Rural area’s self energy generation viable option

DOREEN NAWA, Chipata
IF POWER cannot come to the village, the village must make its own. This is the step most rural people have taken to mitigate the challenge of not being connected to the national grid.
In Paramount Chief Mpezeni’s area in Chipata, Eastern Province, the sale of solar panels is booming, as evidenced from their numbers on roofs of houses and shops.
The boom is not just turning on the lights, but opening up new economic opportunities as well.
“We never used to watch television or indeed use fridges, but now, the story is different. I sale ice blocks to people that freeze fish or meat. I don’t need too much income to do this kind of business, all I do is put water in plastics and freeze. I also sale solar panels and people are buying,” Enrick Jere said.
In a village in Luangeni in Paramount Chief Mpezeni’s area, Mr Jere is like a trade name because he supplies solar panels to the nearby villages.
He says business is booming. Mr Jere’s shop offers an array of products from tiny solar flashlights to mid-sized rooftop panel systems, amidst bicycle parts, textiles, fertilisers, and the other more traditional products.
Most of his customers come from villages on the outskirts of Luangeni.
“There is very good business. Just within the last year, people seem to have understood the benefits of solar, and now they come to buy solar panels. Unlike before, I struggled to sell these items but I was patient enough and now I am reaping the benefits,” he said.
A school teacher at Nsingo Primary School, Peggy Mwale understood those benefits early. Ms Mwale lives within the school compound, a few kilometers from Mr Jere’s shop.
Ms Mwale bought her first solar system in 2010. She uses it mainly for lighting, but she has recently started a side business charging K2 for locals to power up their mobile phones and for those with rechargeable ones, she demands a fee of K5.
“Unlike in the western countries, people here often get solar just for lighting purposes not knowing that its benefits go beyond lighting. With years of reading and researching on why solar is an important source of energy, I have also learnt that solar has environmental benefits,” Ms Mwale said.
Asked if the environmental benefits had anything to do with her decision of buying a solar panel, Ms Mwale laughed and said, “I just wanted electricity. I could not sleep under a candle forever for fear of accidents”.
Energy experts say, whether a homeowner or commercial business owner, solar energy is a clean, affordable, and sustainable way for anyone to generate electricity.
While many people make the switch to solar for its substantial financial benefits such as lower utility bills and increased home value, the significant environmental benefits are equally important.
For Ms Mwale, access to solar energy increases people’s productivity. Children can study, read books and watch television, allowing them to be connected to the world.
Access to electricity has the benefit of transforming lives, especially in rural communities of Zambia where more than 95 percent of homes have no access to energy sources.
“For those with access to electricity like us here, it has changed our lives. We can now keep in touch with friends and family, and those in cities can use their mobile phones to send money to relatives in rural areas.
“Electricity is a vital product, without which no true development is possible. Access to energy for the poorest rural populations often reduces poverty by developing income-generating activities, and also education, health and access to water,” Ms Mwale said.
And Paramount Chief Mpezeni says with increased awareness on solar’s potential, the use of the energy will likely increase amid the loadshedding, rising electricity prices and unstable supply experienced in the country.
“I am happy that my subjects here are slowly getting used to using solar energy. When it started, only a few people and mostly teachers, used solar. In Zambia, the cost of connecting the rural population to the national grid is high,” he said.
For rural areas, self-generation is the only viable option, with renewable off-grid solutions in most cases to provide cheaper options with no fuel cost and low maintenance.
Zambia has a range of primary energy sources, including hydropower, coal, forest biomass and renewable sources.
Among renewable sources, hydro and solar resources are the most significant, followed by biomass and wind energy potential.
Energy experts say Zambia’s total demand currently exceeds internal generation, primarily as a result of a growing mining and farming sector.
There is also high demand for electricity due to the increased population, although only about 22 percent of households currently have access to modern energy services.
In a situation like Zambia’s, renewable energy solutions can provide additional clean energy capacity to the national grid and also be particularly useful in the remote rural areas.
Nevertheless, despite the high potential for electricity generation from renewable energy sources, their use in Zambia remains low.
The major barriers for renewable energy usage have been the relatively high cost of electricity generated from renewable resources, lack of clear renewable energy policies and tariffs, and low capacity to develop and implement economically feasible projects. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON AUGUST 29, 2016. https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=77665

Water for sustainable growth tops agenda as leaders, experts meet in Stockholm

As world leaders, development professionals and water experts gather in Stockholm from 28 August to 2 September, water’s role for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will be discussed, as will water and the ongoing migration crisis, and several other water challenges.

