Cry My Beloved Zambia

Zambia is crumbling under the corrupt clutches of the government.

A bold statement, I know, but allow me to explain myself. Walking through the streets of Lusaka and Kitwe, I can't help but feel like our cities are disintegrating like an ailing human being. The roads are riddled with potholes and what little pavement there was has been taken over by endless rows of street vendors selling anything from fried sweet potatoes to hardware supplies. I don't even want to begin to talk about the garbage disposal, or lack thereof. All one needs to do is walk down Freedom Way in Lusaka or drive past Chisokone Market (picture) in Kitwe to see the mountains of waste that serve as breeding grounds for all sorts of bacteria and disease. And by the looks of things, nobody seems to mind.

This made me ask myself: Has poverty caused us Zambians to disregard the beauty of our country while we allow our leaders to unjustly benefit from government coffers?

Having lived in Cape Town for the past three years, I have grown accustomed to the paved roads, efficient garbage trucks, and endless highways. Don't get me wrong: Cape Town is not without its flaws—take, for example, Khayelitsha (the fastest growing informal settlement in South Africa). It is hard to believe that such a place exists in the same city as the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront—an upper class mall in the Cape Town City Bowl. 

What strikes me the most, however, is the fact that residents of Khayelitsha are not comfortable living in less than sanitary conditions—no flushing toilets, no garbage disposal, and, in many cases, a corrugated iron structure that serves as a home. Because of the many service delivery protests, the government and the public are fully aware of the hardships experienced in townships like Khayelitsha. When the residents unleash their wrath, entire highways close down and faeces are thrown in the airport departure building.

While I don't agree with their methods, I think South Africans have the right idea when it comes to speaking out; we need to make our grievances known to the Zambian government one way or another. But, as is evident in South Africa, complaining alone will not change Zambia; what we need are SocialEntrepreneurs.

What’s that? You ask. Well Social Entrepreneurs are people in society that address the most demanding problems of the society in which they live with new ideas. It’s that simple: the very people who live in disadvantaged communities are the same people who hold the power to draw those communities out of seemingly impossible situations.

That’s not to say that this is not happening already because all over Zambia there are many non-governmental organisations that are teaching Zambians at the grassroots level the value of self-sustainability. A few examples include, Lusaka Global Shapers, Camfed, and Your Changing Lives.

However, all hope in the Zambian government is not lost. With the current government we have seen more roads being built, more schools, more hospitals and even the presence of street cleaners picking up litter and cutting the grass along major roads: creating jobs that didn't exist before. 

If Zambians embrace their full potential and take on the government, it will be a much better place to live in a few years from now. As the revolutionary Matero Member of Parliament, Miles Sampa, puts it: “Only Zambians can make Zambians wealthy.”

Relax!

Ancient Afro Comb

A few nights ago I stumbled upon an episode of Pap and Attitude on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It was about hair, specifically Black women's hair. Having conducted an entire research project on the representations of Black women with natural hair in South African print media, I was extremely interested in the program. I watched intently in the hope that it would bring to light the subjugation of Black women by the media and multi-billion dollar hair businesses.

I was sorely disappointed. Almost horrified.

They had a focus group of about 10 women talking casually about their hair experiences. The first thing I noticed was  that only one of them had natural hair. According to most of the women, it was perfectly ok for them to sit in the hair salon and endure the burning from chemical straighteners.  Afterall it's a small price to pay to look good...right?

The women also spoke about how weaves allow them to have elaborate hairstyles, diverse colours, and of course various lengths. Many of the ladies described natural Black hair as being unkempt, unprofessional, and even unattractive. One of the women went so far as to say it's ok for Black women to have weaves that look like white hair but white women look stupid when they braid their hair or wear it in dreadlocks.

As I watched on, my jaw dropped more and more, but the worst was still to come. They interviewed the CEO of Black Like Me. First of all, she was encouraging Black women to relax their hair because this makes it more manageable and professional and secondly she had dreadlocks--a style considered by many to be natural!

While I was doing my research project, I learned a lot of new things about Black women and Black hair. When I read literature about Black hair, I found out that black women's ideas about their hair are influenced by the ideas men and white women dictate to them. It is said that Black women are susceptible to both racism and sexism, putting them at a huge disadvantage.

The media perpetuate certain stereotypes of Black women and this further fuels the hair debate.  Hair is seen by many to be a  political statement. While I don't agree that there has to be a political debate about what I do with my hair, I do think that Black women need to embrace their natural hair for what it is. Other women's hair is referred to as just that but mine is referred to as ethnic hair, as if American is not an ethnicity.

The Beauty of Overalls

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work" - Thomas Edison

Scrolling through my dad's Facebook, I came across this profound quote and it got me thinking about the young people of my generation.

A few weeks ago I obtained my BA degree in  Communications (Media) Magna Cum Laude. I often relive the moment my name was called and the title of my thesis read out to the cheering audience; the experience was ethereal! All my hard work had boiled down to those few seconds on stage.

So I have a degree, now what? I can't exactly walk around with the thing stapled to my back. So how are my future employers gonna know that I have a degree (apart from me putting it on my blog)? How will every single unemployed degree holder make his or her mark?

This is where Thomas Edison comes in.  Remember all those sleepless nights you spent doing assignments? Studying for tests, exams? Preparing presentations? Well be ready to work harder to make an impression. In the beginning it might seem like an exercise in futility, but your hard work will open doors of opportunity like you wouldn't believe.

This, for me, happened two days after my graduation. My sister asked me to help her with her social media campaign at the 17th bi-annual International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA). What started out as me tweeting for her ended up with me having to edit a couple of videos because of a shortage of media staff.

I didn't get paid nor did I get a job BUT I made my mark.  Thanks to hard work and determination the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) knows who I am and they know what I am capable of.  So I'll proudly pull on my overalls and hold my head high because I embrace opportunity.

Madiba's South Africa?

Nelson Mandela
1918-2013

For 11 days the entire South Africa has been bombarded with details about Tata Madiba's life, death, and burial. Until yesterday I refused to be taken in by the 'Madiba Madness'.

While driving to Cape Town International Airport to drop my family off,  my sister and I looked out of the window at the infamous shacks* of Khayelitsha**. As if she knew what I was thinking, she begun to talk about the state of South Africa and how it is still so evidently divided. It was then that Madiba's life and death begun to mean something to the Zambian in me.

Almost 20 years down the line there is still evidence of segregation; the blacks, the coloureds,  and the whites live in specific areas and they only mix as you go up the class ladder. Having lived in South Africa for a while I thought I could give you a more personal account.

For the past three years I've been in the most amazing relationship with the most amazing man.  Now before you decide that this is gonna be some soppy love story,  hear me out: we are in what the world calls an interracial relationship (otherwise known as an abomination by the majority of South Africa). My boyfriend is a Cape Coloured and dating across the racial divide is a big deal this side of the world.

After we had said goodbye to my family we walked through the crowded terminal building seeing tributes to Madiba at every turn. This didn't stop people from giving us the usual look of disapproval and in some cases disgust. I turned to my boyfriend, smiled and said, "we are the epitome of what Madiba wanted for South Africa."

Somehow I felt really superficial saying those words.  We definitely aren't living in Madiba's South Africa and even though the Country has come this far, it still has a long way to go.

*shacks - houses made of materials such as corrugated iron sheets, cardboard, or wood.

**Khayelitsha - 'new home' - the fastest growing informal settlement in South Africa.