she and Scott had met and they told us it had been in a bar in Dublin where they'd both been with friends. Was it love at first sight? "Pretty much so!" They seemed to agree. They also told our listeners they were very much looking forward to having tea on Livingstone Island the following day and swimming in Devil's Pool. They hoped it would be the highlight of their stay.

Asked where they'd like to be and what they'd like to be doing 10 years from now, this great looking, happy couple said they'd like to be back in New Zealand, running their own business and married. "Children?" We wondered. "Yeah! Why not?" Was their eventual reply!

Chibwe Chibwe Katebe - Comic

2011-12-18T07:09:00.002+02:00

Chibwe Chibwe Katebe - Zambian Stand up Comic

Finalist in the MNET talent show “Stand up Zambia” Chibwe is no stranger in the international spotlight. He has performed at different forums locally and internationally. Chibwe is also the founder of YORA drama and he is currently working with the Comedy collective Natuseke Comedy.

Chibwe is currently starring in a TV comedy show on Muti TV called Shoti Culture and is one of Zambia’s favourite Master of Ceremonies for corporate, social, civic, government and religious events. Chibwe’s ability to handle and connect with a wide range of people from different cultures, racial and social status strongly puts him above others in his field.

Born on 18 January 1976 he is married and has two children a girl aged 5 (Joy Mwila Katebe) and a Boy 5 months (Chibwe Joel Katebe). He has certificates in video production, purchasing and supply and a Diploma in theology. When he is not busy entertaining others he enjoys watching documentaries and listening to Music (slow Gospel Rhumba). And as for his favourite dish he enjoys fish!

Thanks to George Mukwita for the piece

Tazara - Latest

2011-12-16T07:20:00.001+02:00

This from Southern Times

China will will assist with rehabilitation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA). In recent years, Beijing has on several occasions extended financial and technical assistance to TAZARA, which was built with Chinese money in 1976 but has been facing operational challenges and is operating far below capacity.

It is believed upgrading the line will encompass ensuring a ready route from landlocked Africa to the Indian Ocean – with possible links to lines going to the Atlantic Ocean – and that this will also greatly benefit China, which has huge economic interests on the continent. China’s Minister of Commerce, Chen De Ming recently said the assistance was another sign of that country’s commitment to Africa.

In a statement, Chen said the project would eventually link Eastern and Western Africa and help speed up industrialization.
The statement was released after a meeting with Zambia’s First President, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, in Beijing. Dr Kaunda was in China as President Michael Sata’s special envoy. Minister Chen said the port at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania would need to be overhauled to cater for increased cargo.

Experts have already conducted a feasibility study, which will be submitted to China’s President Hu Jintao. Dr Kaunda assured Beijing of Zambia’s goodwill and that despite widespread media claims to the contrary, China’s investments in the country were safe.The 1,870km TAZARA line links Zambia’s Kapiri Mposhi to Mbeya in Tanzania.

The authority running the line is exposed to the tune of US$700 million. Earlier last year, China provided a US$39m interest-free loan to TAZARA.

The Kay Jay Experience

2011-12-14T07:25:00.000+02:00

We were happy we didn't have to use his full name when Kay Jay (above) guested on The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient last Sunday night! Why? Well he's called Kelvin Lisbon Kangwa de Souza which is quite a mouthful! Kay Jay explained to listeners that his father was half Portuguese and half Bemba, hence his Portu-Bemba name. For the uninitiated The Chanters Lodge Experience is our regular Sunday night radio show airing between 20.30 and 21.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's best loved local radio station. The show streams live on the internet too.

The programme has been running for 4 years and is popular partly because each week we give away a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge to the first person to text us telling us who's singing our oldie of the week. This week the answer was Aliyah and Cedric, age 14, won! He came for lunch on Monday with his elder sister! Awesome! Older people tried to win as well but perhaps their age made them slower off the mark. Just a speculation!

Kay Jay is a senior producer at 107.7 fm having started with the station as a presenter earlier this year. "Meteoric rise to power" commented Milli Jam dryly, who was quick to apologize to listeners for the absence of George da Soulchild Kaufela, usually the co-host of our programme but absent attending and performing at the annual Born 'N Bred awards show in Lusaka. Kay Jay told listeners that at 107.7 fm he was responsible for making sure that programmes ran on time, advertisements were broadcast on schedule and that all the presenters knew their schedule, reporting in good time accordingly. We wondered what was the biggest challenge of the job. "Frowning faces" he replied and we needed no further explanation. Milli Jam, one of 107.7 fms longest serving presenters, laughed!

The music on the show was right on point as usual. We opened with 'It's Not You (It's Me) by T-Pain vs Chuckie featuring Pitbull back to back with 'The Believer' by Common ft John Legend. Milli Jam's local selections were Orga Family with 'Nkuku Nankanga' coupled with 'Wounded Buffalo' by Afunika. We featured Nicole Scherzinger's smash 'Don't Hold Your Breath' and 'Lottery' by Stevie Hoang. After Aliyah's 'oldie of the week' we closed with Chris Brown and 'Thinking Out Loud' back to back with 'Who You Are' - Jesse J's latest smash.

Kay Jay was very interesting describing his life before joining 107.7 fm. Educated at all grade levels in all boys schools in Lusaka, he said he was now 'too excited' when he met girls and used this and 'financial instability' as excuses for not yet being married. "I thought it was about love" Milli Jam commented dourly and I said I was sure the Chanters Girls would agree with that! Kay Jay spent some time in Netherlands with Dance For Life - young people all over the world getting into action to stop HIV and making a move to change the future - The Dance4life platform makes all those efforts visible, encouraging even more people to join the movement, Kay Jay explained. He hosted 10 shows and was proud to be one of only 3 African presenters. He had loved the Netherlands and had visited almost all parts of the country.

As a Gunner (Arsenal supporter) Kay Jay was inordinately proud of having shaken hands with Robin van Persie when he was in Holland. We were very jealous! He also met, hugged and we suspect fell in love with Doutzen Kroes the gorgeous Dutch super model. More jealousy on our part! In 10 years time Kay Jay told listeners he wanted to have his own business, a Phd and a wife and family.

Great ambitions, great guest, great show!

A First Date

2011-12-12T08:41:00.001+02:00

From Jay Leno's 'Tonight' show (via Judy in Australia)

It was midwinter, snowing and quite cold and this guy had taken a lady skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City , Utah . It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and had never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon.

They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte!!! They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room, and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point when she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car.

They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.

Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem, due to the extreme cold.

Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date's concerns about' what is taking so long' with a reply that indeed, she was 'freezing her butt off' and in need of some assistance! He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma. Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem.

Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender.

As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down. Or perhaps that should be 'pants down'. And you thought your first date was embarrassing. Jay Leno's comment... 'This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off.'

Oh and how did the first date turn out?

He became her husband and was sitting next to her on the Leno show!

Pick N Pay Zambia

2011-12-10T07:29:00.001+02:00

There have been consistent rumours of these people opening in Livingstone but as yet there are no definite signs. We have Spar (currently moving from Falls Park to the city centre) and two Shoprites but there are still plenty of basic items that it is difficult, if not impossible, to find. I doubt if there is enough business for a third chain store - unless of course they could compete on price and variety and put Shoprite or Spar out of business in the city. Business Live reports:

Retailer Pick n Pay has announced the opening of its third Zambian store in Lusaka, further signalling the group's confidence in the Zambian economy. Pick n Pay opened its first store in Lusaka in July 2010 and its second in Ndola in March 2011. "The third store, which will be situated in the Levy regional shopping centre, is one of five planned for the country over the next four years," the company said in a statement on Thursday.

According to Pick n Pay head of group enterprises Dallas Langman, the southern African region represented an increasingly attractive market. "As disposable income continues to grow, the region's retail potential remains largely untapped and there is considerable opportunity for foreign investors who are willing to enter intro constructive partnerships with local communities, suppliers and government agencies," Langman said.

"The incredible success of our first two stores and the enthusiasm with which it has been welcomed by our customers, has exceeded our expectations and has fully vindicated our decision to expand our presence in Zambia rapidly in coming months," he added. A fourth store will open in Makeni on 1 December. "The combined investment of both the Levy and Makeni stores is in excess of R40 million, signalling our confidence in the Zambian economy," Langman added.

Situated in Zambia's second largest shopping centre, the 4,000 square metre Levy store will sell in excess of 20,000 lines ranging from fresh produce, clothing, home-ware and liquor. The store has created employment opportunities for a further 150 Zambians. "Investment in African talent, the growth of our employees and skills development is a crucial part of our expansion strategy and it has been gratifying to be a part of job creation and socio-economic development in Zambia," Langman said. He added that at least 65% of stock was locally sourced while 70% of fresh produce was provided by Zambian suppliers.

"Pick n Pay has a total of 230 local suppliers in Zambia which include agencies which supply imported products to the company's stores. "The company has a total of 10,100 grocery lines listed in its Zambian stores, of which 6,700 products are derived from local suppliers." The range includes canned vegetable products, coffee, legumes and an organic range of sauces as well as processed meats.

"It has been very satisfying to be able to source much of our produce from local suppliers, particularly small scale farmers who have proved themselves more than capable of providing foodstuffs at a price and of a quality demanded by Pick n Pay's customers."

Aussie Spin! And We're Not Talking Warne!

2011-12-08T07:16:00.001+02:00

They say this story isn't true, but nevertheless it's an excellent example of spin!

Judy Rudd an amateur genealogy researcher in south east Queensland was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that ex-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s great-great uncle, Remus Rudd, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Melbourne in 1889. Both Judy and Kevin Rudd share this common ancestor. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows at the Melbourne Gaol.

On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription:
'Remus Rudd horse thief, sent to Melbourne Gaol 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Melbourne-Geelong train six times. Caught by Victoria Police Force, convicted and hanged in 1889.'

So Judy recently e-mailed ex-Prime Minister Rudd for information about their great-great uncle, Remus Rudd. Believe it or not , Kevin Rudd's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

"Remus Rudd was famous in Victoria during the mid to late 1800s. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Melbourne-Geelong Railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad.

In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the Victoria Police Force. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honour when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

Says it all doesn't it?

The Kandilicius Experience

2011-12-06T11:46:00.001+02:00

Meet Kandilicius (above) and that's just her Twitter name! Try Kandy Israelyt as she's known on Facebook or just plain Kandi M'hango her real name. Kandi was the Guest on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with The Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George Kaufela da Soulchild! That's our regular Sunday night radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm, airing between 20.30 and 21.30 hours and streaming live on the internet. A popular show it is too, partly because we give away a dinner for 2 at Chanters Lodge with drinks every week - a prize for the first listener to text us telling us the name of the artist singing our 'oldie of the week' - this week the answer was Lionel Richie and the response was great!

Kandi has been a part time presenter on 107.7 fm since March this year, at the moment co-presenting Drive Time, a daily Monday to Friday show. She has a great voice for radio and loves being involved. She has two sons Cholwe and Israelyt (hence her Facebook name) she told us. Milli Jam wanted to know how she'd become involved with the radio station in the first place and Kandi explained that she'd responded to an advert on air early in 2011, advising that the station was looking for new lady presenters - she'd applied and was hired!

Wearing another hat, Kandi explained to our audience that she was deeply involved with the Empowered By Light Foundation, an NGO, in Zambia to donate solar lighting within Shangombo District in Western Province. So far the organization had donated 5000 units of solar light, as well as laptops, throughout schools, clinics and homes in the district. The NGO had apparently chosen Shangombo having seen from the statistics that only 5% of schoolchildren there passed exams at Grade 9 level. They'd surmised that this was because students were unable to study at night due to no light so they set out to fix the problem. "Awesome" we said, and meant it!

The music on the show was great. We opened with Olly Murs and his smash UK hit 'Dance With Me Tonight' back to back with Kelly Rowland featuring The Waves and 'Down For Whatever'. George chose Oga Family with 'Ball Pen' - a long and (in some peoples' opinion boring) track! This was coupled with K'Millian's 'Kakabalika' - anything but boring. Milli Jam chose 'Perfect Party' from Naughty By Nature ft Fat Joe back to back with Keith Sweat's 'To The Middle'. Our oldie of the week was Lionel Richie's 'Hello'. To close we played Taio Cruz's 'Shotcaller' and Sean Kingston's 'Love Me'.

Kandi told listeners that in the past she'd been involved with Kara Counselling counselling AIDS orphans and for a brief time had also been involved with lodge management in Livingstone. She told interested listeners that she supports Manchester United and likes Wayne Rooney (just imagine!) She's into R&B and in particular Chris Brown and is very proud of her Zambian roots in Lundazi in the Eastern Province of Zambia and of being Tumbuka by tribe. 10 years down the road she'd like to still be broadcasting and very much involved with bringing renewable energy to rural Zambia.

She told listeners she loves Zambia and we told her our listeners love her - which they do!

Kirk Franklin In Lusaka Tomorrow!

2011-12-04T06:55:00.001+02:00

George da Soulchild, co-presenter of our weekly Sunday night radio show reports:

Organizers of this month's one-off concert by US gospel artiste Kirk Franklin have described the event as a great development for the music industry in Zambia. Christian label Doxa Music has facilitated the December 5 concert which will be held at the 8,000-seater Blessing Centre in Lusaka.

Daniel Mutale, Doxa Music's finance and administration director said it was an honour for the label to host the 'Stomp' star. "From a Christian point of view, we feel very blessed to be given such a privilege of hosting him. And then from the music fraternity, as you may be aware, Kirk Franklin was the first gospel artiste to sell a million records. So it's such a great privilege for the music industry and for the development of our music industry in Zambia. We can get inspiration from such a person. We just feel we are contributing to the well being of the music industry in this country" he said.

