Ice cream and bikinis!

Summer is finally here, it is imperative that you are well equipped - not for the right cooling air conditioner as that is luxury. It is imperative you have the right summer wear and the right swim wear.

So what is for summer? First and foremost, it’s time to select the best bikini look for you, as there are plenty bikini parties to attend this time of the year. All the celebrities, models, beauty queens and your average Marias, are all now flaunting their pictures on social media dressed only in Bikinis. On the other hand, if you are an ice cream ‘freak’ like me, this is the season you have to disinter extra reasons for consuming more litres of Ice cream.

Is there anyone who doesn't love Ice cream?

On Lusaka’s Cairo road is a new Ice cream milieu named Gigibonta – Italian Ice cream. The place is located just opposite Stanbic bank Lusaka main branch, precisely sandwiched between Subway and Phil photo. If you are looking for great tasty Ice cream, this is the place to take your family on a hot afternoon. However, if you are a family or group of friends, which is above the count of five then make sure you are carrying your visa card. The ice cream here is premium priced, and deservedly so the taste is worth every bit spent. Last weekend, I indulged on a dip of Spagnola and Stracciatella.

Talking of Stracciatella (complete with chocolate pieces), it is also one of the ice-creams that Parmalat Zambia has launched as Royalty Brand Ice-cream. The other flavours of the brand are Tin Roof (complete with tree nuts) and Vanilla plain.  The royalty Brand Ice-cream is a premium product yet still fetching a good price. A 2L at K28, and it’s really a great bargain!

Cairo road though, is never complete in terms of Ice cream without the mention of Creamland. Creamland is a place full of Ice-cream, Ice-lollies and even splash drinks all of which are great for this hot weather. Cream land has been able to command a sizeable Ice cream market size because they have done the right things all the time – responded to customer needs and wants. The only thing they have done wrong is that they have not been able to expand beyond their small locale, off Cairo road and opposite the main post office. I asked the proprietor once why they are not present at any of the malls around Lusaka as that would boost their market and grow the business. He assured me there was something to that effect in the pipeline. I am still waiting.

Ice-cream outings in Lusaka can never be complete without the mention of Milky lane and Wimpy. On a number of occasions, my wife and I after a hard day’s work have driven straight to Manda hill to enjoy the milky lane Ice-cream. Many a time we have bought the carnival dipped corn ice-cream (especially chocolate dip) and then enjoyed the evening eating the Ice cream from the car park. We always laugh at ourselves, at times saying we look like teens when we do this but it’s a good way to beat the weather by enjoying ice-cream. Wimpy is probably more spread out and offers a choice of more affordable corns and all.

But a day out for ice cream rarely raises any eyebrows (grown eyebrows not painted eyebrows). Bikini parties are what have raised my eyebrows recently. I do not remember seeing or hearing an advert on TV and radio respectively for a bikini party in Zambia until last year. There could have been a few places where the sight of women in bikini was ultimately inevitable, like the beach in Siavonga, the Victoria Falls and at a lot of swimming pools at most lodges dotted around. As for a bikini party being so big that adverts are running on the radio for more than two weeks, it is a new phenomenon to me.

Zambian teens enjoying bikini moments

Bikini parties are common in other places especially those countries that have the ocean or sea and enjoy nature splashing water waves on their shores. In the USA, even in the 1920’s it was illegal to show skin above the knees hence women in swimsuits were constantly arrested. Times have changed, and celebrities have helped push for the ‘dress less’ agenda and everything is normal today. Halle Berry as a Bond girl ‘rocked’ an orange bikini in 2002's 20^th 007 Bond movie, "Die Another Day" and that remains to many socialites as one of the best bikini moments in movie history. Music videos now almost have a discernible rule for shooting in bikini.

Is sporting a bikini at a public event that foreign in Zambia and Africa?  Maybe, but dress less isn’t. What of the Reed Dance Ceremony in Swaziland isn’t that not an African tradition well preserved? If it is, then dressing less is not alien to Africa. What of the elderly women who dance at the Nc’wala ceremony topless? Maybe the younger females in Chipata won’t bare all at the Nc’wala but will be comfortable enough in a bikini. Maybe the bloke who called a radio station registering his disgust at moral decadency in Zambia evident in the manner of dress was right? But he had no right to ask government to put up a dress code for all citizens and enshrine that in the constitution.