The 2016 theme for World Water Week is water for sustainable growth. As a global collective, we will not be able to end hunger, ensure good health, build sustainable cities and fight climate change, if we do not have reliable access to the most fundamental resource of all. Water, and wise water management, is central to development, to sustainable growth, and to the overarching goal of lifting people from poverty.

A key objective of World Water Week is tracking water in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Each year at the Week, decision-makers will have the opportunity to take stock of water’s role in the implementation of the water-related SDGs and the Paris climate agreement, with the aim of ensuring water is part of the solutions moving forward.

At World Water Week, today’s complex water challenges will be addressed by some 3,000 participants from more than 120 countries, representing governments, the private sector, multilateral organizations, civil society and academia. Speakers at the opening session on 29 August include Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs Sweden, Angel Gurría, Secretary-General OECD, Charafat Afailal, Minister of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment, Morocco, Stockholm Water Prize Laureate 2016 Professor Joan B. Rose, Michigan State University, USA, and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Vatican.

During World Water Week, two prizes are awarded, to recognize excellence in the water world.

On Tuesday 30 August, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize will be awarded to one national team out of the 29 competing nations by H.R.H. Prince Carl Philip of Sweden.

On Wednesday 31 August, the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize will be awarded to Professor Rose, for her tireless contributions to global public health; by assessing risks to human health in water and creating guidelines and tools for decision-makers and communities to improve global wellbeing. The prize will be awarded to Professor Rose by H.M. Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, during a ceremony in Stockholm City Hall.

Water is key to a range of issues that will shape the world in the decades to come. They will be discussed in-depth during World Water Week:

Sustainable Development Goals – connection to water. Nearly all the sustainable development goals will require water to be achieved, and implementation will need to be integrated and coordinated. Water can help to facilitate this. For example, energy and food security, as well as economic growth, climate and urbanization (SDGs 2, 7, 8, 11and 13) are directly dependent on the availability of freshwater resources.

High Level Panel on Water. SIWI is actively engaged in the High Level Panel on Water (HLPW). The HLPW aims is to mobilize global support in implementing the water-related SDGs. SIWI is one of the expert organizations supporting the HLPW and World Water Week will be a meeting place for this panel to share and discuss its findings.

Water and migration. The world is witnessing some of the largest refugee flows since the Second World War. Meanwhile, water crises are highlighted as one of the most pressing global challenges in coming years. In this context, migration and refugee flows are increasingly explained in terms of water scarcity – perpetuated by climate change. But such easy answers to these complicated questions should be avoided, and that deeper analysis is needed.

Water and faith. Water has profound symbolic meaning in many religious and local traditions and water stress is particularly acute in many parts of the world in which faith is a central aspect of individual and community identity. However, development is not only about policies and investments, it is also about behaviour change and cultural values. In that respect, the role of Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) becomes crucial given their presence and influence in local communities.

Water and pharmaceuticals. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are micro pollutants and are a growing concern around the globe. Manufactured to be stable enough to reach and interact with the relevant organ, many pharmaceuticals are not easily biodegradable and can remain in the environment for considerable periods of time. Patient health and safety overrule environmental considerations, and hence there is a challenge for the relevant stakeholders to balance this dilemma.

Water quality. It is estimated that around 1000 children under five die every day - from diarrhoeal diseases - one of the leading causes of child mortality and only one of the illnesses caused by poor water quality. There are still more than two billion people in the world who lack adequate sanitation, and over one billion lack access to safe drinking water. WHO says that overall, 842 000 deaths from diarrhoeal diseases each year could be prevented by improved water, sanitation and hygiene.

