The Lowdown - 2015-06 June

Vol. 21, No. 06, 2015

June

Cause & Effect

3

Getting Started

19

The Times They Are a-Changin’

4

Digging up the past?

20

Star Gazer

5

How Much Is That Doggie…

23

In the Garden

7

Readers Have Their Say...

24

Birds, Bugs and Bushes

8

Off Your Mat

25

Eating Out

10

What’s Happening

27

Fool On The Hill

11

Restaurants

39

Mole In The Hole

14

Employment Sought

41

Amazing Greens

18

Small Adverts

43

Front Cover Photograph: Sedge Seed Head,

by H Chalcraft Editor: Heather Bender Chalcraft Layout & Design: Louann Chalcraft Published by: LH Publications Limited, 25 Joseph Mwilwa Road, Rhodes Park, Lusaka.

PO Box 36666, Lusaka, Zambia. +26 0966 821-290 / +26 0965 821-290 editor@lowdownzambia.com www.lowdownzambia.com Winners of the 2011 Africast Tourism Journalist of the Year Award Advertising, Subscriptions and Distribution: ads@lowdownzambia.com Printed by: New Horizon Printing Press Ltd, PO Box 38871, Lusaka, Zambia. +260 211 236-637 1

Cause & Effect

Cause & Effect is the creation of Debbie Parkinson, from Sky Bar, and two DJ’s, Gerard Olsson and Mushota Katayi.

Both Gerard and Mushota have been DJ’ing for years and both play a unique sound which has caught the imaginations of many Lusakans. These three innovators met in late 2014 and started throwing ideas around looking for something different and inspiring. It was not until early this year that they found their direction. All felt strongly about raising funds for the many different charities in Zambia. With the Sky Bar available as a venue and with DJ participation, they believed they were onto something that was different, very different to what is the norm in Lusaka - hosting parties once every six to eight weeks.

People having a good time whilst donating to a good cause. A win, win situation.

The first event took place on the 31st January and it was an overwhelming success, raising K6200 for Game Rangers International. The second event took place in March and the chosen charity, The Kucetekela Foundation, received K4000. The next event supporting the Lusaka Wheelchair Run was held in May. This event was supported by Pepsi who allowed Cause & Effect to use their digital billboards for advertising. This event raised K6000.

The fourth edition of Cause & Effect will take place on 27 June with the money raised going to support Grassroot Soccer in their efforts to help stop the spread of HIV. Cause & Effect are grateful to those who have supported their previous events - Adlab, Castle, Pepsi, Aqua Ice, The Letterist. They hope to keep growing the concept and to incorporate more CSR opportunities Don’t miss the fourth Cause & Effect taking place at Sky Bar, Roma on 27 June, from 8 pm. Admission K50.

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The Times They Are a-Changin’ June 30 will be a second longer than normal this year.

What is now being called a ‘Leap Second’ has to be added to ensure that atomic clocks stay synchronised with the rotation of the Earth.

According to the scientists, the world’s serious clock-watchers, the Earth’s rotation has been decreasing by about two thousandths of a second every day. But atomic clocks do not change and they would eventually become out of sync with the rotation of Earth. The solution which the Earth Rotation Service (in France) has come up with is to add an additional second every so often. This has happened 25 times since 1972 and midnight (UTC) on 30 June will be number 26.

Whilst you and I do not see the addition of one extra second as a major issue, it is causing great concern for internet companies and server administrators around the world.

Many computing systems use the Network Time Protocol, or NTP, to keep themselves

4

(With apologies to Bob Dylan)

in sync with the world’s atomic clocks. But most of these are not programmed to deal with an extra second in a day. During the leap second, the computer clock shows 60 seconds instead of rolling over to the next minutes. Computers will register this as a system error and as a result can overload the CPU. Large companies such as Google will add milliseconds to their servers in the lead up to 30 June so that when the change takes place their servers will not notice the addition of the leap second and will keep working.

Of concern to us normal people in Zambia is surely going to be what companies such as the banks are doing about this? Do their servers sync their time with the NTP or do they just use ‘Zambian time’? Could we find ourselves on 1 July with our entire banking system ‘down’, ATM’s offline; bank transfers at a standstill and cheques having to be cleared manually.

And what of our ISP’s, phone companies and Zesco? How pertinent is accurate time to delivery of their service?

Only time will tell!

The Sky in June

by Gwyn Thomas The Winter Sky

Ophiuchus used a magical potion to resurrect Orion after Scorpius had killed him. Below Ophiuchus lies another hero of Greek legend, Hercules. Vega in Lyra is towards the northern horizon.

The Southern Cross (Crux) and Pointers are setting in the West.

The centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way is to be found in Sagittarius. This is found at Sagittarius A which is a super massive black hole which is about 25 to 28 thousand light years away. Sagittarius A is very bright very compact radio source

To use the image establish which way is north and hold the image below above your head with the N pointing North.

The Milky Way is well-placed for observing at this time of year. It spans from the False Cross in Vela up through Crux and Centaurus, to the curved figure of Scorpius the Scorpion nearly overhead. From there the Milky Way passes through Sagittarius and Aquila, and on towards the northeastern horizon. Below Scorpius (with the red star Antares) lies Sagittarius the Archer, where the Milky Way is particularly bright, marking the centre of our Galaxy.

The sprawling constellation of Ophiuchus lies below the Scorpion. In Greek legend,

Image: Stellarium

Now that you have seen descriptions of the constellations that are visible in the Southern Hemisphere skies the image below shows the Winter sky at about midnight at the Winter Solstice from Lusaka. Zambia.

d Event 1 Moon near Saturn in Scorpio 1 Venus near Pollux 2 Full Moon 9 Last Quarter Moon 11 Moon near Uranus 12 Venus near Beehive (M44) in Cancer 13 Venus near Beehive (M44) in Cancer 13 theta Ophiuchid meteor shower max 14 Venus near Beehive (M44) in Cancer 15 Moon within the Hyades 15 Moon near Mercury and Aldebaran 16 New Moon 16 Moon near Mars 16 June Lyrid meteor shower max.

20 Venus-Moon 5.1째 at noon Jupiter 20 Moon near Venus and Jupiter 21 Moon near Regulus 21 Winter solstice 21 International SUN-day 23 Mercury near Aldebaran 24 First Quarter Moon 25 Moon near Spica 26 Moon near Spica 28 Moon near Saturn 28 Moon occults gamma Lib 30 Venus near Jupiter 5

Diary of Astronomical Phenomena

During June the 5 major planets: • Mercury is moving through Taurus and will be visible in the mornings • Venus is moving from Gemini into Cancer and will be visible in the evenings • Mars is moving from Taurus into Gemini and is not visible.

• Jupiter is moving from Cancer into Leo and is prominent the first half of the night.

• Saturn is in Scorpio and is visible after midnight until morning Meteor Showers chi Scorpiids

Visible 27/05 - 20/06

Peak 05/06

Sagittarids

08/06 - 16/06

11/06

theta Ophiuchids

08/06 - 16/06

13/06

June Lyrids

11/06 - 21/06

16/06

Image: The Galactic Center as seen by one of the 2MASS infrared telescopes, is located in the bright upper left portion of the image. (MASS / G Kopan, R Hurt)

with a mass of 2.6 million solar masses.

An object of interest is the Beehive cluster or Messier 44 which is to be found in Cancer and on the 12, 13 and 14 June will be found near Venus. The Beehive cluster is an open cluster of stars which was first observed by Galileo in 1609. It is visible with binoculars and consists of at least 1000 gravitationally bound stars of which about twenty are visible with strong binoculars. This is visible early in the evening just above the Western horizon.

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In The Garden

Colour is a very important aspect of a successful garden and allows you to use your artistic talents. Try to imagine the effect you would like to achieve before choosing and buying new plants.

Look at books and magazines for ideas but most of all look at other gardens. Even the roadside verges you drive past can inspire you to try something new.

It is rarely a success to plant just one of a kind on its own. Only a few “feature plants” have enough impact for that. A splash of colour that can be seen from a distance often means planting ten or twenty plants of the same type.

It is also very effective to plant an area with different flowers of one colour. White is particularly attractive for this. Think of a white bougainvillea on the wall, with some white petrea nearby, white jasmine, white ginger (hedychium), dainty “Diamond frost” euphorbias, white agapanthus, white Iceberg roses, Herald’s trumpets (beaumontia grandiflora), white day irises (dieties) and so on. A background of green foliage plants including lots of ferns and perhaps the dark green dieffenbachia with its white central rib on the leaf will complete the picture.

Even a mixed border needs careful colour co-ordination. Purples, pinks and blues go well together while orange, yellow and cream complement each other. A dramatic splash of a contrasting colour can provide a highlight if you plan the effect well.

Plant creepers to cover the wall, then larger shrubs and tall plants, with medium and short plants in front. But break the rules occasionally and add a palm or a large shrub at the front of the bed to avoid dull uniformity. Nature does not give us many straight lines. “Biodiversity” means that there is endless variety and we should celebrate this in our gardens.

Another important feature of design for a large garden is to have hidden areas so that parts of the garden form “rooms” or secluded corners. There is a lovely example of this in the Garden Club premises in the Showgrounds. Several large gardens I know have a section near the house with a well-kept lawn and flower borders curving through and around the grass. Beyond the flower borders are other areas where wild grasses and indigenous trees and bushes grow so that many more birds butterflies and bees visit the garden – or even live there permanently. Keep a path mown through the long grass so that it is easy to walk through. A hedge can be used to screen a vegetable area. The compost heap, an essential feature of every garden, can be hidden by a low fence or a line of shrubs.

Monet was an artistic genius and his garden in France is very beautiful and very famous. We work in our gardens to create a place of tranquillity and beauty where we can feel at peace. It takes thought and creativity and a lot of hard work but gardening is one of the most rewarding activities we can undertake. Gardening never ends because garden plants grow and change and there is always something new to try. And the weeds grow like crazy…

TIP: Check the website www.ecobizworms.com 7

of being Lusaka’s only snake to only ever bite with one tooth - it rotates a fang out of the side of its mouth and jabs its rather weak venom into any predator, earning it the alternative name of Stiletto snake (after the knife, not the shoe).

There seems to be a general consensus in Lusaka that we have a deadly snake virtually indistinguishable from the harmless blind snakes burrowing around in our gardens.

Before I comment any further, I want to say that the snake in question is not deadly; its bite can cause nausea and headaches, but the Bibron’s Burrowing Asp, which also occurs over much of Southern Africa, has not been associated with any deaths.

It is a fairly typical, dark-red to black snake: like most snakes, it has a large mouth with plenty of teeth, interlocking scales upon its back, a flattened belly, a distinct tail, a visible neck and clearly visible eyes, albeit rather small ones. It holds the dubious distinction 8

Blind snakes - which completely lack venom and generally eat termites - are primitive, cylindrical snakes, with overlapping scales, a blunt, indistinct head with a tiny, mostly toothless mouth; a tail reduced to a downcurved spine, and, in a

trait shared only with pythons and relatives, they still possess traces of hips inherited from their four-legged ancestors. Their eyes, when present, are minute and often covered in scales.

