POWER AB/USE
The second issue
of Kambisa!BeHeard deals with some awkwardly known issues.
Michael L. Ahlee tells the story of a police officer shooting a
suspect, Astridah Nchimunya-Hamuyamba tells us about
a teacher forcing his pupil into a sexual relation and Sista D.
explains how she tries to protect children from getting raped.
We're dealing with issues of - most of us will agree - immoral
nature.
It's so easy to
pinpoint a rapist, a murderer or a defiler – but what about
ourselves? Is it not us who form the society in which these
people are doing whatever they're doing? Is it maybe our behavoir
that incites them to be as they are? Why can an officer get away
with murder - where are the lawyers, where are the
demonstrations? Why does he know he can? How can he safely assume
no-one will stand up to the injustice done?
what's
worse: abusing your power or not using it at all?
We should wonder
what's worse: abusing your power or not using it at all. How come
I find us complaining about the shortcomings of the Zambian
economy over a chickenburger at Nando's? How come these tens of
pins are disappearing in the big pockets of a South African
multinational, rather then being invested right here? In an
economy as shizofrenic as the Zambian, one burger can buy ten
newspapers, half a bag of mealiemeal or three days of employment.
Why are we not using that? Is Nando's treating its employees that
well, are they're burgers so dazling good or are we really that
hungry for the status of eating at an expensive Westernlooking
place? Why can't we boast about eating at Soweto like the
tourists do?
'There is nothing
to invest in', some will say, 'whatever done here is meant to
fail. Everything that you need to start a business is lacking.'
Fine. If that's what you want to believe, why don't you start by
establishing these very fundamentals? Rome was not build in day.
It seems the
'poor' are patriotically shopping at our markets whilst the
well-fed are constantly finding ways to spend their kwacha's on
German cars, British airtickets and American jeans. Why can't we
produce these things here? Think big, start small. Wine is made
from grapes, grapes are grown in the backyard.
We need to start
taking responsibility. It's too frustrating to lay back in apathy
and confinement. It's time for review; why do we accept what we
accept and should we really? Is our behavior in line with our
thinking? No, Chanda Mubanga writes, how else could we see people
dying of AIDS every day? We know how to control this virus,
meanwhile we don't. What's wrong with us? Let's take a proper
look at ourselves.
I takes courage.
It takes awareness of one's own potential and an understanding of
the situations we are complaining about. It takes friends who can
encourage you when you're feeling down, who can help you get to
know what you can and what you can't. It takes creativity and
people to challenge your assumptions by having others. It takes
resitance, a plan B, a plan C, maybe even a plan D. But better to
try and fail then to fail to try.
We need
dialogue. Kambisa!BeHeard.
TEACHER-PUPIL RELATIONSHIPS MUST BE STOPPED - NOW!
by Astridah Nchimunya-Hamuyamba
One day in 1990 I heard some people talking about something that I didn't really understand, because at that time I was a little girl and had just started school. They were talking about someone who had died in school because she was let down by her boyfriend, who denied being responsible for her pregnancy. To make things worse, this boyfriend of hers was a teacher.
Up to now, this has been in my head and I just can't stop thinking about it. Even now, it is still happening in many schools. I have just completed my secondary school, but while I was still at school, something similar to what happened in 1990 happened in one of the schools where I did my senior secondary.
Ndola, 2000
It was in the year 2000 when something terrible happened to one of the pupils in one of the schools in Ndola. Well, some people were not very surprised because that has been one of the most common events in that city, more especially in schools. But as a concerned pupil, I tried to get more information from that victim's friends.
...a teacher tells two loving pupils to end their relationship and suspends them when they don't.
I was told that the girl had had a relationship with one of the pupils from a grade twelve class of her school while she was in grade nine. The two pupils were in a relationship for six months but when one of the teachers discovered their relationship, he called both of them to his office and told them to end the relationship. He threatened to tell all the pupils in school and even their parents if they continued.
These two pupils really loved each other, so I was told, and were prepared to sacrifice anything just to keep their relationship going.
They continued their relationship, but when this teacher discovered that they hadn't ended their relationship, he suspended them for two weeks. By the time they went back to school, they had ended their relationship, so they could concentrate on their schoolwork, since they were heading towards their exams.
- CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is out! –
He tells her he is not going to give her the papers unless she has sex with him
Two weeks before writing her exams, that teacher told her that he was not going to give her the papers unless she had sex with him. Since she really wanted to pass her exams, she decided to give in to him in exchange for the papers. She wrote her exams.
- CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is out! –
So my request to the Ministry of Education is that they should instantly dismiss any teacher who is found having an affair with a pupil and they should also take a survey in schools and find out what is happening concerning pupil-teacher relationships or rather affairs. This applies particularly to secondary schools.
MARRIED MAN CHEATS
INNOCENT GIRL
by
Timothy Hara
It's
a common trend and culture for Tongas in the Southern province to
marry more than one wife. But on the contrary a man from the
Eastern province named B. has done it on the immoral line.
B.
is a married man with a 2 year old child. On the other hand he
has been flirting around with other ladies with a promise to
marry them. His wife was naive about the scenerios. She learnt of
it later.
M.
was so exited when B. told her he was contemplating on marrying
her
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! –
POLICE OFFICER
KILLS MAN OVER BEER DEBT
by
Michael L. Ahlee
A
28- year old man was shot for failing to settle a beer debt. Mark
Bee died instantly after being shot by a police officer because
he delayed to pay a K 3,000 debt. His older brother John Bee said
that his late young brother Mark Bee got some beer from Annie on
credit promising to settle the bill at the month end.
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! -
When
the family went to the police station to seek an explanation,
they were told that the police would provide everything during
the funeral but only a coffin was provided after five days.
After
they buried, the family went back to the policestation to seek
redress. Lee told them there was nothing he could do, but if they
wanted they could report the matter anywhere they wished.
-
no one is above the law -
Note
from the author:
Law
is law. Police are there to serve and protect people's rights,
not to substruct the number of people.
Where-ever;
whomever and whatever ... in the history of human kind no one is
above the law!
Wrestless days and
sleepless nights
by
Chanda Mubanga
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! -
The
Rwandan genocide recorded casualities. Yes, so did the September
11 event. But can we stand the loss of more than 8.000 people in
the few hours of each day simply because of the odiours and no
longer strange but alien HIV?
No.
I, therefore, wish to advocate for serious dramatisation of this
appalling condition.
I
wish to advocate for serious dramatisation of this appalling
condition
-
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out! –
People
suffer and painfully die when we know just what weapon to use.
A
weapon that actually rests in our own hands and tongues.
Where
did it come from? Why? So many pretexts have been used to respond
to the questions the virus has raised. Therefore, it would be
unwise of us to answer by word of mouth minus realising that they
have long been answered by our attitudes and behaviours.
-
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out! –
- kind request-
People!
Can
we please stop victimising ourselves and start taking control?
Think
creative. Life is what you make of it.
-
end of request -
>
'practise makes perfect'-concept
Adolescents
are going through a phase of curiosity. What they want is
something interesting. What they find interesting ly outstanding
is what they will engage in, not analysing the consequences. That
is what makes them more vulnerable. For example, one does not
need to go to school to learn how to do sex - thus, no practise
makes perfect with sex. One performance of it, regardless of how
long it takes, whether one second or 24 hours, can ruin your
whole life.
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! -
However,
hope is one thing anyone van lastly lose. But all hope is not
lost. Pro's and con's in anything we do can help us determine our
destination. It's time we lifted ourselves from the quicksands of
ignorance to the solid rock of self awareness.
>
some of the organisations dealing with HIV in Zambia are:
-
Kara Counselling and Training Trust, Cha Cha Cha Rd South end, PO
Box 37559, Lusaka,
Fax
: (260) 1 24 67 36
-
New Start Counselling and Testing Centre, next to Shoprite Cairo
Road, first floor above Bata Shoeshop; testing K1000, counselling
compulsory, results in a few hours
-
UTH; testing results in a few days, the specialists are found in
clinic 3
-
Christian Medical Association of Zambia (CHAZ), PO Box 34511,
Lusaka, Tel: (260 1) 229.702, Fax: (260 1) 223.297
A website containing a lot of information and some encouraging
stories is found at http://www.hiveducation.org.za
Copies
of some internet-printouts can be requested via Kambisa!BeHeard.
FRIENDS BECOME LOVERS
by
Alice Mapulanga
Once
upon a time in a place somewhere in the warm heart of Africa, in
Zambia, there was a place called Alpha.
This
place was a nice place for couples during having a good time.
Alice and Stas were very good friends at first. Later on they
started going out together.
A
lot of people were against it. Alice was a Christian. She used to
go to the Bible Gospel Church in Africa. Alice was a committed
Christian and very active in the church.
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! –
Don't
date for a long time, cause you end up dossing each other and
choose the places where to take your partner. If Alice and Stas
had gone to church, these problems would not have occured.
