Levy and the Big City

As of late Kabwe has been host to a gang. Not of the threatening sort. They aren’t “packing” nor do they stick to wearing one primary color. The average age figures somewhere between 50 and 60. The membership: all female. The ride: flatbed truck.

Once they’ve found their target they unload, circle up and go into a chanting and dancing routine. In place of the trunk sized sound system are vocal chords pumping soprano instead of base. The energy level rivals Times Square New Years minus the smuggled bottle of JD. In no time a crowd of onlookers gawk at the spectacle. Although the majority stick to the sidelines the odd person decides to join in on the action.

This past Sunday Hil and I witnessed the madness. It was at a smaller market behind our house: A gang of ladies making their way down the market aisle feet stomping butts swaying, their ride idling out front. The decibels reached such a level that prior to entering the steel roofed market, a boxing match or cock fighting seemed the only plausible explanation. Like most gangs it’s not uncommon to be hit by a drive-by. Last Thursday I fell victim. Sprayed by a flurry of voices and before I even had a chance to take cover they were off. Such activities can only mean one thing. It is election time in Zambia.

Who needs boxes full of buttons that end up cluttering desk drawers and glove compartments? All it takes is 50 ladies to ambush public places and put on a show to get the word out. Oversized plastic signs just don’t work without lawns. Signage consists of trees adorned with posters urging me to vote. The majority of the campaigning involves Levy. Levy Mwanawasa is the current president and finishing off a four year term. To his credit Zambia has remained a peaceful and stable country under his command. He has managed to stay out of his neighbors business including the dysfunctional roommate upstairs, the Congo. I still can’t quite figure out who he looks like. The best I can do is a chubby Bill Cosby. I’m stuck on this because he always seems to be squinting in press photos and has a head full of grey hair. He also looks like the type of guy that would enjoy a good bowl of jello. A picture of his framed mug looks down on you in every store in town.

By far the best campaign initiative Levy’s pulled out is chitenge (a locally produced fabric) clothing which tells me where I should put the X on the election ballot. Lusaka is full of these walking campaigns. Packs of males wearing blue short sleeved dress shirts and females with skirts and head wraps with Levy’s face emblazed on them. I can see Presidential clothing taking off in Canada. Bandanas featuring the robot smile of the current #1 or bright orange button up Layton shirts. It might take a little while for the idea to catch, but when it does I have no doubt you’ll have 16 year old girls wearing skirts covered in Justin Trudeau and his dorky mustache.

I’ve been on a quest to figure out what some of the issues are. Locals address this question with a smile and a shake of the head as though I’m asking them to solve one of life’s great mysteries. With the tagline “Be Better Informed” I was hoping the Times of Zambia, the countries largest circulation daily would be my source. I was wrong. Other than the economy I had trouble finding any key issues. Personal attacks and accusations are plenty. I did find an in depth look at the upcoming Kabwe Warriors vs Zanaco Bankers football match. The same page had a Live Goats Wanted “in any quantity” ad which included a picture of a goat. Mr Kambani’s cell: 096-752695 in case you’re unloading.

Thankfully the Times of Zambia isn’t the only source of news. A Richmond, BC outfit called NewspaperDirect has given the people of Zambia options. In the time it takes to do the People Magazine crossword I had the Saturday August 12th edition of the Globe and Mail in my hands. The whole issue including the Book Section all in an oversized magazine format (a tall Rolling Stone) printed in an ink that doesn’t end up on your hands. I hear what some of you are saying; who cares what Rex Murphy’s in a funk about. What are people wearing in Hong Kong or how’s the ruble doing? Japan’s Okinawa Times, Brazil’s Gazeta Mercantil and Russia’s beloved Komsomolskaya Pravda are all a request away. In total they offer 370 Newspapers from 66 countries in 38 languages that can all be purchased from the NewpaperDirect store in Lusaka. For all that Newspaper Direct does right there is one glaring exception. Torontonians at large still can’t access the literary excellence known as the Toronto Sun. Begging the question where can someone get their shocking headlines, crappy writing and of course a daily dose of sunshine?

Reading through the Globe it was great to see the spotlight placed on the International AIDS Conference. A friend in Toronto described it as “the Olympics for people that want to change the world”. Encouraging is the amount of mud slung in Stevie’s direction for not attending. The Zambian rags don’t seem to be covering the event in much depth. The odd issue features an article with a picture of one of the Bills but for the most part it has been off the radar. It seems the topic is a regular in the public’s consciousness. At one of the community schools a current events wall had three sections: Sports, Entertainment and HIV/AIDS. This Friday I can even attend a Ms Abstinence contest in Kabwe. AIDS is woven into the fabric of everyday life.