Why then should anyone choose what I’ll wear for any event? I know there is a law on indecent exposure and that is adequate. Until such a time when we revert back to medieval time laws the dress code at the bikini party will still be BIKINI.

Enjoy the ice cream this summer… and look out for those bikini parties. I end.

The Lazy farmer’s tractor

It’s safe to say I've watched more enjoyable games of football. But Manchester united got the job done without really engaging the high gears, so I couldn't complain too much. The good news though was that the usual ‘title contenders’ Chelsea and Manchester City, two teams all the media have predicted will finish above United both dropped point. Chelsea lost at Everton and City escaped with a draw at Stoke City’s Britannia stadium. However, the game of the weekend for me was not played in the Barclays English premier league but was a cup game in the Zambian Barclays cup.

Green Eagles, the leaders of division 1 south against ZESCO united the leaders of the Zambia Super League (ZSL) was the game. This was an entertaining game full of end to end stuff and a lot of determination particularly from Green Eagles who had been down from very early in the game and they mounted a come-back. ZESCO palpably hang on a thread the entire second half but when the equalizer eventually came it was too little too late as the game had to be decided by penalty shoot-out where the more experienced ZESCO triumphed.

Spending the weekend at home and in front of the TV was as much refreshing as it was enlightening. ZNBC is still the same, MUVI TV has made great strides, MOBI TV is still struggling to find a niche, TV2 still hasn't hit the road running and then there is PRIME TV. I forgot to mention TBN Zambia, what happened? I thought the broadcast was better in their early days. Now it’s a struggle from content to signal quality. Luckily, worries of signal quality will soon be a thing of the past as analog transmission will be something done away with the world over. 2015, welcome digital TV!

ZNBC TV

ZNBC news is still quite the same.  There have been a few changes on the general content on the ZNBC channel with a lot of soaps from the Philippines and this is not only synonymous to ZNBC as I saw a lot of such on MUVI TV and TV2. Smooth talk hasn't changed much, still seems like a high school press club show. Smooth talk reminds me of blunt chat, a show I had hosted once or twice at Hillcrest Secondary School in Livingstone within the confines of the debate club. In my opinion, Frank Mutubila’s ‘Frank talk’ was the best local talk show ZNBC has ever seen (at least during my time). Good news for soccer lovers is that ZNBC now shows at least one game from the Barclays Premier league. It would be a plus if they showed the local Zambia Super League as well. I was glad that they did air the Barclays cup though. Then, “The Sunday Interview” is one programme I willing tune into to watch, and this Sunday Grevazio Zulu featured Prof. Ngugi Wa Thiongo.

TV2

At the time TV2 was introduced, there was quite a lot of optimism as this station signaled the long awaited emancipation from the very political ZNBC. In my view, TV2 was launched as a response to the success MUVI TV had scored upon them getting into broadcasting business. Local programmes like Banja and Constable had become instant hits thus TV2, as I was made to believe then, was going to be full of local content to satisfy that particular niche.  This was in turn going to encourage local film production. This is not what I saw this past weekend on TV2. Instead I watched a number of productions from the Philippines. The good thing about TV2 was that it was devoid of the countless number of political documentaries that have always been a constant feature of ZNBC main channel.

MOBI TV

This is one TV station that has had its highs and lows since inception. At some point, I even thought the station had gone extinct. When I tuned into MOBI TV I was taken aback by the level of picture clarity. Great work I must say. I also noted that MOBI was probably the most up to date in terms of broadcasting a diverse selection of Hollywood movies. Then there was a ‘top 10’ music show that was aired on Saturday where 50% of the videos played featured Nicki Minaj.  I guess the viewers that vote really love to watch her booty! On the same show, dedication messages sent via text were scrolling with a few dedicating songs to friends and relatives but 95% were detailing the age group or whatever physical looks they would want from the opposite sex and a mobile number to respond to. This could have passed for a hook-up show… instead of a musical show. Other than that, MOBI had perhaps the best programming, but they didn’t do their reputation justice when it came to live studio programmes. The news was read by individuals that looked like they were too bored and just waiting for the opportunity to end. Never mind the content. The execution of the news left you with an idea that the news writer and reader were student interns trying to gain some news room experience.

