Quicker than Sand
by Mubita C. Nawa
Quicker than sand you slid past my hand.
A nation mourns with its knees bent.
You represented freshness yet little of it did you get.
A nation mourns and its mind divided.
Your legacy was written in yesteryears glories, your last days were reclusive and full of pain.
A nation mourns and its hearts broken.
You liberalized posterity that others
nationalized.
Your footsteps inspired some yet others erased them.
A nation mourns while souls bleed.
You left many questions unanswered
while certain answers were questioned.
We will rewrite your story as long as
history permits.
We will erect monuments with steel and stone as long as our hearts remain flesh and blood.
A nation mourns while it's leaders wonder why a nation so young it's leaders fade.
Would we be wrong to ask God why?
Quicker than sand you slid past our hand Fred.
Leaving our eyes in tears red.
Would we yet another chance embrace or cry?
Your eloquence so many it inspired.
Your elegance many an eye it filled with bliss.
You were elaborate even in defeat, defiant even at the feet of death.
A nation mourns while its scholars think.
Who will rewrite a new history in the
pages of forgiveness?
Who will speak while vouchers lurk and critics prey?
A nation mourns while FTJ speaks.
Quicker than sand he writes a new
chapter in our lives.
Yet again he has the last word.
But this time he speaks to our conscious.
Rest in Peace FTJ, your excellence.
POEM written by Mubita C. Nawa in
dedication to the late second republican president Mr. Fredrick Titus Chiluba who passed away on June 18th, 2011.
Poem may be published or re posted as long as no alterations or edits are made.
Full credit must be given to the author Mubita C. Nawa at all times. CONTACT; tel 0978117920 www.mubitacnawa.com
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Beware of Conmen !
Conmen are becoming more and more tricky and sophisticated !
Yesterday at about 10 hrs. I received a telephone call which looked coming from an international source. The number was in the format : +256 312 xxx xxx.
The "x"s representing some other numbers.
I replied to it and I was connected to an automated answering machine.
The recorded female voice on the other side welcomed me to some survey which I did not clearly understand. However, I was given three options.
Press 1 to continue
Press 2 to call later
Press 3 to quit the survey
Out of curiosity I pressed 1 to continue.
I was welcomed to the "Survey" and was asked to give my details.
At this time, my six sense warned me that I was about to fall into a trap of confidence tricksters. I ended the call without giving any information about myself.
At 10:38 hrs. I again got a call from the same international number. This time I pressed the "Reject" button on my mobile.
I thought I had got rid of the conmen!
At 11:10 hrs. The same international number called again. This time I followed the instruction and chose the "Press 3" option to quit the survey!
Dear friends be warned that Conmen are becoming more and more sophisticated.
Do not allow yourself to participate in any lotteries or unsolicited surveys.
Once you give your details, you are on the route to the hell of torment !
I hope this will be of help to someone.
Stay blessed !
Yesterday at about 10 hrs. I received a telephone call which looked coming from an international source. The number was in the format : +256 312 xxx xxx.
The "x"s representing some other numbers.
I replied to it and I was connected to an automated answering machine.
The recorded female voice on the other side welcomed me to some survey which I did not clearly understand. However, I was given three options.
Press 1 to continue
Press 2 to call later
Press 3 to quit the survey
Out of curiosity I pressed 1 to continue.
I was welcomed to the "Survey" and was asked to give my details.
At this time, my six sense warned me that I was about to fall into a trap of confidence tricksters. I ended the call without giving any information about myself.
At 10:38 hrs. I again got a call from the same international number. This time I pressed the "Reject" button on my mobile.
I thought I had got rid of the conmen!
At 11:10 hrs. The same international number called again. This time I followed the instruction and chose the "Press 3" option to quit the survey!
Dear friends be warned that Conmen are becoming more and more sophisticated.
Do not allow yourself to participate in any lotteries or unsolicited surveys.