Rainwater harvesting and green water. Better management of rainwater can dramatically improve rural and urban water security across the world as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events increase. Managing rain will be a key to eradicating poverty and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa and to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially on poverty and hunger. Half of the global landmass consists of drylands where the majority of the water movement is vertical, such as rains and evaporation, with very little runoff generation.

Food imports harming Africa's development-UN

Kanayo F. Nwanze

The US$35 billion a year that Africa spends on importing food should be used to create local jobs in agriculture, according to Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). 

Addressing the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi tomorrow, Nwanze is expected to tell African leaders that the potential for prosperity on the continent is enormous, but investments need to be redirected to developing the agricultural sector.

Although it has a quarter of the world’s arable land, Africa generates only 10 per cent of global agricultural output.

“African leaders are failing their people by their weak investments in agricultural inputs and infrastructure, and their lack of policy support for the sector,” said Nwanze on the eve of his departure.

“If even a portion of the money used for food imports was spent on creating jobs in rural areas, not only would the world’s largest youth population see a viable future on the continent, but Africa would be able to feed itself,” he said.

Convened by Japan, the purpose of TICAD is to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and partners, with a focus on African-led development. This is the first time that TICAD will be held on the African continent. It will run until 28 August.

Although Africa is the world’s second fastest growing economic region, more than 300 million Africans live below the poverty line. Most live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Unemployment rates are close to 40 per cent.

“Economic growth alone is not enough. If we want a continent with food security and social stability, we have to ensure that development focuses on people. They do not want handouts. They want economic opportunities,” said Nwanze.

“At TICAD this year, I hope we can go beyond talking about Africa’s potential and discuss what is practically needed for Africa’s people to seize that potential,” he added.

While at TICAD, Nwanze will also participate in the launch of Japan’s Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa which will establish a framework for African countries to collaborate to improve their nutrition status.

Japan is a founding member and a leading contributor to IFAD – a specialized United Nations agency and international financial institution that invests in agriculture and rural development in developing countries around the world.