MUVI TV

From the time MUVI TV was established, it has played its role as an alternative to ZNBC quite well. This is in terms of programming, news content and generally just what you wouldn't find on ZNBC. For instance I realized they have a current affairs programme, ‘the scoop’, which almost embraces the concept of investigative journalism. It is the MUVI TV version of Carte Blanche. Costa Mwansa who hosts ‘the assignment’ programme still remains the best interviewer this country has at the moment. So this past weekend when I watched Alexander Musokotwane interviewing Emmanuel Mwamba it wasn't quite the same programme. MUVI TV seems to be doing quite a lot of right things.

The one thing which MUVI TV did not get right was this year’s version of Ready for Marriage. I only watched snippets of the previous seasons of the programme hence I have no proper reference for comparison. With or without a reference, Master Chimbala still got it wrong on a number of points.

·         Time keeping. This was perhaps the most irritating aspect of the show. The programme was supposed to be airing every day at 20:45hrs, but the earliest I ever saw the programme start was 21:05hrs.

·         Content. Having to wait for several hours for a programme that would seemingly take eternity before airing is one thing, but having to be treated to content that passes to be a failed bid of stand-up comedy is something else altogether. I don’t think the concept of the show is anywhere near stand-up comedy.

·         Editing. Live shows are not the easiest to do and hence producers need to be extra alert and direct the different camera persons accordingly in order to edit some things out. The case of the Lusaka mayor’s body guard (Kapaso) comes to mind. The guy receives a phone call and he is shown on TV gesturing to the mayor that he has to take the call then walks away to take the call and then comes back to stand behind the mayor.

I could go on and on but because am not an expert on broadcasting, I will leave it here. This is strictly from a lay man’s observations.

Bad Workmen

A bad workman always blames his tool, or must I say, “The lazy farmer always blames his tractor”. The literal meaning of this proverb is different in some languages. For example, in Russian the meaning of the proverb is; “a bad dancer is impeded even by his balls". In English however, this is something that you say when someone blames the objects they are using for their own mistakes. A bad workman will never find a good tool. Even If a bad workman is given good tools he will not be able to make use of them because he lacks the basic skills and is inefficient. The sad part is that he is never prepared to accept his own deficiency in training, drawbacks and blemishes. He invariably attributes the poor workmanship to the tools.

Many times I have heard the talk of our broadcasters lacking this equipment or that incentive in order to produce quality programmes. They may have fooled me for some time, but they won’t fool me all the time. I won’t take excuse any more. How are the small studios making great Zambian music videos able to produce quality products? Do you mean to tell me that one can tell the nation that a programme will be airing at 8pm and it doesn’t show at that time because they lack equipment? Ready for marriage in my view had too much input from one man. No one can do everything alone. Someone else needs to present, another produce and yet another directing.

A student who is not prepared for the examination tries to get away saying that the paper was tough.

Tools will always be blamed for mediocrity!

Summer time

While I enjoyed the weekend sitting in front of the television, the weather was my only bother. Summer is finally here. At times I felt like there wasn't enough air to breathe and I missed the SAMSUNG split type air conditioner at my office. I’d have to find ways to survive this heat and make do with the available fan at home as I have made sure to spend more weekends at home. Summer time in Zambia isn't the easiest of seasons and is not greeted with great expectations like other countries do.

Whatever your take on Zambian summer is, we can still celebrate the season by enjoying ice cream outings and storing large volumes of it in our refrigerators.  The Zambian summer these days also includes a lot of outdoor events like pool parties and bikini parties.

Yes bikini parties. By the way, this is the season that deodorant (roll on & spray) supplies must never run out.

Super Humans

Popular fictional characters like Superman, Spider-man and even Ben10, have kept the world of television entertainment spinning for many years. During my childhood days, I had imagined myself flying like superman. I remember climbing the roof of the servant’s quarters that was at my parents’ house, then jumping down to the ground. We would climb the roof with the help of the Mango tree that was adjacent to the servant’s quarters. Luckily, I don’t remember any one of us breaking a leg from that activity or any other fatality befalling any of us. We owe the sandy terrain that abounds in Mongu town for the lack of a serious accident to any of us. Sometimes our obsession makes us do unimaginable things but as we grow up, we realise that superman and X-men only exist in comics and movies.

However, I have come across some people that want to carry themselves as if they were a grade above the rest of humanity. Almighty, more important and more superior than the rest is how they seem to be carrying themselves. I even get the feeling they may feel they need to be 'worshiped'.