Mutale expressed delight at the partnership Doxa has entered with mobile service provider MTN and Sounds Investments in promoting Franklin's visit to Zambia. Multiple Grammy, Stellar and Dove-award winning Franklin, 41, will lead a 17-member team of singers and musicians in what is already expected to be one of the most highly anticipated concerts in Zambia. The concert marks another feather in the cap for Doxa Music, whose other notable exploit was the successful hosting of Australian rock and worship band Hill Song United in Lusaka three years ago.

The concert has been organized by The Relay, a company that's using hip hop to take the Gospel around the country. "We emphasise on bringing people like these hip hop guys from the US because they are very gospel-centric, very Christian oriented, which is what our organization is all about," said Chilufya Mulundu, one of the lead organizers.

Mulundu added that the group would be performing in Zambia as part of its Unashamed Africa tour. The concert will also feature local acts Tio, D-tour and Abel Chungu Musuka.

Petersen Performs In London Tonight!

2011-12-02T13:24:00.001+02:00

George Kaufela, co-host of our Sunday night radio show reports:

Zambian artist, Petersen ‘Zagaze’(above) is to perform at the London Global Catwalk Fashion, Music, Film & Theatre Event to mark World AIDS Day tonight Friday December 2, 2011.

The London GLOBAL CATWALK event is part of a worldwide synchronised Music and Fashion Event organised by POSITIVE RUNWAY: Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread, and will be simultaneously staged on the same day in different cities and countries around the world including London, Miami, Lagos, Abuja, Dar Es Salaam, British Virgin Islands, Greece, the Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago and others to commemorate the 2011 World AIDS Day.

Petersen who had flown to London last month to perform at the Zambian 47th independence Anniversary celebrations is currently in the studios working on his new music material with London producers, will join celebrities such as USA comedian, Rick Ross, Dwight Eubanks, (celebrity stylist from the USA reality TV Show “Real Housewives of Atlanta,”) who is the official Patron of POSITIVE RUNWAY, Bianca Golden and Alasia Ballard from America’s Next Top Model, Charles Young – formerly of Dunk Ryders, Miss Bahamas (Monesha Rolle), flying in from the Bahamas, Miss St Maarten, (Trumane Trotman), flying in from St Maarten’s Islands, Miss Dominican Republic, Zoe Bakoko Bakoru, Chicago-based world renowned HIV/AIDS Advocate/Activist and many other celebrities and prominent personalities in their respective participating countries who will join POSITIVE RUNWAY’s Red Ribbon Models to walk the HIV/AIDS Virus out of the Globe in different cities and countries around the world.

This London event will be a red carpet event combining Fashion, Music, Theatre and Film Screening with POSITIVE RUNWAY’s signature Red Ribbon Models walking the Runway. The event will be filmed for worldwide broadcasting and will be graced by dignitaries and VIPs as well as celebrities from Fashion, Music, Film, Television, Sport and other Arts, to send out a powerful positive message to “Stop the Spread of HIV/AIDS!”

The Fas‏hion segment of the event will feature some of London’s multi -award winning fashion designers and runway models. Participating designers include Yemi Osunkoya of Kosibah Creations, Nkwo Onwuka of Nkwo designs and Sue MK of Haranga African Klodz, as well as top men’s fashion designers, Benjamin Kitoko and Zekaryas Solomon.

Also expected is award-winning actress Demeteria McKinney from Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne.”

POSITIVE RUNWAY: Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread is a voluntary global HIV/AIDS response campaign that tours the world working with beauty queens, models, fashion designers, music artists and celebrities from film, music, television, sport and other arts as influential advocates in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and other vices affecting today’s younger generation such as child trafficking, sexual responsibility, child abuse, drug abuse, gun and knife violence, as well as negative peer pressure, among many other vices.

(info coutesy of ukzambians)

Richard Experiences The 'Experience'!

2011-11-30T07:26:00.001+02:00

Check the photo above! Yes that's me on The Chanters Lodge Experience as the guest last Sunday with host Milli Jam over my shoulder! The tables were turned! 'Why would you guest on your own show' I hear you ask. Well our scheduled guest had a last minute problem and was unable to appear, so co-hosts Milli Jam and George Kaufela quickly said 'it's a long time since we interviewed you Richard, you'll have to do it!' For the uninitiated The Experience is our weekly radio show airing every Sunday evening at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm and is a great mixture of music and chat. Each week we give away a prize of a dinner for two to the first person to text us the answer to a simple question - usually who's singing our 'oldie of the week'. This week the answer was James Blunt and the response was fantastic - not always the case.

So, what did they ask me? How long had I been in Zambia? - 32 years. When did I open Chanters Lodge? - 1998. What was I doing before I came to Livingstone? - I was general manager of what is now called Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel, then just Ridgeway Hotel in Lusaka. How did I get into the hotel industry? - I studied hotel management at Middlesex University for 4 years. What did I do between the time I qualified and the time I came to Zambia? - A lot! Namely, working in various hotels in UK followed by stints in Mombasa Kenya, Mahe Seychelles, Lake Malawi and Jos, Nigeria. I was able to give listeners some insights into the highs and lows of working in the hotel industry across Africa.

The music on the show was great, once we'd sorted out one or two technical issues (it was one of those nights I'd say!) The guys opened with 'World In Our Hands' a great new track from Taio Cruz back to back with Drake's smash single 'Take Care' recorded with Rihanna. George chose Naeto C's '5 & 6' - topical as the star is due to perform in Lusaka this Friday night. He coupled this track with Pompi ft Exile and their 'Chipolopolo Remix'. Milli Jam featured Kelly Rowland's 'Work It More' back to back with Ace Hood featuring Chris Brown with 'Body To Body'. James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' was the 'oldie of the week' from which we moved on to Trey Songz hit 'Top Of The World' closing with 'Do Ya Thing' by Rihanna.

The guys asked me about my 'history in broadcasting' and I explained to listeners that my first experience of the media was in Nigeria where I occasionally appeared on state television in interview programmes. During my time in Lusaka we had organized Christmas and Easter entertainment specials featuring the Cool Knights, Lubumbashi Stars, Akim Simukonda etc in conjunction with Field Ruwe, Errol Hickey and late Timmy Mvula. I'd become well known on radio through the Ridgeway Radio Request Show, a very popular Sunday night music show on national radio in 1984/5, which I hosted. We had started the Chanters Lodge Experience on 107.7 fm in 2007.

Asked where I would like to be and what I would like to be doing in 2021 (!), I said I hoped I was still in Livingstone but working rather less, and that my children were all doing well.

The tables were turned indeed!

Born N' Bred 2011

2011-11-29T06:38:00.001+02:00

George da Soulchild 'Kaufela' writes:

"2011 Born n Bred Music Video Awards set for December 9th at NIPA

Zambia's 'Born n Bred' music awards are set for December 9th at Nipa College, these are the ultimate music video awards on the Zambian music scene! Last year’s winners included hip-hop artist Slap D, gospel artist Tio, Copperbelt singer Dandy Krazy and R&B singer JK who scooped 5 awards!

Last year’s awards show was held at Mulungushi International Conference Center in Lusaka but this year's ceremony will be held at NIPA College although I still don't understand why the venue has changed - anyway all roads lead to NIPA on 9th December! The big question on everyone’s mind is who will scoop the big prize of the night "Best Music Video Of The Year". 2011 has seen a huge improvement in music video production in Zambia, making this year probably one of the toughest years the awards have faced, with very stiff competition in all sectors.

'Born n Bred' awards are the brainchild of ZNBC radio and TV presenter Innocent Kalaluka aka 'Smooth IK'. This is the 6th edition of the awards but so far not much information has leaked as to who has, and has not, been nominated. Soulchild can tell you word is that Petersen, JK, ZoneFam, Afunika, Mampi, TY2 and Kaufela, Oga Family and Roberto plus many more will be on hand to offer superb entertainment on the night.

The awards will be aired live on ZNBC TV from 9pm on December 9th.

Don't miss!"

Naeto C To Rock Lusaka!

2011-11-27T07:07:00.001+02:00

George da Soulchild, regular blog contributor and co-host of our popular Sunday night radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm writes:

NAETO C TO PERFORM IN LUSAKA

"Nigeria singer/rapper Naeto C is set to perform in Lusaka on Friday 2nd December at Hollywood City Night Club alongside local artists, the show is being sponsored by MTN and David Sling Studio, with tickets being priced at K80,000 and K150,000 V.I.P.

Naetochukwu Chikwe was born on 17th December 1982 in Houston, Texas of Nigerian origin. Stage name Naeto C, is a Nigerian rapper, afrobeat artist and record producer. The 2008 and 2009 MTV award winner has a huge following in Zambia.

His first single 'Kini Big Deals' from his debut album You Know My "P" released in May 2008 was well received, as is the first single from his 2011 album 'Super C Season (10/10)'. I must say it stole many hearts, receiving massive airplay due to huge requests on radio and night clubs. His second single 5 and 6 is also a very good follow up to ten over ten, women seem to dance and sing along to it more than men. It could be words in the song or his style of singing/raping I don’t know, but my prediction is that the show will pack more females than male patrons!"

Thanks George, see you there!

Roberto & Ozzy in Botswana

2011-11-25T11:12:00.001+02:00

George da Soulchild reports:

Roberto and Ozzy Banda grace Botswana’s 'Inter bash 2011'

As Zambian Music continues to grow internationally, more and more Zambian artists are traveling out of the country for performances and special guest appearances some in Europe, North America and Asia - some just within Africa.

Recently the brotherhood dream team Roberto and Ozzy Banda travelled to Botswana for a performance.The show was held at Kagisong Center on 4th November 2011 and by 6pm the center was packed to capacity! Botswana based artists were there to offer support to their Zambian counter parts - top artists like Masako, Eugene Jackson and BK put up a remarkable performance and the show gave an opportunity to local hot DJs like DJ Kay2 and DJ Sly that play for Yorona Fm and Radio Botswana respectively.

By midnight it was time for the Zambian boys to show case their work and they did it in style - a memorable performance from Ozzy and Roberto, the show went on till Botswana police stopped the party as events in Botswana are not supposed to go beyond 3am!

Afterwards Roberto said "the show was well organized down to the last detail and was an eye opener. I've learned a lot from the local guys over there! We plan to work on something like a Zambia/Botswana collaboration and I'm looking forward to next year’s bash! We hope more Zambian artists will tag along, overall the only thing I can say is that I had fun and thanks a lot!"

Bagpipes and stuff....

2011-11-24T09:45:00.001+02:00

I'm not sure who sent me these, but whoever it was should probably be shot!
Never mind, have a good laugh!

My neighbour knocked on my door at 2:30 this morning, can you believe that? 2:30am?
Luckily for him I was still up playing my Bagpipes

Paddy says, "Mick, I'm thinking of buying a Labrador.
"Really," says Mick "have you seen how many of their owners go blind"

I saw a poor old lady fall over today on the ice!!
At least I presume she was poor - she only had $1.20 in her purse.

My girlfriend thinks that I'm a stalker.
Well, she's not exactly my girlfriend yet.

Woke up last night to find the ghost of Gloria Gaynor standing at the foot of my bed.
At first I was afraid then I was petrified.

The wife has been missing a week now. Police said to prepare for the worst.
So I have been to the charity shop to get all her clothes back.

A mate of mine admitted to being addicted to brake fluid.
When I quizzed him on it he reckoned he could stop any time.

I went to the cemetery yesterday to lay some flowers on a grave. As I was standing there I noticed 4 grave diggers walking about with a coffin,3 hours later and they're still walking about with it.
I thought to myself, "These guys have lost the plot!"

My daughter asked me for a pet spider for her birthday, so I went to our local pet shop and they were $70.
"Blow this," I thought, "I can get one cheaper off the web.

I was driving this morning when I saw an A.A. van parked on the side of the road.The driver was sobbing uncontrollably and looked very miserable.
I thought to myself, "That guy's heading for a breakdown."

I just met a fat, alcoholic, transvestite
He wants to eat, drink, and be Mary.

Kate & Nick Minns on Zambezi 107.7 fm

2011-11-22T12:07:00.001+02:00

We were delighted to welcome Kate and Nick Minns, pictured above, to Chanters Lodge last week, and indeed as guests on our local radio show 'The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild'. As regular readers will know, our show goes out every Sunday night on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station, at 20.30 hrs and streams live on the internet too! It's a locally popular show, perhaps because we give away a weekly prize of a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge to the first person texting us the correct answer to the name of the artist singing our 'oldie of the week'. This week the track was 'With You' and the artist Chris Brown. The prize was quickly snapped up!

Kate and Nick are from Adelaide, Australia and are both nurses qualified from University of South Australia. For the past two and a half years they've been working in a cardiac unit in a military hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, taking the chance to travel during their breaks. They told listeners they'd been to Spain, Syria, Italy, France, Germany amongst others on a long list of countries! When Milli Jam asked them which country they'd visited they liked the most, Nick rather surprisingly opted for Syria - they'd been there before the current troubles, while Kate said she'd loved Italy, partly because of her family background which contained roots in Italy. During their present trip they'd been to Uganda to see the mountain gorillas, as well as to Kenya and Tanzania. They'd been impressed to see the magnificent migration of tens of thousands of wildebeest in Tanzania.

The music on the show was great. We opened with Flavour's 'Adamma' - a huge hit in Nigeria and a great dance track, back to back with Flo Rida's latest 'Parapapa'. Milli Jam had trouble getting his tongue around that. Local tracks were 'It's Alright' by Exile featuring K'Millian coupled with 'SpotLight' George Kaufela's smash with Ty2. We moved on with 'Talk That Talk' by Rihanna featuring JayZ and 'Til I'm Gone' - Tinie Tempah featuring Wiz Khalifa. Great stuff and we surmised that the Chanters Girls would be dancing back at the lodge. We closed with Maverick Sabre's 'I Need'.