A more troubling distinction is between the asp and the related Eastern Purple-Glossed Snake; a mildmannered, dull-red to black snake with barely any venom to speak of. Large females, at a metre in length, are over a foot longer than the largest burrowing asps, but most books recommend identifying smaller

individuals by the position of the teeth which requires getting rather closer than most people are comfortable with. More visibly, the purple-glossed snake has fewer and larger scales on its head, giving a distinctly armoured look, but if this is still closer than you can bear, shine a torch on the snake in question: the asp freezes and hides its head from direct light, while the purpleglossed snake is much less sensitive, and will, very rarely, bask above ground on cool days.

If all else fails, try to remember that both of these timid snakes are mostly harmless.

9

I am a walker. Like many Americans, I love walking around the city with a huge cup of take-away coffee in hand – always on the go, and too busy to stop and sit and have a civilised cup of coffee. I like this about America. And so imagine my joy when, walking from my flat in Kabulonga to my job at the UTH, I happened across Casa Portico.

It looks most inviting from the vantage point of Ngumbo Road, with its outdoor seating and festive colours. I wandered in one morning to check out the menu and was pleased by many aspects of this restaurant.

First, cappuccino for take-away in a very high quality take-away cup. Second, espresso muffins also for take-way that are delicious.

Third, cats. I’m a cat lover and miss my three cats that I’ve left behind in Boston. Forth, very friendly staff. Fifth, books for sale.

Through a mutual acquaintance, I was introduced to a fellow Bostonian, a physician also working at the UTH. We arranged a meet and greet and I was happy that he suggested Casa Portico for lunch. He recommended the panini sandwiches, made with quality Italian meats and cheeses. I usually don’t eat a sandwich, but seeing the cold cuts and cheeses that are displayed in the deli case (also for take-away sale) made me want one. The panini was huge and I thought to myself, I’ll eat half and take the other half for lunch tomorrow. Nope, that whole sandwich was gone – it was too good to stop eating halfway through. I washed it down with a refreshing mint and lemon sparkling drink that was just perfect. In addition to the panini sandwiches, there are daily specials as well as pasta dishes. A very nice selection of food and beverages.

The physician that I work for at the UTH doesn’t like a sandwich for lunch either – he

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by Sherri

Casa Portico

likes fish and nshima every day. I understand, because this is a hearty, healthy African lunch and very tasty. I do think he would like a panini though – it is a delicious hot sandwich – and I am going to keep trying to get him to try one.

I had eyed the wine list during my coffee runs and my lunch appointment. It looked good, but opportunity had not presented itself to try a glass. On Friday afternoons I have a weekly telephone conference that involves the sponsors of the project I’m working on – one person based in Boston and another based in Basel Switzerland. After my UTH colleagues knocked-off one Friday, I decided to take this telephone conference from Casa Portico while having lunch. It was a busy afternoon at the restaurant and I asked if there was a quiet place I could eat and talk on the phone.

They so kindly sat me in the ‘back-yard’, which was perfect. I ordered a panini, and a glass of chardonnay. I love an oaky, California chardonnay, so haven’t been too happy here with the sweet, unoaked chardonnay from South Africa. Casa Portico has a very nice chardonnay, not as oaky as I like, but very delicious. Their Italian wine list is really good.

I had the most pleasant telephone conference, eating a delicious panini, drinking chardonnay, with a cat on my lap.

Perfect! I highly recommend Casa Portico.

My sister gave me my first car in an almost unbelievable gesture of sibling altruism that soon revealed itself to be mostly cloud, concealing the flimsiest of silver linings.

The vehicle in question was her old Fiat 500. A small white creature in which she had limped from one teenage engagement to the next, reliant on boyfriends to push and tow her much of the time. Rather than address the mechanical issues I went for the “lick of paint cures all” approach and purchased two litres of car enamel which boasted a perfect brush-on finish. After a quick rub down with emery paper and some artful sculpting with a kilo or two of body-filler I set to work and soon had converted the faded little beast into a bright bumblebee of buttercup yellow with a jaunty double racing stripe across the centre line from bumper to bumper.

I popped the bonnet and found to my surprise that the engine was completely absent, and had been cunningly replaced by an extra storage area providing enough room to transport a medium sized hand of bananas and nothing else. The engine which some time later I discovered at the rear of the car was a small, oily and complicated affair which I decided was best left alone. Luckily the driveway to our rented bungalow had a slope, so the feckless starter motor could happily be left to sulk as I soon discovered how to jump-start the vehicle down the incline and since we lived in a quiet cul de sac where every other resident had long since swapped their cars for wheelchairs I was free to practice my driving skills up and down the road with nobody to question the legitimacy of a fifteen year old cruising, with all the fluidity of a grand mal seizure, around the close.

Bear in mind this was in the UK not the US where kids are issued a V8 F350 pick-up truck at the appearance of their first pubic hair, so I had to wait until 17 before I could legally don L plates and coax a licensed adult into the passenger seat to instruct. By

this time I had saved enough money to buy a motorbike which I recommend to all teenagers as the best way to ensure your parents stump up the cash to buy you a car. Our mostly absent father (he was so distant we thought of him as Farther) was guilt tripped out of a Datsun 100A . My first crack at the driving test resulted in an argument over the exact mistake I had made (some alleged and paltry infringement involving an 11 point turn and an invisible child) and as I left the Test Centre I urged the examiner to drive his moped under a juggernaut.

On the second attempt I was allocated the same examiner who in addition to having patently ignored my advice from our last meeting now gave me a look of recognition and reckoning that left me in no doubt I had failed before I even checked my rear view mirror. Third time a charm and I was street legal. By 19 I was a fairly safe and conservative driver, having scared myself out of any boy racer tendencies in the first couple of months behind the wheel. I wore my seat belt long before the law prescribed it and obeyed the speed limit, mostly.

Both these habits stood me in good stead when a few months later I found myself upside down, largely unhurt and facing the oncoming traffic on the Brighton Marina Drive where I had fallen asleep at the wheel one morning at ten o’clock and hit the traffic island and a lamp post performing a back flip in my now not so clever looking 100A. After a brief dalliance with an Opel Kadett which guzzled more engine oil than petrol and which I roundly despised for its failure to go and stop when required, I began my love affair with the VW Beetle. My sister by this time had moved from Fiat 500’s through the hippy trippy corrugated tin gutlessness of several Deux Chevaux onto the Prussian pragmatism and post-blitz bronchial wheezing cough of the Volkswagen Beetle.

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One of Adolf Hitler’s better ideas the Beetle’s design was completed by none other than Ferdinand Porsche in 1938 to the following specs laid down by Hitler in April 1934 for his Volkswagen (People’s Car) The Chancellor insisted on a basic vehicle, capable of transporting two adults and three children at 100 kph (62 mph) while not using more than 32 mpg. The engine had to be powerful enough for rapid sustained cruising on Germany’s new Autobahnen.

Everything had to be designed to ensure worn out parts could be quickly and inexpensively exchanged. The engine had to be air-cooled because, as Hitler explained, not every country doctor had his own garage (Wikipedia) Mass production was put on hold until 1945 whilst the Fuhrer tinkered with a couple of other projects he had on the go. And then the Beetle went on to become the one of the top 4 most influential cars ever built with more than 21 million units manufactured.

Not only did my sister introduce me to Beetles but she introduced me to Clive, the sweetest and kindest little leprechaun of a Beetlemaniac. Clive lived on a smallholding near Chailey in East Sussex, with Mrs Clive (on whom the character Mrs Brown is evidently based) some chickens, guinea fowl and the requisite number of small dishevelled terrier and one eyed cats.

But most importantly Clive’s barn and surrounding yard was full of Beetles in various stages from pristine to gutted. You could buy a Beetle from Clive from around £300 up. A really good runner in the much sought after 1500cc model might set you back £950 but I never saw one of his cars go over the £1,000 mark. What’s more you could drive the car for six months and take it back to Clive for a trade in and he would welcome the now much shabbier and mechanically neglected vehicle back into his stable with open arms like a prodigal daughter and you would drive away in another rotund little stunner after parting with a couple of hundred quid for the 12

upgrade. It was like hiring a car for £200 a year.

And Clive was, as I have said a complete sweetheart. You would limp into his gate with your VW misfiring on three cylinders, the left exhaust heat exchanger dragging on the ground, the nearside wheel arch hanging off and a bloody great dent in the driver’s door. “Oh my oh my oh my! What da devil have ya been doin wid yor Beetle?” Clive would softly ask you in his lilted Southern Irish hymn of a voice. You would apologise as profusely as a parent delivering another person’s child from a playdate with one leg missing. Clive would shake his head and suck in air through his false teeth. “You’ll have ta leave her wid me fer de weekend an oyle see wot oye kendoferya”. On Monday at nine o’clock he would phone to say that he had done the best he could and you could come to collect the car. When you got to the farm there she would be resplendent on the muddy track. “Now!” Clive would start in as sternly as a lamb “Oyve tooned de engine and put in a new carb dat I took off dat turteen hunderd over dere. De exhaust is all bolted on an’ oye had to mig weld dat as the fumes were goin into de heatin system. Den, oye put on a new fender and oyve replaced de door. Also I saw dat you’d torn de upholstery on de back seat so oyve trown in a new one from dat same turteen hunderd over dere under de chicken. Now de new fender was blue an your car is red, so I resprayed de whole ting” As he was reeling off the list your mind would be going “Kaching Ka-Ching....KA CHING!!” as you saw the rest of your month’s beer money evaporating. Eventually as Clive came to the end of his mammoth rebuild you would dare to ask “What do I owe you Clive”. He would then start the most extraordinary one-man bartering display “Well now, well now, well now let me tink? De door an de fender dey must be wort tree hundred, de carburettor dats another fifty an de toon up....ach dat’s jus laybor. Den the oil change an feelters were twelve poond an de paint was terteen.

So dat’s tree hundred an severnty foive....... no no call it tree hundred an fifty......no hang

on a tikky......tree hundred flat.........Aaah no coz oye can panel beat your old fender....... aaaaaah......make it a hunderd an sixty.... is dat ok???” Look Sorry.....call it a hundred.

And here take dese!” Clive would hold out his palm on which lay two metal VW bonnet insignia. For these were the eighties, the dark years for BMW, Merc and Beetle owners “Beware dose Beastie Boys!!” Clive would call out after me as I hightailed it from the yard before he came to his senses and reviewed the bill for his work.

Eventually I found myself living with someone else’s girlfriend in her Hendon flat and commuting daily to Egham in Surrey where we both attended Royal Holloway (the London University College....not the women’s prison) in a VW Kombi. In my lifelong quest to own a campervan (see Fool on the Hill May 2015) I had converted the interior into a plywood wonderland with a double bed, kitchen sink, gas cooker and work table. The girlfriend would be gently cajoled half asleep into the Kombi bed and I would run the gamut of every traffic bottleneck on the Capitol Radio morning report arriving at RHC a raging wreck an hour and a quarter later. The girlfriend would emerge from the duvet, and head off to her first year lectures whilst I sat in the Kombi in the Karpark studying for my finals. Eventually I begged her to drive herself to college on one day as I needed to stay home and cram for a crucial exam and she reluctantly agreed. She never came home … or at least not for a week. She ignored the temperature warning light when the fan-belt snapped on Hangar Lane and left my Kombi on the pavement. By the time I caught up with her she was someone else’s girlfriend again.