Once you give your details, you are on the route to the hell of torment !
I hope this will be of help to someone.
Stay blessed !
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Emergency Services in Zambia
On 15 May 2011, there was a news item from the local media about the loss of lives of more than a dozen children in the Zambian city of Ndola.
A hired mini bus, that was carrying some forty children who were going for a Church function, careered off the road and plunged into the Kafubu River.
The Police and the local Fire Brigade were called to the accident scene to rescue the victims.
According to one television footage of the accident, some witnesses who rushed to the scene of the accident were of the opinion that, if the rescue team had acted swiftly, not so many lives would have been lost.
What incensed them was the method that the Fire Brigade officers used to rescue the victims.
One witness claimed that a rope was thrown to the children so that they could climb out of the sinking vehicle !
They expected the officers to have dived into the water and assist the children.
When one looks at the equipment that the emergency services in Zambia have , it would have been suicidal for the Fire Brigade officers to have gone into the water.
The only section of our community that have adequate emergency rescue systems are the Mines and the Military.
There were two similar accidents which occurred on the Copperbelt in the recent past.
A few years ago, there was a heart breaking loss of a Luanshya mother and her children who drowned in their family car. She was apparently trying to drive through a flooded road at a bridge near the Kamfinsa township after a heavy downpour.
The vehicle was swept off the road into the fast running stream. Their bodies were recovered after several hours by the Fire Brigade with the help of a Mine Rescue Proto Team from a nearby Mine.
Recently a car went off the road and plunged into the Kafue river at a bridge on the Mufulira - Kitwe road. It took many days before the car and the body of the driver were recovered by a team of military divers.
Several road accidents have occurred where lives have been lost unnecessarily during rescue operations.
There two reasons to this.
Most people who rescue road accident victims are not familiar with First Aid practice.
There are cases where people bleed to death because there is no one to help them to stop the bleeding. Others die or become paralyzed permanently due to the manner they are transported from the accident scene to the hospital. A person with a broken spine needs a special method of transportation, for example.
One worry is that it takes time for authorities to respond to emergencies or to remove hazards from the roads.
A recent example is that of a Tanzanian truck that overturned at a sharp corner on the Chingola- Kitwe Road very close to the CEC substation at Luano early this year.
The truck, which was carrying a load of dump truck tyres each weighing over five tonnes, apparently overturned after going through a very big pot hole.
Despite the truck being a danger to individual motorists and passengers of public transport vehicles, it took more than five weeks before the truck was removed.
I happen to have been traveling on the road on a near daily basis during that time. I and friend used to cross with a Police traffic vehicle that was commuting between Chingola and Kitwe.
There were several near misses where some vehicles almost rammed into the obstructing truck. The only warning to other motorists were pieces of tree branches spread on the road from either side and some warning triangles which were not easily seen. The crew of the truck were stuck at the place for all that time without any assistance from anybody.
At one time we stopped our vehicle and interviewed the truck crew. They told us that they have sent word via fellow truck drivers to the owners of the truck who was in Tanzania.
Had a fatal accident occurred as result of the obstructing truck, it was going to be high profile news. As long as no accident occurred it was, apparently alright, with the authorities in charge of road safety !
This is a very sad state of affairs which needs urgent attention from all concerned.
What is lacking in our society is the lack of urgency to resolve problems which are under our control.
What comes to mind is the establishment of road safety organizations which would supplement authorities to reduce the accidents on our roads.
In many parts of the world there clubs such as the Automobile Association (AA) which look into the well being of motorists. If I remember well we used to have such an organization in the distant past when I was just a school boy.
There is potential for establishment of motoring clubs that would remove dangerous obstacles from the roads, provide first aid to accident victims and do rescue operations at accident scenes.
The country has a lot of people who are professionals in the field of first aid and rescue operations. If these put their heads together a formidable organization would be formed.