Nick and Kate told listeners how much they'd enjoyed their breakfast on Livingstone Island the previous day - Nick had jumped into Devil's Pool but Kate had not (wise girl!) They'd seen Victoria Falls from both sides and although they'd been impressed with the Zimbabwe side they felt that the Zambian side offered better opportunities for photography. We liked that! This lovely, adventurous couple told listeners that they'd be spending the last few days of their holiday in Cape Town and were then looking forward to flying home to friends and family in Australia, after a long time away.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years from now, their first reaction was to cry in unison 'we don't know' but after a pause for thought agreed that they'd like to be working in Australia, still travelling from time to time and raising a family. Sounded like good ideas to us.

Life Explained

2011-11-20T06:33:00.001+02:00

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.' The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said:

'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span. 'The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said

'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years. 'The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years.. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said:

'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.' But the human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family.. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren.. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

Imagine Rural Development Initiative

2011-11-18T07:26:00.001+02:00

I found this wonderful project through Steven Putter @stevenputter on Twitter.

Imagine Rural Development Initiative (IRDI), a Zambian registered non-profit organisation, is providing skills-training in moringa cultivation to 30 previously unemployed local Zambian women. This skills-training program forms part of IRDI's Moringa project, which aims to empower local Zambians through the sustainable production of moringa, an affordable and highly-nourishing superfood, to fight malnutrition, improve health and eradicate poverty. Imagine Rural Development Initiative is providing this skills-training program free of charge to these local women, many of whom are widows and are sole breadwinners in their families and who take care of not only their own children, but also grand-children and orphans who have lost their own parents due to HIV/AIDS and other illnesses.

The 6-month training program covers moringa propagation, planting, crop management, harvesting and processing techniques. It also includes training on making aerobic compost and using moringa-based organic fertilizer to alleviate the need for petroleum-based fertilizers and harmful pesticides.

After successful completion of the training program, these local women will be contracted by IRDI to propagate and plant moringa in rural and peri-urban communities across Zambia. The women will also train local community members in moringa cultivation, creating further empowerment through skills transfer. The women will also have the opportunity to provide their services to other local agricultural co-operatives and independent local farmers.

IRDI aims to create sustainable income-generating opportunities for program beneficiaries, and this skills-training program will empower these local women to provide a secure future for themselves and their families. By completing this program, the women will be able to support themselves financially within the next 6 months. Although our local women's group want to improve their livelihoods by learning new skills, the reality is that they still need to put food on their tables, provide shelter for their families, pay for transport and send their children to school.

100% of donations to this appeal will go directly to these women to assist with living costs for themselves and their dependents, including food, transport and school fees. A donation of $25.00 will cover a week's living expenses for one woman engaged full-time on our skills-training program. Our goal is to help raise $3000.00 a month for 6 months to provide financial support for the 30 women in the group for the full duration of their training.

While IRDI provides skills-training to empower these women, you can give them the peace of mind of having their basic living costs covered while they are in training. We will provide regular updates, feedback and photo's on IndieGoGo, from the women who receive your donations.

Wendy & Lisa McCance Rock 'The Experience'

2011-11-16T07:10:00.001+02:00

Meet sisters Wendy (left) and Lisa McCance pictured above, guests on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, our regular weekly radio show airing from 20.30 - 21.30 hrs every Sunday evening on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station. The show streams live on the internet too! Wendy and Lisa were spending a week in Zambia on holiday staying at Chanters Lodge.

Wendy is currently working for Desmond Tutu Centre for Leadership an NGO in South Africa as a project manager, Lisa works for London Borough of Croydon in economic development. The girls delighted in telling listeners about the Under The Spray Tour they had taken with Bundu Adventures on their very first day in Livingstone, the tour takes you in a raft right to the bottom of the Falls and can only be undertaken in the dry season. The day of the show Wendy and Lisa had taken the one day safari to Chobe National Park in Botswana which they had enjoyed, especially seeing elephants playing and swimming in the Chobe River. It had been hot but it had rained on their way back to Livingstone.

The music on the show was super. We opened with Noel Gallagher's 'What A Life' from his hit solo album 'High Flying Birds' back to back with Cher Lloyd featuring Mike Posner - 'With Ur Luv'. Milli Jam's selection included 'Bopemi' by Ogga Family, 'My Sunshine' - Jane Osborne featuring PJ, Damian Marley's 'Set Up Shop' and Jason Derulo's 'Fight For You'. Our oldie of the week was an issue! Regular readers and listeners will know we give away a weekly prize of a dinner for two at the lodge on the show to the first person to text us the name of the artist/s performing our 'oldie of the week'. This week's track was 'Moving On Up' by M People and could they get it? They could not! Richard 1 Listeners 0, I announced, laughing. We had nominations for everyone from Whitney Houston to Gladys Knight!

"Are you married"? Was Milli Jam's predictable question to the girls early on in the show and both Wendy and Lisa told him they were not, nor were they spoken for and generally gave the impression that they were much too busy travelling, living life and having fun for 'that sort of thing'. We laughed and hoped that one day they'd be swept off their feet by Prince Charmings. Milli Jam also wanted to know if they had any other activities planned for their time in Livingstone and they told him they would love to do the sunset cruise on Lady Livingstone, but for the next day or two they just wanted to relax.

Wendy revealed that she had actually been born in Lusaka when her parents had lived in Zambia in the 70's, her dad had been a manager with Grindlay's Bank. They had lived in lots of different countries as a result of their father working as an expatriate, including India, Australia and Kenya. These lively, intelligent, pretty girls were very much looking forward to their annual Christmas holiday with their parents this year, which would take them to Cambodia and Vietnam.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing 10 years from now Lisa 'had no idea and didn't like thinking that far ahead', Wendy hoped she'd still be working in the humanitarian field as she was now, and 'making a difference'. Neither mentioned husbands or children.

Chiawa Fish Farm

2011-11-14T07:34:00.001+02:00

I liked this from Victoria Phiri from Times of Zambia reproduced in All Africa earlier this month and agree completely with the comment at the end that it is ridiculous for a country like Zambia to be importing poor quality tasteless fish from China, when we have such a wealth of natural resources ourselves.

"Chiawa is a relatively small area in southern Zambia known for its hot weather conditions that have made large scale agricultural activities by inhabitants of the area fail. Worse still, those who have dared the weather by trying to cultivate, usually end up with downcast faces as wild elephants would not wait for them to harvest their yield.

But all is not lost in the farming sector as there is one component of farming that has made a positive impact in the lives of these people - fish farming. This new phenomenon was introduced to the area by Cherri and Richard Walson who also own hospitality businesses in the area. The couple, touched by the conditions under which the locals live, solicited the goodwill of its clientele abroad to fund an income generating activity, thus giving birth to the Bream Fish Farming project.

Together with the local community Cherri and Richard formed the 'wealth for ambition' project which is the umbrella body of all the income generating activities including the Bream Fish Farming project. The community formed its own co-operative of 19 families, and identified the land for the project. They then worked tirelessly to clear much of the land manually.

Cherri and Richard implemented the first phase of the fish farm by raising sufficient funds for excavation, completing the design, clearing the area of tree stumps and locating suitable basic pumps for the water. The pumps bring the water 300 metres from the river to the fish ponds and up to a nine metre head. Each of the six ponds has natural water pumped into it three times per month from the Kafue River.

The project is 100 per cent environmentally compatible as no run off from the ponds can reach the river, but rather is used to water crops. When the water is let out, it can be used to irrigate fields below for those who want to have gardens and grow millet, which is good for human consumption but can also be used as organic fish food. The first harvest of 6,000 fish is now underway and expansion is planned.

Speaking during the first fish harvest, project-coordinator Stanley Chinhoi said the project was an example of how the rural population could contribute to national development through the production of fish. He said most of the fish consumed in Zambia at the moment is imported from China, stating that if such projects received adequate support, importing fish from far off places like China would be a thing of the past. "Fish is a lucrative business which if adequately funded, we can produce much more and even export," Mr Chinhoi said.

And Kambale Ward councillor Charles Mandika said the fish farm had proved to be an effective income generating activity because of the poor rainfall pattern in the area that prevented the cultivation of crops. Mr Mandika said though there was a lot of skepticism in the initial stages of the project success had proved that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.

With a second farm under consideration, the people of Chiawa are poised to be major suppliers of fish in the surrounding areas, but this can only be achieved if the Government and other cooperating partners provide the necessary conditions for such a project to thrive."

More Ty2

2011-11-12T07:27:00.001+02:00

George da Soulchild (aka Kaufela) co-host of our Sunday night radio show on 107.7 fm wrote a follow up piece to my blog about Zambia's sensational Ty2!

"Local ragea/ragga artist Mbangweta Mwendaweli aka Ty2 has one of the most powerful voices on the local music scene, some compare his style to that of award winning American musician Shaggy. Ty2's biggest hit so far has to be his cross over song "Smile" from his first hit album of the same title, released under Mondo Music Co-operation, recorded under David Sling Studio "Sling Beats"in 2004. By 2005 the song had become an anthem receiving massive airplay on most Zambian radio stations and some outside Zambia as well. 'Smile' earned Ty2 a nomination at the Koral Awards (in the best international ragga/regea category) held in South Africa the same year.

Two years down the line music fans began to forget Ty2 - the biggest contributory factor must have been the three years he spent in England - but the Zambian music landscape was changing so fast that if you weren't in it you'd be left behind - as is the case now with most pioneers of the so called 'new Zambian music' who all seem to be struggling with sales and shows. Ty2's last two albums were fair but not well received by Zambian music fans, resulting in low CD sales. His signing with JK and Kayombo's promotion/distribution company "Jakayo" didn't really seem to help.

Now in 2011 TY2's new single "Spotlight" featuring Kaufela, produced by Roni of Raising Sounds in Livingstone, seems to be turning things up for him, putting him back in the spotlight where he should be! He has the whole country dancing and singing along. The song's music video has received a lot of hits on YouTube and is also receiving major airplay on local TV stations. Music critics predict that the song might just be as big for Ty2 as 'Smile'.

Rumour has it that Ty2 is currently recording his new project with Raising Sounds Studio in Livingstone, I listened to some of his new music and it sounds good, new and improved. It's usually hard for musicians anywhere in the world to make a comeback but it looks like Ty2 has it figured out and I wish him all the best."

And so say all of us!

Ty2 Enjoys 'The Experience'

2011-11-10T09:25:00.000+02:00

We felt privileged to host Zambian singing sensation Ty2 (real name Mbangweta Mwendaweli) as our guest on the latest edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with The Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild - that's our regular radio show airing on Zambezi 107.7 fm every Sunday night at 20.30 hrs and streaming live on the internet. That's Ty2 in the picture above. "How did you get the name Ty2"? Milli Jam wanted to know at the top of the show. Ty2 explained that when he was at school he had (wrongly!) been considered short in stature - as was the then president of Zambia Frederick Titus Chiluba. His school mates had christened him Titus 2 and he had shortened this to Ty2 for the stage and the name had stuck! His break through into singing had come initially from singing in church. People likened his voice to Shaggy and Buster Rhymes and he liked both these artists.

Ty2 told listeners he'd been in the music business for ten years and had released three albums with a fourth - 'Forever' recorded and close to release. He also had his own company Big Buoy Ltd handling micro finance, buying and selling vehicles as well as operating a boutique in Lusaka. He and his wife are also planning to open a phone shop soon. Married with two children, Ty2 explained that he was in Livingstone for two shows, one at Elite Apartments and one at Vision Pub and Restaurant. He said both shows had been packed and his performance had gone down very well. He said the most popular of his tracks at his shows was 'Smile'.

The music on the show was excellent as usual. We opened with the current UK number one 'Read All About It' by Professor Green featuring Emile Sande, back to back with Bruno Mars and 'Runaway Baby' - real rock and roll that one. Of course we featured two of Ty2's tracks - 'VIP' very recently recorded and 'Spotlight' featuring Kaufela (aka George Soulchild). Super track 'Spotlight' and Milli Jam confirmed that the track was hot in the Livingstone clubs. Milli Jam himself featured 'She Doesn't Mind' by Sean Paul (he does love that one!). Our oldie of the week was the Bee Gees with 'Night Fever'. Listeners found it tough to tell us who was singing the track - we'll make it easier next week! We also featured 'When I Was A Youngster' by Rizzle Kicks and Amy Winehouse ft Nas with 'Like Smoke' from her upcoming posthumous album.

Ty2 told listeners that his ambition remained to become known internationally for his music. He would one day love to win an MTV Award. On an international note we were delighted to get messages during the show from both London and Paris from people listening to the programme live on the internet.

Trees For Livingstone!

2011-11-08T07:01:00.000+02:00

I was delighted to get a visit from Marleen Lammers last week from Greenpop, trees for Zambia and we have promised to help their scheme next year. Here's what it's all about:

For three weeks July 2012, Greenpop is hosting an exciting reforestation project in Livingstone, Zambia; the country with the second hightest deforestation rate in the world. They will be planting between 5,000 and 10,000 indigenous and fruit trees within the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site, Dambwa Forest, and at schools around Livingstone. In addition, they will set up workshops at schools and with local farmers on sustainable living and conservation issues. This will be the start of an ongoing campaign to make Livingstone a greener and more sustainable environment.

You will be able to contribute to this project by gifting a tree – or lots of trees - and they greatly appreciate anything you can offer. Every tree counts! Trees cost $15 each but absolutely any amount will go towards planting between 5000 and 10000 trees. you will be able to buy your tree from Chanters Lodge from about 1st March next year and we are expecting a great response!