OUTLOOK .... The
Netherlands
In
the upcoming issues of Kambisa! you'll find an inside view on a
foreign country, this time: The Netherlands, a tiny country -
slightly bigger then Kafue National Park - crowded with 16
million inhabitants: the Dutch, a very mixed population of
people. The majority originally coming from Turkey, Maroc, China,
West-Afrika, the Antilles and mainland Netherland itself. Famous
for its soccer, cheese, tulips, marihuana and its supposedly
tolerant liberal thinking . A country where men are allowed to
marry other men, where you can safely set fire to your joint
facing an officer and where prostitutes have to pay tax.
The
song on the next page comes from a band named 'Doe Maar' ('Go
Ahead'), a popular reggae-punk band in the 80's. Its critisises
the attitude to just care about work and money, allways rushing
to Some Societal Achievement like getting a diploma or making
some more money - rather then spending time with people to get to
know them. It interferes with people's thinking that as long as
they're insured and things are 'properly organised', they will be
safe.
The song is called 'De Bom' ('The Bomb'). During the Cold War
here was a time when America and Russia threatened to bomb
eachother. The Dutch were afraid the bomb might drop on them,
living in a small country in the middle.
don't
be fooled by money, status and insurance-shemes
Though
the threat of a bomb falling on the Netherlands seems to be
limited by now, the song is still up to date as the attitude of
many people has not changed; many feel stressed by the
expectations that they feel sociey puts upon them and won't come
to realise they're chasing the wrong things before its too
late... a phenomena which some believe is tragically reflected in
the Dutch suicide-rates, the number of people visiting
psycho-analysists, being dependent on anti-depressive drugs or
dying off stressrelated diseases like heartattacks and cancer.
>
We need outlooks on other countries for the next issue of
Kambisa!BeHeard. If you have anything to tell which puts any
foreign country in a critical perspective, or you know something
or somebody which or who does - please contact Kambisa!
Make sure the review is accompanied by the basic facts of the
country discussed.
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! –
GOOD FOR THE GOOSE,
GOOD FOR GENDER
by
Herbert Nthasu Mwilba Jr.
What
is good for the goose is good for genderequality just sometimes.
Imagine having a female President, her Vice President a he and
say about half of the Cabinet Ministers all females. That would
be like a dream come true to gender equality activists,
especcially politicians with that vision. And maybe that wouldn't
be bad either for the brighter change that our nation Zambia
anticipates.
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! –
Personally,
I think genderequality is only good and fair in our Christian
nation Zambia, if such is done out of Love, not obligatory duty.
genderequality
is only good and fair if it is done out of Love, not obligatory
duty
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! –
NOT
DEMANDS AND CLAIMS. Otherwise, the sun for the day and the moon
for the night....
End.
SISTA D. – LADY WITH A
MISSION
www.thinono.org
Famous
for her original style, Sista D. - Daputsa Nkhata Zulu - has
managed to set her name as an independent musician, composer and
co-producer. With the help of producer and instrumentalist Chris
Commando Mongri, she makes sure to remain in charge of her own
music. On her album 'Makhaladi' (the name for black girls who
bleach their skins) she combines her own compositions with some
interpretations of traditional songs, on the following album 'OK
Manje' ('OK What's next?') Daputsa sticks to the 100%-selfmade
compositions only.
Vitendeni
In addition to her musical achievements,
Sista D. has set an example that nor admirers, nor abominaters
will easily forget. In her controversial hit 'Vitendeni' she
suggests what should happen to men that rape children: they
should have their dicks cut off. She was inspired to write the
song after a news item on the radio, reporting about a 2-year old
girl that had been raped by men believing this was the way to get
cured from HIV. 'I imagined that would happen to my own
daughter...' In the video and dance that came along, the gestures
are clear.
'Some men were offended', Daputsa recognises, 'I have often had
to explain that I did not refer to all the men, just to those
that raped the children. Those are not real men.' However,
amongst the Zambian youth the song was received with great
enthusiasm. 'It's still happening a lot', Sista D. says, 'In the
old days it used to remain within the household; nobody would
know. But I think after the song things are starting to open up.'
picture
by Klaartje Jaspers
the
only way I can protect the sexually abused girls, is by educating
the masses
Sista
D. illustrating how to dance to 'Vitendeni'
The
fate of sexually abused children is a continuing theme of
Daputsa's work. 'It will hunt you for the rest of your life; it
will prevent you from doing anything progressive with your live.
Untill it ceases to exist, I will be writing about it.' When the
artist visits shelters for these girls, she notices how important
she has become to them. 'Sometimes they can't let me go: they
feel I am protecting them. But the only way I can protect them,
is by educating the masses.'
>
www.thinono.org is a website introducing the works of artist and
innovators analyzing their social environment and reacting upon
it in a way that challenges the obvious.
