WINKER

Pomp and colour marked the commemoration of International Women’s day in Zambia. It is a day celebrated in honour of the roles played by women in the society. Thousands of women braced the morning breeze, surprisingly joined by men of the same number to match from the start point- Munali High School to the Mulungushi International Conference Centre. All roads connecting to the surroundings were closed as the jubilant women and men, including children marching cue had stretched all the way for at least two kilometers. It was led by the Zambia Police Service band. First lady Thandiwe Banda and wife of the Vice President George Kunda, Irene, were not left out as they led minister’s spouses to join the march. It was a day of fashion show as different men and women from different sectors of the society dressed in different regalia that identified them with their organizations. The style of dressing made different groups steal the show that left the Vice President standing for more than an h...

Sandra Chansa (not real name) is well known for her skills in hair plaiting. She did not complete her primary education as she lost both parents at a very tender age. She ventured into hair plaiting from as early as 13 year. 10 years down the line, she is what the local neighborhood calls the hair plaiting machine because of her skills. Recently Sandra had an offer to travel to neighboring South Africa and is excited about it because a Zambian lady living in that country who heard about Sandra’s skills has offered her a job in her hair salon and free accommodation for the first five months. For Sandra this offer could not have come at a better time when women are celebrating the International Womens Day (IWD) which falls on March 8 every year, this is a day that is celebrated world wide when women take stoke and reflect on their achievements and address issues that concern them. What Sandra does not know is that the woman who has promised her a job is one that has been rumored to be on...

High taxes imposed on media equipment are hindering the sector’s growth in Zambia, World Press Freedom Day organizing (WPFD) Committee Chairperson Sheikh Chifuwe has said. Chifuwe said investors were shying away from investing in the media sector citing high taxes that had raised the prices of equipment thereby making them un-affordable. He was speaking during a media briefing on the launch of this year’s World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) activities. May 3 each year has been officially designated by the United Nations General Assembly as World Press Freedom Day. All around the world on this day, supporters of media freedom celebrate the fundamental principles of press and media freedom that are articulated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year’s theme is Freedom of Information: The Right to Know. In his speech, Chifuwe who is also the General Secretary of Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of the Post noted that media freedom had become a constant topic of discu...

Usually women are said to suffer from technophobia and really do not use Information Communication Technology (ICTs) as much as men. But maybe this may be because of the type of technology that somebody uses. In recent years Africa has seen the rise in the use of mobile phones especially among women. When the mobile phone first came to Africa it’s price was that of a reconditioned second hand car from Japan. The mobile phone could only be afforded by Directors of companies, mostly men found in leadership positions. According to the Wikipedia, technophobia is the fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices, especially computers. The term is generally used in the sense of an irrational fear, but others contend fears are justified. There are many women who have never seen or used a computer in Africa. These include both illiterate and the literate women. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “Equal Rights Equal Opportunities, and Progress for All” may have little ...

Have you ever imagined the saying “East or West Home is the Best” being challenged? What does it really mean? Have you ever wished to experience a totally different culture from your own? Well, try staying in a different country. When the day finally came for me to relocate to Zambia for my exchange programme sponsored by Fredskorpset, the excitement in me could not just cool down. At one moment, if felt like vibrating so that everyone around could have a taste of the same. The programme runs for a whole year i.e. 10 months in the host country, one month- the last two weeks for the preparatory course while the last month is used to transfer skills at home organizations. Different organizations exchange their staffs that are attached to different countries in the same capacity. Word went round and everyone wanted to be told of the details. One question that stood out was “what about the children and has your husband approved of this?” I answered until I felt like chasing them away becau...

By Lilian Museka March 2nd. Poverty is one of the leading problems striking in Africa, yet the same continent is adored with different delicacy that can reduce the levels of hunger. Some of these delicacies are locally found and may only require a little energy to find it. With concerted efforts, and availability, most communities could save themselves instead of waiting for food rationing Programmes, always provided by government or NGOs. We shall look at the caterpillars. Caterpillars come from a moth species called the mopane. They are mostly found in South Africa, where it is one of the most trusted nutritious delicacies. The caterpillars are mostly found in the wilderness. They are handpicked by women and children. There are two types of the caterpillars; with horns and without. Once handpicked, they are pinched at the back and squeezed to get rid of the slimy insides. For the thorny ones, they are scratched downwards to remove them (thorns). They are then dried in the sun or smok...

I have been a good audience of the Mobi TV in Zambia for tha past two weeks.But as it stands, i may as well need to find a new station. I would like to raise my concerns and hope the Station managers of this particular media house will be able to adress them; 1. The newscasters are always reading scripts for more than two minutes. You would think the particlar news item is made for radio. My training as a journalist commands that any news made for TV must have pictures as the speaking agent and less of talking by the reader. This station has continued to break this rule and brings us news meant for the radio. 2. There are no video material accompanying most news items. The newscatser just reads through the whole item ad leaves the audience hanging while waiting for the vedio to show which never comes. Mr. editor, do your journalists really go to the field or do they just get press statements? 3. An observation i made also is that the newscaster will tell us " we will be joined by ...