Olga's Italian Corner - Livingstone

2011-11-06T06:48:00.002+02:00

In the past few years Olga's Italian Corner has become an institution in Livingstone, serving great Italian food and training needy youngsters in food and beverage skills. Interesting to see that they're now adding rooms to their operation and great that they're offering a prize to some artists for inspiring interior decor! Olga's is located on the right hand side of the Catholic Cathedral opposite the main Shoprite shopping complex. From town, turn left at the traffic lights.

Olga's - The Italian Corner is inviting all artists or painting enthusiasts residing in Livingstone or in general in Zambia, provided they are Zambian by nationality to the call "Nine Rooms in Search of an Author". The aim of the call is to find nine artists that will paint and personalize the interior of the nine rooms that are being built for the new Olga’s Guest House.

The general theme is “Novels, Legends and Myths of Zambia”. The theme has been chosen by a committee which will include officers of CeLIM, the Italian NGO behind Olga’s Project, CeLIM aid-workers and Olga’s supporters/friends. The same committee will evaluate and select the best realizations. The winners will realize the winning score in one of the rooms of the Guest House. To all the participants will also be given the opportunity to exhibit the work they have prepared for the competition during an exhibition which will be organized inside the restaurant and will take place from the 21th December 2011 until the day of the awards ceremony. As well as the chance to co-operate with Olga’s in any future exhibition which may be held within the restaurant.

PRIZE
The nine artists that will be selected will be given a prize of 750,000 Kwacha. All the expenses for the realization of the project will be covered by Olga’s up to a maximum of 300,000 Kwacha for each room. In each room, next to each painting, there will always be visible the name of the artist with his/her little biography and a description of the meaning of the work/paint.

So get painting!

Bungee!

2011-11-04T07:22:00.001+02:00

Something to make you laugh this weekend, seeing we live so close to the world of bungee jumping! With apologies - obviously - to all Irish readers!
The picture? Oh! That's a Kenyan doing it!

Two Irishmen walk into a pet shop in Dingle, they walk over to the bird section and Gerry says to Paddy, 'Dat's dem.'
The owner comes over and asks if he can help them.
'Yeah, we'll take four of dem dere little budgies in dat cage up dere', says Gerry.
The owner puts the budgies in a cardboard box.

Paddy and Gerry pay for the birds, leave the shop and get into Gerry's truck to drive to the top of the Connor Pass.
At the Connor Pass, Gerry looks down at the 1000 foot drop and says, 'Dis looks like a grand place.'
He takes two birds out of the box, puts one on each shoulder and jumps off the cliff.
Paddy watches as the budgies fly off and Gerry falls all the way to the bottom, killing himself stone dead.
Looking down at the remains of his best pal, Paddy shakes his head and says, 'Sod dat, dis budgie jumping is far too dangerous for me!'

THERE'S MORE...

Moment's later; Seamus arrives up at ConnorPass.
He's been to the pet shop too and walks up to the edge of the cliff carrying another cardboard box in one hand and a shotgun in the other
'Hi, Paddy, watch dis,' Seamus says.
He takes a parrot from the box and lets him fly free.
He then throws himself over the edge of the cliff with the gun.
Paddy watches as half way down, Seamus takes the gun and shoots the parrot.
Seamus continues to plummet down and down until he hits the bottom and breaks every bone in his body.
Paddy shakes his head and says, 'And I'm never trying dat parrotshooting either!'

IT'S NOT OVER YET...

Paddy is just getting over the shock of losing two friends when Sean appears.
He's also been to the pet shop and is carrying a cardboard box out of which he pulls a chicken.
Sean then takes the chicken by its legs and hurls himself off the cliff and disappears down and down until he hits a rock and breaks his spine.
Once more Paddy shakes his head.
'Sod dat, lads. First dere was Gerry with his budgie jumping, den Seamus parrotshooting... And now Sean and his damn hengliding!'

I'm not sure whether to thank Judy in Australia for this or not!!!

JL Brazell & Evan Brown on 107.7 fm

2011-11-02T08:28:00.000+02:00

"Why do you use your initials and not your first name"? Was the first question I asked JL Brazell when he and Evan Brown (pictured above) were guests on the latest edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient ft George da Soulchild, (that's our regular Sunday night radio show airing on Zambezi 107.7 fm Livingstone's leading local radio station every Sunday at 20.30 hrs). "Because I got too old to fight"! Was his surprising reply. "Huh"? I responded. "My first name's actually Joy" JL replied. "I see" I said and we moved on!

JL and Evan had been guests at Chanters Lodge for a few days, visiting Zambia to spend time with Jacob Sinangu and his family, which is huge. Why? Jacob has many children at his Heartspring Orphanage in Livingstone which JL, Evan and their church - Church Of Christ - in America have been helping to sponsor - 22 boys and 28 girls at the last count. Our guests updated listeners on the progress of the children at the orphanage and told us that Heartfelt had just started a section for girls, as well as boys, and appealed to listeners for any good second hand clothes for the little girls. Jacob is a graduate of African Christian College in Manzini.

JL told listeners he'd been retired for quite a long time and had just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his dear wife Lorene. Evan is a nurse working in ER at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. "What did your parents think about you coming to Africa"? I asked Evan. "They told me not to get engaged no matter the number of cows on offer"! She replied, laughing. It was Evan's first visit to Zambia but JL told listeners he'd been to this country 6 times before. He'd originally heard about Chanters Lodge from a friend at Namwianga Mission in Kalomo.

The music on the show was great! We opened with The Wanted's smash 'Lightning' back to back with 'Mr Wrong' by Mary J Blige ft Drake. Milimo chose Kay's 'Phone' ('when your phone's switched off your heart's switched off') as the first of his local track selection and coupled this with Dandy Crazy's 'Bed Sheet'. Dandy's a hot property these days in Zambia following his pre-election smash 'Donchi Kubeba'. Next up was Bruno Mars with 'It Will Rain' coupled with Charley Pride's 'Bottom Line' from his new 2011 album 'Choices'. ("Isn't he the one that sang Kwa Liga"? JL asked me in an aside "indeed he is" I replied).

JL told listeners that his favourite type of music was country and western and his favourite artist Willie Nelson, Evan said she loved lots of different kinds of music but her favourite band was Coldplay - she couldn't wait to get back to the States to buy their latest album. Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing 10 years from now. JL replied predictably "alive, anywhere"! Whilst Evan said she would like to be married with children, living in Africa, and working in health care education. We hope their wishes come true!

Consumer Diaries

2011-10-31T08:19:00.002+02:00

Here's a good website for consumers in Zambia having a hard time at the moment! Consumer Diaries, written by Zambian consumers for Zambian consumers. The latest post involves the suspension of the air service permit for Zambezi Airlines by government - no great surprise there - they've been in a shambles for weeks with delayed and cancelled flights. Yesterday there were about 15 stranded travellers at Harry M Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone, negotiating seats on other airlines flying to South Africa.

We hope Consumer Diaries will soon turn their attention to Zambia Breweries and the constant annual shortages of beer and soft drinks in Livingstone and other parts of Zambia through October and November - not alright in the nominated (should that be nominal?) 'tourist capital'.

And what about Zesco? Most Zambian consumers thought that one of the first impacts of the new government would be restoration of constant power supplies - not so - even though the President did fire the Zesco MD nothing has changed there! Just as well we have a good stand by generator at Chanters Lodge!

"The Consumer Diaries is a Zambian consumer’s mouthpiece written strictly by consumers for other consumers. It contains a compilation of reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from consumers themselves. This is done in order to help people have an opportunity to rate product/service experiences that they have had, and also to investigate new products or services in order to make informed decisions."

Wish them the best of luck!

The picture? A bottle of Zambia's great Mosi beer - currently unavailable from distributors in Livingstone, Zambia.

Kasono Mwanza

2011-10-29T06:54:00.002+02:00

Great to see this recently in the Minneapolis StarTribune. Seeing Zambians making it in the arts internationally is rare and we wish Kasono the best of luck - he certainly seems to have them talking in Minnesota!

Kasono Mwanza lights up the stage in Chanhassen's "Hairspray" with an ease that belies his youth and a long journey from his native Zambia. Kasono was talking about how he relates to Seaweed, his character in Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' hit production of "Hairspray."

Actors do this all the time, finding the character within themselves, and Mwanza touched upon many of the conventional comparisons: Seaweed loves music, just like Mwanza; he's a great dancer who seems to float on his feet; he's so over racial division and eager to reach out. It was standard stuff, not too profound.

And then Mwanza pointed out something about Seaweed that never even occurred to those of us who have seen his performance. "You know, his father is not mentioned the entire show," he said. True enough, interesting and curious, although in terms of plot and character, it doesn't really matter whether Seaweed has a father.

But to Mwanza it does, and he makes this statement over lunch as if he's sharing an important secret -- a key to the character's animation. He notes that he's even gone so far as to talk offstage with Aimee K. Bryant, who plays Seaweed's mother, about "where his dad is, what he's doing, why he's not there."

It matters because Mwanza seems eternally in search of his father, who died when Mwanza was a young boy in Zambia. "It's very important to know yourself before you try to know a different character," he said. "Part of me is with him." Mwanza's work as Seaweed has forced people to sit up and take notice of this lively young performer. At 23, he carries a natural charisma onstage and seems comfortably at ease, shoulder to shoulder with Chanhassen's long-established veterans. His body is perfect for dance -- lean, light, flexible -- and his singing voice penetrates the air. Though he would never put it in terms of competing with other actors, Mwanza effortlessly commands the audience's attention.

"I have a friend in New York who is an agent and I have never recommended anyone to her," said director Michael Brindisi. "But I was just composing a letter to her because Kasono is that good. He could go to New York and work right now." If he should choose that path, it would continue an improbable journey that started in the landlocked African nation of Zambia. Mwanza was 10 when his father, a flight engineer, died, and the family moved to join relatives in Minnesota.

Because of his father's profession, Mwanza had traveled to other countries but he remembers being stunned when the doors to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport opened and he stepped onto the sidewalk. "I asked my mother why we were going inside a refrigerator," he recalled. It was not a refrigerator. It was what we call winter. At Marcy Open School in Minneapolis, a teacher heard Mwanza sing and suggested there might be something for him in theater. He pursued his talent at Minneapolis South High School and Youth Performance Company, where he met Kahlil Queen, a versatile performer who also writes and composes music.

"To see an African-American man who could do choreography, compose music, sing and act was a huge inspiration to me," Mwanza said in his soft-spoken and generous manner. Queen was taken aback when a reporter relayed Mwanza's gratitude. "I had no idea I had made that sort of impact," he said. "He had very good natural skills and he took direction well -- very observant and fantastic to work with."

However, it was not until Mwanza attended the University of Minnesota Duluth that he actually took lessons in dance and music. He also got to be good friends with Brindisi's daughter Cat, who was his housemate. "He has such a big heart for everyone, and I think that does have to do with his rough childhood," she said. "He doesn't know much about his dad and I think it's been his quest to find his dad and figure out why he's here."

When he met Cat Brindisi, Mwanza didn't know that her dad ran Chanhassen or that her mom, Michelle Barber, was a well-known actress and singer. He soon found out and auditioned at Chanhassen after graduation. He was first cast in last fall's "All Shook Up" and then "Jesus Christ Superstar," where he played a member of the Sanhedrin. "That role was so heavy," he said. "Lashing Jesus eight times a week was a growing experience." Michael Brindisi said that if there's anything Mwanza needs to work on, it's building a stage toughness. "He's a little shy and polite. Even the people in the kitchen tell me he hugs everyone," Brindisi said. "I want to get a little more teeth and nails out of him on the stage."

Interestingly, the first thing Mwanza said when asked what Brindisi has taught him was "how to be kind and that there's no need to be rude. "And he taught me to take care of myself so my performance is fresh for six months." Mwanza lists several possibilities for his career. New York and California are always beacons for youngsters who can sing, act and dance. Working the cruise-ship entertainment industry or putting together an album of music both appeal to him. Whatever he does, it will include music and dance -- gifts that he said guide his destiny and purpose.

Charley Pride

2011-10-27T10:10:00.000+02:00

There are times in life - and they don't happen all that often - when you simply get blown away by someone's generosity and kindness. It happened to me last Tuesday. I've been a fan of Charley Pride (above), the great Afro-American country and western singer since 1972, when I was in Seychelles, where he was (and probably still is) huge. In 2007 Mark Scarborough stayed at Chanters Lodge and I happened to mention to him that I was a fan of Charley's. Yesterday, Mark came to stay again - with him he brought for me a photo of Charley Pride personally autographed and dedicated to me, posters, an autobiography and a multitude of albums including, brilliantly, his 2011 release 'Choices' - playing as I write. Charley's getting on a bit in years but you wouldn't know it from his voice on this beautiful album.

How come Mark did this? Well he's a friend of Danny Hutchins. Who's Danny Hutchins? I hear you ask. Danny joined Charley Pride as a backing musician in 1977 when Danny was just 17 and has been with him ever since. In his autobiography Charley says of his first meeting with Danny "we decided to do a medley which he hadn't heard. He might have heard the individual songs but not the transitions and the lead-ins, the way they were put together. We played it one time through and the kid didn't miss a damn turn. He hit every note - sharp, flat, augmented, everything. I hired him on the spot and he's been with me ever since. I feel as though I've practically raised him. He's been a big asset". Well, Mark told Danny I was a fan and he organized all the wonderful things that Mark brought for me. Awesome!

For the uninitiated Charley Pride's first hit came in 1966 'Just Between You And Me'. Since then he's had 36 number one hit singles on the US country charts, 31 gold albums, 4 platinum and one quadruple platinum. He's one of the best-selling country artists of all time. On RCA Records Charley Pride is second in sales only to Elvis Presley. My favourite tracks? 'Crystal Chandeliers' which I sang regularly on stage in the Musuku Restaurant when I managed the Ridgeway Hotel in Lusaka, and 'Leaving Never Gets Me Anywhere' which I also used to perform.

