Dear Bloggers,
Do you remember how much fun we had growing up? Remember how…
1. We ate fritters at the market and do you remember buying cooking oil from some fat woman in the market who had a big drum of it connected to a tap or hand pump (‘CI DUMBO MALIKETI KA POMPA SALADI’)
2. We went hunting in the bush with our dogs and did not fear snakes, deep holes and even quick sand.
3. We went into the compounds looking for a fight from the compound boys and quite often came back badly bruised and beaten.
4.We only watched English Soccer on Fridays and it was always sponsored by Barclays. Liverpool and Everton were the best teams in England and not Manchester United and Arsenal.
5. You could name the starting line up of Green Buffaloes, Mufulira Wanderers and Kabwe Warriors. When we played football we called ourselves Simutowe, Ucar, Tools, Chola, or one of the local stars and not some foreigner we only saw on TV.
6.We always put stones in the Coca Cola to make it fizz.
7. We always harassed soldiers for canned beef.
8. Remember the days when we would line up from 08 00 hrs -16 00 hrs waiting for Kaunda to pass in the streets just to wave at him.
9. We thought only KK was President. My cousin once asked me if I knew the Kaunda of Kenya.
10. Chloroquine worked as a treatment for Malaria. You knew because when you went to the village (every 2 or 3 years) you came back with it.
11. When you always came back from the village all your friends wanted some of the peanuts, maize, intoyo, millet, pumpkins, finkubala and all the village produce you came back with. You could keep the playground entertained for weeks afterwards with your stories from the village.
12. Remember when we would go to the streams to swim and we never used to get sick because of the bad water.
13. Remember when we used to glimpse through the neighbours windows, just to have a glimpse of a TV and remember how they used to make us sit on the floor when watching TV by the neighbours.
14.Remember how we used to go for school assembly every Monday and had a parade for exercise (up, sideways, forward and down, clap! clap!) the shortest person being in front and the tallest at the back.
15.Remember how we used to watch video shows on civilian day sitting on the floor in rows and how we used to cheer at kung-fu (uuuuwaaaaaaaaa! uuuuwaaaaaaaaa!)
16. We always tried to switch off the escalator (the only ones in Zambia) at Mwaiseni .
17. We wore pink shirts with big collars, platform shoes, crimplene trousers and shirts, bell bottom jeans with massive cowboy belts with brass buckles.
18. Remember DPB’s milk chocolate biscuits
19.We didn’t have Play stations, Nintendo 64, X boxes, video games, DSTV, VCR’s, surround sound, cellular phones, computers, online chartrooms, instead we would have tons of FRIENDS and played CHIDUNUUUH, GEMU & TOUCH… utubambo (slapping your friend with fingers then after that licking them), it was always zero kunja, one, two….
20. Four of us would share a drink, we would all drink from the same bottle and that wasn’t disgusting nor would anyone get sick.
21.- We would eat cake, bread and butter, drink sugary drinks, and we weren’t overweight nor worry about cholesterol or diets because we were always outside playing .
22.Riding on the back of a vanette was an adventure that we still remember!
23. Do you remember Tarino and a mabuyu! I remember how we would play until we heard mum’s hooter, then we would run (top speed) into the house and smear vaseline all over your face and change our dirty clothes before mommy got into the house. But we always forgot to clean our feet and mum always noticed and would always smack us.
Brings back some memories…I can’t even single out any-they were/are still memories that will be with us…:)
I am all teary now. When we knew the value of being African and that Solomon was one of us. When our music world wide was untouchable; from Miriam Makaeba, Anita Baker, Anna Mwale, young Whitney Houston…….pure gospel. Times when Inswa was a valued comodity. Playing touch, gombolola, chidunu, eating masau, vibuyu, fulufute you Copperbelt dwellers had those big flies ba nye nye. Walking to primary school. These are they things that make Africans special, we don’t need much to be happy nk wonder we started civilisation.
Back in the day when Liverpool ruled English football my Liverpool with John Barnes, Bruce grobeller. Arsenal and Chelsea were never even known back then at least Manu was. Remember queens park rangers, Nottingham Forrest, derby county, Kalampa Nkana red devils, roan iwina muchungulo, mighty mufulira wanderers girls did not dress like little ten ngwee H.u.Les, toba mutwe. Wida, in Luanshya kumalabo, or kukadai( I know some doctors and lawyers that used to swim there lol ). Manditory lining up for dictatorial Kanda. Funny moments with grey Zulu. Time for music, greatest American hero on tv. Roasted maize at the busstop. Double decker buses in Lusaka. Chingola being the cleanest town/city. Lusaka being the garden city and Ndola being Industrial. Zambalina and mambalina.