Kambisa! needs help...
We need...
- authors : there are some topics we want to
discuss in our next issues, but we need people to do it. For
instance, we would like somebody to write a article on ones
rights when dealing with the police, somebody to interview
celebrities like Sista D. and somebody to follow the local
courtcases, pick a victim and the suspects in her/his case
interview both parties and make follow ups on them. These things
can be written without professional journalistic skills as long
as the writer clearly indicates his or her position and article
is written, like all others, in a readable fashion. The editors
of Kambisa! are willing to give you some hints or help when
writing.
Beware! the author allways remains responsible for his or
her own work: think about the potential consequences of
publication before you start!
If you can't read or write, contact Kambisa! and we'll find
somebody to help you out.
- translators : translating: mostly from one of
the local languages into English for the magazine, later we might
need things to be the other way round as well....
- storyfinders & transscribers: go out of
Lusaka centre, find people who want to get their story published
and help them getting it in Kambisa! ALLWAYs tell people their
story will be used for publication before writing their story
down and handing it over!!!!! We need their explicite permission
as they remain responsible!!!! Make sure people understand the
potential risks of publication under their true name before they
agree. If necessary, we can publish things under a fake name,
but this has to be indicated. Ask for name, age, sexe and
profession/ societal status. Again...the editors of Kambisa! are
willing to give you some hints or help when writing.
- representors : people to go the organizations,
individuals, events etc. which could play part in Kambisa! (f.i.
human rights awareness organisations, NGOCC etc) ask them if they
know about it, what they think about it, want write a colum for
it etc... do so, but do so AFTER consultating the rest of the
Kambisa! – people, or at LEAST Klaartje. Tough we all want
to promote individual freedom, Kambisa! as a project should stand
for something, we can't have people going round claiming to do so
on our behalf without the rest knowing about it and supporting
their stance.
- digitalizers : people who can type incoming
paperwork into the computer for further editing
- editors : people who can reread other people's
work, comment on it, correct sentences that are too long or
confusing, the incorrect use of words etc. This job needs some
skill - whether by nature or schooling doesn't matter, but we
need to be able to trust your work.
- correctors : correcting grammar &
spelling, people who are fluent in written English
- visual artists : people who can help preparing
the final texts for print, who can do the lay-out or help in
making some nice illustrations to give some air to the texts or
to lively up the cover
- marketeers : people to help promoting the
magazine, to get some media attention, make posters etc.
- productioners : stappling, folding and sorting
the sheets after they come from the printer, taking them there,
collecting them, bringing them to EHC for cutting etc..
- distributors : making sure the magazine gets
exposure in as many places as possible, signing 'contracts' with
the ones selling or .... selling yourself! (commission 1000
kwacha per copy, this is the only paid job at
the time of writing)
ENGAGE!
Contact Kambisa! via p.o.box 37657 in Lusaka, 097- 845019 or
KambisaBeHeard@hotmail.com
SUNDAY'S STORY #2
by
Sunday Zimba
translation
from Nyanja by Evans Mboloma, Michael L. Ahlee & Reuben
Katebe
notation
by Klaartje Jaspers
>
Sunday's Story #1 is found in Kambisa!BeHeard ?1 and at
www.kambisa.com/kambisa.
In
it, you'll find how Sunday's parents get seperated and how he and
his little brother Suzyo end up at their grandparent's place.
The
following day my mom came with a baby.
I
started explaining what was happening that side. My mom said she
was beaten by her husband because I ran away.
After
I had ran away my mum had gone into the bush and got surrounded
by four snakes. They didn't attempt to bite her,
they
were just watching her. Then they brought down their heads.
Meanwhile
the relatives where chasing her, they wanted to find her and beat
her.
My
mother slept at my grandparents place.
She
only spent one day.
In
the morning after sleeping, she left.
A
few minutes later the family arrived. When I saw them I ran away.
When I came back, I found them allready gone.
My
grandmum explained what happened. She told me 'they came with the
intention of beating your mum and take her back home'.
Then
my mother arrived. I left the place to play somewhere, leaving my
mum and grandmum behind. My grandmum was trying to explain to her
what happened when she was out.
When
I came back home at my grandfathers place, the following day my
mom went to my fahers working place to collect some money.
A
few hours later the sister to my father from the village came.
When
my mom came back, she and my mum met and welcomed each other
nicely.
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! –
By
night they slept. My father had a dream. The late was
complaining, saying that he had isolated her. My father dreamt of
two people. After she said he had isolated her, she went and told
him he 'ld never see her again. After the dream my father woke
up. Again he slept.
He
dreamt again. This time all the animals were coming to chase him.