Value-addition vital for agricultural sustainability

DOREEN NAWA, Mumbwa
WHILE farmers concentrate their effort on crops or livestock, they tend to get less profit. Their crops are in raw form. They have no higher value to attract more profit.
Experts say when farmers and entrepreneurs turn raw agricultural produce like vegetables or grains into a product of higher value like jam or bread they not only improve their income, but also contribute to community and rural economic development and enhance food choices for consumers.
Value-addition provides competitive opportunity to individual independent agricultural producers, groups of independent producers, producer-controlled entities, organisations representing agricultural producers, and farmer or rancher cooperatives to create or develop value-added producer-owned businesses.
Value addition is what lacks in Zambia, Mumbwa inclusive and many other rural agriculture-hubs in Zambia.
Mumbwa is one of Zambia’s agro giants but its potential has been limited because of numerous factors which include access to the market, inadequate storage facilities, and lack of industries to enhance value-addition.
Immediate-past Mumbwa Central MMD member of Parliament Brian Chituwo said agricultural production is one of the most important economic sectors in the majority of African countries including Zambia.
Dr Chituwo says it is estimated that over 90 percent of Mumbwa’s population relies on agriculture for its livelihood, yet value-addition in this sector still remains untapped in most of Zambia’s rural populace.
Dr Chituwo, who is also former minister of Health says history illustrates that agriculture, particularly the developed agribusiness and agro-industry sectors, has been the driver of economic growth in countries across the globe for example, Brazil and China.
“Scaling up agribusiness could be the next growth frontier not only for Mumbwa but the country as a whole.
He said if agribusiness is given priority, it could offer immediate value addition through commodity-based industrialisation that exploits forward and backward linkages with the rest of the economy.
“Such industrialisation could lift many rural dwellers out of poverty while creating jobs across the economy,” Dr Chituwo says.
Agro-experts say in Zambia, agribusiness and agro-industries account for less than 30 percent of national income as well as the bulk of export revenues and employment.
And newly-elected Mumbwa Central MP, Credo Nanjuwa says several key opportunities are within reach in agribusiness.
Mr Nanjuwa says the underlying premise of diversification of sources of growth should curb the pattern of overreliance on primary commodities to generate export revenues.
“The cry for industrialisation in agriculture is not lacking only in Mumbwa. It’s actually countrywide. Zambia could exploit several opportunities to overcome existing challenges facing agribusiness. Despite possessing as one of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s largest reservoir of unused arable land and water of about 60 percent, Zambia has not fully exploited its agricultural productivity by allowing agricultural industrialisation to flourish,” he said.
Mr Nanjuwa said Zambia has the land and enough water resources to spur its agriculture and feed the region and beyond but lack of value addition of agricultural produce has hindered its agriculture development.
“Zambia can feed itself and the rest of Africa. It is well endowed and has the markets. But it needs more than good technology policies. Scaling up productivity means tapping water resources for irrigation, providing stable prices while doing away with artificial subsidies,” Mr Nanjuwa said.
Mr Nanjuwa said Zambia needs to use seeds with better yields, providing basic transport infrastructure, providing incentives for financial institutions to invest in agriculture as much as in commercial farming, and developing a profitable and competitive agribusiness sector.
By drawing on lessons from other regions such as Asia, Argentina and Brazil, Zambia can turn its fortunes around gradually.
He said Mumbwa’s population growth has to be turned into an asset adding that youths alone in Mumbwa constitute over a quarter of the area’s labour force.
Mr Nanjuwa said considering the population growth and urbanisation in Mumbwa, agribusiness holds the key to meeting urban consumers’ demand for food, particularly processed food.
“With Zambia’s steady population growth, other emerging towns countrywide will also increase demand for farm commodities from Mumbwa and other agriculture-hubs countrywide,” he said.
There is vast potential for establishing production and trade links, as well as synergies between different actors along the entire agribusiness value chain (producers, processors and exporters), through the provision of incentives that bolster private sector investments and encourage the competitiveness necessary to meet consumer requirements for price, quality and standards.
The shift from primary production to modern integrated agribusiness will provide lucrative opportunities to many smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women, as well as creating jobs for the country’s youths not only in Mumbwa but Zambia as a whole.
Another Mumbwa farmer, Judy Haanziba says growing opportunities for investment in agriculture infrastructure in Mumbwa will help overcome the current challenges associated with poor access between farm-level production and downstream activities, such as processing and marketing.
She said investment in agriculture infrastructure opens the door to increasing the production of higher agricultural value-added products.
Ms Haanziba said rapidly changing demands and technologies mean that Zambia can power its way through the technological revolution in agriculture.
“For so long, we have been very comfortable with the way we have traditionally handled agricultural produce. In Mumbwa and countrywide, most fruits, vegetables and other foods are eaten fresh and any leftovers are immediately thrown away.
“Since we have been endowed with good weather that hardly reaches either extremes, we have never felt the urgency before to consume food in an efficient manner, let alone preserve it,” Mrs Haanziba says.
Value-addition in agriculture has been touted as the solution to the problems facing farmers and rural residents.
Experts say if farmers get to add value to their produce through processing, there will be an increase in income and reduce financial stress which will lead to the revitalisation of rural communities. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON AUGUST 21, 2016-https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=76863

Accra: Vibrant yet easygoing hub worth visiting

Independence Square of Accra, Ghana, inscribed with the words Freedom and Justice