An example would be if each motorist was asked to contribute a regular fee of say, K10,000 per month, towards such an organization on a voluntary basis, it would go a long way towards reducing suffering to the road users.
As more and more people realize the benefits of belonging to such a "club" it would encourage others to join. This would extend even to rescue operations in residential areas where people find them selves in many emergencies.
Some people may not agree with me and say such duties should be left to the existing sytems run by the Government and Local Authorities.
If one can afford to pay, say K50,000 to belong to a drinking social club, why not belong to one which is looking after his own safety ?
What do you think ?
A hired mini bus, that was carrying some forty children who were going for a Church function, careered off the road and plunged into the Kafubu River.
The Police and the local Fire Brigade were called to the accident scene to rescue the victims.
According to one television footage of the accident, some witnesses who rushed to the scene of the accident were of the opinion that, if the rescue team had acted swiftly, not so many lives would have been lost.
What incensed them was the method that the Fire Brigade officers used to rescue the victims.
One witness claimed that a rope was thrown to the children so that they could climb out of the sinking vehicle !
They expected the officers to have dived into the water and assist the children.
When one looks at the equipment that the emergency services in Zambia have , it would have been suicidal for the Fire Brigade officers to have gone into the water.
The only section of our community that have adequate emergency rescue systems are the Mines and the Military.
There were two similar accidents which occurred on the Copperbelt in the recent past.
A few years ago, there was a heart breaking loss of a Luanshya mother and her children who drowned in their family car. She was apparently trying to drive through a flooded road at a bridge near the Kamfinsa township after a heavy downpour.
The vehicle was swept off the road into the fast running stream. Their bodies were recovered after several hours by the Fire Brigade with the help of a Mine Rescue Proto Team from a nearby Mine.
Recently a car went off the road and plunged into the Kafue river at a bridge on the Mufulira - Kitwe road. It took many days before the car and the body of the driver were recovered by a team of military divers.
Several road accidents have occurred where lives have been lost unnecessarily during rescue operations.
There two reasons to this.
Most people who rescue road accident victims are not familiar with First Aid practice.
There are cases where people bleed to death because there is no one to help them to stop the bleeding. Others die or become paralyzed permanently due to the manner they are transported from the accident scene to the hospital. A person with a broken spine needs a special method of transportation, for example.
One worry is that it takes time for authorities to respond to emergencies or to remove hazards from the roads.
A recent example is that of a Tanzanian truck that overturned at a sharp corner on the Chingola- Kitwe Road very close to the CEC substation at Luano early this year.
The truck, which was carrying a load of dump truck tyres each weighing over five tonnes, apparently overturned after going through a very big pot hole.
Despite the truck being a danger to individual motorists and passengers of public transport vehicles, it took more than five weeks before the truck was removed.
I happen to have been traveling on the road on a near daily basis during that time. I and friend used to cross with a Police traffic vehicle that was commuting between Chingola and Kitwe.
There were several near misses where some vehicles almost rammed into the obstructing truck. The only warning to other motorists were pieces of tree branches spread on the road from either side and some warning triangles which were not easily seen. The crew of the truck were stuck at the place for all that time without any assistance from anybody.
At one time we stopped our vehicle and interviewed the truck crew. They told us that they have sent word via fellow truck drivers to the owners of the truck who was in Tanzania.
Had a fatal accident occurred as result of the obstructing truck, it was going to be high profile news. As long as no accident occurred it was, apparently alright, with the authorities in charge of road safety !
This is a very sad state of affairs which needs urgent attention from all concerned.
What is lacking in our society is the lack of urgency to resolve problems which are under our control.
What comes to mind is the establishment of road safety organizations which would supplement authorities to reduce the accidents on our roads.
In many parts of the world there clubs such as the Automobile Association (AA) which look into the well being of motorists. If I remember well we used to have such an organization in the distant past when I was just a school boy.
There is potential for establishment of motoring clubs that would remove dangerous obstacles from the roads, provide first aid to accident victims and do rescue operations at accident scenes.