Especially exciting has been the press received by the Granny’s conference that preceeded the International AIDS Conference. Although Hil spent countless days prepping the 3 Zambian grannies for their workshop the focus always seemed to sway towards travel details. A good 20 minutes was spent discussing the perks of the seat console on a trans-atlantic flight. Features like a drop down tray to handle the free meals, peanut drops and a private TV with the latest movie releases were all exciting news. Matilda was especially relieved to hear about that reinforced bag capable of taking care of any digestive problems. During these conversations we had no clue that we were sending over future media darlings.

All three of the “AIDS Grannies” from Kabwe were quoted in the major Canadian media outlets and the New York Times. The crowning picture was from the New York Times Online edition. Front in centre was Cherry Matimuna at an awareness march. Hiding beneath Cherry’s raised fist is Stephen Lewis. Next to Stephen and clearly in the background is Alicia Keys. In a celebrity obsessed society that cares what Brad Pitt looks like buying a Starbucks coffee or who Paris Hilton is sleeping with it’s nice to see the spotlight on someone so deserving. A multi platinum star eclipsed by a grandmother. With all do respect, “fallin'” staying at #1 on the charts for 16 straight weeks will always pale in comparison to working a full time job while raising four orphans.

In addition to stocking up on Canadian media I also made a couple of other stops in Lusaka. Heeding the warning on their website “Let’s learn from what happened with the Tsunami”, I headed over to register with the Canadian Embassy. Past experiences with Canadian embassies have been positive. In Kampala the guy wanted my whole life story and felt it appropriate to reinforce the benefits of condom use. Zambia seems to be an exception. The Canadian who helped me didn’t leave the glass booth hovering over the receptionist who was trying to work on her computer the whole time. She had an aversion to eye contact and using names. Although I wasn’t looking for a best friend it would have been nice to feel as though I wasn’t cashing a cheque at Money Mart. Her lack of personality was matched only by her uselessness in helping with work visa issues.

Getting that ink stamp in my passport will continue to be a priority for the next couple of weeks. I’m still aiming to get one through a community school or with Kara’s street children program. Concerns about getting a work visa have been raised since speaking with Brother Marcus, a 66 year old American who runs a street children program in town. Even with Brother in front of their names many of his colleagues have had difficulty getting work visas. His best advice was to inject a little more spirituality into my life and get a visa as a Catholic missionary. Outside of the visa discussion the Brother was extremely helpful. He comes from 20 years of teaching special-ed and literacy programs in Hartford. The passion with which he spoke about his program left me inspired. “The ability to read is at the root of democracy”. After leaving I felt if I could teach the sound a long “e” makes I could solve any countries ills. Along with the pep talk Brother Marcus shared his resources. Most impressive is the Bemba/English reading program he designed. Included in the program are 12 levels of phonetic charades playing cards. He also gave a digital copy of the only existing Bemba dictionary that he revised to include “street language”. Thousands of hours of work given without hesitation now rest on my desktop.

The week has also seen progress on the bike front. The Humber’s transformation is now complete thanks to Kabwe’s local furniture makers. A little cushioned pad was child’s play for guys who construct couches that could sit a football team. As soon as the seat was installed several test runs took place. Each test involved a complete circuit of the new market where the furniture shop is located. The last round was with Aaron, the little brother of the worker that installed the seat. After we completed the circuit I looked back and asked him what he thought of it. “Even me” long thoughtful pause “I like it”.

Thanks for all the kind words in the comments section and through e-mails. By request I’ve made it so you can comment anonymously so that a certain someone can post “stupid/witty comments”. I have also heard the call to post pictures. Time has been a factor the last couple of weeks so I’ve had to out source the duty to Alpha. After letting him know where the sun should be, how much fingers like to get into shots and that lens don’t like dirt he was given his assignment.

Me: Go out and take pictures of things that are beautiful.
Alpha: You mean like children playing.

After 20 minutes he returned with a whack of undistinguishable close up shots. A second lesson followed which included special emphasis on the importance of using the viewfinder. Round two included a couple shots that you could make out. I’ve posted one of them above.