Travelogue: DOREEN NAWA, Accra, Ghana
BESIDES, playing games and napping, nothing much happens on a flight. And my flight to Accra, Ghana was not different.
It was not too long a flight like I thought, despite transiting through Johannesburg in South Africa.
Located in West Africa’s lush forest region, Ghana’s capital, Accra, is a vibrant yet easygoing hub worth visiting.
This heaving metropolis was the pioneer of African independence in 1957 and continues to capture the hearts and affections of many today.
I arrived in Accra at 22:40 (GMT) on April 11, 2016. What took me there was a four day meeting of the 12th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP PP).
The next day, on my way to La Palm Royal Beach Hotel for the CAADP PP meeting, I was shocked to see the urban population living in slums.
As the capital of a country where almost close to half of the urban population lives in slums, while about 90 percent of non-agricultural employment is informal, Accra epitomises the informal city.
From public transport through domestic labour to fresh produce, the majority of goods and services in this city of 2.3 million are procured informally.
Informality is so pervasive that it is not unusual to see the homes of millionaires standing adjacent to unfinished informal settlements, or slums occupying some of the most desirable real estate in the city.
While smaller than many other developing cities, Accra nonetheless consists of formidable informal settlements that act as cogs in major global economic systems.
The city is one of the world’s leading destinations for electronic waste, much of which is imported from the US and Europe. Computers, TVs and cell phones are collected and stripped in Old Fadama, a large slum near the city center.
My norm when I visit a place for the first time is “Visit more than one slum, the traditional market and taste traditional foods in that respective area.”
And so, with the help of one cab driver nicknamed Bongo, I visited Old Fadama, Amui Djor and Sabon Zongo slums. For markets, I visited Achimota and Makola markets. Bongo was a perfect tour guide too. At 50 Ghana cedis, he took me round to my intended destinations.
In Old Fadama, approximately 80,000 residents live on this 77 acres of land, commonly referred to by its ignoble nickname, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” due to its perceived crime and reckless living.
Nicknames and imagery like this reinforce the stigma against Accra’s informal settlements.
According to the information I got, Government has repeatedly tried to evict slum dwellers en masse. But in general, residents of Accra’s informal settlements face less social discrimination than they do in cities like Nairobi and Mumbai, and living in a slum tends not to define one’s status in urban society.
“Inhabitants of Accra’s settlements have organised to fight off eviction efforts, and incremental improvements, often achieved through collaboration between locals and grassroots coalitions are helping to legitimise the slums in the eyes of officials,” says Bongo.
In the Amui Djor slum, public toilets have been installed with support of the African Development Bank, and some residents have legally acquired low-income housing.
In Sabon Zongo, community members formed a local police force. Efforts like these are contributing to stronger links between poor communities and government officials, and are laying the groundwork for Accra’s informal settlements to develop their full potential.
At Achimota Market, my mission was to sample the kente (a brightly colored, banded material made in Ghana) and FUFU (dough made from boiled and ground plantain or cassava, used as a staple food in parts of western and central Africa) served with beef, chicken or fish. And so I did.
Ghana’s fashion industry is growing rapidly, and the expanding pool of talented designers is something to admire. Traditionally, Ghana is famed for its kente but has also favoured two piece suits (kabba and slit for women) made from batik wax work textiles, and almost every street has a seamstress kiosk with walls plastered with images of the latest cloth styles and designs. Tailor-made outfits can usually be turned around within a week.
Street food in Accra is plentiful, and for me, no long visit is complete without stopping off for Kelewele (spiced and chopped fried plantain).
As a visitor, I was told that I should not eat street food from any and everywhere; however, I risked and tried a local Ghanaian eatery (Chop bar). The taste was superb, it was an authentic taste of Ghana.
As a cosmopolitan city, Accra offers a great wealth of options when it comes to international cuisine, but be warned, they often come with a Ghanaian twist.
Eating Fufu was fun too. It was served with Chicken and fish cooked together in groundnut soup.
Besides the slums, food and fashion, Ghanaians are known to be among the most friendly of their African and other international counterparts.
It’s customary to be offered something to drink (and often eat) when visiting a Ghanian home, historically to quench one’s thirst after a long journey.
Though the capital itself is home to the Ga people, Accra is also home to people from across the country alongside long established international communities from places such as England, Lebanon, and India.
At every place, I went, I got a greeting “akwaaba” (welcome) as I met new people. As friendly as they are, taxi drivers and traders will adjust their prices for even the most cleverly disguised tourists. You think you have the time? Prepare for a haggle. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON May 1, 2016