Meanwhile I had grown to hate the man whose hands are featured in the Haynes Manual for the VW Kombi as by following his step by step pictorial instructions I had ended up lying in the gutter outside the missing girlfriend’s flat with a 1300 aircooled Nazi-inspired engine resting on my groin. Fair enough the Haynes Manual had not advised building a rickety see-saw lever arrangement with a pile of bricks and

a 6” by 2”, nor had it advised dropping the engine from the back of the vehicle singlehandedly using this Archimedian device. A neighbour rescued me minutes before my womanly screams of despair had weakened to dying gasps. My girl was gone, my engine was seized, my heart was broke and my love affair with Volkswagen was also over.

My manhood had been emotionally and physically crushed and all a chap could do was to flee to the Dark Continent, and seek solace in the bosom of Mother Nature and the reliable embrace of Toyota.

NB: “In the UK in 1986-87, thousands of the round ‘VW’ badges were stolen by teenagers, who wore them on neck chains to emulate the white rap group The Beastie Boys. Volkswagen had an unspoken policy of offering free replacements to distraught owners, while Beastie Boys fans were offered VW key rings if they stopped stealing the emblems.” (Car Badges - The ultimate guide to automotive logos worldwide” by Giles Chapman) 13

who was a proper “showman” and really got everyone roaring with approval. It was all first rate stuff. The whole affair was rounded off by drinks and splendid snacks all brought round by the Southern Sun caterers. Zambian Breweries certainly set up a brilliant showcase for the Zambian Music scene; Well Done!

Culture Vulture

“If music be the food of love play on, give me excess of it” so says Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night and Boy, did we only get an excess of it at the Mosi Music Awards. What an event. It was an extremely slick, well organised do. The stage set up was fantastic, and many of the audience wondered whether they were in Zambia at all, so lavish it all was that it would not have disgraced an event in London. A team had been organised

by Zambian Breweries to set up the stage, the illuminations, the effects, the big screens, the whole caboodle! The audience rose to the occasion, all were splendidly dressed, the women in long evening gowns, some with trains, others baring flesh in daring costumes. The men too were got up like peacocks, only I and Steve Mwansa, the PS, the only other old man there, were dressed in standard sober evening dress, though even he sported a rather snazzy bow tie.

The shoes that the ladies wore were another sight to behold, incredible, platform soles, a kaleidoscope of colours and high, high heels!

The presentations were made in a fashion that would not have disgraced the Oscars and, somehow, the acceptance speeches were kept short, the brevity displayed definitely set an example to the Oscars and was totally unusual! Full marks also went to the two comperes who were excellent in keeping the continuity of the night going.

Onto the stage at intervals came live performances which the audience loved.

There was one lady, bare foot, wearing a short overskirt of strips of silver tinsel, 14

I have to confess that I am a scopophile and there were plenty people to watch. Some of the ladies were really pleased by the way they looked so seemed more preoccupied in taking “selfies” all the time, altering their expressions to obtain the best effect. One wag queried whether their mirrors at home were covered in love bites!!

I wondered where all these fantastic costumes had come from and soon found out. I had gone to Zesco to complain about inaction. The lady behind the desk would not listen to my complaint; she had more important things on her mind. She flourished a number of photographs of wedding dresses in front of me and demanded an opinion on all of them and which I would prefer. I pointed out that none of them would fit me but my attempts at humour were frowned upon. This was a serious matter. It appeared that all these dresses and, I presume, many of those at the Music Awards were available, mail order, from China.

I advised the lady as best I could, suggesting that as she was getting married in October it would not be a good idea to have something strapless as it would need constant hitching up (Ladies glow, only horses sweat) and also, that as she was more mature and of generous proportion, it would be better to have something more decorous and, possibly, locally made, so that the cost of importation and the need to adjust the dress on its arrival could be avoided. No doubt, when I go again to complain about the continued inaction, I will find out what the ladies final choice was!

I have to confess that the music at the Awards, overwhelmingly popular with everyone else, was not to my own taste. I was ready to quote the good Duke again, “Enough, no more, ‘tis not so sweet now as it was before” after about an hour. Please,

do not label me as a stick in the mud, Oh No, I have done gigs before, I even went to a live performance by the Beatles! (Do not say WHO!!). That was held in a cinema in Luton.

We were up in the balcony; down below and all around us were herds of screaming girls, adoring the group of four, all dressed up in their sober, grey suits, up on a bare unadorned stage. You could not really hear the music as the large brass stair rail at the side of the balcony was resonating loudly in sympathy with the female caterwauling!

These days my tastes tend to quieter forms of culture though at times I get it thrust upon me such as last year on a visit to the UK. The city of Oxford was in the middle of its annual festival and, knowing how starved of Culture we obviously were (Coming from the Dark Continent), we were promptly signed up by a concerned daughter for a whole round of activities.

First, in the Jacqueline Du Pre Hall, round the back of St. Hilda’s (that used to be a Ladies Only college but now a few lucky 16

men are allowed in) we attended a lecture on Modern Art by a man from The Tate Modern. One picture shown was by some Russian con artist which consisted of a white rectangle surrounding a black interior. A lot of deep chat ensued and, I noted, in the Telegraph a few days later, another bunch of earnest waffle on the same picture was printed. I had to be gagged by the Madam as I wanted to ask whether this was a prime example akin to The Emperor’s New Clothes. The picture is now worth millions; it just goes to show you that I’ve got no couth!

After that I was not looking forward to the next foray, a Poetry evening. In the first half young poets gave of their efforts, they did their best but it was hardly illuminating, but then, in the second half, on came Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate with John Sampson.

Carol introduced him as having been given to her by Her Majesty as she was bored of him. There then followed a “tour de force” of brilliant, wickedly witty verse and here I quote from The Worlds Wife, a series of poems about the wives of well known chaps.

Mrs. Icarus “I’m not the first or the last to stand on a hillock, watching the man she married prove to the world he’s a total, utter, absolute, Grade A pillock” In between, John produced a variety of tin whistles, recorders et al and played them comically well.

I was so impressed that I bought a book of her poetry from which I am prone to spout to unlucky people. I highly recommend it.

On to the next event, a performance of Macbeth is watched, played in the open as dusk fell on the vast greensward enclosed by two branches of the River Cherwell that is the Magdalen Cricket ground. A snatch of conversation was heard between a grounds man and an American tourist who was keen to know how he had got the grass so svelte.

“Well” said the grounds man “first you level it, seed it, water it, roll it and mow it” “And what else?” said the tourist. “Nothing much, just keep on doing that,” said the grounds man. ”And does it take long?” “Not really, -- about 600 years!”

On another occasion, down the Cherwell come a flock of punts carrying choristers singing Madrigals in the gentle summer rain.

After that there was more Shakespeare, then “The Idylls of the King” a rather turgid piece of Victoriana by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, all about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I got into trouble. Upon the stage Arthur lies dying and says that he is nearly gone and I whisper, sotto voce, “Oh

Good”. Disgruntled mutterings and not a few sniggers from around me, my whisper was rather loud.

The last event was called “Anneleise” a musical rendition of Anne Franks Diary.

It was a dreary subject but the music and the choral work impressive. After that we thought that we would eat from a different culture so went to sample the vittles served by a Nepalese restaurant. The very different but delicious food was all washed down with Ghurka Beer, which turned out to be brewed in Horsham. Definitely not pukka!

I will not dwell on the glorious displays that I have seen in the past. Suffice to say that The Royal Opera House turns out The Tales of Hoffman in spectacular fashion. I saw it when young, nowadays to buy a ticket you have to be a lot richer than I am.

The other remembrance that I have was of promenade concerts in the Royal Albert Hall. The first one that I went to I was sat behind a chap with a faulty hearing aid which he kept fiddling with so that it crackled all the time. I could not believe that the next time I went the same chap was there. The place was packed. The first half of the programme was all Beethoven. After the interlude the Hall was empty apart from the pit, who turned and applauded those few of us who had stayed to hear the rest. I was rewarded by a Vaughn Williams Symphony, utterly brilliant.

I thought it incredibly rude of those who left and I was not going to emulate them, 50 years later, by walking out of the Music Awards!

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Amazing Greens When it comes to health, Green is the colour - and for very good reason.

corner, and you will pretty much always find greens harvested that very same day.

Dark green leafy vegetables (or “greens” for short), are not your average vegetable. They win first place every time when it comes to nutritional and therapeutic value. If you were to list all the nutritional requirements that we as human beings need on a typical day, and then list all the nutritional elements that greens contain, you will find that the two lists match. Indeed, the greens often exceed what we need on a daily basis. No other food group even comes close.

Yet, although we are blessed with access to these incredible nutritional powerhouses of food, we completely destroy them by cooking, and cooking and cooking them to death. In the process of cooking, we destroy the vast majority of nutritional elements, which made these greens so special in the first place. Cooking will generally destroy (or denature) 50% of protein, 50% of minerals, 40-80% of vitamins, 80% of phytonutrients and 100% of enzymes.

The reason that greens are green, is due to their chlorophyll. I usually think of chlorophyll as the “blood” of plants.

Indeed, when you look at the molecular structure of chlorophyll, you find that it is identical to human blood with the exception that it contains magnesium in the center of the structure, rather than iron. This means that greens are excellent at helping to boost blood.

The solution? We have to find a way to start consuming at least some of our greens in their raw unadulterated form – as nature intended. By doing this, we can radically increase our overall nutrition.

Chlorophyll is also a phenomenal detoxifier and antioxidant.

Did you know that greens contain complete protein? Usually we have been told that vegetables are incomplete when if comes to protein (that they don’t contain all the amino acids). That’s however not the case with greens. Hence, a cow can eat green grass all day and still grow an amazing amount of muscle tissue! Also, when digesting and processing protein from greens, there is no toxic by product such as uric acid, which we of course get when processing animal protein in our bodies.

We are truly blessed with the sheer variety and volume of greens produced in Zambia, all year round. Being originally from Sweden, I can tell you that it is no easy task trying to find fresh greens in the dead of winter in Scandinavia! No such problems here though, you just go down to the street 18

Indeed, the government has recognized that 40% of Zambian children are stunted.

That’s one of the worst statistics from across the world. This means that we are currently NOT getting the nutrition that we need. Interestingly, this is also affecting kids from rich families as well. Hence, it is not just a calorie issue, but rather a nutritional (vitamin & mineral) issue. We have this amazing resource that almost everyone has access to and can afford – Greens. We just have to change the way we eat it.

Raw rape, anyone? Yes, I agree, it does not sound very appealing.

All hail the Green Smoothie. This simple drink is a combination of blended raw greens with some fruit and water and can be mde very easily at home. Use organic spinach and rape together with banana and pineapple or choose any green with whatever fruit you enjoy.

Have a Green day! …………………………………………………..

Umoyo Natural Health. www.umoyo.com 0966 800 600. Clinic & Health Shops.

Giving Up Trash

Recycling helps extend the life and usefulness of something that has already served its initial purpose by producing something that is useable.

Recycling has a lot of benefits and importance not only to us humans but especially to our planet.