Humans vary a lot when it comes to ability. Some can jump higher than others can only imagine, some run with footballs like their feet had magnets, and others dream up new technologies that change the world. But that’s only the tip of the ability iceberg. It does not make them any more human than anybody else. Granted, most of these super abilities are probably genetic, but it’s interesting to note that any of us might develop one or two of any such ability with a little practice. So buddy you aint any bit more special!

Going about carrying yourself like you are God’s most prized gift to humanity is one thing, treating others like rubbish is yet another thing altogether. All because of what? You think you are wealthier than the next person! If some of these people just cared enough to look at their back side(yes their ass!) and look at themselves without any blurred vision they would borrow the Ostrich’s ‘wisdom’ of burying its head in the sand.

No one, no matter how powerful, wealthy, handsome/beautiful, talented or whatever trait they possess that makes them feel more important must go on disrespecting others with impunity. This kind of unabated self-contentedness is the most dangerous cancer our society faces. It is the responsibility of every member of society to help achieve inclusive communities and to promote good relations between each other by being tolerant and having respect for diversity. You can do so by making sure that your own conduct does not cause offence or misunderstanding.

Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that society is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it. Our civilization is decadent and our human relations -- so the argument runs -- must inevitably share in the general collapse. It is just a matter of giving up bad habits where one thinks the world revolves because of them. It is not even asking for selflessness of sacrificing one’s own interest for the greater good. It is simply asking everyone to respect the other and treating the next person as your equal. At the core of ‘respect others’ is the ‘golden rule’, as the good book asks of us, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Being respectful is something that should be incorporated into each one’s everyday lifestyle and part of regular social skills. Being respectful is shown in a lot more ways than just using your "please" and "thank you." You also need to feel respect for someone even if they don't respect themselves or you. Or at least act like it. Remember- It takes respect to earn respect.

• Respect Others. Because respect is a two-way street, by respecting others you will find yourself respected. This is also known as the "Golden Rule" of treating others as you wish to be treated. Show patience and humility. The other person may learn something from you. This does not imply becoming a doormat.
• Show kindness and courtesy. Always consider the next persons position and feelings before reacting. Simple acts of kindness and courtesy are more important than Braggadocio arrogance –to put it in the words of George Mpombo.
• Don't "bad-mouth" other people. If there is a problem, try addressing it directly with the person instead of talking behind their back (Especially if you are going to be saying things in their presence but using ‘riddles’ that only you and your 'clique' will understand and not your subject).
• See the opposing viewpoint. Try to understand another person's views, even if different from your own. It does not mean agreeing with them, but does show respect for their opinion
• Have manners. Good manners include not speaking unless spoken to, showing regard and concern for others. Good manners also reflects good upbringing.

 

George Owell's book 'Animal farm' depicted pigs as the ruling elite that considered themselves more important than the rest of the animals and kept all other animals in support of Napoleon's dictatorship with the propaganda of Squealer

My view… my thoughts

On this blog site, I seek to express my opinions on current events or news both local and international. In order to embrace free thought to the fullest, most of the time I question the status quo or provide alternatives. But the bottom line is that I just want to express myself. I express myself on all that is bothering me, all that is exciting me, all that puzzles me, all that I learn from everyday life and basically all that makes me feel like I have given out a part of me by taking a position and putting it in ink. As my friend Keith Hamusute rightly put it to me, “you are never completely free as a writer till you vent out. Whether it is to an audience of one (yourself), three or thousands doesn't really matter. What matters is that your story is told, from your eyes, from your perspective.”

In the week that the Zambia National soccer team yet again failed to qualify to the FIFA world cup, I really wanted to blog about my observations of the team post AFCON 2012. I wanted to ask myself and provide opinions as to whether the tag of ‘champions’ played against Zambia. I wanted to question if the Coach, Monsieur Herve Renard had been using the right tactics as he has been setting out his teams not to win games but to avoid losing. I had so many questions, views and opinions regarding this matter. 

Then, my mind has been more on some petty Braggadocio behaviour directed my way. I find the behavior of people to consider themselves more important than others very archaic. Is this not what education seeks to amputate from the human mind? Or is it a case of being schooled only and never getting educated? Self-centeredness, total disregard and lack of respect for others is the worst form of showing off that one is a social misfit.  It is worse than Miley Cyrus’ new found love for the nude or her exploits in making the term ‘twerking’ find space in the Oxford English dictionary.