I just really miss the Chidunu cause ater ukubelama na ka gelo yalepyapo iyapelaya lol
ah enough memories over there ………..childhood the best tymz of life :)>-
i remember…….how tragic it is to be a kid nowadays….jus yesterday i saw a girl around 8 years old refusing to eat chocolate because she myt get fat……..this is a sadness
Hey really good memories.
When we used to receive colgate at school.
When we used to escort our mother to que up for salaries
I remember putting on that Khaki uniform
Reading Mulenga and jelita eating some fish.
Doing vabupuba with a cousin or age mate
yes the good old days when w used to watch night rider and gillet world sport special.great times indeed and I always look back to them with great fondness.thanks for this articles it reminds us of who we used to be….yes,a great happy free pipo.
yes i also remember those sweet chilhood days in khaki uniforms when we used to read and kalumbi`s bicycle.Countrymen,what has happened to those great days.
Memories are for Losers …
am sorry for your loss
Ba Pubian Prices, dont you ever remember certain nice bits of your history? Does that make you a loser?
AM SURE HE OR SHE WASNT EVEN BORN THEN….. DOESNT KNOW THE VALUE.
PROBABLY DOESNT EVEN KNOW WHAT LOSERS MEANS
gee I remember how my siblings and I would make a mad dash for the house when we heard dads noisy fiat approach the house.we quickly put vaseline on ourselves pretending we’ve bathed but we’ld always forget the backs of our arms and legs! Remember the song
Amina, amina kadala, small wear, amina dushe pa kaliba eloyi eloyi bamulya mulunsonga PO Box Chapatwa telephone mulembwe maleleka maleleka umpempe umpempe amina dushi!
and Piki piki napikitolo nakasanga napikitolo 1,2,3,4,5, a 11, 12!
:d
Fantastic memories. I remember bwalya ndimu, bwalya ndimu, bwalya ndimu and would hit the guy out of that. Again bwalyako, bwalyako was more fan cos the the guy who drops the stick on the heap of sand after removing his share would be beaten until he holds a tree nearby. I also remember a poch of potatoes costing K1.25ngwee.
indeed I remember how we use to run away from school to watch animals at the ZOO…..
Everyone is a student of history.its the past that shapes the future.nice reflections all of you.Number 10,offside,no one is interested in picking at each other
Those days when we use to buy TOBA UMUTWE, FRY ICHIWAYA… lol…wow
Again, Memories are for losers. Lets move on friends. All this nostalgic time wasting is not taking us anyway, lets build the future.
Ubulimi bwakale tabutalalisha mwana
hahahahahahaaaaaaaa
# 7 pablo and # 12 cece u ve tickld me. med my day. can only wish u a very fruitful weekend for your humuor.
bloody hated chidunu! I was always it and the punks i used to play with were masters at hiding! But give me Steve Austin, Jamie Summers, Wonderwoman, Buck Rodgers, Space 1999, MAYA, Jason of Star Command etc anytime. Dug Masako though, it was the bomb and ukubuta where i possessed a permanent hard on coz i was the ballie and the youngster from next door was the queen. Nice one dude!
Great reflections all of you.You reminded me of where we come from…and especially mother Zambia.Enjoy the weekend all of you and YES, TOGATHER WE CAN AGAIN. God less all of you, God bless mother zambia.
Indeed pa nsaka tapabula chiwelewele!
🙂 my dear Nubian princess I love you my dear, and as always you know I hold you true jewels of the Nile in high esteem. You would not have the name Nubian princess if it was not of memories of our glorious past. The history that established Zambezi( zimbazamabwe, Egypt Timbuktu to Ethiopia). My dear which ever sad memories or evil that a man did to you in your past if I was there I would hurt him and bring justice. Your words are wise for telling us to work for the future, but the past revealed would reshape our continent of Albekulan ( now known as Africa ). Blessings and prayers for you my dear Nubian princess the real Cleopatra.