Almost everything we see around us can be recycled. Different materials require different techniques when recycled. Recyclable materials commonly include batteries, biodegradable waste, clothing, electronics, garments, glass, metals, paper, plastics and a lot more.

The recycling process is a cycle and the first stage is the collecting and sorting. In this stage, waste materials are collected and then processed and sorted according to its type and use.

Recycling has a lot of benefits that can help people and save the environment as well. Its importance can be observed in many different ways. Here are some great reasons why recycling is important.

Recycling different products will help the environment. For example, we know that paper comes from trees and many trees are being cut down just to produce paper.

By recycling it, we can help lessen the number of trees that are cut down. Products made from raw materials that came from our natural resources should be recycled so that we can help preserve the environment.

It takes less energy to process recycled materials than to process virgin materials. For example, it takes a lot less energy to recycle paper than to create new paper from trees.

The energy from transporting virgin materials from the source is also saved. Saving energy

also has its own benefits like decreasing pollution. This creates less stress on own health and our economy.

Recycling helps mitigate global warming and reduce pollution.

By saving energy in industrial production through recycling, the green house gas emissions from factories and industrial plants are lessened and the use of fuels that emit harmful gasses during production is also minimized. Recycling non-biodegradable waste (rather then burning it) will contribute a lot to help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gasses that depletes the ozone layer.

Recycling reduces waste products in landfills.

Landfills are mostly composed of nonbiodegradable waste which takes long time to decompose. By recycling, we can lessen the waste materials that are placed into landfills and we are able to make the most out of these materials. If we don’t recycle, more and more garbage will go to landfills until they all get filled up. If that happens, where will the rubbish be placed? How would you like a land fill in you backyard?

In an effort to curb some of the environmental challenges that the city of Lusaka is faced with today, the Wildlife & Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia (WECSZ) has embarked on a recycling programme. They collect paper and old car batteries for recycling.

Therefore, if you have old car batteries, paper/card boxes that are not of any use to you, please don’t hesitate to deliver them to the WECSZ Office on Plot 4435 Kumoyo Road in Longacres – off Los Angeles Boulevard, just behind the Zambia RedCross Society. Or contact us on 0211 251-630 or wecsz@coppernet.zm 19

Digging up the past?

In early May I attended a seminar in Oxford where Sir Stephen Sedley was making a presentation to a group of historians on the outcome of the Commission of Inquiry he had chaired into the feasibility of reopening the United Nations inquiry into the death of Dag Hammarskjöld. I went out of a general interest, but came away convinced not just of the importance of thorough inquiry but of the value of the historical perspective. Sometimes the passage of time makes things clearer.

As is well known, on the night of 17th/18th September 1961 an aircraft carrying Dag Hammarskjöld, the Secretary General of the United Nations, crashed near to Ndola; of the sixteen people on board there was just one survivor, an American security guard, who died in hospital a few days later. Almost immediately the incident became the subject of competing explanations, theories and fantasies. To this day, there is no shortage of people who “know” for certain what brought the plane down – the trouble is they “know” rather a lot of competing things. An article in The Lowdown of 12th September 2011 “Let’s take a look behind – The Congo Crisis” gives an outline of the established facts and presents several of the theories relating to the crash but more data (and speculations) have emerged since it was published: Amongst all the conjecture, one thing that is certain is that the case was laid to rest with indecent haste, following the lead given by Lord Alport, the British High Commissioner to the Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland, who was adamant that the crash was a simple matter of pilot error. Because of the place of the crash, the initial investigation was carried out by British colonial authorities, including the Northern Rhodesia Police and Lord Alport wanted it to be an accident (which is not to say that it wasn’t). When one considers the painstaking attention, data collection and expertise that routinely goes into the investigation of an air disaster today, it 20

by Pamela Shurmer-Smith

might appear odd that a crash resulting in the death of a man of such international significance should have received so little forensic attention back then. The lack of thorough contemporary investigation has laid the case open to wild conspiracy theories, but not all conspiracy theories are untrue and because an explanation is improbable it isn’t necessarily impossible.

Although it is painful to think about these times in modern Zambia, if one is to come to terms with the mystery surrounding the crash it is essential to remember the tense political situation that existed in Northern Rhodesia in 1961. The country was still a British protectorate with unabashed racial divisions infecting virtually all aspects of society and politics and the outcome of the Independence struggle was by no means certain. When the Congo became Independent from Belgium in 1960 the consequences were, to say the very least, traumatic. Not only had the Belgian colonial regime been notoriously harsh, there had been little attempt to prepare for the transfer of power; the country fell almost immediately into civil war when mineralrich Katanga made a bid for secession under Moise Tshombe. In the cold war era it was inevitable that opposing international forces would play out in a proxy war – the Communist bloc seizing the opportunity to establish itself in sub-Saharan Africa by backing the undivided Congo, headed

by Patrice Lumumba, whilst Katangan secession received support not just from the Belgian mining company, Union Minière, but also the Federal Government under Welensky. In January 1961 Lumumba was assassinated, the war escalated and the UN intervened with a peace-keeping force but was accused of overplaying its hand. The United States feared it would lose control of the world’s richest supply of uranium to Russia and the British were nervous of the Congo’s proximity to the Rhodesian Copperbelt. In this context a large section of the European population of Northern Rhodesia was terrified that

the Zambian Independence struggle might mirror the Congolese violence and, strange as it may seem now, saw the UN as a communist agency. Many had no love for Hammarskjöld or his special representative in Katanga, Conor Cruise O’Brien.

On the fateful night, Hammarskjöld, who had been vainly attempting to broker a settlement, was due to attend a supposedly secret meeting with Tshombe at Ndola Airport. He left Leopoldville for Ndola in a DC6, maintaining radio silence for the greater part of the flight to avoid attack.

After midnight, when Hammarskjöld’s plane failed to arrive, it was decided that the mission had been aborted. Tshombe retired to the PC’s house for the night and the airport closed down. The burned-out wreckage was found by members of NRP the next afternoon, just a few miles from Ndola.

It beggars belief that it took so long to realise that the plane was missing and then find it so close to Ndola. Did it crash accidentally? Was it forced down?

Was there a bomb on board? Was it shot down from the air/from the ground? Did it descend on fire, burst into flames on impact or was it set alight on the ground? Were all but one of those on board killed instantly, or were they shot by waiting mercenaries?

Was Hammarskjöld’s body, remarkably unburned, moved to a sitting position by an ant-heap and did someone really place an ace of spades under his collar? Importantly, there is the attribution of responsibility – pilot error, engine failure or altimeter error, the machinations of Union Minière, the CIA, the Russians, the act of a rogue mercenary …?

After a perfunctory examination, the wreckage of the plane was buried at Ndola Airport (apparently under the runway – Ed) and has stayed put. At the time the crash scene was poorly guarded and in the course of my own research on the European diaspora several men told me that as schoolboys they cycled out to the site with friends and claimed souvenirs 21

unhindered. There seems to have been a remarkably cavalier attitude and I cannot help but think that Hammarskjöld’s death provoked little anguish on the part of the authorities. An accident was the most politically convenient explanation of the tragedy and remains so to this day.

I’m assuming that the earlier Lowdown article was prompted by the publication in 2011 of Susan Williams’ Who Killed Hammarskjöld?: The UN, the Cold War and White Supremacy, a superlative piece of independent research that scrutinises a tangle of hard evidence and fabulist storytelling. Williams doesn’t answer her own question but leaves it hanging; though she is meticulous in her work, she had limited funding and no power to demand the release of official secret documents. She does, however, shift evidence from African eye-witnesses to centre ground – not only are these people who at the time would have been wary of approaching the police, there seems to have been a reluctance on the part of the authorities to take them seriously as reliable witnesses. Her work reinforces the suspicion that there were two planes in the sky over Ndola that night, the second a Katangan Fouga Magister whose pilot seems to have attempted to cause the DC6 to make a detour in order to prevent Hammarskjöld’s meeting with Tshombe.

Did he bodge his job or did he execute it efficiently?

The Lowdown article ends by saying “We shall never know the cause of the crash …” and this has been the prevailing opinion until recently, but Susan William’s book prompted Lord Lea of Crondall to form an enabling committee that appointed the renowned jurist Sir Stephen Sedley to chair a voluntary commission of inquiry into the feasibility of further investigation of the case. This commission reported in September 2013 (www. hammarskjoldcommission.org/report) and came to the conclusion that there was more to be revealed. The report is clear, concise and well worth reading. Following its publication, the Swedish Government 22

petitioned the UN to re-open its original investigations and was successful. A new commission of inquiry was formed this year, this time with the power to request the release of CIA and other documents that have hitherto been withheld, to summon witnesses and to carry out fresh forensic investigation. It has appointed a panel of experts consisting of Mr. Mohamed Othman, the head of the Panel and the Chief Justice of Tanzania; Ms. Kerryn Macaulay (Australia), an aircraft safety expert; and Mr. Henrik Larsen (Denmark), a ballistics expert. Crucially the plane will be exhumed.

But why dig up the past? It is likely that much will never be revealed and there will continue to be competing explanations of what is. Most of the people involved are now dead, there can be no trial, no punishment. Some may argue that since the political order of the early ‘60s no longer prevails it does no good to dwell on past wrongs. The catalogue of “lost” documents, disappeared photographs, X-rays and reports of autopsies, is itself enough to make any normally suspicious person wonder what was going on, but several people have asked me why I think there is any point in trying to gather together the remaining bits. Surely if History has any purpose at all beyond entertainment, it is to allow us to understand how we came to the state we are now in. For Zambia to understand its formation it needs to comprehend the ramifications of colonial and postcolonial conflict of the whole region and not sweep inconvenient events under the carpet. Dag Hammarskjöld’s death is more than just a fascinating mystery and it needs the clear light of day to be shone on all the available evidence however meagre. There exists something called Truth, which we may not always be able to uncover, but towards which I believe we should always strive.

Pamela Shurmer-Smith is the author of Remnants of Empire: Memory and Northern Rhodesia’s White Diaspora published by Gadsden Books, Lusaka earlier this year.

How Much Is That Doggie‌ How much is that doggie in the window‌ so go the words of the 1952 song sung by Pattie Page. Except that in the song, the puppy has a good life – it is looked after, loved, treated well and taken for walks.

This is completely the opposite of what is happening to some puppies which are making their way into Zambia.

Both The Lowdown (embarrassingly) and Ad-dicts (also embarrassingly) have advertised puppies for sale from Zimbabwe.

At the time the advert was placed, we asked about where the puppies came from and other such pertinent questions. The answers given satisfied us that this was a legitimate operation and that the puppies were being bred in good, clean and loving environments.

This may be the case but what is of concern is how these puppies are being sent to Zambia. Reports have been received of

them being sent with truck drivers, often spending days in the truck which is stuck at Chirundu clearing its cargo. Puppies infested with worms and ticks have been received in Lusaka.

If you are looking for a puppy (or dog) we recommend that you contact one of the animal welfare societies if you are happy to give a loving home to a stray or abandoned dog. Or if you are looking for a specific breed, contact the Lusaka and District Kennel Club or your vet who may be able to put you in touch with local breeders.

If you are importing a dog, contact the Breeder directly, and if possible, visit their premises.