I have really been sore since I heard some people using derogatory remarks aimed at others and funny enough, I included. Out of respect, I never reacted negatively. Even if the rest of us were, ‘less’ than them in achievements, lower than them in social class or darker than them in complexion -- so what? No one should find happiness and fulfillment in belittling the other. This is actually a sign of personal inadequacy. Those that lack cannot find inner peace. To be contented human beings we need to realise that all beings have a right to happiness, just as we do. Taking others’ interests into account not only helps them, it also helps us. Warm-heartedness and concern for others are a part of human nature and are at the core of positive human values. A bit of humility won’t kill. In fact it means you are mature, dependable and strong. You don't have to go about blowing your trumpet for you to be recognized.

On a lighter ending, What a time to blog my frustrations. On the eve of the 1^st Friday 13^th of the year! I guessed right, you are not the superstitious type. Guess what, you not superman either. Get over it. The world doesn’t need you more than it needs another. And face it, you will die – just like I will die.

“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”

Naming Disasters

The hype that surrounded the birth of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s son has now died down with the new born being named Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. Finally the duke and duchess of Cambridge can rest easy without the media frenzy that characterized the birth of Prince George. Naming children as I have come to learn is never an easy thing. In the African setup it is even worse as everyone wants to get involved... and all sorts of events can determine names.

Stadium names

On Tuesday 9th July 2013 I was informed by a colleague that he had heard that finally the new Lusaka stadium which is in the evening of its construction had got a name. He didn't confirm to me the name given to the ultra-modern majestic piece of engineering the City of Lusaka has been given. Then the very next day, I saw a screaming headline in the daily papers, the stadium had been named Gabon Disaster Heroes National Stadium. Gabon what??? Disaster what???

If really the thinking behind was to honour the football players, coaches, journalists and flight crew that died of the coast of Gabon in 1993 as we were being told, why not name the stadium April 28 Arena? It’s shorter and does not have the negativity that comes with disaster! And another country’s name in the sentence! Yes the proposed name was a sentence. While I was still in shock, someone tells me the swimming pool at the Olympic Youth Development Center (OYDC) was named 90 day legacy swimming pool. Welcome to Zambia… the real Africa.

Naming that majestic arena a mouthful Gabon disaster didn't make any sense to me. If there wasn't a suitable name for it, then we could have gone a capitalist route of cashing in on a name. The famous Soccer city South African 2010 world cup final stadium was renamed as the FNB stadium, the City of Manchester stadium renamed Etihad stadium, St James Park renamed Sports direct arena and Arsenal naming their new stadium Emirates. Companies would have paid money to government in exchange for the naming rights of that spectacle of a sports facility. If the figures of around £10m  that were being sought by Newcastle owner Mike Ashley for the naming rights of St James park are anything to go by, I’d have gone this way than naming it Gabon disaster. I wouldn't mind naming it Barclays, Tradekings or Larfage arena if the money is coming in. By the way such an arena doesn't come easy in terms of maintenance costs.

With the way of naming we have become accustomed to in Zambia; it was just a matter of time before such happened. Ours is a society that thrives on giving names that describe our tragedies. Names as Nalumino (cursed one), Misozi (tears) and Cheelo (ghost) are all found across the spectrum of Zambian society. Even names like Supuni (spoon), Foloko(folk), Pensulo (pencil), Laughter, Clever, Grocery, Crisis and Jazz are all not a myth in Zambia. However, I am happy that the government eventually withdrew the disaster name after massive public outcry. 

Zambian Names

In Zambia, names are not merely convenient tags to help us distinguish one from another or carry an individual’s identity. Zambian names can be given based on one’s profession, describing an event at the time of birth etc. This is the common practice in Zambia – at least my experiences point to it.

In this part of the world, often, names refer to situations, to moments in time. The eastern province of Zambia gives you a classical platform to verify this. On June 21, 2001 when Zambia experienced a solar eclipse, it was such a big event that the government was at the fore front in trying to cash in on this rare event by encouraging tourists to come and view the solar eclipse in the southern African nation. This rare event left a big mark in Eastern province by way of names. Children born were given names like Eclipse Banda.  That is just one example, but it is common to find names like Basra Mwale, Baghdad Tembo - all given at the period when the US led army troops toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 when these Cities in Iraq constantly made news.

