African Freedom Day

Today, May 25, was African Freedom Day. It is also known as African Liberation Day. In April 1958, the first “Conference of Independent African States” was held in Accra, Ghana. Various political leaders got together for the first pan-African Conference ever held in Africa to form the Organisation of African Unity. African Freedom Day was created as one of the ways these leaders saw to unify those countries that had found independence, and those who were soon to follow suit. As it did in the 1960’s, “freedom” in Africa affects people of many shades and shapes. For example, in Zambia, Muslims and Hindus account for 24-49% of the total population. From top to bottom, Africa displays arguably the most culturally diverse population in the world.

Today, Peter and I hung out at the Kafue River Cliffs with a group of Hindi Indian friends that I’ve become pretty good friends with. We were picked up early and drove south for about an hour. The landscape was obviously beautiful and I relish in the days I can spend outside the urban life in Lusaka. The area we set up our braai at was cozy and private, but still full of different kinds of people who call themselves Zambian. To our left, was a group of black Zambians, to our right a group of Islamic Zambians, and the plot even further to the right was a group of British Zambians. A perfect illustration of “freedom” in a country that knew apartheid only 44 years ago.

We spent the whole day grilling, playing cricket and cards, walking along the shoreline, and taking lots of pictures. I’ve posted the pictures I took on Facebook and if you click here you can see them too. It was good spirits all around, and yet another African experience to put in my pocket. This “dark continent” has so many problems that seem to have no foreseeable solutions in sight. The Xenophobic riots that are currently creating problems in South Africa make it feel like perhaps even the most developed parts of Africa haven’t come that far since the first pan-African conference. But, in the end of the day, there are many small examples of “freedoms” that have been achieved, and I felt them at today’s braai. We can only hope that the next 44 years brings a clearer meaning to Africa Freedom Day.

Caption 1: This is the view of the Kafue River from where we were having our braai. Caption 2: This picture is of Peter and Annand Patel. We were playing a card game called, Cricket.

I have a visitor!

The last couple of weeks have been great. My boyfriend, Peter, arrived safe in Lusaka last Thursday and we’ve been enjoying each other’s company in the context of African life. I had a moment of shock seeing Peter turn the corner at the airport and wrap his arms around me. I barely was able to sleep the night before and was at the airport promptly at 630AM, waiting for Peter’s plane. When I finally got the embrace that I’d been waiting for since the day I left Nebraska, I thought my heart had stopped and I was floating over the scene. I guess you call these moments “out of body experiences.” It was like I didn’t recognize him. Up until now, I’ve made this place my home and there is not one part of my day that is familiar or similar to my life back in Nebraska. It just didn’t make sense in my dazed state to have a big part of my “familiar” life brought to me here in Lusaka. I am happy to say that it didn’t take long for Peter and I to get over the initial shock of being back together. We’ve spent this past week taking in the crowded streets of aimlessly wandering Africans, cooking meals that we would have never had in Nebraska, and simply “chilling out” to warm sunshine and cool breezes that dominate the everyday. One of the best parts of having Peter here is that we are both seeing a new side of each other. When we see a 14-year old girl carrying a baby on her back, we have a discussion. When we talk to a local about American politics, we are both seeing a new perspective our countries impact on the world. When we find trends in Zambian speech, media, clothing, education, travel, etc. We understand the importance of tolerance and one of my favorite topics, “co-existing”. I know that all of these things I am, and will continue, to experience on my own. However, having Peter here and experiencing these things along side him is beneficial for our personal growth AND further developing our relationship. The world gets smaller by the day. Looking at the front page of the of any news source will prove this. We always like to point out, “how many young couples our age get to experience this together? We are so lucky!”

Caption 1: Peter and I spent part of an afternoon watching Polo. We loved the sound of the horses galloping.

Rotary District 9210

I spent the majority of this past week at a Rotary District Conference. (Sorry, I wrote this a while back and never posted it. The Conference was May 7-10.) After days on end of talks about Annual Reports, State of the District, Future Visions, and Current Projects, I feel I have a much better understanding of not only Rotary and my host district here in Zambia, but also who and what is involved in a successful Foundation. Foundations, in general, are institutions with an endowment, funded by private and public donations, and usually invested in such a way to provide long term funding to that specific institution’s wants and needs. The biggest, and arguably, most recognizable Foundation, by means of assets and total giving, is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Rotary Foundation is why I was personally was able to live this current year in Zambia. My scholarship, the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, is funded partly from my host district in Nebraska, and partly from Rotary Foundation funds. The official objective of the scholarship is to recognize young adults as already displaying Rotary’s banner anthem, Service Above Self, and to promote world peace and international understanding by sending these young “ambassadors “ abroad to represent their home countries and further Rotary’s goals. In my opinion, the scholarship is generally successful with meeting these sorts of abstract goals, but furthermore it’s really about exposing young people to the diversity of the world’s cultures while they’re still malleable enough to see the benefits of using personal success as community investment

On a more personal note, I generally find conferences of all kinds full of people who maybe talk a little longer than they should, and meetings that probably could have been run more efficiently. However, conferences bring people together from various walks of life to find common ground regarding particular goals. I met Rotarians from Zimbabwe who kindly invited me to visit their homes and reassured me that I’d be safe with them. I met Rotary high school exchange scholars, one particularly, who has basically been living in the Bush and developing such a worldly view at such a young age. I networked, I ate, I listened, I learned, I Rotary Conferenced.

Caption 1: This is a picture of my scholarship coordinator, Harriet Simule, in her traditional clothing, and I. There was a braai (what they call BBQ's here) on one of the nights. Caption 2: This is a picture of General Moses Chipika, his wife, and I also at the braai. The General is currently training to become an Ambassador of Zambia! Caption 3: This picture is of Jolene, the high school Rotary scholar I mentioned earlier, and I at the Governor's Ball on the last night. Jolene stayed in the guest room at my house.