The Experience On Call!

Meet Lonny Henderson (left) and Simon Tolmie (above), co-ordinator and trustee respectively of On Call Africa, an NGO founded in Scotland and very active in the Southern Province of Zambia in the field of the provision of mobile medical clinics to the villages in the province. Lonny, an American from Connecticut USA and Simon a Scot from Glasgow were Guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela – that’s our weekly radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show airs every Sunday night at 20.30 hrs CAT and features latest Zambian and international music, combined with lively chat with our guests of the week. Chanters Lodge and On Call Africa met on Twitter! Is there any better place to meet?

Lonny told listeners that he and partner Ellen (an education co-ordinator with On Call) had been in Zambia since May this year and were thoroughly enjoying their time in the country and the work they were doing. Simon is a full time doctor in one of Glasgow’s largest hospitals and was using his two weeks’ leave to assess progress on the project. He revealed that he’s largely responsible for generating finance for the NGO through donations, and was happy that recently Rotary International and On Call Africa had forged links that should see the organization move forward and expand. Lonny had been recruited through an on line advert and subsequent interviews via Skype. How times do change!

The music on the show was great and featured tracks from Bastille and Killers at the top of the show. Local tracks from Slap D featuring JK as well as Danny rocked the studio! Milli Jam chose Robin Thicke’s summer smash ‘Blurred Lines’ back to back with a number from John Legend. Our oldie of the week was a local track ‘Coca Cola’ by Oga Family and there was a host of text messages correctly telling us the name of the performing artist, so the prize of a dinner for two at the lodge that we give away for the first right answer, was quickly won!

Simon told listeners that he and his fiancee were planning to get married in June or July so 2014 would be a big year for them. He professed no real interest in football but told us that he followed rugby and cricket. Music wise he said his tastes were very broad. Lonny said the same thing, but in a surprise turn of events he revealed that he was a dedicated Arsenal supporter – ‘unusual for an American but very welcome’ thought Milli Jam! So, we discussed Arsenal’s current place at the top of the EPL while George, a Liverpool supporter, listened! The guys said they had enjoyed a night or two at some of Livingstones’ clubs since they had been in town and enjoyed Zambian music and night life.

As far as challenges were concerned they said that the biggest challenge for On Call Africa was distance. Both the distance that people had to walk to the villages to get basic medical assistance and the distance that the NGO’s not new Land Rover had to travel to meet the needs of the people. The NGO is very much involved in training clinical officers to help meet the rural peoples’ medical needs.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years’ from now, both Lonny and Simon said that they would like to be part of a a very successful expanded On Call Africa. We thanked them for appearing on our show and for the great work they were doing for the rural population of Southern Zambia.

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The Latest Norwegian Experience

Since 2007, when we first launched The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela, our regular Sunday night radio show, on to an unsuspecting Livingstone public on Zambezi 107.7 fm the city’s leading local radio station, we have had many Guests from Norway on the show, but few as bubbly and lively as Mariell Konstanse Rydningen (and you try saying that on radio!) (left above) and Marita Isaksen!

Mariell and Marita are third year students at the University of Tromso in northern Norway studying for a bachelor’s degree in pre-school teaching. They told listeners they had been in Livingstone for the past two weeks, part of a proposed six week stay, to gain experience at Rainbow School as part of their course. They were staying at Chanters Lodge. Milli Jam wanted to know how they were coping with the extremely hot temperatures the city was experiencing but the girls gave the impression that they loved the hot sun! Marita had been to Africa before (Egypt on holiday) but for Mariell this was her first trip to the continent. Was it what they expected? They weren’t sure but they were loving it, especially the warm and friendly people, if not quite so much the traditional Zambian food, though they had enjoyed eating crocodile meat at Cafe Zambezi in town.

Milli Jam wanted to know how the girls’ families had felt when they had announced that they were ‘off to Africa for a couple of months’ and the girls replied ‘happy’, ‘scared’ and ‘worried about losing control’ in no particular order! George wanted to know if the girls were married or single (he would wouldn’t he?). Mariell announced forcefully ‘I have a boyfriend’ which made Marita laugh at her friend Konstanse, then revealed that she too had a boyfriend back in Norway.

