We grew up from the donjons of compounds and ma yadi, we played in the mud, we played sack made football, we danced away with girls in the evenings (nsale nsale chinkamba) playing plastic made round-a-tin-of-paint drums.
we made rubber guns with lid of drink tops, we played "game" and "touch" we played "eagle" and "rounders" we played sojo and trial (digo), we played kalambe and Ka nkuluwale, we played chidunu and tela, we got involved in sangwapo when the horses passed our streets, we gonenard on trucks/vans that passed through our roads and compounds - usually packed with drums of chibuku.
We made wire cars and went to marabo - the rubbish sites, we saw Paul Ngozi with his blue skyline talking-car, we swam in anything, swimming pools, ditches, dirty rain water.
We watched Bruce Lee and we imitated Kung-fu, made our own dragons and packed ourselves in a horse formation or monkey formation
What about snake in the monkey shadow formation amidst shouts of hiya-hiya,
We listened to songs sung by Peter Sosi Juma (Imisango, yaba chairman eee!!!) and we listened to Network Africa RSA - Nyanja or Lozi Section at 18:00.
We listened to Ifyabukaya on Wednesday nights, and Kabusha on Sunday mornings and Po Cheza Mazulo on Tuesday evenings (Home Service) UTC using a 2 band ITT green radio.
We ate tobomutwe and selemani.
We watched Six Million Dollar man, Woodpecker, Chips, Knight Rider, Rat Patrol, wonder woman, Crown Court, The A Team and in our later years McGyver. All these `good' films were usually watched pa window paliba neighbour on back and white TV.
We ate mashola and braised pork, we bought sweet-mbalala and magodo we drunk munkoyo and tobwa we burnt sugar on a tea spoon for tea leaves and sometimes ngayaposa twaletobela imbalala shakusalula(roasted groundnuts)
We drunk chikoloki (syrup) with bomfwa or vitumbuwa or Kamulyaweka
We sat by the road side and watched nice cars amidst shouts of donki, donki
We watched Nyau and spectacles like Nyada and Tolo
We drove on chigili gili and made wire cars we played with big truck tires where you got inside and your friends rolled you over.
We saw Bakamutanda, lame but could climb very tall poles and dance whilst atop.
We saw the National Service officers coming as early as 04:00 to wake us up for Clean-up.
We made kites out of mealie meal sack, strings and plastics with special sticks picked from the bush.
We used to stop when a funeral procession was passing.
We used to give our seats in buses or at any gatherings to elderly people. We used to respect all the elderly people as if they were our parents. We used to kneel down when giving or receiving anything from an elderly person.
We used to pose with those old telephones and flowers in photo studios when taking pictures usually found in markets.
We never used to mind to play around with torn shorts - magamba for such was life.
We used to sleep on the floor with torn blankets or sleep 2 to 3 per bed because of the extended family.
We were given Choc milk at school. We used to line up for bread - super loaf
We used to get coupons for mealie meal
We used to hear and sing songs like - "My baby, my Sugar..tindindi, oh yes, tindinditindiii, oh yes"
We used to be happy to listen to songs like "Heppy new year, Heppy Christmas, tell your mother Heppy New Year, tell your father Heppy Christmas..."
We used to match during Independence day, UBZ buses used to pick us up from school for Independence stadium, Independence day used to be colorful with the Army popping those colorful fireworks at night.
We used to jump in open vans instead of buses to and from town – remember the popular Peugeots?
We used to put on khakhi uniforms with starch - londo
Dr. Kaunda used to be our hero, our great leader
We called other Presidents as (Ba Kaunda baku Malawi – Ba Kamuzu, Ba Kaunda baku Zimbabwe – Ba Mugabe)
We used to watch our local premier league in numbers. The way you see people at konkola stadium when Zambia is playing today would be a Power Vs Red Devils game. Stampede was the order of the day in football grounds. And we were happy. Very happy indeed.
The list is endless but such is life, life that made us strong in this rugged terrain, life that made us the fittest, life that brings lots of memories sometimes that makes one shade tears just to remember what he went through.
But such is life and I give God the glory. Looking back today, most people that went through such kind of life are Chief Executives, Directors, Presidents, etc they are responsible citizens and most of them are well educated.
Look back and give GOD the glory.
If you went through such a life, please send this e-mail to one or two of your friends to rekindle those old memories. May God bless our way of life, humble and yet peaceful. Isn't it all just amazing..?
I think it is fair enough to also send this e-mail to Ba Kabudo, so they have a sentiment of how beautiful growing up in Zambia was.
DON'T ARGUE IF YOU WERE NOT THERE!!!!