Lusaka Animal Welfare Society Tel: 0966 005-297 Kitwe Animal Welfare Society Tel: 0977 289-157 or 0969 289-157

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Read ers Have Their Say..

I, Robin Buske, am a Zambian born and bred, being involved with conservation for about 30 years.

Saving the animals should be an issue very dear to every Zambian, black, white, pink or brown.

Strange thing is that, most of the antipoaching help or funds have come from outside this country, this beautiful haven for wild animals. Yet we have people, Zambians, living here but don’t seem to give a damm about our inheritance.

Doesn’t it mat ter if the kids of today, tomorrow ever get to see and know the many species that roam the

miyombo, flood plains and dambos, which one day might be a thing of the past, like the Bison of America and the end of the rhino’s?

Soon the magnificent giants that are being shot daily for their tusks the 3 ton of meat rots in the hot sun, while hundreds of our people starve, kids with bloated bellies from the sad diseases of malnutrition.

Yet I don’t know of any of our country people that will make an ef fort to help a person like myself to fight the poaching which like a cancer grows by the day.

Anti-poaching operations cost a lot of money and us Zambians sit back and expect donors from other countries to put the money on the table.

I ask myself why?? Do we not care?

Do we not understand? Or are we too busy looking af ter ourselves.

There are wealthy people in this country that could help so why beg from foreigners. Think before it is too late depriving your kids of their inheritance is a real sin.

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For more information contact; Robin Buske; 0966 423-430 / 0973 106-107 or Adam Buske; 0977 896-720

Off Your Mat

The United Nations, in December 2014, passed a resolution establishing 21 June as International Day of Yoga. This is in recognition of Yoga providing a holistic approach to health and well-being.

The resolution was sponsored by an unprecedented record of 177 countries and was adopted unanimously. In its resolution, the UN General Assembly called for the wider dissemination of information on the benefits of practicing Yoga for the health of the world’s population. Yoga brings harmony in all walks of life and is known for disease prevention, health promotion and management of many lifestyle-related disorders.

Yoga dates back more than 5000 years.

Yoga is an art based on scientific principles for healthy living. The word “Yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit word yuj meaning “to join” or “to yoke” or “to unite”. Yoga is an extremely subtle science which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. The practice of yoga will lead to a sense of peace and well-being. Due to its multifold advantage, Yoga has gained global popularity - for a restless mind it gives solace, for illness it gives relief, and it helps one to stay physically fit. Extensive research on Yoga has also established the wide-ranging benefits of Yoga as a complementary therapy to medical management of various illness such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, depression, stress, etc.

Below are some glimpses of the application of Yoga in everyday life:

Surya Namaskar - Also known as ‘Sun Salutation’, this is one of the most wellknown Yoga routines that consists of 12 forward and backward bending movements that stretch and flex the spinal column.

It’s not that difficult to learn, and great for beginners who are looking to introduce themselves to yoga. This has been evolved over the centuries so as to exercise every muscle, nerve and gland in the body so as to secure a fine physique and in turn to have control over the mind, the intellect and the self.

Advantages of Surya Namaskar Surya Namaskar warms up and prepares the body for further Yoga practice. It lubricates and increases the blood supply to the joints; stretches and strengthens the whole body; improves efficiency of the internal organs; helps to detoxify the body; improves energy level and stimulates digestion. It is also useful for weight loss when practiced as an exercise and helps to balance the endocrine system.

Eating healthy- a Yoga perspective Food and diet occupy an important place in Yoga as the effects of improper eating manifests not only in appearance, but also through thought and behaviour.

Moreover, it is recognized that the food we eat can affect our temperament. In Yoga, foods have been classified as Rajasik, Tamasik and Sattvik.

Rajasik Foods: Food of a king or of a restless and energetic disposition.

l 0973 151-933

Cel Located along Suez Road |

They stimulate the body and mind into action. Fried food, highly seasoned, or baked food, coffee, tea, alcoholic and processed beverages fall in this category.

Disadvantages: These foods lead to weight gain and create a feeling of uneasiness after eating. In excess, these foods can cause hyperactivity, restlessness, anger, irritability, and sleeplessness.

Tamasik Food: Food causing a lethargic disposition Food prepared with excess spices, salts and hot seasonings are Tamasik foods. Stale or reheated food, oily or heavy food and food containing artificial preservatives also fall under this category.

Disadvantages: These foods lead to laziness and people eating these are characterized by a rough and intolerant temperament.

They also dull the mind and bring about inertia, confusion and disorientation.

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Sattvik Food: Food of a Yogi.

Food cooked with minimum spices and seasoning, and are fresh. They retain their nutritive value as they are cooked in a very simple fashion and have tremendous benefit on the overall system. Cooked food that is consumed within 3-4 hours of cooking can be considered sattviK. Sattvik food are those which purify the body, calm the mind and promotes clear thinking. Examples include fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, nuts, grains and fresh milk.

Yoga recommends sattvik diet to achieve qualities of lightness and calmness and rid ourselves of being irritated and lazy.

“Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being.”

Hon. Mr Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, addressing the UN General Assembly September 2014 See What’s Happening for information on Yoga classes available in Zambia Including; Saturday 20 June: Karma Yoga Non-profit fundraiser. Time: 10am - 4pm. Support the work of Habitat for Humanity Zambia.

No yoga experience required. Everyone welcome. A day of yoga, delicious vegetarian lunch, raffle for luxury prizes, shopping, and a special welcome gift.

Bring a yoga mat, towel, water bottle and yourself! INFO & Tickets: 0954 848-343, 0977 807-080, 0968 010-827.

Yoga with Iyengar slant. Mats available.

Contact for location and times. INFO: 0966 728-911, towani@kuthuta.com Ashtanga and Pre-Natal Yoga classes. In the comfort of your home. Individual classes: K300 per class. Group sessions: K100 per person, per session. Contact: 0978 507986, 0966 507-986.

Conditions - The articles and information contained in this newsletter are copyrighted to The Lowdown. They may be used in other publications or reproduced on condition that credit is given to the source. Photographs may not be used without written permission of the photographer. While reasonable precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of advice and information given to readers, The Lowdown, its advertisers and printers cannot accept responsibility for any damages or inconvenience that may arise therefrom. Any material sent to us will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and will be subject to The Lowdown’s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of The Lowdown. All advertising sales are subject to space availability and the discretion of The Lowdown.

2015 - 2024: International Decade for People of African Descent 2015: International Year of Light and Lightbased Technologies 2015: International Year of Soils Monday 1 June: Global Day of Parents Monday 1 June - Tuesday 2 June: Senses At Sensorium hosts Dr Clark, for Botox and Fillers. Venue: 6 Nalabuto Road. Payments in US$ only. INFO: 0211 257-330, 0977 798-282, 0969 740-440.

Thursday 4 June: International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression Thursday 4 June: Born In The Struggle Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm. Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 Thursday 4 June - Wednesday 1 July: Art Exhibition. Venue: Ababa House.

Friday 5 June: World Environment Day Saturday 6 June: Show, Company Thomas Guérineau. Venue: Alliance Française. Time: 5pm. Entry: K50 adults, K30 children. INFO: 0211 253-467, cultureaflusaka@gmail.com

Sunday 7 June: LAWS Crazy Golf Day. In aid of Lusaka Animal Welfare Society (LAWS). Venue: Lusaka Golf Club. K1,400 per Four Ball. Support a great cause - and win tons of prizes. INFO: 0969 465-148, eldeblanchard968@gmail.com 0977 856040, info@gerritzrestaurant.com 0972 166186, shataroopa.maitra@gmail.com Monday 8 June: World Oceans Day Friday 12 June: World Day Against Child Labour Friday 12 June: Lusaka Polo and Hunt Club Safari Ball. Dress Code: Dress to Kill, James Bond Casino Royale.

Tickets: K350, available at Digiprint Levy Junction, Punzilla Joseph Mwilwa Road.

Complimentary wine on the tables. Tables seat 10.

Saturday 13 June: International Albinism Day Saturday 13 - Sunday 14 June: Lusaka Colour Festival. Venue: Bongwe Barn & Guest House, Zambezi Road. Time: 2pm - 2am. Tickets: K100 presale, K120 gate.

Entry includes 1 free sachet of colour powder, free shot. Colour powder available for purchase. MC: Jason K from RockFM 96.5. Event raising funds for Zambia’s World Cup Polocrosse team. INFO: 0976 283-169, 0962 213-758, 0965 873-869, 0978 915-457 27

Saturday 13 June: The Lusaka Book Club is reading ‘Catch-22’ by Joseph Heller. Next month is ‘Get a Life’ by Nadine Gordimer.

INFO: 0979 454-765.

Saturday 13 June. Poet Springs Workshop.

Venue: Alliance Française Lusaka. For almost 2 years, the Poet Spring has hosted monthly poetry shows. The quality of presentations has varied from good performances to poor performances, the latter being the majority. The aim of the project is to improve the skills of Poets in areas of researching, writing and presenting poems. All Poets and Songwriters are within the scope of this training program. Come and attend this educative program. Free for paid up members / K25 for non paid members Saturday 13 June: French Children’s Movie: Les Contes De La Nuit. Venue: Alliance Française Lusaka.

Sunday 14 June: World Blood Donor Day Monday 15 June: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Monday 15 June: The Lowdown July Edition Deadline.

Wednesday 17 June: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought Thursday 18 June: Movie Night, 38 Témoins. Venue: Alliance Française. Time: 7.30pm. Entry: K20. INFO: 0211 253-467, cultureaflusaka@gmail.com Saturday 20 June: World Refugee Day Saturday 20 June: Karmya Yoga Non-profit fundraiser. Time: 10am - 4pm. Support the work of Habitat for Humanity Zambia.

No yoga experience required. Everyone welcome. A day of yoga, delicious vegetarian lunch, raffle for luxury prizes, shopping, and a special welcome gift.

Bring a yoga mat, towel, water bottle and yourself! INFO & Tickets: 0954 848-343, 0977 807-080, 0968 010-827.

Sunday 21 June: World Giraffe Day. An exciting initiative of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) to celebrate the longest-necked animal on the longest night (Southern Hemisphere) of the year.

Visit www.worldgiraffeday.org and join in the fun. With colouring pages for Kids and more.

Sunday 21 June: International Day of Yoga Sunday 21 June: Fete de la Musique / World Music Day. Venue: Alliance Française Lusaka. An annual music festival celebrated by over 110 countries. This Music day allows the expression of all styles of music in a cheerful atmosphere. It gives an opportunity to communicate and share a very special moment though Music.

Tuesday 23 June: United Nations Public Service Day Tuesday 23 June: International Widows’ Day Thursday 25 June: Day of the Seafarer Thursday 25 June: ‘Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream’ Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm. Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 Friday 26 June: International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking Friday 26 June: United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture Friday 26 June: Poetry Show, Poet Springs Venue: Alliance Française.

Time: 7pm. Free. INFO: 0211 253-467, cultureaflusaka@gmail.com Saturday 27 June: Writers circle, Zampen Venue: Alliance Française.

Time: 2pm. Free. INFO: 0211 253-467, cultureaflusaka@gmail.com Saturday 27 June: Cause & Effect Vol 4.