He woke up, afraid. He was sitting at his bed and he started
thinking 'Why? Why are they coming for me?' For a moment he
thought it was his late wife, who came in the form of an animal.
Then
he realised that was not possible. Shortly after that he heard
the sound of a car, followed by a big bang: an accident. The car
had hit the animal which had come to kill us all. My father went
back to sleep. This time he slept nicely.
Kambisa! Be Heard. AB/USE
...
was made by:
Michael
L. Ahlee
Timothy
Hara
Klaartje
Jaspers
Reuben
Katebe
Alice
Mapulanga
Matongo
Evans
Mboloma
Chanda
Mubanga
Astridah
Nchimunya-Hamuyamba
Herbert
Nthasu Mwilba Jr.
Sunday
Zimba
Thanks!!!
to
them, their many helpers and those who agreed to be interviewedor
photographed
Comments
and reactions
can
be send to:
Kambisa!
Be Heard.
c/o
Klaartje Jaspers
p.o.
box 37657, Lusaka
or:
KambisaBeHeard@hotmail.com
Kambisa!
Be Heard. published by
C.J.
Jaspers Media, Lusaka
STOP ACTING LIKE ANIMALS
by
Michael L. Ahlee
My
contribution to your magazine is on the abnormal increase of
defilement and incest cases in our country.
I
don't know what has gone wrong with the men of today, I am a man
but I fail to understand why my fellow men are behaving that way.
They are acting like animals who don't think about what they do.
how
do you accept the juju that will lead you to sin?
Even
if it's juju – please; how do you accept the juju that will
lead you to sin? What kind of treatment is it that would demand a
person to have sex with his own child? Please use your brain you
fools! You must think before you act!
Why
are you agreeing to people who would want to deceive you? You
have heard so many times that AIDS has no other cure than
abstinence or sticking to the same wife. Don't be cheated –
you are persecuting us and our children. People have been
prosecuted but still others do not learn from them. What is wrong
with them?
stop
abusing girls
I
am appealing to all those with the habit of abusing girls to
stop. This has been the message to my fellow country men:
abstinence – eliche.
>
If you have something to say, write to michealahlee@yahoo.com or
Michael Ahlee, c/o Klaartje Jaspers, p.o. box 37657 in Lusaka.
INVITATION
Kambisa!BeHeard is looking for
your creative contributions. Photos, puzzles, cartoons, drawings,
short stories, interviews, poems, articles...: anything
printable.
Anyone
who has something to say or show about his/her life in Zambia,
the current state of world affairs or human kind in general, is
invited to send his/her contributions.
CONDITIONS
the
size has to be less than 2000 words or max. 2 A5-pages
(black & white),
language
should be English or any Zambian language if a translation is
included,
responsibility
and copyright remain yours,
don't
forget to include a contact-address & indicate if you
want this to be published or not and please.... keep it simple: Kambisa!BeHeard
is meant to serve a wide audience, don't torture the readers by
using unnecessary complicated sentences or words nobody has ever
heard off. Intellect is in the message, not just in the words.
please
note:
the
editor holds the right to reject or edit all incoming materials,
please state it clearly if you don't want any alterations printed
without your prior consent
ADVERTS
Kambisa!BeHeard. has space for
advertisements. Non-govermental organisations and private Zambian
companies can contact Kambisa!BeHeard. for
further information on the rates. The magazine is printed at A5
format, advertisers can buy space at a full, half or a quarter
page. Rates are dependent on size, colour, place and contents of
the advertisement.
SUBSCRIBTIONS
E-mail
subscribtions: free.
Postal subscribtions: 30.OOO ZMK a year within Zambia; 20 Euro a
year outside of Zambia.
WEBSITE
More
information on the participants in Kambisa!BeHeard, ways
to engage and previous copies, can be found at
www.kambisa.com/index.htm
CONTACT
Kambisa!BeHeard
via
KambisaBeHeard@hotmail.com, p.o.box 37657 in Lusaka, Zambia or +
260 (0) 97 845019
UP NEXT: Young,
alive and kicking.
Sunday's
Story has already given a bit of insight in the life of the
children in the streets of Lusaka, Kambisa!'s third issue will
explore the subject into further detail. Interviews with
so-called 'streetkids', contributions of those involved, the
entrepreneuring initiatives by the young themselves...
And
offcourse, as always, attention for arts, music and poetry...
Remember:
what's going to be in the upcoming issues of Kambisa!BeHeard.
is up to you. Send your ideas and contributions so we know what
you want to be written....
-
CUT! Buy the magazine in town or check again when volume 3 is
out! –