The best of all is 18. the Dairy Produce Board (DPB)milk biscuits. Those biscuits were lakka!!! awe mweee…if I could borrow the recipe….:-?;)
You have summed up my childhood in a way that I feel like a kabudo again. Perfect execution my friend, just perfect.
fyabupuba ifi imwe ba fyatile!
Dont forget the play circle days when we had actors like greg lungu and maximo, may their souls rest in peace. Great times indeed.
Days are gone and left for dogs now
life.wat a life.those were real days to enjoy.price we dnt need u here if u hard a horrible bring up we dont care it’s not our fault
I feel refreshed by this artical for a change than talking about politics which are just depressing.I remember the times we used to sing…..nsale nsele chinkamba tulesala aba wama….If someone ashula in the group we would begin to sing nani wanya muuu ewu……
It seems to be a directionless article to me
Imwee! those were days, days when we read books like Kalaba na mutale, mean while mbuya aleshimika akashimi, palya tulelola maza apekanya akamege. Pa independence chila mwana naka DPB na pasa mulopa, Ukubuta meanwhile ba diaspora bali ninkoloko. Ba red card chimukolwe
oh! those were days! one Zambia one nation, one nation one leader and that leader Dr Kaunda no Change:((:d/:x8-|;)
LT you had this same article about two years ago. I think you need to go to unza and get some journalist majors who can give you some fresh ideas. But thanx anyway
Fond memories…DPB’s milk biscuits were really tasty…the fat market lady (Chi dumbo Maliketi, Kapompa Saladi) used to cause me to stare at her fatness with awe & a kind of mysticism as she dispensed her cooking oil to her customers at the market. ‘Toba mutwe’ (a small tasty delicacy) was quite a good innovation of the time. Thanx the author of the article, Mwana wakwitu & all bloggers who have contributed positively to the memories of how we lived, played & went to school.
Those were the days, when death was not common. Playing rounders, kapula matanta, ichidunu chilalisha abaiche tababako. Reading Mulenga and Jelita, playing injuka, life was great. Awe shuwa we’ll live to remember. And as for the Nubian Princess, may be your childhood was filled with alot of pain I’m so sorry you don’t have any good memories but don’t spoil it for those of us that do.
I remember swimming fro Kukadai(Kukadamu) and when u get home,trouble brews up cos it was easy to notice despite applying Vaseline.My and I used to enjoy Ukubuta as Bawishi cos we had a lot of babes in the hood.Alas,later we had this new dude older than us.The dude was greedy like shit,he got himself a kagelo,made our tugelos his daughters and then me and my friend Kamalonda and mukolwe respectively and that meant that when its “night” time,three girls to himself.We protested,resolved to go play Ichimpombwa and snitched on him: Alachita ifyabakulu,and that was the end of Ukubuta in the hood.
Good memories indeed, I remember playing sojo and how we finished buttons from our parents’ clothes, going kumabungo, ukulebesha utoni etc. I still miss supa loaf bakery’s buns.
Hahahaha..Mwanawakwitu you can be funny sometimes..
And #35 sharpshooter … lol !
One obviously has to be from a certain generation to appreciate all these things .
…..# 17 & # 21 No fighting please…, that also reminds me of my childhood…!
PLS don’t remind me of them days! tearing are streaming down my cheeks here in the diaspora!! if only we can go back. pls God, we may some day soonest!!!!!!!
Chimpombwa days indeed!! Those days produced a lot of great football players. Foreign players were simply that…..FOREIGN! Names like Ucar Chitalu, Makwaza, Simutowe, etc were the norm for kids to imitate. Then came the era of Alex Chola, Peter Kaumba, Kazika, etc. And who can forget the young Kalusha Bwalya in the 80’s doing his magic on the pitch?
Weekends were always an event listening to Liwewe piping his famous football commentaries on a 2 or 4 band transistor radio. After which all the neighborhood kids would go out and play chimpombwa on a “Kampingaless” pitch and have a fight or two afterwards. Imitating, in this instance, the only foreign sports hero every kid knew about—-Muhammad Ali!!! Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali! the chant would go.
Thanks for the memories LT.
those were the days! we had plenty of games to play that cost our parents nothing. now we spend gazillion dollars to keep our kinds half entertained, and the little imps dont even wanna keep the same game for a year, as soon as a new nintendo comes out they want it too. we never had to spend ngwee! we would pick up used batteries ku malabo and play from the time we get back from school till our dread fathers come home from work, or we would make ichimpombwa and play “big number” or “pomo.” sometimes we would make “motoka yamawaya” or “ifigiligili”. we would even make “pendelo gun.” i miss those days. life was simple and noncommercialized.