Venue: Roma Sky Bar. Time: 8pm - 2am.

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Sunday 28 June: Scruffts Fun Dog Show.

Events for all dogs old and young, mixed and pedigree. There will be demonstrations and free advice if you need any! Bring your dog, a collar and lead and a valid rabies certificate. Cash bar and snacks available. INFO: 0962 001-686, lusakakennelclub@gmail.com Thursday 2 July: The Bloody Miracle Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm. Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 Saturday 4 July: International Day of Cooperatives Monday 6 July: Public Holiday. Heroes’ Day Tuesday 7 July: Public Holiday. Unity Day Saturday 11 July: World Population Day Saturday 11 July: Mazabuka Clinic Livestock Auction. Venue: Sikalozia Farm, Mazabuka. An amazing variety of Livestock for sale; cattle, sheep and pigs. Game for sale with hunt included. Cowboy style bar and delicious food. Farm Fresh homemade goods, books, gifts, tombola and more. In support of Mazabuka Clinic. INFO: 0977 313-534, bignell.ranching@gmail.com Wednesday 15 July: World Youth Skills Day Wednesday 15 July: The Lowdown August Edition Deadline.

Saturday 18 July: The Lusaka Book Club is reading ‘Get a Life’ by Nadine Gordimer.

Next month is ‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt. INFO: 0979 454-765.

Monday 27 July - Tuesday 28 July: Zambian Sport Development Conference. INFO: 0974 779-541, inquiries@oydc.org.zm Thursday 30 July: Waterberg to Waterberg Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm. Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 30

Sunday 2 August: Mulungushi Mountain Bike Challenge. Venue: Mulungushi Boat Club, Kabwe. Race Entry: 80km; K300 | 40km; K300 | 20km; K250 | kids race; K150. Entries close 20/07/15. INFO: 0977 415-214, lesleyann@iconnect.zm Monday 3 August: Public Holiday. Farmers’ Day Thursday 6 August: My Land, My Life Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm. Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 Saturday 15 August: Elephant Epic.

Mountain Bike Challenge From Lusaka to Lower Zambezi. In support of Game Rangers International. INFO: www.elephantepic.org Thursday 27 August: Mama Africa Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm. Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 Thursday 3 September: Education, Education Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm.

Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 Thursday 24 September: Give Us The Money Screening. Buildup to Lusaka International Film Festival. Time 8pm.

Venue: Levy Junction Mall’s Fresh View Cinema. Ticket K30. INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 Friday 30 October - Friday 6 November: Lusaka International Film and Music Festival. Theme: Inclusive Communities.

INFO: 0211 285-394, 0968 033-957 ‘Craft Markets & Markets’ Dutch Reformed Craft Market. Venue: Dutch Reformed Church, Kabulonga. Time: Last Saturday of the month.

Foxdale Court Farmer’s Market: Venue: Foxdale Court, 609 Zambezi Rd, Roma.

Time: Sundays; 7am - 5pm. Locally grown fruit, vegetables, cut flowers, plants, fresh and dried vegetables. Support your small scale farmers. INFO: 0973 315-185, 0211 295-793, info@foxdalecourt.com, www.foxdalecourt.com St Columba’s Craft Market. Venue: St Columba’s Presbyterian Church, Nangwenya Rd. Time: First Saturday of the month. Come buy and sell, all welcome. Proceeds to church projects and community.

Konzani Gardens Market Day. Venue: Plot 7053/M Lusaka West. Buy and Sell vegetables, chickens, eggs, clothes, toys, books, paintings. Time: Monthly, Last Saturday, 9am on. Stands: K20. INFO: 0976 549-777, konzanigardens@gmail.com Waterfalls Precinct Gourmet Market.

Venue: Portico Restaurant, Lusaka Showgrounds. Time: Monthly, Second Friday, 7pm. A community event where you can buy and sell authentic food.

A platform for local farmers, organic merchants, bakers, butchers, artisan producers and more. INFO: 0969 442-753 oscar@waterfallsprecinct.com ‘Business Associations & Community’ The Association of 41 Clubs of Zambia.

Meetings: First Wednesday of the month, (except Chingola - first Friday). Lusaka: No 1 Kunzubo Guest Lodge, Zambezi Rd, Roma, 6pm; Kitwe: No 2, The Ravens Country Club, 6pm; Ndola: No 3, Table Hall, Ndola, 7pm; Chingola: No 4, Golf Club, 6.30pm. All ex-tablers welcome INFO: 0955 791-414.

Chishawasha Children’s Home has a regular stall at the Dutch Reform Church Craft Market. Available are hand-made crafts and quality second-hand books.

Don’t miss this opportunity to support Zambian orphans. INFO: 0211 214557, philplusm@gmail.com

Diplomatic Spouses Association (DSA).

Meetings: Last Tuesday of the month.

Members and spouses from diplomatic / international missions, honorary consulates & expatriate community accredited to Zambia are all welcome. INFO: soraya.king@hotmail.com HI Alumni. Lusaka Chapter. Time: Monthly third Saturday, 8am - 9am. Venue: Ndeke Hotel, Longacres. INFO: 0977 774-168, 0977 792-424 InterNations: Expatriates, expand your social and business network, join the largest fastest growing online community, mingle with other expats at our monthly events. Activities include lunch groups, dinner groups, Sunday afternoon coffee groups, photo walk groups etc. INFO: ireen.shalom@gmail.com or emmswood@gmail.com or sarahe@tinytimandfriends.org International Women’s Club. Meetings: First Wednesday of the month. Venue: Poolside, 31

Southern Sun Ridgeway. New members welcome.

Lusaka District Business Association.

Meetings: Last Wednesday of the month.

Venue: ZCSMBA offices, Showgrounds.

Time: 2pm. A member of the Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Associations (ZCWMBA). Come and enhance your business integrity. An ideal forum for sharing business knowledge, ideas, skills etc.

Rotary Club Meetings. Mondays: RC of Nkwazi; Barclays Bank Sports Club; 6pm.

Tuesdays: RC of Lusaka; Holiday Inn; 12.30pm. Wednesdays: RC of Maluba; Radisson Blu; 12.30pm. Thursdays: RC of Lusaka Central; Taj Pamodzi Hotel; 12.30pm. Fridays: RC of Pamodzi; Taj Pamodzi Hotel; 12.30pm. Saturdays: RC of Kusinta; The Courtyard Hotel; 9am.

Stuttering Association of Zambia. Meetings: Monthly, Second Saturday. Time: 2.30pm.

Persons who stutter or stammer, spouses of people who stutter, parents of children who stutter, speech therapists and anyone with an interest are welcome to join.

INFO: 0977 863-363, 0977 841-576, stutteringz@gmail.com Zambezi Toastmasters. Would you like to improve your public speaking? Venue: Lusaka Hotel. Time: Twice Monthly (Second and fourth Thursdays, 6.15pm - 8pm). Toastmasters in an international organisation that builds communication and leadership skills. INFO: 0978 390464, 0979 454-765, or like ‘Zambezi Toastmasters’ on Facebook.

Zambian Women’s Institute: Meetings: Every Wednesday morning. Venue: Longacres (next to the Red Cross Building).

INFO: 0977 419-005, 0977 760-375, reginafinni@gmail.com ‘Faith-Based’ American Orthodox Catholic Church: Desire to celebrate the old Catholic Divine Liturgy (not Vatican). INFO: 0977 707-367.

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Bahá’í Devotional Gathering: Venue: Bahá’í Centre, Alick Nkhata Rd, beside Mass Media Complex. Time: Sunday 10.30am 12pm. All are welcome. Children’s classes and Junior Youth Groups. INFO: 0975 179-967.

Baptist Mission of Zambia: Venue: Baptist Guesthouse, Corner of Nangwena Rd, Margrat Tembo. Bible Study. Time: Sunday 4.30pm. Times are tough, Life doesn’t seem to be getting easier, troubles everywhere you look - But there is hope. Classes for all ages. Come join us as we study God’s Word - the only hope for our daily lives! INFO: 0211 292-143 Eternal Life Fellowship: Venue: Old Black Velvet Building, The Groove. Time: Sunday 9am. INFO: 0211 294-430 or 0977 853298.

Gospel Outreach Fellowship: Venue: GO Centre, Nangwenya Rd. Time: Sunday 8.30am or 11.30am. INFO: 0211 255-234, 0955 451-271 www.go.org.zm Greek Orthodox Mass: Venue: Hellenic Association Club, Kafue Rd. Time: Sunday 10am - 12pm.

Ladies Interdenominational Bible Study Group: Venue: St. Columba’s Church, Nangwenya Rd. Time: Wednesday 10am.

INFO: 0977 799-623.

Lusaka Family Church: Venue: Mulungushi Conference Hall, Mulungushi Village. Time: Sunday 9am - 11am. Children’s Church: 6 -12 yrs, Toddlers Zone: up to 5 yrs. Youth Life: Sunday 11am - 1pm, Life Groups: Thursday 7pm. INFO: Arnold 0211 293367, 0978 090-982, Gisela 0976 722-892, www.lusakafamilychurch.org Miracle Life Family Church: Venue: Miracle Life Family Church, Zambezi Rd, Roma.

Time: Sunday 8am or 10.30am. Dynamic children’s program for ages 3 - 12. INFO: 0211 292-286, www.mlfc.org Ngombe Family Church: Venue: Flying Angels Academy, Zambezi Rd. Sunday

5.30pm - 7pm. Wednesday evening Pastors Bible Study 6pm - 7pm. INFO: 0978 090982, 0977 607-087, 0978 959-571 Quakers who would like to contact other Quakers in Lusaka call 0966 761-754.

Redeemed Christian Church of God: Sunday Service: Venue: Chrismar Hotel Sable Conference Room, Longacres. Time: Sunday 8am - 10.30am. Bible Study. Time: Wednesday 5.30pm - 6.45pm. INFO: 0977 866-066 Rehoboth Assembly: (Redeemed Christian Church of God). Venue: Plot 7449 Cnr Katopola & Twikatane Rd, Rhodespark. Time: Sundays, 9am 11.30am, Thursdays, 5.30pm - 7pm.

INFO: 0955/ 0966/ 0977 710-440, rehobothassembly@gmail.com South City Church: Venue: Baobab College Hall, Sunday 9am | Zebra Crossings Cafe, Sunday 10.30am | Chisamba Congregation Martin House School, Sunday 9am. INFO: 0978 289-998, info@southcitychurch.net, www.southcitychurch.net Zambia Messianic Fellowship: Venue: 34285 Shantubu Rd, Rock-field, Lusaka.