The music on the show was latest with tracks from Martin Garrix, Lily Allen, Exile, B1, Rihanna, Avicii, James Blunt and Dido. Our oldie of the week was Ray Charles’ ‘Hit The Road Jack’ but listeners found it hard to tell us who was the artist on the track and the prize went unwon. My pick of the week was James Blunt’s tribute to Whitney Houston ‘Miss America’.

Milli Jam wanted to know if the girls had had the chance to do any of the many tourist activities available in Livingstone and they replied that they had taken the one day safari to Chobe NP in Botswana, spent a night on Bovu Island and that afternoon had been quad biking. Mariell replied that she’d been quite scared on the river and at night on Bovu Island. They had plans to do quite a few of the other activities available and would also be spending four nights in a village on a volunteer project. They also convinced George and Millii Jam to take them clubbing!

Marita revealed that she was a fan of Manchester United but Mariell had no interest in football. they both loved rock and pop music and Mariell told us that her brother was a successful musician with Tellus Requiem currently touring in Germany warming up for Kamelot.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Mariell said that she hoped that she had a good job and the chance to travel, Marita the same but added that she also hoped to have a husband, children and to be driving a station wagon!

Nice show!

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Lewis Simango

There was drama at the start of the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George ‘Kaufela’ da Soulchild, our weekly Sunday night radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station, as the studio was plunged into darkness by a power cut – not a particularly unusual occurrence in Livingstone. After some of us had been obliged to climb the six flights of stairs to get to work (no Zesco – no lifts), we were lucky that our Guest of the week – Lewis Simango (above) – is technically gifted and was well able to start up the studio’s stand by generator. We were lucky! Even so, the genset only operates the system and the transmission so for the first half of the show we did it in the dark!

Lewis told listeners that he is a part time presenter on 107.7 fm and a born again Christian. He has a show featuring gospel music every Sunday called 426. “Why that name?” I wondered. “Because the show airs from 14 – 18 hrs” Lewis replied. “Ah!” I said, feeling dull and knackered from climbing the stairs! Lewis explained that he mostly features gospel music on his show but that he also has a certain man of God from the church of ‘Lion of Judah’ who comes in to preach. “Do you think there’s too much religious broadcasting on this station?” Milli Jam asked. “Certainly not!” the unsurprising reply.

We don’t play gospel music on our show even though we also broadcast on Sundays. On this edition we featured tracks from Showtek, James Arthur, Zone Fam and Kaufela ft Mbototo. Milli Jam played Sean Paul and Bruno Mars. Our oldie of the week was Katie Melua’s ‘Closest Thing To Crazy’ but no-one won the prize. There was one forlorn text message saying ‘these oldies are so hard for us youth’! Seeing that the prize had been won for the previous three weeks running we  disputed this! My pick of the week was Ne-Yo featuring Future with ‘Luxurious’. “Everyone’s featuring Future’ said George. We closed with Sean Paul’s hit ‘Turn It Up’.

Lewis made us laugh when Milli Jam asked what sport he liked and his reply was ‘wrestling’. “Ah!” said Milli Jam “and who’s your favourite wrestler?”. “Well” said Lewis “despite my religion it’s The Undertaker”! Lewis professed no interest in UK soccer. Our Guest said his greatest influence in terms of his show was Jo Austin, and that he had been with 107.7 for almost a year. He loved broadcasting and had joined the station as a result of starting early as a member of the station’s fan club. He also revealed that he is a musician himself, soon hoping to release his first album. He is also an events manager with Livingstone Lighthouse, and so he makes ends meet. He is a single man, Lozi by tribe, “pure Lozi” he said. He had been educated at David Livingstone High School and was undertaking further studies by distance learning.

As the show came to an end, Lewis rushed off the shut down the generator and switch back on to mains power – technical indeed!

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Eazy Tee Rocks!