Dogging school to go and fry dry maize in the bush. chiwaya!
Thanks guys! I remember watching “cinema” from the information service. Kaunda could be speaking at a conference, at the end of the clip, he will be leaving waving his white hand kerchief. Soon after that another clip will begin of course with KK coming down the aero-plane waving. The older people will be suprised, kwena Kaunda alikwato bwanga. We just saw him go, but he is just coming again! What did he get home, for him to come back, they will ask.
I remember sleeping at KMB in Kitwe in order to connect the following day and buying special “lya lya in Lusaka. Special dyamo dyamo.
Ba Sharp Shooter #35….hahahahahhahahahahaha……thats a classic! Malonda ka? Awee chalibipa.. Mwali muzala umuguyz. That goes into my book!!:d:d:d
Guys like ba Nubian Princess there is no need to hate….if you don’t have anything to say just stay away from the forum and read something else there are articles to comment on, let us who have memories enjoy this moment. No need to spoil the fun….. just stay away simple.
Good memories, very fond memories
Yeah, From Kitwe to Lusaka on a TATA bus, that took for ever. On the bus listerning to Butemwe singers!
lol times have changed indeed:(
YES I REMEMBER,EVERY ENGLISH LESSON USED TO END WITH “CAN YOU REMEMBER” ASSIGNMENT.THE ONLY SUCCESSFUL TRADER IN TOWN WAS A”MWENYE”
#42 Mwana ka mwanta thats funny=))
I remember paying K1.80n as transport fair(at the back of a van) to travel to boarding school. I also remember staging a riot at school because the headmaster refused to let us watch a NINJA film (title-Revenge of a Ninja). Because we were in school during the 86’world cup, we would sit listenning to those who watched it and how Maradona used his hand to score. Back home, how we knew all the wild fruits and when they rippened. How nice it was to sit arround grandma under a full moon as she narated how angels brought maize to their village in time immemorial. How we used to stand and salute elders as they passed us. How our parents used to lock us indoors whenever there was a funural in the village.
What about Playing ‘Sojoo’, ‘lenti-go’, and ‘win-a-go go’. It wasn’t some seedy show! (lol). Then chikoloti, but never saw a dentist and I still have my 32 teeth!
Restropectives, Restropectives..We grow up in a playfull and creative environment. Full of fun. day and night. some times we had noisy or silent nights sharing Tushimi or story times in the evenings.
How i hated the game of selection called Nsalensale chinkamba mulesala abawama because i was not picked at the time i expected and by the Girl i thought could pick me..
Kalindula was played on the Banjos and Babaton on intertainment day called “Sundown”……
The world is full of memories.the only problem is how to explain our past to the young ones in this changed world…
Going thru the article has made me fresh and proud of myself
Sometimes it was not easy but we made it thru.
Going to school had alot of obstacles..barefooted like Shaka Zulus Worriors,
Teachers had the greatest authority to Beat pupils more than parents could do.
ZEZE Zeze form 1.. Burries and burring at school sent thousand students parking back home after passing to form 1.
For the Girl child, once pregnant at school, marked the end of her Dream for further education.
No leakages during Exams than it is today…
it was tough…
I remember buying unwrapped bread which was called chenda bwamba for 33 ngwee and because we were a large family my dad gave me K1.00 to buy three loaves and i wpould get one ngwee change for sweets.Also remember getting free milk and scorns at independence day.Lol i feel like jumping out of my skin!!!!!!Zambia is indeed a great country and yes together we can even be better in peace.