Sabbath meeting. Time: Saturday 10.30am - 12.30pm. INFO: 0977 858-061 zmf@microlink.zm | www.zamf.org ‘Four-Footed, Feathered and Environment’ BirdWatch Zambian (formerly Zambia Ornithological Society) meets once a month for a bird walk in the countryside. BWZ members, their families and friends head to the woods and wetlands around Lusaka and beyond. Walks are led by experienced birdwatchers who guide both newcomers and long-term birders through a morning of observation and exploration. INFO: 0977 485-446, www.birdwatchzambia.org Dog Training. Venue: Showgrounds, Lusaka & District Kennel Club. Sundays. Learn to teach your dog good manners, general obedience and some seriously impressive tricks! Bring along your dog with his

lead, collar and valid rabies certificate (and some patience) and join us for some fun dog training! INFO: 0962 001-686 lusakakennelclub@gmail.com Lilayi Elephant Nursery (Game Rangers International). Elephant viewing times: daily 11.30am - 1.30pm, all year. Venue: Lilayi Elephant Nursery, Lilayi Rd, 6km off Kafue Rd. Watch the elephants feeding and playing from the viewing platform. No fee, donations gratefully accepted. INFO: www.gamerangersinternational.org 0975 615-149,sarah@gamerangersinternational.org Lusaka Animal Welfare Society (LAWS).

Donate K100 to become a member of the only organization in Lusaka that takes care of abandoned or neglected domestic animals. You also get a LAWS key ring and 20% off all LAWS functions. INFO: 0966 005-297 (0966 00LAWS) Nature Trails for Conservation. Raising funds for Game Rangers International.

Time: Monthly, Third Saturday, 8am 11am. Venue: Lilayi Lodge. Come and enjoy 2.5km, 5.5km or 10km trails.

Children and bicycles welcome. Price: Adults K30 | Children K10. INFO: sarah@gamerangersinternational.org ‘Health and Sporting’ 12 Step: Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA). Time: Saturday, 4pm to 5.30pm 17:30 - Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Upper Room, East Wing), Ridgeway. A program for men and women, who grew up in alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional homes. We meet to share our experience and recovery in an atmosphere of mutual respect. INFO: 0967 980-229, aca.lusaka@gmail.com (Int website, www.adultchildren.org) 12 Step: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Lusaka. Time: Monday, 5.30pm - SHARPZ, 220C Mutandwa Rd, Roma. | Tuesday, 12:30pm – Kalemba Hall. | Friday, 5.30pm - Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Upper Room, East Wing), Ridgeway. INFO: 0973 154222, 0954 210-446 33

12 Step: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Livingstone. INFO: 0962 804-137 12 Step: Al-Anon. Time: Wednesday, 5.30pm to 6.30pm - SHARPZ, 220C, Mutandwa Rd, Roma. A group for relatives and friends of alcoholics where they can come together to share their experiences, strength and hope. INFO: 0977 697-628, 0966 621-806, lusakaafg@gmail.com (Int website, www.alanon.org.za) 12 Step: Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) Women’s Support Group. Time: Thursday 5.45pm to 7pm - SHARPZ, 220c Mutandwa Rd, Roma. A fellowship that helps women learn to look after ourselves, share experiences, strength and hope. INFO: 0962 213-708, coda.lusaka@gmail.com (Int website, www.coda.org) Aerobics by a Personal Trainer: Venue: Kaingo Leisure, Barclays Sports Complex, Club Rd (Showgrounds). Time: Tuesdays, Thursdays 6pm - 7pm. K25 / session. INFO: 0977 174-140.

Aikido Classes: Beginners welcome.

Venue: Central Sports Club, Longacres.

Time: Monday, Wednesday 5pm – 6.30pm.

Price: K20 / month INFO: 0972 260549, chisangakaluba@yahoo.com (1 Dan ITAF China).

Ashtanga and Pre-Natal Yoga classes. In the comfort of your home. Individual classes: K300 per class. Group sessions: K100 per person, per session. Contact: 0978 507986, 0966 507-986.

Beginner Belly Dancing. Venue: Shakespeare Court, Leopards Hill Rd. Time: Wednesdays 6.30pm - 7.30pm. Saturdays 10am - 11am. Cost: K50 - Small classes designed to give all women the opportunity to learn. No previous dance experience required. INFO: www.shimmyglisten.com or elisabeth@shimmyglisten.com Beginners Polocrosse. Venue: Leopards Hill Polocrosse Club. Time: Tuesdays.

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Introducing riders of any skill level to Polocrosse. Age 12+. The clinic will give you an easy, no pressure, leg up to start you playing. INFO: 0965 801-256 Bump, Birth & Beyond Special Events.

Time: Fridays. Venue: 4145 Nkanchibaya Rd, Rhodes Park. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@gmail.com Chilanga Hackers Golf Society welcomes golfers of all abilities to join in the fun of convivial golf and interesting social activities in a pleasant atmosphere with emphasis on friendship and enjoyment.

INFO: 0211 290-818 (evenings), 0977 790900, seawing@coppernet.zm Children’s Playgroups and educational activities. Baby groups, toddler and pre-school. From 0 - 7 yrs. INFO: kidsclub.lusaka@gmail.com Counsellor / Therapist: For handling Depression, Stress and Anxiety, Drug or Alcohol abuse, quit smoking, etc - using Hypnotherapy and NLP. INFO: 0955 999727, priyabala@microlink.zm Cricket. Venue: Lusaka South Country Club, Mukwa Rd, Lilayi. Country & Districts cricket. Home and away matches, Kids coaching, tours and T20 tournaments. Time: Practice Wednesdays, Fridays 5pm. Kids coaching, Saturdays. INFO: 0977 860-797, 0966 437-808, 0966 751-643.

Daily Children’s Playgroup. Venue: Bump Birth & Beyond, 4145 Nkanchibaya Rd, Rhodes Park. Daily Educational activities and children’s playgroups, music classes, arts & crafts, ballet and more! Ages: 0 to 6. INFO: 0974 148-856, bbbzambia@gmail.com, kidsclub.lusaka@gmail.com Dynamic Diabetes Support Group. Time: 2pm - 4pm, Fourth Saturday Monthly.

Venue: Umoyo Centre, Great East Rd. A safe place where those who are Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetic can meet and share their

experiences and learn about new medical research, as well as alternative therapies.

Different endocrinologists and specialists will be brought in as speakers. Diet, recipes, exercise, stress, symptoms and treatments will be discussed. INFO: 0978 028-146

experienced instructors. INFO: 0211 236912/3, 0964 584-778, 0973 584-778

Inside Story. Ante-Natal Classes, Postnatal care and baby massage classes.

INFO: 0977 446-054 / 0211 274-985, margotbham@gmail.com

Optimyze Kare Health. Time: Last Thursday of the month; 5pm. Advice on all aspects of health (fitness, diseases, nutrition, mental health, beauty, lifestyle and wellness, and different alternative and complementary therapies) addresses by professional speakers. The purpose is to teach you to be ‘whole’ naturally. INFO: 0955 / 0966 847777, optimyse@gmail.com

Karate & Weapons Training. Venue: Lusaka Showgrounds. Luke 5th Dan. 0977 314511 / 0978 710-102, lukphiri@yahoo.com Lusaka Dolphins at Lusaka Amateur Swimming Club. Venue: Olympic Pool.

Group training for competitive swimmers; ‘learn to swim’ for non swimmers; or ‘swim at my own pace’. INFO: 0966 761-547 Lusaka Hash House Harriers. Time: Saturdays, 3pm. Meet new friends and join us for a run or walk in the bush. INFO: lusakahash@zambia.co.zm, G2S 0971 946937, CM 0977 159-935, Thickette: 0978 532-744, or visit our facebook page.

Martial Arts. Karate Classes. Weapon classes for brown and black belts.

Monthly self defence classes. INFO: Raymond (7th Dan) 0977 783-537, shihanray@hotmail.com Mazabuka Tennis Club. Ladies tennis every Tuesday morning at 07:45. Mixed tennis every Saturday afternoon at 16:00.

Meditation. Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Centre. Opposite Northmead shops. Monday - Saturday 5.30pm and Sundays 2pm. Free introductory courses. INFO: 0211 250-685 / 254-518 bkrymc@zamnet.zm Motorbike Lessons Best of Bikes Academy.

Venue: Central Park, Cairo Rd. Time: Sundays 9am. Learn to ride a motorbike safely in a controlled space, with

Mountain Biking Club Leopards Hill.

Open to adults for Saturday morning fun mountain bike in the bush. INFO: mtblusaka@gmail.com

Polo X. Venue: Lusaka South Country club, Mukwa Rd, Lilayi. All skill levels welcome.

INFO: 0979 505-152.

Running Group. Time: Sunday 6.30am.

Trail & road. Mixed running ability.

Options to modify distance (between 10 - 17 km). INFO: 0977 801-463, c_ngoma@yahoo.com Salsa Dance Classes. Mondays and Fridays 6.30pm Intercontinental Hotel. Thursdays 6.30pm Melsim Lodge, Alick Nkhata Rd Cost: K30. INFO: 0979 400-538 Self-Defence (Short Courses): Practical, easy to learn for youths, women or security personnel. Children & adult Karate Classes also offered. The instructor is the All Japan Martial Arts Federation - Zambia President & Chief Representative. INFO: 0977 783537, shihanray@hotmail.com Skydive Zambia (ZUSC): Special offer on Tandem dives, no prior training required. INFO: antoinettedurand46@gmail.com, 0966 622-516, rowles.dave3@gmail.com, 0977 790-500, edmund@skytrailszambia.com Soccer For Kids: Little Eagles Soccer.

Time: Saturday / Sunday 9.30am. Ages 3 - 12: Barclays Sports Club. Ages 6 35

12: Bump, Birth and Beyond Zambia.

Outdoor soccer-based fun for kids. INFO: littleeagles@zambia.co.zm, 0976 135-788, 0950 265-989.

Social Bowls. Venue: Central Sports Club.

Bowling section. Time: Saturdays. 2pm.

New bowlers welcome.

Social Cricket and Polocrosse. Time: Thursday. Venue: Leopards Hill Polocrosse Club. New members welcome. All experience levels welcome. Family, friendly environment. INFO: 0963 881-149 Swimming Teacher. All Ages. Venue: Swedish Embassy School. INFO: 0955/0977 328115 Tennis Section, Lusaka Club. Invites players of all ability levels to join in social tennis.

Venue: Lusaka Club. Time: Saturdays, 1pm - 6pm. Cost: K20 for court use, balls, coffee and snacks. Last Saturday of the month: Half Price Social Tennis; K10. You can be signed in for up to 3 sessions by members thereafter you have the option of joining the club. INFO: 0977 964-121, lusakatennis@yahoo.com Touch Rugby. Venue: Gymkhana Club, Showgrounds Time: Monday and Thursday 6pm. All welcome (Male & Female) INFO: 0965 126-200 Ultimate Frisbee. Venue: Lusaka Gymkhana Club; Wednesdays 5.30pm - 7.30pm | American International School; Sundays 9.30am - 11.30am. Everyone welcome.

INFO: 0973 370-973.

Umoyo Natural Health | Great East Rd near Munali Roundabout | Live Blood Analysis Test - daily - K300 | Zumba Mondays to Fridays, 6pm - 7pm | Baobab Shots - Wednesday Mornings - K15 each | ‘Reclaim Your Health’ Talk - Thursdays, 10am - Free & free samples | Fit Club - Full Body Fitness - Mondays to Thursdays, 5pm to 6pm or 6.30pm to 7.30pm | Therapeutic 36

Yoga - Mondays to Saturdays, 9am. INFO: 0966 800-600 Umoyo Natural Health | Woodlands Shopping Centre | Live Blood Analysis Test - daily - K300. ‘Reclaim Your Health’ Talk Thursdays, 4pm. INFO: 0967 800-313 Umoyo Natural Health | Weightloss Wednesdays! Visit one of our Shops for 5% off all Herbex Weight Loss Products every Wednesday! Locations: Arcades Shopping Centre, Foxdale Court, Woodlands Shopping Centre and at Umoyo Health Clinic on Great East Rd near Munali Roundabout Yoga with Iyengar slant. Mats available.

