So no surprise, I’m not great at this whole updating my blog thing. However, the lack of updates do not mean that nothing interesting is happening. Far from that, I’ve actually been having an amazing time in Zambia. WfC is a great organization and they’re doing some work that I think is not only incredibly important but also sensationally forward thinking. I’ll donate a full post to my work at another day, but this particular one is going to be all about the social aspects of Zambia.
To date, I’ve had three weekends in Zambia and each has been jammed packed in its own way. They’ve also been an interesting look at a particular cultural aspect of my life to be so I thought it was well worth sharing a few anecdotes.
My first Saturday, as I briefly alluded to in a previous post, was spent at a kitchen party.
The Present Pile
Kitchen parties are the Zambian equivalent to our bridal showers, only all the gifts help the bride to be set up her kitchen- and when I say set up her kitchen, I mean she gets everything from cutlery and dishes to cupboards and a stove.
The kitchen party was also my first opportunity to gain some insight into specific aspects of Zambian culture. Salome- our wonderful supervisor, who was also kind enough to invite us to the kitchen party- was very happy to explain the rituals and answer all of our questions.
Kitchen parties are organized- and paid for- by the bride’s family and friends. Those who are particularly close to her will form a committee and handle all matters for the bride. That means everything from food at the event to ensuring people know her colour scheme.
The Bride Entering the Party
The actual party will begin with the organizing committee (who are all dressed in matching chitenge) coming in dancing around the bride, who will be entirely covered with a large swath of chitenge. After the bride is settled, the drummers will begin a new rhythm and the groom will enter surrounded by his friends and family. The groom then pays a fee to the bride’s family and is able to lift the chitenge off the bride and see her. After the groom has accepted her, the bride will shows her respect to her future husband by doing a traditional move where she lies down in front of him and claps her hands together then rolls on to the other side and claps again. The groom will leave after this and the remaining guests will present their gifts to the bride. After each guest presents their gift they are expected to dance for the bride. We learnt this around the time that the host who was explaining everything in Nchenja yelled out muzungu (white people) dance! and the entire party spun around to stare at us. I’m pretty sure the 200 or so odd guests were laughing with us when we got up to dance but it may have at us.
The Bride waiting for the Groom to appear (seated next to her Aunt)
One thing that I found particularly interesting was that through the entire process it is the aunt of the bride and groom that guides them. Traditionally when a girl believes that a man is interested in her, she will approach her aunt for advice. Throughout the entire courtship it is also the aunt who will negotiate on the girl’s behalf and who ultimately will decide whether or not the family will accept the match. The reason behind this is it is generally assumed that a young adult will be more comfortable discussing affairs of the heart- and all they entail- with an aunt rather than their own mother.
However, as the local economy changes and families become separated, this has left a significant hole in the traditional way of life. If a young person lives in Ndola and their aunt is in Livingston (or perhaps still in the village) the aunt will be unable to fulfill their traditional role. WfC actually does work around this issue and specifically the impact this has on sexual reproductive health. Traditionally, the only sexual health information a young girl will receive will come from her aunt throughout the courtship. Without access to an aunt to provide such information, more and more girls are going into their marriages lacking any sexual health knowledge.
The next weekend, Eva and I made a trip up to Ndola to watch Chipolopolo (the Zambian National Team) play South Sudan. Not surprisingly football is huge here and Zambia actually won the Africa Cup this year so there is real hope that they might make it to Brazil for the World Cup. Eva has a friend –Rachel- who lives up in Ndola and who was kind enough to let us stay with her. Despite being in a foreign country, it had every feel of the quintessential sports day- woke up with a beer, had a completely delicious bry (bbq) lunch, headed over to the game amidst a sea of orange and green, and screamed until my voice was hoarse. 
The stadium was sold out and the crowd easily rivaled any one I’ve been a part of in any Canadian venue (yes, Leafs fans, even ACC). Apparently it was a bit more tame than normal since the weekend before, FIFA fined Zambia $10,000 US for the rowdy behaviour of the fans at their 4-0 victory over Lesotho.
Unfortunately, Zambia tied South Sudan. Although, Chipolopolo got the first goal and in my opinion outplayed Sudan, they weren’t able to convert a second opportunity. Still it was an amazing experience and I’m anxiously awaiting the next game in September where Chipolopolo will play Ghana to see if they will get the opportunity to play in the World Cup.
First Goal!
Those who follow soccer are probably thinking ‘Not a chance, Ghana is amazing’, and while that is true, they did beat them in the semi-finals of the African Cup before going on to win it all. Either way, it should be a top notch match!
This weekend we had a slower pace and stayed in Lusaka. There are a lot of things going on in Lusaka and my brief taste this weekend has got me excited to spend some time over the next six months getting to know the city. This weekend, we had a bit of an expat go at the city. Saturday we visited the cultural village, a local area that was created by the Zambian government to help preserve arts and culture. They brought together artists from across the country, and although it hasn’t strived as much as they hoped there are some great art pieces and jewellery for sale there. 
The next day we visited Sugarbush, which I can only describe as a hidden gem for expats. It started as a local leather goods shop and has expanded to include a delightful cafe and an organic garden. From Sugarbush, we went to the Arcades’ Sunday Market, which again features local artists and crafts. I have to admit that I’m very happy I brought an empty suitcase! Lessons learnt from CWY.
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