The country has a lot of people who are professionals in the field of first aid and rescue operations. If these put their heads together a formidable organization would be formed.
An example would be if each motorist was asked to contribute a regular fee of say, K10,000 per month, towards such an organization on a voluntary basis, it would go a long way towards reducing suffering to the road users.
As more and more people realize the benefits of belonging to such a "club" it would encourage others to join. This would extend even to rescue operations in residential areas where people find them selves in many emergencies.
Some people may not agree with me and say such duties should be left to the existing sytems run by the Government and Local Authorities.
If one can afford to pay, say K50,000 to belong to a drinking social club, why not belong to one which is looking after his own safety ?
What do you think ?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Your Mindset Determines Your Destiny !
This year, citizens of the Republic of Zambia will be going to the polls to elect new civic and political leaders from a number of political parties.
It is during this time like this that each party is trying to outdo others by massive campaigning to attract the attention of the voters.
Very well written manifestos will be distributed around the country.
As usual, the electrorate is promised good developmental programmes by each political party.
After 47 years of political independence, my heart bleeds when I realise that, despite the campaigns, the attitude of an average Zambian towards basic things like hygiene and self development is still wanting.
As an example, I was recently in Kitwe City Centre when I decided to go home by public transport. The family car was being used for another purpose in town, so I took a shortcut to the bus stop, via an alley that passes between two commercial banks on one end and some shops on the other end.
The water drain was full to the brim with stagnant and dirty water.
On closer look, I noticed that the water could not flow freely because people who walk along the alley have thrown away all sorts of litter into the drain, thereby choking it !
An average Zambian who has gone to school knows that stagnant water is a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, which is the cause of the deadly malaria disease. Thousands of people are killed by malaria across Zambia every year.
It is a pity that after so many years of Independence the mindset of an average citizen is not tuned to self discipline towards looking after surroundings.
There is a general tendency amongst us that the Government and local authorities will do everything for us.
If litter is thrown away so carelessly resulting in water drains being blocked, what sort of development are we expecting in the country ?
Is there any political party that will change our mindset to develop ourselves?
What every citizen should know is that this country will not be developed by any politicians if we are not tuned to develop ourselves in the first place.
Do we need a council policeman to guard that drain for 24 hours to prevent irresponsible people from choking the water drain by throwing away litter
anyhow ?
Do we need foreign experts to come and show us how to look after our cities properly ?
Remember your mindset determines your destiny !
NOTE : -
To see the water drain referred to click the link below:-
http://files.myopera.com/hmsialex/operamini/1302872245.jpg
It is during this time like this that each party is trying to outdo others by massive campaigning to attract the attention of the voters.
Very well written manifestos will be distributed around the country.
As usual, the electrorate is promised good developmental programmes by each political party.
After 47 years of political independence, my heart bleeds when I realise that, despite the campaigns, the attitude of an average Zambian towards basic things like hygiene and self development is still wanting.
As an example, I was recently in Kitwe City Centre when I decided to go home by public transport. The family car was being used for another purpose in town, so I took a shortcut to the bus stop, via an alley that passes between two commercial banks on one end and some shops on the other end.
The water drain was full to the brim with stagnant and dirty water.
On closer look, I noticed that the water could not flow freely because people who walk along the alley have thrown away all sorts of litter into the drain, thereby choking it !
An average Zambian who has gone to school knows that stagnant water is a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, which is the cause of the deadly malaria disease. Thousands of people are killed by malaria across Zambia every year.
It is a pity that after so many years of Independence the mindset of an average citizen is not tuned to self discipline towards looking after surroundings.
There is a general tendency amongst us that the Government and local authorities will do everything for us.
If litter is thrown away so carelessly resulting in water drains being blocked, what sort of development are we expecting in the country ?
Is there any political party that will change our mindset to develop ourselves?