Contact for location and times. INFO: 0966 728-911, towani@kuthuta.com Zambian Cancer Society. Venue: Independence Avenue. Time: Last Friday of the month. 6pm - 7pm. Female cancer survivors support group. Support offered via telephone or email. 0955 226237, info@zambiancancersociety.org / zambiacancersociety@gmail.com Zambia Taekwon-Do Association. Venue: Municipal Sports Club. Time: Saturday, Sunday: 10am. Tuesday, Thursday: 5.30pm.

INFO: 0211 254-090.

ZOCA Dance: Looking for dance classes for yourself or your kids? ZOCA dance fitness is a fantastic and fun way to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle. You will groove to popular African and Caribbean beats to get in shape! 3 convenient locations.

ZocaMAX classes are great for toning and sculpting. Classes for Kids 3-12 years old too. INFO/Schedule: www.zocadance.com, 0967 795-816, zocadance@gmail.com Zumba Keep Fit: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. Venue: Alliance Française of Lusaka. Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm. Entrance: K30 per session, K150 per month. INFO: 0976 100-727 or register at reception.

‘Leisure’ Alliance Francaise Cine Kids. French Movies, English subtitles for kids 3 10 years and parents. Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lusaka. Time: Saturdays, 9am.

Alliance Francaise Cine Night. French Movies, English subtitles. Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lusaka. Time: Monthly, Second Last Thursday, 7.30pm. Entrance: K10.

Alliance Francaise ‘Poete Spring’ Poetry Show. Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lusaka.

Time: Monthly, Last Friday, 7pm. Admission Free. An open mic multilingual show in which poets and lovers of literature can present and perform their own poems, as well as those written by others in a mature and appreciative atmosphere. With a monthly theme.

Art Classes. Venue: Zebra Crossing Café, Ababa House, Twikatane Rd. Time: Wednesdays, 9am - 12pm. All Mediums Sketching, Painting in oil, acrylics, water colours and more. Beginners welcome! Art supplies available at The Art Shop. INFO: 0974 279-107, info@theartshopltd.com Camera Chat Group. Venue: Coffee Gallery, Nangwenya Rd. Meeting: Third Saturday, monthly, 9.30 am. Relaxed discussions for DSLR enthusiasts who want to improve their technical skills. INFO: rosegarden@hudzam.com Evening Art Class. Tutored by Richard Kirby.

Venue: Zebra Crossing Café, Ababa House, Twikatane Rd. Time: Thursday Nights. Cost: K50 per session. An extension of the regular Wednesday workday sessions to suit afterhour artists. Beginners are welcome. INFO: 0974 279-107 info@theartshopltd.com French Storytelling Workshop. Reading to children. Venue: Alliance Française. Time: Wednesday, 2.30pm - 3.30pm. Children aged 5 - 16.

Helen O’Grady Drama Classes: Afternoons & Saturdays. Kiddy programmes Tuesday, Thursday & Friday mornings. Public

speaking courses, Tuesday & Thursday evenings. INFO: carlyn@dramaafrica.com or janet@dramaafrica.com International Wine & Food Society. The Lusaka Branch hold regular themed events in both Restaurants and Members’ homes.

Interested in hearing more? INFO: Ken 0977 829-467 or 0979 473-555.

Irish Wild Geese Society. We’d like to welcome anyone from Ireland who has arrived in Zambia. Fun monthly events and St Patrick’s ball in March, (proceeds to local charities). INFO: 0979 875-097 Lusaka Bridge Club. Venue: Main Lounge, Lusaka Golf Club. Time: Monday, 6.45pm, Duplicate bridge. Monthly & international tournaments held. INFO: 0211 264-432, money@coppernet.zm Lusaka Garden Club. Meetings: Second Saturday of the month. Members visit different gardens, Garden information and talks. Flower Shows in February for members only and during the Agricultural Show in August open to all. Subscription K60 per year. INFO: 0977 775-744, 0979 428-003.

Lusaka Road Bikers. Venue: La Mimosa, Arcades. Time: Sundays, 9am. Meet for a chat, coffee/breakfast and a ride to various venues. INFO: 0966 766-896 gintym@seedco.co.zm, 0955 801-954 murryfieldfarm@zamtel.zm, 0966 858-733 mcrop@zamnet.zm Serbian Buffet Lunch. Venue: Nena’s Restaurant. Time: Monthly First Sunday.

INFO: 0211 239-541.

Singing. Lusaka Music Society. Do you like singing, have you sung in a choir, or would you like to sing in a choir? The Lusaka Music Society meets once weekly for rehearsals and perform three concerts a year. Meet new people and learn new music. Musicians welcome. INFO: molly.care@gmail.com or 0977 780-883, annew@iconnect.zm 37

July

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Small Ads; 01 - 20 words: K40 / 21 - 40 words: K80 / 41 - 60 words: K120 | Property Prowl: K400 Deadline: 10th of the month preceding publication

Bus for Hire: Seats 22. Special Features: Wheelchair facility and platform. Suitable for short and long distance trips. Contact 0965 108-727 Carpenter available to do odd jobs around the house, make furniture and repair broken furniture. Can also do tiling and roofing.

Contact 0974 347-255 Centricia Lodge - Kasama | Are you travelling to Kasama and need excellent, affordable accommodation? Join us at Centricia Lodge, located in the residential area of Mukulumpe. We offer state-ofthe-art accommodation with en suite bathrooms, DSTV, bar fridge, kettle, comfortable workstation for business travelers, a lush relaxing garden in which you can enjoy our tasty braaied signature T-bone. For reservations; 0976 702-063 / 0963 708-306 Citrus Tree Trimming. Improve the health of your citrus and other trees. Contact 0966 747-990 Compost & Manure: Quality guaranteed!

Compost: 25kg bag for K45. Manure: in 50kg bag for K25. More than 10 bags free delivery in Lusaka. Shaun 0976 030-311.

Employment Sought: Female Accountant & Human Resource Personnel. Pastel knowledge, diploma, 5 years experience, references available. Contact 0977 660-895 zuluberth@yahoo.com

Employment Sought: Gardener / Caretaker.

Experience in Swimming pool cleaning, plumbing, landscaping, maintaining vegetable gardens. Very Sober. Please call 0977 803-937, 0967 803-937 Employment Sought: Horse Groom. Young Male. Please contact 0954 874-689 Employment Sought: House Keeper / Waitress. Formally trained Food Production and General Hospitality. Ideal for Lodge / Hotel. Please call 0969 818-744, 0979 214-030 Employment Sought: Receptionist / Office Assistant / Waitress. Formally trained in Computers. Available immediately. Please call 0954 849-675 / 096 324-847 Employment Sought: Waitress / House Keeper. Formally trained in Catering and General Hospitality. Of sober character.

Please call 0979 204-188 English Language Tutor. For SAT, IGCSE and GCE preparations. Contact: 0950 228130 marthe1030@yahoo.fr For Hire: NemboFantasy Component Venue. For a ‘so far and yet so near’ experience on North Eastern outskirts of Lusaka. Food and drinks venue; swimming pool venue; conferencing plus venue; country health walks plus venue; DIY villagescape also available for self-catering weekly stay. For enquiries,

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viewing appointments or bookings contact 0955 906-541 or 0955 906-542 or nembofantasy@gmail.com For Rent: Business premises on Panganani Road. Drive in yard, electric fence, Ground floor and upstairs consists of reception room, 5 offices, kitchen, two toilets, warehouse, conference room, outside toilet / shower. Contact 0955 885-846 Lusaka.

For Rent: House in secure part of Roma next to LICS school. Beautiful 3 bedroomed house, consists of 3 bathrooms, two kitchens, pantry, laundry, garage / storeroom, extra outside room as bedsitter with toilet come kitchenette. Swimming pool, well maintained garden, electric fence. 5 minutes drive from shopping malls.

Contact 0977 936-505 / 0966 777-333 or 0211 295-040 Lusaka.

For Rent: Longacres. Three Bedrooms (MSC), study, two bathrooms, swimming pool, mature garden, borehole, electric fence, and domestic quarters. Near Swedish Embassy and JICA. Available 1st July. Call 0955 883-781 For Rent: Lusaka. Spacious open-plan one bedroom cottage with full en-suite bathroom, walk-in pantry, large enclosed patio, private back yard and covered garage. Centrally situated in Fairview, with good security. Call: 0965 862-811 For Sale: Candy floss machine, ideal for fairs and markets; K2,000. 7 piece set of drums; K3,500. Please call 0977 999-142 Luangwa Valley Private House for Rent | Jake and Gillie’s Valley Retreat. Large family home (8 adults, 4-6 kids) five minutes from Park Gate in Mfuwe. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, large upstairs area, nursery, self contained cottage. Great Wildlife, Swimming pool, ZESCO, furnished, equipped and staffed. Activities, a-lacarte restaurant available by arrangement at nearby Flatdogs camp. Contact jakedamotta@gmail.com 0211 213-841 jake@buckskinmoon.com 0977 897-779 44

Mukambi Safari Lodge is a comfortable 270km (3 hour) drive from Lusaka and the closest lodge to Lusaka in Kafue National Park, the biggest National Park in Africa. Elephant, hippo, all the big cats and antelope are common sightings at Mukambi. Please visit our website www.mukambi.com or call reservations on 0974 424-013 or email reservations@mukambi.com for our unbeatable rates for residents!

Need Landscaping, Digital landscaping design, manure, compost, maintenance of private offices and parks. Design-a-gardens.

Karin Monge 0977 716-954.

North Kafue National Park. Mayukuyuku Bush Camp offers full board, and camping. Excellent game viewing and fishing. Access for two-wheel drive vehicles, 4 hours from Lusaka on good roads. www.kafuecamps.com | info@kafuecamps.com Pet Travel - Import, Export and Microchipping. Pet Parlour - For all your grooming needs. Pet Boarding - In our country kennels. Contact 0211 265-197 / 0968 883-284 / petvetzambia@gmail.com Showgrounds Vet Clinic - Dr. Lisa Oparaocha | For Veterinary / Grooming: 0977 770-940, showgroundsvet@gmail.com | For Pet Shop (Spoiled Pets): 0967 764-825, esuesta@yahoo.com Therapeutic Counselling: Relationship issues, crisis, abuse, anxiety, life changes? A safe confidential place to explore the way forward. Available services include face to face, skype, email, house visits. Contact: 0975 240-592 Worker Hire: House-keepers, Maids, Gardeners, Chefs, Caretakers, Poultrymen, Piggarymen, Plumbers, French Teachers, Contractors, Pastel Accountants, Secretaries, Gym Instructors, Estate Agents, PSV Drivers, Agriculturalists, IT Specialists, etc. We offer assistance for you. Please do not panic or overwork. Money can work for you. 0977 146-524, 0975 574-204, derricky08@yahoo.com