The idea of naming a child after what is going on at the time of the child’s birth is one that works on a lot of different levels. Names can be given from global news, but also from family events. Children born at a time there is suffering in the family are named Mabvuto (problems). In this part of the world babies are named Caesar because they were born from a caesarian section, children are named crankshaft because they were born a month after their father learned that a vehicle needs this part in order to move, and others are named Phone because their mother was so happy the first time she owned a mobile phone.

The Tonga people of southern province also have a fair share of the naming disasters. Names like Suppose, Obvious, Because, Clever, Immaculate, Marvelous to name but a few, are quite popular among my friends that hail from Zambia’s southern province. Furthermore, the Tonga people are not left behind on names that are more descriptive of events than anything. For instance a child may be named Nchimunya, which means late, because they were born late or beyond the ninth month of pregnancy. On the other hand Mutinta is a unisex name given to a baby born of a different sex from the siblings before, and usually the only one in the family of that sex.

While the eastern province is notorious for all sorts of names, this trend is not synonymous to eastern province only. In western province Manyado (problems) is the exact for Mabvuto, but other names like Maswabi (funeral), Masiye (orphan), Mukatimui (bad woman) and Lubinda (stubborn) are all common names.

Beyond Repair Ngongo shown on this ID card was born 12th March 1985.

My experiences

I had intended to name my son Schmidt in remembrance of a friend I met over a very short time but remains indelible in my memories. Then my mother had wanted me to name him, in memory of my late father Mr. Godwin Aongola Nambayo, a man I knew for very few years before the terrible hand of death took him away. On the other hand, the little man was born barely three months after Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the first black president of the USA and at the time was a very popular figure hence I had people whispering to me to pick either Barack or Husein in honour of this ‘milestone achievement’ in the history of black America. Personally I just wanted to really name him after my dad, so I was just going to pick on Aongola and choose from either Gareth or Wayne – for an additional foreign name.  Gareth or Wayne! Why? -I was a big fun of former Middlesbrough player and coach Gareth Southgate and Manchester United player Wayne Rooney. Then his grandfather, upon looking at him just went like Joshua.

It then dawned on me that Joshua would be the best name. If you have read the bible, Joshua is the central character in the Hebrew bible book of Joshua. He became the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses; his name was Hoshe'a the son of nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him Yehoshu'a (Joshua) (Numbers 13:16) the name by which he is commonly known; according to the Bible he was born in Egypt prior to the exodus.

Well, the little man was named Aongola after my late father and Joshua.

My view… my thoughts

Ours is a society that doesn't even mind the concept of branding when choosing business names. How would you explain a business named Fyaku filwa fye (we have already failed)? Excuse my translation if it is not on point.

In some cases people have been given names initially as nick names but with the passing of time and generations accepted as family names. How else would you explain common names like Simbotwe (Frog)? I went to primary School with a bloke named Simbotwe Simbotwe. We laughed at him all through the second grade. Coming to think of it, it could be the reason he was the most truant pupil in my class. Consequently, it meant brother Simbotwe was never the academic type and I wonder if he went past the 6^th grade as I changed schools in the 3^rd grade. Did Simbotwe get discouraged to attend school because of the name he never chose for himself?

This scenario of naming children after disasters, funerals problems and all that is negative may have led to a proliferation of foreign names that characterized the 80’s and 90’s. A lot of children of the 90’s were born John, Peter, Joseph, Gerald etc. However the 21^st century  Zambian parent seems to have embraced native names albeit with positive connotations.  A quick look at a pregrade class register today will come across names like Natasha (thankful), Suwilanji (believe), Chipo (Gift), Mapalo/Mbuyoti (blessing) and so on. Those without any native tongue names still have foreign language names with positive connotations like Blessing, Shekinah, Destiny, Favour or Praise. This kind of naming has been made popular by the growing Pentecostal Christian faith movement in Zambia ( maybe an issue for another blog).

The latest generation of parents even though still following a naming pattern descriptive of events is less likely to name Munalula (the cruel one) or Nalumino (the cursed one). Unless, of course, those that don’t know the meaning of those names. It is no hidden fact that many don’t know what their names mean. I have just recently learned what my name Nambayo means; – A royal small axe, also known as Kapalo. I only learned the meaning of my family name a month ago. It is all thanks to the fact I married a mambwe/namwanga woman and she has been asking me quite a lot about what most lozi names mean.

Aongola means - If they strengthen me, I’ll challenge my enemy to show real courage.