That is the rythem of life that makes us Africans Unique. Perfect reminder. Infact in those days any adult would smack you on the mouth for swearing – drag you home by the ear and have your parents smack you as well to show their approval of that stranger’s disciplinary measures on you. Today, that is child abuse. And guess who decides what is good for our children or not – Some fat cat in some boardroom in Geneva or some other parts of the world.
those were the days when everybody wud gather at ur house to watch soccer coz u were the only ones with a tv, when you watch tv while listening to Dennis Liwewe commenting on a ka 2 band radio which wud go off just as he shouted ‘its a gooooooaaaal’. how the tv wud go off just as great kalu wud hit the free kick and ur father wud go slap it and it came to life again, only to find the ball on the center. and you had to wait till the end of the game to watch the highlights. when we used to pump condoms and play as balloons. the days we used to go hom from school and say the teacher will be sick next week. the days we used father if the teacher beat me at school. luvly memories indeed. blessed weekend
i remember drinking (kuswiimuna) from the chibuku container as you came back from buying chibuku at the depot and then adding water. days we used to sing twinkle twinkle little star, how i wonder what u are, up above the world u fly, like a diamond in the sky, when we used to do yapa dress, or demanded you be allowed to also do when you found them or u will go zala kuli bamai bake.
Every generation believes their era was the greatest. The most important question is what are doing for the present and future generations to make them remember their time with fondness?? The current generation will remember such names as Kapoko, Regina Mwanza Chiluba…..they will remember the Manda Hill bridge ….they will remember……
Ba #57 you are so funny=))=)) what is to ‘do yapa dress’??? just inquisitive:-?:-?:-?:)>-**==
I also remember how drinking Maheu was looked down upon. I remember it being sold in migomo (drums) under the Ndola Slave Tree. As you sat to drink in a big plastic cup with amabanzi, you would turn your back against the road so that passers-by do not recognise you for fear of being rediculed (ati waba ukunwa amaheu).
And I also remember a man in Lubuto (Ndola) wearing a Polo Neck Jumper being followed by a mob of youngsters singing, “Mukame alafwa!!!!…….Mukame alafwa!!!……” of course he didnt die……
I remember playing dice, king or telo. Watching shanghai joe at Astra in kitwe. Someone reminded me of buck rodgers. What about the champions.
Hey i have just remembered being in class parroting Dida dida dida, dida dididida di da ….. ifikopo ku group 4 fyena fyalemona kwati ka lwimbo:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”:-\”
You guys must be really old. I thought by now all dinasaurs were extinct.
doing vabupuba indeed. now because sida we just call it sex:d:d
Yes, I remember people dancing “chikokoshi”, and in the evening the whole family will be listerning to “fyabukaya” on a two band radio, and the only lotion was “interchem.” And the only bus services were from UBZ.
Have a great weekend you all. God bless mother Zambia, God bless our generation. You guys are like the “American’s baby boomers.” Keep the fire burning, we will overcome.
I remember orlso, after eating too much at bording school or college we would start a”fight” at the dinning hall, hitting each other with eggs and packets of Dawn milk.REASON FOR THE FIGHT-Kaunda is NOT FEEDING US WELL. HE IS always feeding us with CHICKEN and BEEF. THANK GOD MY AGEMATES ARE STILL HAVE A GOOD MEMORIES.
I remember when Dennis Liwewe and his son, Ponga, were on radio. Dennis made us believe he was the best soccer commentator in the whole world. Those were the days when we had a real patriotic national team KK Eleven playing for a few ngwees. What about Mighty iwina ichungulo.:d
Thanks guys, you have made my day. Nice laughters after such a while. I a m now back to the red card campaign in the neighboring. Bye everyone!
I remember fondly about MALABO, UBULIMBO and playing under flood lights especially in Chingola. As a child back in the early 70s we would go in the bush with amalegeni and hunt birds. We would make ama motoka ya mwaya as a substitute for toys. We would go to Vestra and Astra to watch Kung Fu films. We would play sojo to raise money for the next movie at Vestra. We would make ichibala and wheel some ninety kg mealie meal for some woman at a fee. We would play ichimpobwa, I am sure Kalusha Bwalya, late Gentile Kapambwe Mulenga, Jerrico Shinde, Golden Kazika, Muselepete, Late Teegana Benjamin Bwalya and others started with ichimpombwa. Nice sweet memories.
70 blogs and still going. ba diaspora mwalikomauka.so nostalgic as if back then all was well. do you remember how we wished that we stayed kumayard instead of that sikanze police camp or mikomfwa house? good memories still!
nice memories…but may those days not return
Good memories indeed, the family plays, where one will act mother and another father and other as extended family, exagerating family life. I always played mother and have been taking care of everyone in the family ever since, ha ha ha mafulufute catching and going in the first rains, ha ha ha
??Bubble bath and wine???? I??ll have to try that next