What every citizen should know is that this country will not be developed by any politicians if we are not tuned to develop ourselves in the first place.
Do we need a council policeman to guard that drain for 24 hours to prevent irresponsible people from choking the water drain by throwing away litter
anyhow ?
Do we need foreign experts to come and show us how to look after our cities properly ?
Remember your mindset determines your destiny !
NOTE : -
To see the water drain referred to click the link below:-
http://files.myopera.com/hmsialex/operamini/1302872245.jpg
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Deception of Wealth
Have you ever wondered why money keeps on losing value every time ?
Just after Independence, the Zambian Kwacha was equivalent to about two US dollars. Today it takes nearly five thousand Kwacha to exchange it for one US dollar.
We have heard of countries whose national currencies became worthless, to a point that to buy a loaf of bread, one has to carry a suitcase full of cash!
Money in itself does not represent wealth. Money is a means of exchange of wealth or value.
To illustrate this:- Suppose you were given one million US dollars cash today, you would be an instant millionaire and would be jumping all day long.
The one million dollars would have some value if it was given to you in a city flourishing with all types of goods and services that money can buy.
If you were given that sort of money and left with it at an isolated oasis in the middle of a desert, would it be any use to you? Certainly not. If no food and water was brought to you in time you would certainly starve to death!
For money to be useful to people wealth must be made.
Wealth comes in form of consumer goods and services that are produced by people working to have them realised.
Wealth can only be created in the nation when everyone is involved in productive work that produces value.
It is very sad to note that nowadays many societies are slowly changing from producing to consuming products.
In many countries political leaders are voted into power by promising the electrorate developmental projects in their areas.
These projects are either funded by money borrowed from other countries where wealth is produced (people working hard) or taxes of the working class.
The question we should ask ourselves is : Can development in any country be brought by merely changing political leaders ?
The answer is certainly a big NO.
Wealth can only be created when the citizens of any country are productive.
The role of the political leaders in any country is to put in place policies that will encourage productivity amongst its citizens.
If citizens are not empowered to produce wealth from the country's resources, no amount of political propaganda and bigotry will bring development to that nation.
Just after Independence, the Zambian Kwacha was equivalent to about two US dollars. Today it takes nearly five thousand Kwacha to exchange it for one US dollar.
We have heard of countries whose national currencies became worthless, to a point that to buy a loaf of bread, one has to carry a suitcase full of cash!
Money in itself does not represent wealth. Money is a means of exchange of wealth or value.
To illustrate this:- Suppose you were given one million US dollars cash today, you would be an instant millionaire and would be jumping all day long.
The one million dollars would have some value if it was given to you in a city flourishing with all types of goods and services that money can buy.
If you were given that sort of money and left with it at an isolated oasis in the middle of a desert, would it be any use to you? Certainly not. If no food and water was brought to you in time you would certainly starve to death!
For money to be useful to people wealth must be made.
Wealth comes in form of consumer goods and services that are produced by people working to have them realised.
Wealth can only be created in the nation when everyone is involved in productive work that produces value.
It is very sad to note that nowadays many societies are slowly changing from producing to consuming products.
In many countries political leaders are voted into power by promising the electrorate developmental projects in their areas.
These projects are either funded by money borrowed from other countries where wealth is produced (people working hard) or taxes of the working class.
The question we should ask ourselves is : Can development in any country be brought by merely changing political leaders ?
The answer is certainly a big NO.
Wealth can only be created when the citizens of any country are productive.
The role of the political leaders in any country is to put in place policies that will encourage productivity amongst its citizens.
If citizens are not empowered to produce wealth from the country's resources, no amount of political propaganda and bigotry will bring development to that nation.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
YES YOU CAN DO IT !
When I was growing up, as a child, I used to wonder how some people were able to do certain things with ease. This was amazing to me.
I could not , for example, understand how some people were able to climb up a tall tree with great ease.
A lot us are capable of doing things we never thought of doing sometime back.