Good roads have changed the face of cities

Works at the Mutumbi Culvets in Lusaka

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
IT SEEMED like good roads were clearly out of fashion in cities countrywide.
Driving through most township roads in Lusaka, Chipata and Monze would give an impression that roads were now out of fashion in most Zambia’s township roads.
Far from it, all what was needed was commitment from Government to ensure that the roads are done.
And in 2012, Government showed commitment by embarking on an ambitious project to change the face of roads countrywide.
This ambitious road construction has now seen these township roads get a facelift and change the outlook of various residential areas in most cities countrywide.
In Lusaka, a project called L-400 was launched aimed at constructing 400 kilometres of urban roads in various townships and compounds at a cost of US$348.8 million.
“A distance that would take 20 minutes to reach your destination has now been reduced to five minutes only because the roads have been worked on,” a resident of Lusaka’s Kamwala area, Grace Ziwa said.
Ms Ziwa has commended Government for taking up the challenge to give a facelift to the township roads.
Reducing the distance between people, markets, services and knowledge or simply ‘getting people connected’ is a great part of what economic growth is all about.
Although virtual connectivity has become increasingly important today with the emergence of new communication avenues, a good and reliable transport network remains vital.
There is a very strong positive correlation between a country’s economic development and the quality of its road network.
Zambia’s urban road density had been low for decades when you look at the developing-country standards, thereby limiting the areas that are readily accessible to urban transport services and thereby restricting the mobility of residents or inhabitants in any respective area.
Urban transport services are dominated largely by informal minibus operators and taxi operators, and one common concern that these operators had was the short life span of spare parts on their vehicles.
One of the minibus operators in Lusaka, James Mwanang’ombe said improved transportation routes spur economic growth.
“Servicing vehicles is costly, and sometimes spare parts availability are a challenge. But now that the roads are done, it’s a breather for motorists and residents too,” he said.
Mr Mwanangombe said the quality of public transport was consequently poor because of the poor road network.
In Chipata, 28.5 kilometers of township road works have been done at a cost of K153 million.
Khuzwayo Jere, a resident of Mchini Township says the roads have changed the environment in the area.
“Once it rained, we could have dirty water all over the potholes and too many water borne diseases and garbage collecting in the dirty water. But now the place looks clean and it feels shameful to even throw litter on the roads now,” he said.
Mr Jere says rural development is an important cornerstone of economic transformation of any country especially as regards poverty reduction adding that road transport is a vital tool to any country’s economic sector.
He said as a farmer, a good road network connecting to markets is essential.
“Before the roads were worked on, we had potholed roads which could not easily be used to transport heavy farm equipment. The state of roads in rural areas affects the rural population’s quality of life and the ability of farmers to transfer produce to markets after harvest,” Mr Jere said.
Over the years, the farming community had not been able to achieve meaningful gain from their farming activities. This has partly been because of poor infrastructure, among them roads.
Mr Jere is happy that Government has started paying attention to the state and quality of infrastructure through the construction of tarred roads as well as through the rehabilitation of trunk roads in the district.
The scope of the township road works include, but is not limited to, the construction of earthworks, pavement layers, drainage works, surfacing of the carriageway with double surface dressing and provision road furniture and ancillary road works.
In Monze, 15 kilometres of township roads have been done at a cost of K90 million.
A resident of Hamusonde area George Mwiinde said important national goals depend on the country’s good road infrastructure.
“The economy needs reliable infrastructure to connect supply chains and efficiently move goods and services across borders. Infrastructure connects households across metropolitan areas to higher quality opportunities for employment, healthcare and education,” he said.
Mr Mwiinde said road infrastructure today is on the front line of some of the major challenges of our century and if prioritised, road infrastructure has the potential to connect and unite communities rather than segregate and displace them.
Infrastructure development is a major yardstick for economic development.
Improvements in the road network infrastructure is key in linking business activities that contribute to economic development.
Hence Government has realised that among the most important infrastructure directly linked to poverty reduction and economic development is the road network. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON May 29, 2016. https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=67858