Charley made it in what was, and is, a musical genre dominated by white people - I guess you have to work twice as hard and be twice as tough to achieve that! Ground breaking!

Thanks Mark, Danny and Charley - you made my day!!

A Family Affair

2011-10-25T07:52:00.000+02:00

The Chanters Lodge Experience - our weekly Sunday night radio show broadcasting at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station - was very much a family affair last Sunday! Why? Well two of the guests were Chanters - Mike (standing) and Alexandra (right) in the photo above - they were accompanied by their friend Cleo Kashimba. We had a lot of fun on the show! Mike, Alex and Cleo have been staying at Chanters in Livingstone for a few days - visiting after a long time away.

Mike, who raps under the name of 'Liquid Danger' told listeners that he's still trying to make his way on the music scene in Lusaka and has recorded about 10 tracks with FlyBy Studios. He hopes to be able to release his first album soon, meanwhile he manages to perform shows in Lusaka most weekends. We featured one of his tracks called 'Ngwila Mic'. When I asked what the words meant (it's performed mostly in vernacular) the assembled company, including Milli Jam and George da Soulchild, co-hosts of the show, all looked at each other and smirked saying very little! Just imagine! I had to........

"How did you meet these people"? Milli Jam asked Cleo. "I met Mike at FlyBy Studios in Lusaka" she replied "and Alexandra cos she's Mike's sister". "Are you also a musician"? Milli Jam wanted to know. Cleo replied that she was and that she had recorded three songs in her one and a half years on the Lusaka music scene. We dropped one of her tracks 'Manzi Na Pompey' and all agreed that she has a great voice (and looks for that matter). She told listeners that she would like to go back to school soon to study law, while still furthering her musical career. "Are you married"? Milli Jam predictably wanted to know. Cleo giggled. "In a relationship"? He persisted. "It's complicated"! She replied. "Facebook status" said Milli Jam.

Milli Jam asked Alex how long she'd been back in Zambia and what she was doing and she told listeners she'd been home since July and that she was on something of a gap year, having completed the South African equivalent of Grade 12 in 2010. She hoped to study journalism in the future with a view to working in the media and/or fashion. "Did you know Alex has also recorded a track"? Mike asked. We didn't, Alex explained that the song was performed in Zulu (translated as 'Lose Your Mind'), in which she was fluent.

The music on the show was good. We played 'Princess of China' by Coldplay ft Rihanna, back to back with Akon's 'Conspiracy' at the top of the show. After Mike and Cleo's tracks Milimo featured 'You're The Boss' a great number from Rick Ross featuring Nicki Minaj coupled with 'Loving You No More' by Dirty Money featuring Drake. Our oldie of the week was Westlife's 'Flying Without Wings' - an easy track for listeners to guess who the performing artists were. We ask this question every week and the first listener to text us the right answer wins a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters lodge. The prize was quickly won.

The show was interrupted by Charles Chulu, Station Manager of Zambezi fm (wearing a Man U shirt and a sad look 1-6) who proceeded, to my surprise, to present me with a framed certificate from the station for the 'Most Innovative Contribution Award'. Nice - one assumes the cash will follow behind!! Seriously I was touched and grateful.

Alex told listeners her favourite musicians at the moment were Nicki Minaj, Adele and Corinne Bailey Rae, Mike was into Lil Wayne. Cleo opted for Rihanna and a local artist Mampi.

The guys had not had much time for activities while they'd been in Livingstone but they had featured on Muja Blaze's show on Zambezi fm the previous day, and were lined up to play at Zambezi Sun the following day. They'd also done some clubbing. The three hoped to be able to take a walk with lions and cheetah's before returning to Lusaka. Asked about where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years from now, Cleo said 'settled and successful around the world', Mike 'still on top and rich' while Alex replied 'married with two children, working, successful and independent'. Nice!

Zambia Weekly

2011-10-23T06:42:00.000+02:00

These days in Zambia it's quite hard, in my opinion, to get a neutral and objective take on the news. ZNBC, Daily Mail and Times of Zambia are all in a state of transition with new management and the Post is still PF - one suspects it will remain so for the foreseeable future. Time then to turn to Zambia Weekly which appears intelligent, independent and thorough without being too verbose or bunged up with adverts - for now. Their take on themselves is below:

"Zambia Weekly is a free ezine that provides an effortless way of keeping up-to-date with current affairs in Zambia. Every Friday, Zambia Weekly sends out an aggregate of Zambian news - the news you really need to know about!

Zambia Weekly compiles, summarises, compares and analyses the news. It is to the point: short and concise! Zambia Weekly promotes factual and objective journalism. It has no political, religious or ethnical affiliations. Zambia Weekly focuses on the coverage of politics, business and development.

Zambia Weekly reaches thousands of business leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers - both in Zambia and abroad.

It was founded in April 2010

Subscribe - Contact Editor
Camilla Hebo Buus
cabuus@zambia-weekly.com
Cell +260 977 461 877

Subscription is free!"

Wishing them all the best, it is an excellent production.

CRI$I$ Mr Swagger

2011-10-21T07:18:00.000+02:00

George da Soulchild writes:

C.R.I.$.I.$ or Crisis Mr. Swagger is Zambia's premiere Hip-Hop artist with the fastest growing international presence of any of our artists. He is currently is working on a new album to be titled 'B.I.G (Business is Good).' This forthcoming release is part of a major plan as the artist moves to another level in his career. The album boasts high powered production from Canada's Bos Beats on the song 'Make The Crowd Go'. It also has production by fast rising US producer Youg Fyre. Fyre has also recently produced a song called 'How To Hate' for Lil Wayne and was in charge of production for T-Pain's PreVolver Mixtape. B.I.G will also include production from C.R.I.$.I.$. The album track listing has not been finalized but, Houston rapper Lil Flip is confirmed to make an appearance on a song called 'Since You Hate Me'. The song has been officially released and is available on iTunes and at other online stores.

C.R.I.$.I.$ is currently nominated for the Channel-O Music Video Award in the category for MOST GIFTED AFRICAN SOUTHERN VIDEO. His song 'The Fire Inside - Produced by Bos Beats and Young Fyre' will be competing with some of the best acts out of Southern Africa. Voting closes on the 27th of October, 2011 and he is scheduled to perform at the awards ceremony.

This year already saw C.R.I.$.I.$ win a BEFFTA Award for BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT: In February, 2011 he was nominated for the Black Entertainment Film Fashion Television Arts Award (BEFFTA). He faced stiff competition as he was competing against M.I (Nigeria), 2 Face (Nigeria), Ali Kiba (Tanzania) and Faly Ipupa (Congo DR). Based on a global vote, the BEFFTA Award for BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT was given to C.R.I.$.I.$.

In 2010 he shared the stage with Akon and Sean Paul in Harare Zimbabwe. It was a successful show with an attendance of 48,000 people at the Harare National Sports Stadium which was was almost filled to capacity. He also performed at an MTV Event during the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa sharing the stage with Liquid Deep & Zulu Boy

C.R.I.$.I.$. aka Crisis Mr. Swagger is a Zambian born Hip-Hop Artist/Producer/CEO of his own independent music label called Diamond Chain Services in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa. 35,000+ CD's and Cassettes sold in Lusaka alone, C.R.I.$.I.$.’s album Officer in Charge (released January 2005). First hip-hop record, produced and released in Zambia by a Zambian artist. Second album, The Diamond Chain Mixtape reached another milestone by becoming the first Zambian Mixtape to be released commercially in Zambia. 2008-Released the album called, ‘Designer.’ C.R.I.$.I.$. isn’t showing signs of stopping as he continues to venture out of Zambia and into the international Hip-Hop market.

Andrew Deane & Marion Gibson Experience 'The Experience'!

2011-10-19T10:22:00.000+02:00

Meet Andrew Deane and Marion Gibson (above) from High Wycombe in UK - guests on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, featuring George da Soulchild. 'The Experience' is the weekly radio show we sponsor on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station. Our programme airs from 20.30-21.30 hrs every Sunday night and is a great mixture of local and international music as well as lively chat. 107.7 fm streams live on the internet and you can find the link on their site or ours. (Links are above).

Andrew and Marion told listeners they'd been in Livingstone for the past few days staying at Chanters Lodge, although they'd been so busy with activities they hadn't spent much time there! They'd already been on a one day safari to Chobe National Park in Botswana and the very day of the show they'd been white water rafting on the Zambezi. They described both experiences as 'amazing'! Marion particularly liked Chobe due to her love of elephants - Chobe NP has the highest concentration of that particular animal in the whole world - Andrew loved the rafting.

Andrew explained that he'd been a police officer with Thames Valley Police in UK for the past 13 years. "It's true" said Milli Jam, "I've even seen and touched his badge!" "Stop sweating and shaking!" I advised George who looked apprehensive. Marion told listeners that she'd spent a large part of her career as a social worker but had been laid off a while ago as a result of recent budget cuts in England. Luckily she'd quickly found another job with APH Mortgages, which she loved. This engaging and lively couple told listeners they been in love for the past 6 years and although they had no children together, Andrew had a 12 year old son Joshua from a previous relationship.

The music on the show was great. We featured 'Fireball' by Willow Smith ft Nicki Minaj back to back with 'We Found Love' by Rihanna ft Calvin Harris - number one in the UK actually! George featured 'Man Dem' by Zone-Fam ft Cactus Agony & Macky 2 - taken from Zone-Fam's brand new album. He coupled this with Exile's 'So Lucky'. Milli Jam dropped Ne-Yo's 'Break Up To Make Up' and Sean Paul's 'She Doesn't Mind'. Oldie Of The Week was Johnny Clegg Savuka's 'Scatterlings Of Africa'. Silence, no-one knew the artist until almost the end of the track when Angela texted the right answer and won the dinner for 2 with drinks at the lodge!

Andrew told listeners that he's an Arsenal supporter - we were happy about this especially as they'd won that afternoon. Marion supports Wycombe Wanderers, her local team. They both love Take That and Robbie Williams. They were looking forward to breakfast on Livingstone Island the next morning with a swim in Devil's Pool and had scheduled a sunset cruise on the Lady Livingstone for the afternoon. Marion told listeners she'd first visited Victoria Falls some years ago and had liked it so much she'd determined to bring Andrew to see it for himself. They'd chosen Chanters Lodge after reading the reviews on TripAdvisor.

Milli Jam asked Andrew and Marion which of the many countries they'd visited they loved the most. Marion said Bermuda, Andrew replied USA, explaining that he and Marion both loved rollercoasters and in their opionion the USA had the best in the world. Asked what they'd like to be doing and where they'd like to be in 10 years' time - Andrew said he thought he'd still be working, Marion wanted to be retired and they both wanted to still be together and travelling. Nice couple! Nice show!

Then And Now

2011-10-17T10:50:00.001+02:00

Then
"Good morning Richard, your daily updates are really something I look foward to everyday. Good for information and good for your business. Age does not seem to be slowing you down. Remember from your days as General Manager at Ridgeway hotel I was a member of that cosy bar Copper Horse and always enjoyed meals in the Musuku restraunt with regular entertainment provided by Ackim Simukonda and PK Chishala. Remember your regular client Kelvin Siame my big guy? We talk about our times at Ridgeway but all this is gone with you. The hospitality industry is dull without you. I spent a weekend at your lodge in Livingstone in 2006, enjoyed the serene arrangement, your workers were good but best of all the food was excellent!"

Now
"Richard and his staff are excellent host to the lovely part of Africa. He picked us up at the airport and dropped us off at the end. For Africa, these accommodations are good but for individuals expecting Holiday Inn level will be disappointed. It`s Africa, get over it. If you are looking for Holiday Inn you will be paying through the nose ($300+ USD min) for a basic western hotel. Livingstone only has a number of accommodations and are all overpriced (including the activities), go with Chanters to save your money and put it towards paying for the activities"

Thanks to the contributors! The photos? I'm sure you can work out what's what!

Hotels Online

2011-10-15T06:33:00.001+02:00

I liked this by Melanie Nayer on 4Hoteliers not surprising, I suppose, considering the amount of time I spend on line! Here's the piece:

"As more consumers move online, it's becoming more important for business to maintain trust and respect on social channels. Without face-to-face conversation, your consumer needs to rely strictly on your word. Bottom line: if they don't trust you, they won't buy from you. So, how can you ensure you're building trust through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and FourSquare?

I consulted a few hoteliers to get their thoughts:

"We view social media as a powerful channel to build consumer trust and deliver on our brand promise, which is to surprise and delight our guests by providing service that is gracious and sincere," said Mac Joseph, Social Media Marketing Manager for Mandarin Oriental Hotels, which currently has 8100 followers on their main Twitter page @MO_HOTELS. "We focus on building genuine relationships with consumers on Facebook and Twitter by engaging in two-way dialogue. Through listening first to our audiences, we are able to add value to their experiences with our brand online."

Joseph told me that Mandarin Oriental recently came across a tweet from a guest at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, wanting a guestroom with a bathtub. Joseph said his team connected with the hotel, who were able to move the guest to the desired room type that same day. "Through this open dialogue, the guest and our audiences witnessed first-hand that we are not simply pushing content through our social media channels but also listening, in the hopes of making a difference in the guest experience," he said.