Before attending school, letters and numbers never meant anything to us. Once one is educated and trained in a certain profession, he or she able to do a lot of tasks which can only be done by those trained in that particular field.
Any individual is able to do anything as long as he or she has a passion for it.
I have always been interested in finding out how equipment worked from my early life. It is therefore not a wonder that I eventually became an engineer.
One's capacity to do anything is not restricted by any physical limitations.
Mental barriers are always playing the major role in what one achieves in life.
One chooses what he becomes in life.
Some people choose to be rich right from the beginning of their lives. In a similar vein, poverty is not an inborn situation, it is "acquired".
Circumstances always play a part in what situation someone finds himself in. It is the way one responds to the situation that determines one's destiny.
In the 1980s, it was unthinkable in Zambia for anyone to buy bottled water for drinking. With the advent of Cholera in the country that killed hundreds of people, mineral water became a must for all travellers and in most homes.
Drinking of tap water was a common practice before the Cholera epidemics. Most homes now drink only boiled water or mineral water.
The adage that says "necessity is the mother of invention" is true for getting out of most situations we find ourselves in.
"Difficulty situations are sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys?
Get away to the hills, live there; get that honey out of the rock, and the wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest " -- Daily Devotional Commentary.
"Got rivers they say are uncrossable, Got any mountains they say 'can't tunnel through' ?
We specialise in the wholly impossible. Doing the things they say you can't do."--Song of the Panama Canal builders.
The Bible says:
"I am able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13).
Do not be afraid to show off what you are capable of doing. It is your birthright to do what you are good at.
Always remember this "Yes you can do it!"
As Mark Alofokhai puts it : "
Is it showing off when you do the extraordinary things you are capable of doing?... Is a bird showing off when it flies ? ".
Of course not!
Decide today to start a business that you have always been dreaming about.
Stay blessed and remain in the Lord's favour. Amen !
I could not , for example, understand how some people were able to climb up a tall tree with great ease.
A lot us are capable of doing things we never thought of doing sometime back.
Before attending school, letters and numbers never meant anything to us. Once one is educated and trained in a certain profession, he or she able to do a lot of tasks which can only be done by those trained in that particular field.
Any individual is able to do anything as long as he or she has a passion for it.
I have always been interested in finding out how equipment worked from my early life. It is therefore not a wonder that I eventually became an engineer.
One's capacity to do anything is not restricted by any physical limitations.
Mental barriers are always playing the major role in what one achieves in life.
One chooses what he becomes in life.
Some people choose to be rich right from the beginning of their lives. In a similar vein, poverty is not an inborn situation, it is "acquired".
Circumstances always play a part in what situation someone finds himself in. It is the way one responds to the situation that determines one's destiny.
In the 1980s, it was unthinkable in Zambia for anyone to buy bottled water for drinking. With the advent of Cholera in the country that killed hundreds of people, mineral water became a must for all travellers and in most homes.
Drinking of tap water was a common practice before the Cholera epidemics. Most homes now drink only boiled water or mineral water.
The adage that says "necessity is the mother of invention" is true for getting out of most situations we find ourselves in.
"Difficulty situations are sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys?
Get away to the hills, live there; get that honey out of the rock, and the wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest " -- Daily Devotional Commentary.
"Got rivers they say are uncrossable, Got any mountains they say 'can't tunnel through' ?
We specialise in the wholly impossible. Doing the things they say you can't do."--Song of the Panama Canal builders.
The Bible says:
"I am able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13).
Do not be afraid to show off what you are capable of doing. It is your birthright to do what you are good at.
Always remember this "Yes you can do it!"
As Mark Alofokhai puts it : "
Is it showing off when you do the extraordinary things you are capable of doing?... Is a bird showing off when it flies ? ".
Of course not!
Decide today to start a business that you have always been dreaming about.
Stay blessed and remain in the Lord's favour. Amen !
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