Koffi Olomide: From star to villain

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
IT ALL started with the video post on social media of celebrated Congolese musician Koffi Olomide kicking one of his dancers at the Kenyan airport.
The video which went viral within hours caused an outrage not only in Kenya where the rhumba maestro was scheduled to perform but also world over.
The outrage subsequently resulted in the cancelation and eventual deportation of Koffi Olomide back to Congo amid celebratory messages on social media congratulating that country’s government for being proactive in fighting Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Concerns, quickly followed however from most Zambian on social media who had been following the unfolding of events in Kenya because the rhumba giant was also scheduled to perform at this year’s Agricultural and Commercial Show.
Zambian social media both on Facebook and Twit ter went ablaze with the hashtag #ZambiaSayNoToKoff i a campaign to bar the Congolese artist from coming to Zambia to perform.
Campaign which started on Saturday morning quickly gained momentum prompting civil society organizations to add their voice to calls to bar Koffi from coming to Zambia.
On Facebook some of the messages read………
Mabeflav Flav He should not come to Zambia!!!
Joy Lombe We should not tolerate such in Zambia. We are praying for a violent free Zambia, why entertain a violent person.
Mwila Mwila The stupid part about this whole drama is that now the dancing queen says she wasn’t hit by Koffi. Which part of the footage did I miss? Unless she says being KICKED does not amount to being HIT. Koffi had better find somewhere else to go perform other than Zambia
Joy Lombe Some women are a shame. It even happens in homes. She is beaten to pap, you tell her to go to police that no it is love.
Leonora Mwape Imagine what they go thru…when no one is around…If he can do that in public
Paul Champati he must not enter.
Cynthia Kalaluka Koffi has been doing this for years and getting away with it
Malwilo Ngoma This guy hit a woman sometime back if my memory saves me right and he was wanted by the police for slapping a female…anyone remember that? I don’t know how he came back in the country without being arrested
Malwilo Ngoma He thinks his king …well now he’s gonna feel the pressure of acting like you’re above the law when all you can afford to take care of is only your wife and kids… I can’t wait to see how we gonna handle this one Zambia. Let’s walk the talk now…
Malwilo Ngoma What kind of guy bleaches like that even… koffie this is no longer the Africa you left when you went overseas wherever that might have been…if you’d taken some time off dancing to see what’s happening around you, you’d know that man!!
Unfortunately, the response from organisers issued on Saturday hours after the campaigns had started was more reactive instead of taking concerns of fans who in the bigger picture where also expected to attend the Koffi’s performances at the Show.
And this is how they first responded…….. “All is set, he is performing on Friday at Mulungushi Internat ional Conference Centre. The tickets are already on sale and I expect a good show from that. I also wish to dispel rumours that had started circulating via social media that the planned musical performances by Koffi had been cancelled.
“The society would also like to state that the speculations going round on various media about Koffi Olomide’s Lusaka shows being cancelled are not true,” the statement from show society president Ben Shoko read.
According to management of the show society, a contract for Koffi to come and perform has already been signed.
Their response prompted civil society organizations like the Non-Gorvernmental Organisation Co-ordinating Council (NGOCC) to accelerate the call to bar Koffi from performing at this year’s show.
NGOCC Executive director, Engwase Mwale said in her statement: “, “His concerts must be cancelled. Gender-based violence must be condemned in whatever form it happens. This is not the first time we have heard reports of Koffi Olomide violating the rights of his dancers and that of some of his fans, including a photojournalist in Zambia,” she said.
“We call upon organisers of the Koffi Olomide show to review the upcoming show following information that he assaulted his dancer in Kenya. Zambians, like Kenyans have done, need to ensure that his concert does not go on. Kenyans have shown” she said.
And on Sunday, the show organisers rescinded their decision. A statement on the cancellation of Koffi Olomide’s performances during this year’s show was issued.
All these happenings started with just a video post and change has been instituted.
On Twitter the hashtag #ZambiaSatNoToKoffi called for the cancelation of the show and it was done.
The Koffi story might not have started from Zambia but it was spread through social media the world over and it received the attention of many.
The hashtag which caused people to follow events as they unfolded on social media,
blogging, sharing and talking about it all has led to a change in direction.
The power of social media is hard to dismiss. What once seemed like a trivial way to keep in touch with friends, sharing photos and jokes, has become a force for societal change, shining light on subject previously unknown, deepening conversations and empowering citizens of the world to unite and effect change in a number of ways.
Interestingly, social media as a medium for connecting, organizing and communicating is powering and spreading change and advocacy far better than billions of dollars in corners of world very resistant to such change.
The ability of the Internet, and social media particularly, to bring issues to bear is unique. Consider the still-too-common problem of Gender-based violence, this kind of campaign has served as a perfect tool in championing calls to the arrest of the perpetrators. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL OM JULY 31, 2016