InterContinental Hotels, which also has various twitter accounts for individual hotels but one main channel, @InterConHotels, with over 7,200 followers, recently made headlines with their new mobile platform and iPad accessibility in worldwide hotels. The hotel group also uses social platforms to introduce guests to local information before they check in, giving them a sense of environment before they arrive at their destination. "Even though we are interacting with our guests and our friends as a brand, we try to be as human in our interaction as we can," said Charles Yap, Director, Global Brand Communications for InterContinental Hotels. "This means being conversational with our approach, highlighting some of the fun discoveries our guests have made in their travels, providing local assistance through our InterContinental Concierge teams to those who need it, and taking every opportunity to help should things go wrong."

As a consumer and industry expert, I've found a few things to be beneficial when working with hotels online:

Constant tweeting and Facebook messages are great ways to promote the hotel and converse with guests, but it's also a great idea to post testimonials from your clients. These reviews are coming from the guest themselves, and other potential guests will rely on the feedback of their peers before making a purchasing decision, especially when it comes to travel.

Keeping it personal adds a level of emotion to your conversation. By putting a name with a Twitter account or Facebook post, you're introducing your guests to other hotel employees, allowing guests to learn a little more about the hotel and destination on a local level."

The picture? The stunningly beautiful Lake Malawi, I worked there some time back!

Zone-Fam Mean Business!

2011-10-13T07:07:00.002+02:00

Here's a nice piece from George da Soulchild (via Times Entertainment), co-presenter of our Sunday night radio show, airing at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station.

"Zambia's premiere hip-hop group Zone-Fam mean ‘ Business’ this time around! On October 1, 2011, the group released its new album “The Business” (Foreign Exchange). The 18-track album includes songs such as "The Business", "Shaka Zulu On Em", "Mbama", "Chikali" (featuring Slap Dee, Ozzy & Petersen), "Man Dem" (featuring Cactus Agony & Macky 2), "No Matter What They Say", "Ntofo-tofo" and many more. Zone Fam told Times Entertainment that the celebrated crew is also working on a breathtaking video track ‘Life is Good.’

Zone-Fam derives its name from the studio - Zone Farm - they frequented in their early days. ‘The Zone' is a group of four individuals Dope G, Jey Roxy, Young Verbal and Thugga who set the entertainment world alight with tracks like “Shaka Zulu” that has enjoyed airplay and an international stage on MTV base.

Zone-Fam Officially released their second album single and music video Shaka Zulu on March 1, this year after successfully releasing their debut Mobhodlela (the Bottles) which is still enjoying massive airplay. Talking a bit on the Shaka Zulu track, a high level of creativity depicting the real African life is at play in this particular video as it shows the pride of Africa and pays homage to the roots of the beautiful continent.

Though with an international touch and appeal to the quality of production, this particular video was shot and edited right here in Zambia yet competes well on the international music channels. Thumbs up to the Ground Xero productions and director Kenny Mumba."

We wish them all the best with their new album!

Social Media, Twitter, Gadgets & Old People

2011-10-11T07:25:00.000+02:00

This is not about me, but it may be about Derek (and that might be him above) who sent it to me!!!

When I bought my Blackberry, I thought about the 30 year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, pictures and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up (under duress) for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grand kids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter, with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grand kids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world. My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Bluetooth phone I'm supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at the local store talking to my wife and everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it and I got a little loud.

The GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-u-lating." You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light, if I made a wrong turn. Well, it was not a good relationship.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I'm still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We've had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions, checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings!

Us senior citizens don't need any more gadgets. The TV remote and the garage door opener are about all we can handle.

Seya Kitenge Fundafunda

2011-10-09T07:07:00.001+02:00

I found this on the African Women In Cinema blog and thought it great to see a Zambia woman making a name for herself in cinema. Seya is in interview with Beti Ellerson. I have shortened it but if you would like to read the whole interview go to the link. We wish Seya the very best of luck!
Seya, you are an emerging filmmaker from Zambia, what were your experiences in cinema while growing up?

Well I come from a family that watched a lot of classic movies like My Fair Lady, A Sound of Music (my favorite film of all time), Fiddler on the Roof, Scrooge, and lots of classic Disney movies like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, etc. But these were viewed at home, and not at an actual cinema because at the time the state of cinema theatres in this country had deteriorated and we weren’t allowed to go anywhere near them. Despite all this, my interest in performing arts emerged.

You have had diverse international experiences in media production, starting in high school in fact at the International School of Geneva, what role have they played in the evolution of your career at present?

My international background has played a huge role in my life and my career; it has exposed me to so many cultures. At this moment in history, I think it’s critical to learn and understand how to live and work with people of different cultures. And it’s the same in the media industry. Looking at the high school productions, such as the German play The Visit, we had students from different ethnic backgrounds taking up German roles. For my role, I played a painter and recited some of my lines in German, which was tough during rehearsals but when it was show time, I have to say we all did a remarkable job. My work ethic today is what it is because of my past experiences; it has made me a perfectionist.

You attended a film internship program in Helsinki, Finland in 2010. What did the internship entail, how did you become involved with it and what were your experiences?

The film internship in Helsinki, Finland came about after the 2008 production of the feature film Suwi by Musola Cathrine Kaseketi. It was the first co-production between Zambia and Finland. We had half of the crew come from Finland. And upon completion of the production, the Finnish crew wanted to do more for the young Zambian crew in terms of training since Zambia has no film school. When they returned to Helsinki, they presented a proposal to the Finnish Government to do a 3-month film internship in Helsinki. Due to budget constraints, they couldn’t take the whole Zambian crew, so only three could go in 2009, which was the first year. There was an application process and selection, so I applied for the 2010 group and got selected. I had an amazing experience during the internship and learnt a lot, including: the history of film and filmmaking, exercises in making short amateur silent films, attending the 2010 Helsinki International Film Festival, scripting and directing a short film called Kayemba.

Your final project, Kayemba, is about the traumatic experience of a young Finnish-African woman by the same name. Why did you choose this subject, what were your experiences with the actors and crew, and what has been the reception of the film?

The idea for Kayemba came about while still in Zambia, before I leaving for the internship. As part of the application for the internship, one had to send a synopsis of a film one would like to make at the end of the internship and so that is how Kayemba came about. I am a human rights advocate at heart and I wanted to do something that had to do with women’s rights. The subject matter for Kayemba is so important and relevant and needs to be talked about and addressed with urgency throughout Africa and the world at large. There are a lot of women, young women in fact, whose rights are infringed upon, due solely to the fact that they are women. And if this film helps even one woman, then I will be satisfied.

The cast and crew of Kayemba were a great group to work with. Everyone was very dedicated to this project before, during and after the shoot. I am so grateful to them. They made my directorial debut stress free. Kayemba is screening at the 2011 Kenya International Film Festival (21-31 October), which is really exciting. This is the first major film fest at which it is being screened. Some viewers expressed feeling depressed, maybe because of its inconclusive ending. There is no happy ending. I wanted it to be as realistic as possible. Some did not like it. For instance one YouTube viewer commented “I don't believe that showing violence prevents violence. That is why I don't like this film. It is not a good idea to show a rape.” But overall, the responses have been encouraging.

Hotel Trends

2011-10-07T07:07:00.002+02:00

Here's some future hotel trends for you to ponder from the USA via:

msnbc.com

It all left me rather bemused. The photo? Le Meridien, Picadilly, London - the first hotel in which I ever worked, a long time ago. It was simply Picadilly Hotel in those days and I was a commis chef!

Increasing fees:
Your hotel bill may include some unpleasant surprises. Not just the usual $20-a-day resort and amenity fee, which you pay whether or not you use the tennis courts and pool complex, but how about a required $12 housekeeping surcharge or a fee for storing your luggage in the lobby? Total fees and surcharges collected by U.S. hotels are increasing from $1.7 billion in 2010 to a record $1.8 billion in 2011, according to new research from Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University's Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality and Sports Management.

Lobbies as social hubs:

Colorful seating, free Internet service and trendy cocktail and coffee bars are helping to turn once-sterile hotel lobbies into social hubs. Hanson says while baby boomers might see the lobby as a place to meet at 6 p.m. sharp before heading to a prearranged restaurant location, younger travelers may prefer to gather more informally in the lobby, hang out for a while, socialize and take their time choosing where they'll spend the evening. They might check email, go online using a cell phone or iPad to look for dining recommendations, or try whatever snacks or drinks are readily available from the lobby market or bar.

Disappearing tubs:

Unless you're booking a suite, your next stay in a hotel room may not offer the luxury of a bath. Many newly built hotels are offering showers only. Marriott, for example, is "advising our newly built hotels to put showers in 75 percent of the rooms and bathtubs in 25 percent of the rooms," according to Marriott spokeswoman Laurie Goldstein. "Our research shows that business travelers prefer showers to baths but families like the flexibility of a bathtub as well as a shower."

Pump dispensers:

The advent of pump dispensers in hotel bathrooms is good and bad news for those guests obsessed with the tiny bottles of shampoo and individually wrapped soaps that have been a beloved amenity for decades.

The good news: If you need more shampoo than what may be as little as a half-ounce in those small plastic containers, you can pump as much as you want from the dispenser. You can also feel greener if you use the pump. No more adding plastic throwaways to the waste stream.

The bad news: What if you simply love those little bottles? The hand lotion is the perfect size to slip in your purse; and if you have leftover shampoo, the container is small enough to get through airport security. Or what if you find the pump dispensers unappealing?

Checking in electronically:

Who needs to wait in line at the front desk to check in? Some of Starwood's Aloft hotels are offering "Smart Check-In" to Starwood Preferred Guest program members. Members are sent a keycard with radio-frequency identification technology, and on the day of a planned stay, a text message is sent to the guest's mobile device with a room number. Upon arrival, the guest proceeds to that room, and the keycard will open the door.

Locavore options:

The locavore and hyperlocal trend that has taken over the food world is fast becoming de rigueur in the hotel industry, particularly at high-end and boutique properties where chefs are growing their own herbs and even hosting their own beehives. The W in San Francisco in September had a local beekeeper, Jack Ip, install hives on a rooftop with a goal of eventually producing honey for use in the hotel menu. In New York City, the Andaz Wall Street hotel in Lower Manhattan sponsors a farmers market May through November in an arcade next to the hotel where produce, bread and other goods are sold by farmers and other vendors. The Andaz also sells fresh-squeezed juices and sandwiches in the market, and customers include hotel guests and neighborhood residents.

K'Millian Rocks 'The Experience'

2011-10-05T06:51:00.000+02:00

I did take some photos in the studio when Leo Moyo aka 'K'Millian' guested for the second time on The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild, but I like the one above from the cover of 'True Colours'. Leo's last appearance on our show was back in June 2009, so of course we were interested to hear what he'd been doing since we last interviewed him on radio. 'The Experience' is a cool mixture of music and chat, airing every Sunday night at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station and streaming live on the internet. K'Millian is one of Zambia's leading musicians with 6 albums under his belt.

Leo told listeners that he'd spent the last two years working, playing concerts and 'discovering himself'. He'd worked on collaborations with other artists such as P-Unit from Kenya and had been spreading his wings, working with musicians from Nigeria as well. He said he'd also been very busy working on his new album which was finished and due for release before the end of the year. "What brings you to Livingstone this time"? Milli Jam wanted to know. Leo confirmed that he'd been playing shows at Taonga Safaris' River Shack. "How did it go?" Milli Jam asked, K'Millian confirmed that the shows and the crowd had been great! "In which part of the country do your shows have the best audience"? Milli Jam continued and Leo replied without hesitation "The Copperbelt"! We discussed the reasons - speculating about the size of the population in that part of Zambia as well as the hard type of work they undertake on the mines and the subsequent need for excitement and entertainment during their downtime.

We featured two of K'Millian's tracks on the show - 'From My Heart' taken off the forthcoming new album back to back with Links featuring K'Millian and 'My Police'. K'Millian explained to listeners that on his new album he'd recorded a lot of tracks in English with a view to breaking into the international market. We featured James Morrison's 'I Won't Let You Go' as well as Dappy's UK number one 'No Regrets'. Milli Jam played Big Sean's 'My Last' and our oldie of the week was Luther Vandross with 'Power Of Love'. Our regular prize of a dinner for two at Chanters Lodge was quickly snapped up by Jackson, the first person to text us the name of the artist. We closed the programme with Rihanna ft Calvin Harris and 'We Found Love' as well as Bruno Mars with 'It Will Rain'. I told listeners this might be an accurate prediction from Bruno, as rain was forecast for Livingstone the next day! (And it did!)

K'Millian told listeners that his favourite international artist at the moment was Chris Brown and locally the gorgeous Mampi. George liked that. He thought that Qfm and Hone FM in Lusaka were the two radio stations that promoted his music more than any others. When Milli Jam asked him if he was playing any other dates while he was in Livingstone, his answer was 'show me the money'! Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing 10 years from now Leo's answer was 'on my island counting my money"! You get the drift!!

Ephraim Mutalange

2011-10-03T08:19:00.001+02:00

Zambian renowned Gospel Musician Ephraim Mutalange last Saturday 24th September enthused London based Zambians and other nationalities that congregated at the Rock House, in Tufnell Park. Christians travelled from all over the UK to London to listen to Ephraim’s triumphantly praise and worship concert. During the concert he sung some of his Bemba lyrics in English while the audience joined in and danced incessantly.

Much more the spirit of God hovered on the building as God was truly praised. The ministering of God’s word was so vivid. Ephraim cut himself as a truly International gospel artiste. The ever busy Ephraim returned to Zambia on Wednesday 28th to fulfil his concerts responsibility lined up for this Saturday weekend.

However, before leaving for Zambia, he did recordings in London with famous gospel artists from different parts of the world. He promised his fans in the United Kingdom to return for Easter Concerts next year when he intends to tour the United Kingdom and spread the Gospel through his music.

Tourism in Africa

2011-10-01T07:15:00.003+02:00

I liked a piece by Beth Kormanik on Hotel Interactive I've edited quite a lot of it and added my comments specifically for Zambia at the end.