Despite our proximity to Zimbabwe we have had few, if any, Guests on the ‘Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George Kaufela Soulchild’ from our neighbouring country, so it was a pleasure to welcome ‘Eazy Tee’ (above, filming) aka Taurai Matsokotere on to the most recent edition of the show. The programme, sponsored by Chanters Lodge, airs on Zambezi 107.7 fm from 20.30 hrs CAT for an hour each and every Sunday night. Taurai is a highly rated DJ in the area with a wealth of international experience – on the side he’s also a graduate of Cape Town University and an entrepreneur in the world of graphic design.

Taurai told listeners that his company, based in Victoria Falls, Marvelworx Media, is involved in web hosting, print design, website design and television advertising. The company had initially been started up in Cape Town, but due to circumstances beyond his control he had been forced to return home to Zimbabwe and re-establish his business in his homeland. Milli Jam wanted to know how Eazy Tee had first become involved in the world of music, clubs and DJ’s and Taurai explained that he has many sisters and he had first begun playing tracks for parties at home. Impressively he also told us that he had paid his own way through University by playing at clubs in Cape Town. He told us of ‘Long Street’ in that city which has more than 60 clubs! He would play four clubs in one night in order to raise funds!

The music on our show was good, we opened with tracks from The Vamps and Fuse OMG. George played numbers from Zambian artists Chisamo and B’Flow. Milli Jam dropped tracks from Chris Brown and Naughty Boy. Our oldie of the week was the Dixie Chicks with ‘Travellin’ Soldier’ but it was a tough one, and no-one picked up the prize we give each week to the first person to text us with the name of the performing artist on the track. My pick of the week was Cher’s ‘I Hope You Find It’. We closed with Rihanna’s ‘What Now’ – amidst some studio amusement.

Milli Jam wanted to know what advice Taurai would give to aspiring, upcoming DJ’s (also telling us that he rated Eazy Tee in his top three all time DJ’s in the region – Milli Jam should know he’s been around the circuit and is highly rated himself). Eazy Tee told them to be careful with ‘Virtual DJ’ and that they should first learn the art of mixing with vinyl and CD’s before travelling the virtual route. He also told listeners that he is still single although ‘spoken for’ and that he has a 10 year old daughter Natasha Precious back in his home town Bulawayo. He had played clubs in more than 7 countries in the region and rated Circles in Ndola very highly in terms of audience reaction.

Eazy Tee told us that his own favourite music is soul and r and b and that he loves Mary J Blige and Tony Braxton. He had done the bungee jump and he had walked with lions. He liked cricket more than football. Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Taurai told listeners that he had a newly established advertising company called Tradeazy and he hoped in ten years’ time the company would be hugely successful.

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Krystle The Brave!

Sometimes tourists come to Livingstone just to experience the fantastic array of activities available in the area, with viewing the Victoria Falls somehow a secondary consideration on their itinerary. It seems this was the case for Krystle Cummings (above), young, pretty Canadian Guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. ‘The Experience’ is the weekly Sunday night radio show we sponsor airing from 20.30 hrs CAT for an hour on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show is a popular mixture of music and chat with our invited guest, sometimes someone staying at Chanters Lodge, sometimes a local personality. Members of staff at the lodge have also appeared as Guests on the show.

Krystle told listeners that while she had been in Livingstone, she had ridden elephants, swum in Devil’s Pool on Livingstone Island, flown over Victoria Falls for 15 minutes in/on a microlight, gone white water rafting and swung the gorge swing – this last activity ‘more than once’. The scariest? ‘White water rafting!’ She said. Milli Jam wanted to know if there were any activities she wished she’d done but hadn’t, and she mentioned the rhino walk, and the lion/cheetah encounter! She had also been to Chobe National Park in Botswana for the one day safari and had been thrilled to see so many elephants.