Skeleton discovered at Ing’ombe Ilede

DOREEN NAWA, Chirundu
FOR many, Ing’ombe Ilede is synonymous with a trading Centre.
But for archaeologists Ing’ombe Ilede was more than a trading site. They believe people actually lived there.
Their conviction stems from evidence first discovered in 1960 by government workers who were constructing water tanks in Lusitu area in Chirundu district.
The items included gold, copper ore, textiles, pottery and other ceramics.
In their quest to find more evidence to prove Ing’ombe Ilede was more than a trading site, a team of archaeologists from National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) spent two weeks on a fact finding mission excavating for any human remains.
At the end of the two weeks, a skeleton of a woman in her early 30s was found. The skeleton was found with beads around the neck and metal bracelet signifying that the woman was rich. She is believed to have lived between the periods 700 to 1100AD.
“This discovery is a milestone, what has been known is that this was a trading site and that some people once lived here, but there was no evidence to back the claims. I am excited to see such a discovery which has added value and will change the face of the Ing’ombe Ilede site.
“Immediately I was told of the discovery, what came to mind is that the discovery will not find itself to England like the broken hill man,” NHCC Board chairperson Margaret Machila said.
She said people without history and people that do not understand their own history are not complete hence the need for proper sensitization so that people around Ing’ombe Illede begin to see themselves linked to the history discovered at the site.
She said traditionally, Tonga’s bury their loved ones closer to their homes and the discovery of the skeleton has revealed a significant attachment that the site has to its inhabitants.
Ms Machila hopes that the skeleton will be protected and left on site to give a proper meaning and interpretation of Ing’ombe Ilede.
In burial sites dating from the periods 700 to 1100AD, occasional ‘foreign’ objects like the odd cowrie shell, or copper bangles in an area where there is no copper were found.
This indicates that some small-scale barter with neighbouring villages took place at the Ing’ombe Illede site.
“The pace and extent of trade increased significantly at the site. Gold objects appear (as well as the more common copper, iron and ivory) and shells from the Indian Ocean,” NHCC Northern regional director Billiard Lishiko said.
Mr Lishiko, who was also a lead personnel in the discovery said the frequency of objects on the site indicates that trade was gradually developing.
“We know from European historical sources that Muslim traders [of Arab origin] had trade routes established here. There is evidence that during that period, inhabitants here traded with people further south, in Zimbabwe, exporting gold down the Zambezi via traders coming from the Indian Ocean,” Mr Lishiko said.
And NHCC public relations manager said the discovery is a milestone in Zambia’s history and has added value to the Ing’ombe Ilede historical site.
“What makes the discovery important is that it has been done by Zambian archaeologists all working under NHCC. Many people interpret Ing’ombe Ilede only as a ‘sleeping cow’ but the site has proved that it has a lot to offer to both local and international tourists,” Mr Kanguya said.
The skeleton was found in a squatting position, a posture the dead were buried in at that time.
During the excavation, two burial grounds were discovered, one containing a skeleton buried with copper ornaments, bracelets and beads and the other only containing a skeleton.
He said the existence of the two different graves proves that social stratification existed at that time at the site.
The Ing’ombe Ilede site is thought to have been a small commercial state or principality whose chief item of trade was salt.
Items of trade believed to have been common at Ing’ombe Illede site also include textile, copper ore, ceramics and gold.
Ing’ombe Illede is an archaeological site on a hill near the confluence of the Zambezi and Lusitu rivers close to the Kariba Dam.
Mr Kanguya said the site was uncovered in 1960 by government workers who were digging foundations for water tanks and it was excavated by JH Chaplin in the same year.
As trade started, the second millennium also saw the development of wealth and social structures within the tribes.
The evidence for this is a number of burial sites that stand out for the quantity and quality of the goods that were buried with a dead person.
It is hoped that with the discovery, the site will now generate the needed curiosity and attract many to visit. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON JULY 31, 2016