"As the continent of Africa realizes new heights with global tourism – bolstered by the FIFA World Cup in South Africa last year – new facts and figures are telling the story of a continued growth in 2011. Key issues such as difficulty in crossing borders and concerns over security, though, are stalling that growth.

Tourist arrivals to Africa in 2010 reached 940 million, an increase of 6.6 percent compared with 2009. North Africa is the biggest draw, thanks to Egypt, with 29.7 million arrivals that accounted for $21.7 million in receipts. The figures were among those in just-published State of Tourism in Africa, a report sponsored by the World Bank, the Africa Travel Association and New York University’s Africa House.

“It seems there is room for us to be optimistic,” said Fatou Mas-Jobe Njie, Minister of Tourism and Culture for the Republic of The Gambia and president of the Africa Travel Association, which held its sixth annual Presidential Forum on Tourism Tuesday in New York. While travel and tourism hold the promise of growing GDP, creating jobs and encouraging sustainable development, the current reality is of low consumer confidence and investment.

“Still, we need to caution our optimism as uncertainty still remains,” she said. “We cannot ignore what happened to the tourism industries of Egypt and Tunisia after the shocks of political change.The reality is that the possibility of growth and development are not yet fully recognized or realized in Africa’s political corridors. That’s why ATA has a critical role to play. ATA can help raise awareness of the importance of the industry among decision makers and across the general public in Africa.”

First, though, African countries need to resolve long-standing issues that hamper travel, such as the difficulty crossing borders, according to Nigel Vere Nicoll, managing director of Advancing Tourism to Africa. “Why is it that the border between Kenya and Tanzania is impossible to cross?” he asked. “The two parties just don’t talk to each other. It doesn’t make sense.”
Ezekiel Maige, Tanzania’s Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, said the two countries have issues over border security and also of a fair distribution of tourist dollars. “We are discussing in the region how we can sort out these problems,” he said. “The assurance I’ll give here is we’ve reached a very good stage.”

David Scowsill, president and CEO of The World Travel and Tourism Council, pointed out that air service agreements in Africa are terribly outdated – many in East Africa still operate under rules developed at the Chicago Convention in 1944. Travel across borders within Africa remains difficult. “I suspect our predecessors were having similar conversations 10, 15, 20 years ago,” Scowsill said. “We’re not working fast enough." Being a tourism minister is a lonely place to be.The focus on travel and tourism and what it does for job creation and wealth creation overall is an agenda that is only going to be driven by the president of a country. If we could find two, three or four visionary African presidents who really understand the power of travel and tourism and are prepared collectively to move things and change things, to open the skies and to have common visas things would happen, without that, I can’t see anything changing very quickly.”

Another challenge is marketing Africa as a safe and desirable location, according to Gregg Truman, vice president of sales and marketing for South African Airways.

“If Africa wants to be recognized it must be willing to spend resources in marketing the destination,” he said. “That’s what we don’t do well most of the time. Yet we have beautiful scenery, a lot of cultural tourism, eco-tourism. We have diverse products that people can learn from and enjoy"

In Zambia's case:

I should think our new Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism, Given Lubinda and President Michael Sata are very busy with other things, but the sentence I've highlighted above about tourism needing to be presidentially driven bears thinking about!
The ATA has been around for a long time, I'm not sure how much they've really done for tourism in this country.

Recommendations for Zambia: 1. Re-introduce the successful visa waiver scheme for bona fide tourists with advance reservations.
2. Allocate a good budget to Zambia Tourist Board for overseas marketing in Europe and USA.
3. Improve tax incentives and concessions for the hospitality and travel industries in order to stabilize prices and to change the perception of Zambia being an expensive destination.
4. Improve air (and road) links between the different tourist destinations within Zambia and surrounding countries and encourage competition to reduce air fares.
5. Make the Victoria Falls accessible to tourists from both sides of the border without visas and immigration formalities. (Dreams division)

The photo? Victoria Falls - the Zimbabwe side for a change!

Emirates To Fly To Zambia!

2011-09-29T07:23:00.001+02:00

From SkyClub.com

"Emirates is launching flights to two new African destinations from February next year. The airline will be offering five flights per week from Dubai to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, from 1st February 2012.

Travellers visiting Zambia or Zimbabwe with Emirates will be within easy reach of Victoria Falls- the largest waterfall in the world. Labelled a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls is 1.7km wide and cascades over 100 metres. Both destinations also have world-class national safari parks for any travellers wishing to observe some African wildlife.

Passengers travelling with Emirates to Zambia and Zimbabwe will be able to experience Emirates’ luxurious First and Business Class cabins. The A330-200 operating the route has a three-class configuration with 12 First Class seats, 42 Business Class seats and 183 Economy seats. Guests in all classes of travel will enjoy meals prepared by gourmet chefs, as well as hundreds of channels of entertainment and the facility to send and receive emails and text messages.

“Emirates has long understood the enormous potential of Africa, which today is one of the fastest-expanding economic regions of the world, benefitting from a combined market of over one billion people, rising consumer demand and an abundance of natural resources,” said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group.

“Zambia and Zimbabwe will be our 20th and 21st African destinations and their addition to our global network will enable us to provide new flexibility and choice for customers, help to grow trade routes and create important new inbound and outbound markets for tourism,” added His Highness."

Now, all we need is a direct flight from Europe to Livingstone. Come on!

Victor Chama Musonda Makes The News!

2011-09-27T06:36:00.003+02:00

Meet Victor Chama Musonda (above), guest on the most recent edition of our weekly Sunday night radio show, The Chanters Lodge Experience with The Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild, airing at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 107.7 fm Livingstone's leading local radio station. The show streams live on the internet too, links are on our Chanters Lodge website or the station's own site - 18.30 hrs GMT every Sunday, and we'd love you guys out of Livingstone to listen!

It had been such a momentous week for news in Zambia, with the election of a new president from a new ruling party, we felt it appropriate to have a 'newsman' as a guest on the show to hear his take on events. Victor is Head of News and Current Affairs at Zambezi fm. "How was your week?" we asked him. "Hectic!" Was the word he used! "We didn't get much sleep from the time voting started until the final results were announced, I spent most of my time at Livingstone Civic Centre feeding results back to the studio where they were live on air". He continued. "Now we go live to Victor at the Civic Centre" I said, laughing "we heard you!" "We certainly didn't get much sleep after the results were announced" I continued "the noise from fireworks, shouting and honking of car horns and blowing of vuvuzuelas in celebration saw to that!"

"How did you get into journalism?" Milli Jam wanted to know and Victor explained that he'd always had an interest in events and writing, so a journalism career seemed to be a natural choice. He explained that he'd studied for three years at the Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka for a Diploma in Journalism. He admitted, however, that he'd always wanted to be a DJ!

The music on the show was hot! We opened with 'I'll Fight For You' by Jason Derulo which samples Toto's 'Africa' a great 80's favourite in these parts. This track dropped back to back with One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' number one in the UK at the time the show went on air. Our Zambian tracks, selected by George were 'Mutu' by T-Boy ('cut off my head and take out my eyes to stop me messing up', he's telling a girlfriend) and George coupled this with Donchi Kubeba by Dandy Crazy. This track almost became a national anthem in Zambia before the election, as the campaign song for the Patriotic Front, the party that won the election. It means 'don't tell' and was urging voters to accept money and gifts from the outgoing political party but then to vote PF! But shhhhh - 'donchi kubeba' - don't tell! Milimo featured 'How To Love by Lil Wayne from his smash album Carter IV. Oldie of the week was Tina Turner's 'What's Love Got To Do With It' and there was a great response to the question 'who's singing this?' Peggy from Maramba won a dinner for 2 at Chanters, she was fast to tell! We closed with Lady Antebellum's 'We Owned The Night' title track from their current US No 1 best selling album. Like I said - hot!

Milimo asked Victor about his family and he told listeners that he was married but only since July, he took the opportunity to greet Theresa his bride who was listening at home. He told us that his father Edward Musonda had played for Kabwe Warriors and the Zambia national soccer team in the early 70's, and was still actively involved in football administration. He had never bungee jumped but he had certainly walked with lions and ridden elephants with Mukuni Big 5. Before joining Zambezi fm in March 2010 he'd held a similar post at Radio Mosi-o-Tunya also in Livingstone. He further admitted supporting Manchester United. His favourite music was gospel. His ambition to further his education.

Victor stressed the importance of fair reporting and left us with the impression that the news in Livingstone was in excellent hands!

Jojo Mwangaza

2011-09-25T07:06:00.002+02:00

George 'Kaufela' Mukwita, co-presenter of our regular Sunday night radio show, The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George Soulchild reports via Zamtunes.com

Best known for his unique style of rhumba worship, lyrics and music, Jojo Mwangaza (above) is arguably the pioneer of the genre in Zambia. The Congolese born singer/songwriter, whose repertoire includes the albums 'Tehila', 'Rejoice, Relax Jehovah Is In Control', and 'Hakuna Matata na Yesu', was nominated for a Kora Award for Best Spiritual Male Artist. He left Zambia in 2006 to pursue his music, as well as an academic career in Norway.

Last in Zambia in December 2009, Mwangaza returned to the country last Saturday to minister at the annual Bread of Life Word Explosion Conference. On the cusp of releasing his next career album, Mwangaza spoke about recent developments in his life and ministry.

Q. What have you been doing since your last visit to Zambia, in terms of ministry?
A. Everything's moving well by the grace of God. I was working on my latest project which is finished, it's going to be out, I think next week if everything goes as planned. So far everything is perfect. It's good for me to be back in Zambia. This is my place. I'm happy.

Q. In which city are you based in Norway?
A. I live two hours from Oslo.

Q. Apart from the music, is there anything else you're doing in Norway?
A. Yes, yes I'm doing machine engineering - that's the other side of Jojo, I'm not just a musician. I'm trying to finish up with my studies.

Q. Have you kept in touch with the local music ministry?
A. Yes, yes. I always keep in touch, I call people and I always check on Zambian gospel music. That's a passion I have, something that I'm carrying in my heart for Zambian gospel music, so I try to do my best where I can.

Q. You mentioned that you're studying machine engineering
A. Yes, in two years I'm doing my masters. I've been studying it for a long time.

Q. Do you intend to go into mechanical engineering full time after you complete your masters, or will you continue with the ministry?
Right now I work in Norway too, but that's just the other side of life. In the ministry I'm full time.

Q. Concerning the new project, this is your latest project after 'Hakuna Matata na Jesu'. What can you tell us about it?
A. This album is a process I started with 'Jehovah Is In Control', '4x4' and 'Hakuna Matata'. It's like a movie so it's not yet the end. The project is like I'm in a place where I said, "Watch me, nkumbu yaisula (my cup runneth over)". That means this is what the Lord is doing now in my life. The album is talking about this guy that everybody did not consider as somebody with value, but today God has done something new for him, and this guy just changes.

Q. Are we going to see a Zambia launch at some point?
A. Yes before December I've got so many things to do here. I have a long programme before December.

Q. How was your experience the last time you were here having been away for some time?
A. It was wonderful- people were blessed. Even myself I was blessed because the ministry was powerful. I could see the hand of God in the concert wherever we went Ndola, Kitwe, here in Lusaka everybody was happy. It was wonderful.

Q. You're considered a pioneer in terms of the type of gospel music that you perform in Zambia. What do you consider the future of this type of music in this country?
A. Artists in Zambia have to keep a picture of Zambia in their music because the music has to sound like Zambian gospel music. They must have a special tune for Zambia, not something copied.

Q. What do you do in your spare time, beyond music?
A. I play tennis and I'm a fan of watching golf too much.

President Elect of Zambia -Hon Michael C Sata

2011-09-23T06:39:00.003+02:00

Congratulations to President Elect of Zambia Hon Michael C Sata on his victory at the polls, following tripartite elections in Zambia on my birthday 20th September! Noisy celebrations continued in Livingstone throughout last night and were still happening as we drove to work at 6.15 hrs. Appropriately it's a warm, sunny morning in Livingstone.

Mr Sata was District Governor of Lusaka when I was General Manager of Southern Sun Ridgeway Hotel in the 80's and his offices at the Civic Centre were opposite mine at the hotel. He occasionally used to phone saying "I can see you from here, and you're not working!" Just imagine!

Marianne Olsen plays 107.7 fm

2011-09-21T09:53:00.003+02:00

Meet Marianne Olsen (above) from Tromsoe, Norway, guest on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with The Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild. That's our regular Sunday night radio show airing weekly on Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm from 20.30-21.30 hrs. 107.7 fm is Livingstone's most popular local radio station reaching a radius of about 70 kilometres domestically and streaming live on the internet from their site and from ours. Our show is a great mixture of local and international music plus chat - we also give away a dinner for two with drinks every week for the first person to text us the answer to a usually simple question! Keeps us popular!

Marianne told listeners she'd been coming to Zambia off and on since 1994. She's an occupational therapist by profession and explained that this is a discipline aiming to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments that develop, recover, or maintain clients' activities of daily living. "There are very few occupational therapists in Zambia" she said.

I told our audience that Marianne was one of the first ever Clients at Chanters Lodge when we opened in July 1998. At that time she was living and working in Livingstone. This, her most recent visit, had come about as a result of attending an international congress for occupational therapists, held during the course of the past week in another Livingstone hotel. She had enjoyed the congress. We asked Marianne about the recent massacre of young people in Norway and she was emotional as she recounted to listeners what had happened and how the Norwegian people and government had reacted to the tragedy.

The music on the show was good. We opened with Vanessa Carlton's '1000 Miles' back to back with 'Collide' by Leona Lewis. Local tracks were 'Come Follow Me' by Judy featuring Cactus and Mampi's 'Wali lo Weleka'. Milimo featured Jay Lo and Pibull with 'On The Floor'. Our oldie of the week was Phil Collins with 'Against All Odds' and we closed with Ed Sheeran's 'Little Bird'. Ed hit the number one spot in the UK album charts that very evening!