Before arriving in Livingstone, Krystle, a Justice graduate from the University of British Columbia, had spent time in Lusaka, staying with a Zambian family on a short internship with Advocacy for Juvenile Justice. This programme had involved visiting juveniles incarcerated in adult Zambian prisons, with a view to trying to bring about a change in this unsatisfactory situation, which, she said, simply leads to a continued cycle of crime. Juveniles locked up with adults had little chance of reform and much more likelihood of repeat offending, she explained. Zambia was one of the very few countries to offer a chance to non-Zambians to visit the prisons and she described her time in Lusaka as an ‘eye opener’.

The music on the show was good. We opened with tracks from Enrique and Avicii. George dropped numbers from Pilato and General Ozzy. Milli Jam chose music from Beyonce and Daft Punk. Our oldie of the week was Amayenge’s ‘Ten Wala’ and the prize we give to the first person to text us the name of the performing artist was quickly snapped up! My pick of the week was R Kelly’s ‘Genius’. We closed with tracks from Daughtry and John Legend.

Krystle told listeners that although she was still single she had a steady boyfriend back in Canada who was just finishing College, as indeed she herself had just finished. Brian (his name) was studying web design, she said, and revealed that he was an adrenaline junkie just dying to come to Zambia to do the bungee jump! Brian was a Manchester City fan though Krystle herself follow iced hockey more than English football. Milli Jam was very happy that Arsenal were top of the EPL as we went on air and took every opportunity to remind listeners of this fact! Our Canadian guest said she was a fan of Mumford and Sons and had recently been lucky enough to have front row seats at one of their concerts, which she had loved. She was also a fan of Kings of Leon.

Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing ten years’ from now, Krystle hoped to have a great job, a nice house and to have travelled to every single continent. Coming from one who had just visited Zambia’s congested run down prisons and risked life and limb celebrating Livingstone’s great adrenaline activities, we had no doubt she would succeed!

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Sports Report Experience!

We were delighted to be able to broadcast the latest edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George Kaufela last Sunday as usual. Why? Well, Zambia was in national mourning for late Hon. Kennedy Sakeni, chief government spokesman, and in the past we wouldn’t have been able to broadcast a music show, but the rules changed and national mourning applied only between 06.00 and 18.00 hrs daily, so that was alright then. On the show we offered condolences to the late’s family and friends. Why a sports report experience? Because our Guest on this show was Heinz Nawa Munene (above) intrepid, talkative and knowledgeable sports reporter on Zambezi 107.7 fm. It was Nawa’s second appearance on our show and we were delighted to welcome him back!

Mr Munene reminded listeners that he’d last appeared on our programme in 2009 and informed us that as well as being a sports presenter with three shows per week on Zambezi fm, he’s also a trainee primary school teacher undergoing a course at Mosi-o-Tunya College in Livingstone – he hopes to finish his teacher training later this year and to start teaching full time in the new year. We expressed the wish that in that case he would continue to present on 107.7 fm and he confirmed that he would. Milli Jam raised the question of the future of Herve Renard the Zambian national football coach following the national team’s recent elimination from the 2014 World Cup and Nawa thought it was time for a change. A fairly heated debate followed! He also expressed the wish to see many more talented, locally based, players in the national team squad in the future – he named plenty of the ones he had in mind!

The music on the show was great despite one of the presenters having a different, rather than the current, play list in his pocket – causing some initial confusion! We opened with tracks from Jason Aldean and Jessie J’s latest ‘Square One’. George chose Zambian tracks from Espe and Krummy, King Dandy Krazy ft JK. Milli Jam dropped items from Wale and Toni Braxton. Our oldie of the week was Beyonce’s ‘Listen’ surprisingly currently back in the UK charts, and the prize of a dinner for two at the lodge to the first person to text us the name of the artist was quickly snapped up. My pick of the week was Jennifer Hudson’s newie ‘Bleed For Love’.

Nawa told listeners that he was still single after all these years but definitely hoped to be married by 2017. He seemed to have a definite plan in this regard despite being teased by other presenters. He revealed that for a while recently he had also been a TV sports presenter with Muvi TV which he’d enjoyed a lot, allowing him amongst other duties, to meet top sports personalities like Kalusha Bwalya and Renard himself. He also enjoyed commentating on football matches which he did regularly on 107.7 fm for Council Pirates home games in Livingstone. He was scathing about the management of that team and bemoaned the fact that Southern Province was the only province without a team in the Zambia Premier League. He also revealed that he is the administrator for a local amateur team Eastlands FC. Busy chap our Heinz!