Asking Marianne about her family, she replied that she had two children Temba and Tawanda. "What?!" Exclaimed Milimo "but these are Zambian names!" Marianne went on to explain that she'd been married to a Zambian who had two children from a previous relationship and that she had brought up the two boys in Norway as their mum. Both were doing well, one working for a courier company and the other still in high school. Football? Arsenal though she confessed to being much more interested in winter sports than soccer! Music? Everything, but she particularly likes Danny the Zambian star.

Marianne spoke wistfully of her younger days in Livingstone sleeping nights on one of the islands in the Zambezi and enjoying a great social life while she was researching for her Phd in Medical Studies from Tromsoe University. Where would she like to be and what would she like to be doing 10 years from now? She sighed "Africa" she said "maybe I'll be in Zambia doing something with occupational therapy". We hope so!

Zambikes

2011-09-19T11:17:00.005+02:00

Loved this when I found it on Filtre

"In Zambia, bicycles grow on trees, or rather bamboo, the primary building material for many Zambikes. Groves of it grow outside the company's factory, which is run by two Zambians and two Americans on a quest to build a local bike for Africans, and employ the "uneducated and underprivileged" to make them for the rest of the world.

So far, Zambike has cranked out at least 8,000 metal bicycles and 900 bicycle ambulances and cargo carts in Southern Africa; they've sold 200 bamboo bicycle frames worldwide. The company's goal, besides benefiting communities around it, is to sell affordable, effective transportation throughout Zambia, a country where the average life expectancy is 47 years old, and infant mortality approaches one in 10 births. The for-profit firm was founded in a partnership with U.S. nonprofit Akerfa, and has employed more than 100 people, says Zambikes co-founder Vaughn Spethmann.

"Our products are saving and changing lives," said Spethmann during an interview with SOCAP Europe. "We are creating opportunity and employment. "Our goal of having Zambikes be run by Zambian nationals will ensure that Zambikes will be a catalyst for change for decades to come."

The design is relatively straightforward, though labor intensive. Three-year-old bamboo is cut, preserved, and cured for several months before being cut to size. The frame is then bound with wood glue and plant fiber cords soaked in epoxy, and affixed to the metal components. The whole process takes as long as a week, but produces a 95% bamboo bike that is "one of the classiest, comfortable rides in the bike industry" with almost "magical" vibration absorption, says the company. Models have fetched about $900 abroad, and a messenger bike version is now available for export.

Hospice Chipata

2011-09-17T06:43:00.003+02:00

I came across this in Architecture in Development and liked it. The building is apparently under construction.

Hospice Chipata

A hospice where terminal patients can stay and be cared for in comfortable surroundings. A comfortable stay for 24 to 48 people in a building with a CO2 footprint smaller than an average Dutch household. The building has been built around a core space where staff have an office and medication as well as supplies also having a central storage place.

Around the core a wide corridor links all the rooms together. The corridor also offers space for family and visitors. The round form makes the building not only very efficient and clearly organized but also a pleasant place in which to stay. The first phase concerns the construction of 12 units with 2 beds and shared sanitary supplies. The building has been prepared for easy extension.

The second phase offers 12 more units with supplies. Eventually the hospice will offer room for 48 people. The building will be self-sufficient, generating its own electricity and water supplies and is entirely naturally climatised.

The hospice will be built by the local community with locally available materials.

Rubber Gloves

2011-09-15T06:35:00.002+02:00

Next time you use a pair of rubber gloves, you're going to smile when you think of this, thanks to Judy in Australia for this little gem!

A dentist noticed that his next patient, a little old woman, was nervous, so he decided to tell her a little joke as he put on his gloves.

'Do you know how they make these gloves?' he asked.

'No, I don't,' she replied.

'Well,' he spoofed, 'there's a building in Canada with a big tank of latex, and workers of all hand sizes walk up to the tank, dip in their hands, let them dry, then peel off the gloves and throw them into boxes of the right size.'

She didn't crack a smile.

'Oh, well.. I tried,' he thought.

But five minutes later, during a delicate portion of the procedure, she burst out laughing.

'What's so funny?' he asked.

'I was just envisioning how condoms are made!'

Junior Sililo & Sandra Banda Taste The Chanters Lodge Experience

2011-09-13T09:53:00.001+02:00

From time to time we feature members of the Chanters Lodge staff on our weekly radio show - The Chanters Lodge Experience with The Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild. The programme airs on Zambezi 107.7fm every Sunday between 20.30 and 21.30 hours Zambian time. 107.7 fm is Livingstone's leading commercial local radio station reaching a radius of about 60 kms and has recently started streaming live on the internet, though there are undeniable teething problems in this respect.

The two Chanters Girls featured last Sunday, pictured above, were Junior Sililo (left) and Sandra Banda. Both had guested on previous shows but were excited about re-appearing. Junior told listeners that in the past year she'd moved from the position of Head Cook to Head Waitress in the restaurant, explaining that this also involved cleaning rooms and housekeeping duties. Sandra is also a restaurant waitress and Milli Jam demanded to know who was looking after the restaurant, seeing they were both on the show. The girls explained that they had a colleague Mirriam who'd recently joined the lodge and that she was on duty being helped by Anastasia and Susan (those who must be obeyed!)

Junior told listeners that she'd been employed by the lodge for six years having had some previous experience as a cook in a small restaurant in Livingstone. Sandra explained that she had not worked prior to joining Chanters 1 year and 9 months ago but that she'd undergone a course in food and beverage at Patience Pays Institute in Livingstone. Both girls had of course completed Grade 12 at secondary schools within Livingstone. Milli Jam asked the girls the biggest challenge they faced in their jobs and they had different opinions, Junior saying that 'every day is a challenge in the hospitality industry' while Sandra replied that as far as her job was concerned she took everything pretty much in her stride. Junior told listeners that she was busy studying to resit some subjects at Grade 12 level.

The music on the show was a treat for listeners, as usual. We played Example's UK number one hit 'Stay Awake' at the top of the show coupled with 'There She Goes' - the latest offering from Taio Cruz featuring Pitbull. George featured 'Banono' by Jane Osborne and P-Jay as the first of his local tracks and this produced a reaction by text from the lodge - one of the girls messaging 'hey that's our kitchen song'! Next up was Omario with 'Ichikonko'. I liked that one and asked what it meant. It was eventually decided that the title meant 'bitter'. Boyz II Men's comeback track 'More Than You'll Ever Know' went down well.

We give away a dinner for two with drinks at Chanters Lodge on every show. At the moment we're spinning an 'oldie of the week' and asking listeners to text us the name of the performing artist. The response is growing week by week. The general opinion in the studio was that 'We Don't Talk Any More' might be a tricky one for the listeners but it didn't take long for someone to text 'Cliff Richard' and win. We closed the show with Cover Drive's 'Lick Ya Down'.

Milli Jam asked the girls if they liked to go clubbing and dancing on their day off. Junior answered 'Milli Jam, life's too short not to do that'! Which is your favourite club he continued. 'Ayoba!' Yelled the girls in unison. Milli Jam looked as happy as you'd expect for the manager of that particular establishment! "Funny that" I remarked "whenever they have a night off I ask them if they're going out and they always say no!" More laughter. "Are you dating?" Milli Jam asked the girls. Junior said she had a boyfriend. "Getting married soon?" He asked. "Milli Jam" said Junior "it's not me to pop the question!" Sandra told listeners that she was 'very single!' George sighed.

We wanted to know which UK football team the girls supported and they nervously said 'Chelsea' and seemed to be in love with Didier Drogba. "What's it like having a boss that supports Arsenal?" Milli Jam wanted to know. "We take cover when they lose" the girls replied! Favourite musical artists? Sandra favoured Beyonce, Junior - Kanye West.

The girls were asked where they would like to be and what they'd like to be doing in 10 years' time. Junior said that she'd like to be travelling the world and seeing different countries. Sandra said she had a dream to be a nurse in Canada with two children (no mention of a husband!) In closing I remarked that it was great to see the girls with so much self-confidence, ambition and class! And so it was!

The Funeral

2011-09-11T07:15:00.002+02:00

Something very very silly for Sunday - I can't even remember who sent it to me but thanks anyway!

A cardiologist died & was given an elaborate funeral.

A huge heart covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service. Following the eulogy, the heart opened, & the casket rolled inside. The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.

At that point, one of the mourners burst into laughter.

When all eyes stared at him, he said, "I'm sorry,
I was just thinking of my own funeral - I'm a gynaecologist"

.... The proctologist fainted.

Kutowa Designs

2011-09-09T07:08:00.001+02:00

Thanks to George 'Kaufela' Soulchild for this contribution!

Fashion designer Towani Clarke of Kutowa Designs won the best designer award at the inaugural Zambia fashion and designers awards ceremony held recently at Lusaka's Golden Bridge Hotel. Clarke won herself a return ticket to Malaysia courtesy of Air Zimbabwe and her colleague Smart Phiri of Smart Designers receiving a return ticket to Johannesburg courtesy of events organisers Afro-Multimedia Productions.

The Zambia Fashion awards attracted a huge crowd and included musical performances by two upcoming artistes after which models and ten contestants of Manhunt Zambia showcased their dance skills. Designers showcased two outfits each in both creative and evening wear using Zambian colours.

Among the other designers vying for honours were Charity Nyirongo, Petros Ginnakakis, Correta Anold, Harriet Biimbe, Nada, Monde Ndana, Raymond Mulenga and Chiza Ngulube. Others were Natasha Sinyangwe, Katongo Chileshe and Suwilanji in the novice category.

Clarke, a single mother of two, expressed happiness on her achievement and adding that she was motivated by the honour. "I think competitions are good especially when there is a meaningful prize because you know they make us strive harder in order to win," she said. "I have not trained fully in fashion designing but Charity Nyirongo is training me. I attend her classes, she has a degree in fashion design from Japan, she's good."

Clarke said the other secret to her success was the versatility of her outfits which embraced local themes like chitenge.

Meanwhile, second prize winner, Smart Phiri who won in the evening wear category said he was glad and expected to get an award. Katongo Chileshe, a fashion and design student at Evelyn Hone College, expressed joy at winning the novice category award and said she did not expect an award this early but knew that she would one day.

Another designer, Petros Giannakakis popularly known for his bold and funky designs added his voice saying the show was fantastic and great for a start.

Meanwhile, the search for Manhunt Zambia on the other hand came to an end when Kuzi Mvula was crowned winner. Kapalu Dilema emerged Mr International Zambia while Sambou Ngambwe won first prince title, and Joshua Kupa as Mr Personality.

Manhunt Zambia chief executive officer Mofya Chisenga said she is happy about the success of the event and appealed to the corporate world to come on board and assist the men financially in order for them to travel and represent Zambia at the world event.

Brian Chisengele on The Chanters Lodge Experience

2011-09-07T11:44:00.002+02:00

Meet Brian Chisengele (above), our guest on the most recent edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild. That's our regular Sunday night radio show airing between 20.30 and 21.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone's leading local radio station. The show streams live on the internet too and you can tune in on either the Zambezi fm or Chanters Lodge websites!

Brian is better known to the local community as 'DJ Slique' - presenting a regular show on Zambezi fm between 22.00 hrs and 02.00 hrs five nights a week, wowing audiences with his great selection of R&B and slow tracks and at the same time helping listeners with advice on their relationship problems, where appropriate. The show is called 'Lovers Lane' so Milli Jam straight away wanted to know if Brian considered himself 'a great lover'. "Of course!" was the expected and immediate answer! Brian told listeners that he'd been brought up in Livingstone, that he's Tonga by tribe, and that he completed his Grade 12 education at Linda Secondary School in Livingstone. He'd been a DJ/Presenter with Zambezi fm for the past 3 years. In between times he'd worked at Rhapsody's Restaurant in Livingstone before it closed. "I can make cocktails!" He told listeners with a smile!

The music on the show was top drawer as usual. David Guetta and Nicki Minaj rocked the house at the beginning of the show with 'Turn Me On' and Milli Jam coupled that with 'Jealousy', Will Young's latest UK smash. Milli Jam dropped the local tracks on this show spinning Kay with 'We're Going Down' and Afunika with 'Easy Going'. He followed this with Chris Brown's 'She Ain't You' and Jo-Jo's soulful 'Too Little Too Late'. Our oldie of the week was Michael Bolton's 'Soul Provider' and we offered our usual dinner for two at Chanters Lodge to the first person to text us naming the artist on this track - we had a great response with lots of people guessing wrong! We had a winner though, by the name of Claire. 'Mirror' from Lil Wayne and Bruno Mars is a favourite track of mine at the moment and it featured together with One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' towards the end of the hour long show.

We gave listeners news from Lodgeblog as well as from the international charts. Brian told listeners that while he was not married he had a daughter Rebecca aged 3 - about to turn 4 in a few days time. He loves her a lot! His favourite music is R&B (no surprise there, given his show) and his favourite artist Trey Songz. His top international radio station - Metro FM out of South Africa. He'd got his name DJ Slique after he'd seen The Lick show on MTV and had adapted the name and the spelling to suit his own, seemingly, lively but gentle personality. He had much enjoyed Zambezi FM's 5th birthday celebrations at Armadillo and Livingstone Golf Club during the past weekend and we much enjoyed having him guest on our show.

Brian's ambition? To be his own boss of his own radio station! Good luck!

The Middle Wife

2011-09-05T10:02:00.000+02:00

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.' She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me.The kids are watching her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.) 'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands mimicking water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another ' Middle Wife' comes along.