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years’ from now this young, hardworking, driven, young sports enthusiast said he would like to be in South Africa as a full time presenter with DSTV’s Supersport TV channel. We wouldn’t bet against that!

If you missed the show and would like to listen to the Podcast, here’s the link (thanks to George Soulchild!)

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Occupational Therapy On ‘The Experience’

When you check the photo you can imagine Milli Jam and I were pretty happy to discuss occupational therapy with Paula Holthe, Frida Haavik and Jeanette Andersen (left to right above) on the latest edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, our weekly Sunday night radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station!

Paula, Frida and Jeanette are all third year occupational therapy students at the University of Tromso in northern Norway, currently in Zambia as volunteers attached to Response Network a non-profit based in Livingstone, set up to motivate villages to start and run self-help activities to improve their life situations. To this end the girls told listeners that during their visit to Zambia, which will last until early November, they would be spending four or five days per week in rural villages ‘helping people to self help’. They had already been in Livingstone for a week and had spent some time in a village during that week.

Somewhat surprised at this information, we asked the girls if they had enjoyed the ‘village experience’ and they said they had. They loved the Zambian people whom they described as being warm, hospitable and friendly. Laughing they described having seen a large black snake coming out of the toilet area in the village and being told that they could not go near the area for the rest of the night in case the snake was a Black Mamba – this forced them to relieve themselves ‘elsewhere’! “Welcome to Africa!” We said. They told us the children in the village were very scared of them and cried a lot when they first arrived, not being at all used to white faces!

The music on the show was good. We opened with tracks from Shane Filan and Olly Murs. Milli Jam chose tracks from Roberto, Afunika, Miguel and John Legend. Our oldie of the week was a Blink 182 track, ‘All The Small Things’ and I was surprised when a lucky listener guessed right and texted us the name of the performing band, winning himself a dinner for two at the lodge – a prize we give out each week on the show. My pick of the week was Jason Derulo’s ‘Marry Me’ and we closed with Kodaline’s ‘Brand New Day’.

The girls told listeners that they were all single and only Frida owned up to having a boyfriend back in Norway. This was their first visit to Africa. Milli Jam wanted to know their parents’ reaction when the girls first told them they would be spending months in Africa. Jeanette admitted that her mum had been quite scared but was now used to the situation, Paula said her parents had no worries as her sister had already spent a year in Tanzania without any problems. Frida revealed that her parents just said ‘we’re coming to visit you’ and so they were in October! I angled on air for the accommodation reservation!

The girls had not yet had time to do any of the tourist activities in Livingstone but were looking forward to seeing Victoria Falls and swimming in Devil’s Pool. Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years from now, Jeanette said that she hoped to have a ‘100% job’ in occupational therapy helping youths, as well as a husband and a family. Frida’s ambitions were similar. Paula – about as unfarmer like girl as you’d ever hope to meet (more like a model opined Milli Jam) – hoped to have her masters degree in occupational therapy, to be married with a family and living on a small farm in the middle of Norway!

There you are then!

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The German Experience!

 
We (especially George) were delighted to welcome four German girls as Guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient ft Kaufela (George). The girls are pictured above – Filiz Mestanli and Rike Schulltheiss (left to right sitting), Susanne Thielen and Maria Pelzer (left to right standing), or Filiz, Rike, Sanni and Mary, to use the names they use! It was a big welcome back too to George who had missed three weeks’ shows on local leave – the programme always goes better with two presenters though of course Milli Jam had done a great job while George was away!

The girls told listeners that three of them had been in Zambia for about a week but Rike had already been in the country for some two and half months volunteering at the Christian Outdoor Centre of Chengelo School in Mukushi. Rike’s an old girl of the school having lived in Zambia until the age of 13 or so when her parents had been based in the country. She was brought up mostly in Mongu, Western Province, and was very happy to have come back to spend time in the country. Her friends, Sanni, Filiz and Mary were visiting Zambia for the first time and all the girls would be travelling on to Mongu when they left Livingstone the day after the show.

The girls told listeners that they were all students at Freiberg University in the South of Germany. All the girls were student teachers apart from Filiz who is a student social worker. For the most part they seemed to be at the end of, or approaching the end of their degree courses. They had been busy while they were in Livingstone, having spent a half day white water rafting the Zambezi, as well as doing the rhino walk, getting close to these beautiful beasts. They had also enjoyed a sunset cruise on the Zambezi on Lady Livingstone. Had they been clubbing while they’d been in Livingstone? They had not.

The music on the show was hot and latest, as usual. We opened with Ellie Goulding’s number one hit ‘Burn’ back to back with Lady Gaga’s ‘Applause’. George featured new tracks from Zambian star Danny, while Milli Jam chose a new track from Shaggy featuring Ne-Yo, as well as Justin and Jay Z’s smash ‘Suit and Tie’. Our oldie of the week was ‘Money For Nothing’ by Dire Straits but no-one won the prize we give each week to the first person to text us the name of the performing artist. We closed with Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’.

The girls told listeners that they were single and had no boyfriends waiting for them in Germany. Take another look at the picture – do you believe them? I didn’t! Music wise they said they liked Mumford and Sons and in terms of sport they liked rock climbing, canoeing and sports of that nature. Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years from now, all the girls said they would like to be married with a family. Mary hoped to be teaching in a good school and that Filiz would be working in the same place. Rike wanted to have a doctorate and a good job teaching in a university, Sanni to be healthy and to own a dog – they all hoped to have families and to be well settled.

It was great to have such apparently happy and bright but serious minded, ambitious young people on the show!

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The Hard Working Justin Phiri

Being a full time employee at Livingstone’s world famous top 5 star hotel – Justin is a bartender in the Royal Lounge at the Royal Livingstone Hotel – as well as holding down a DJ’s job at some of the top night spots in the city at weekends, is no easy task! Hence my headline ‘The Hardworking Justin Phiri’, as that’s exactly what Justin (pictured above) does, week in week out. I believe it’s the first time we’ve had an employee of one of the big hotels as our Guest on the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient, our weekly Sunday night radio show on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station, and it was a great pleasure!

“How do you manage such a heavy schedule”? We asked Justin at the top of the show, and he explained to listeners that the only way he could fit everything in is because he’s on day shifts at the Royal, so he’s able to rest and relax after work, before heading for the Livingstone clubs – exciting late night venues that often don’t start to rock until the wee small hours. Justin told us that he’s currently playing at Fezbar to crowds of above 200 at weekends, dropping all types of music – everything from rock “for the muzungus” (white people), to African and Zambian jams, as well as tracks from just about every other genre in between!

The music on this show was good, we opened with a new version of  ‘Feel The Love’ (our theme tune) a remix by WOZ featuring Childish Gambino – “that’s funky” commented Milli Jam. We also played new tracks from Clean Bandit and James Blunt before Milli Jam spun a Zambian track from Macky 2 featuring K’Millian. We also featured David Guetta and Ne-Yo with Akon and Will-i-am. Our oldie of the week was Brandy’s ‘Piano Man’ and the prize we give each week to the first person to text us the name of the artist was quickly snapped up! A dinner for two with drinks at the lodge for the lucky winner.

Justin told listeners that he had been married to his wife Agatha for one year and one week, and that they had met when he was playing shows at Fairmount Hotel – she had been working there. He could even remember the first track she’d asked him to play and we assumed, therefore, that it had been love at first sight, which Justin confirmed though we had no chance to ask Agatha! They have no children as yet. We learned that Justin is also studying business organization and hopes soon to be able to finish his course. Also that his favourite music is R&B. He had gained his love for music from 80’s TV shows. He had first started as a DJ at Sizzlers in Livingstone (then Rhapsody’s) and had been employed at the Royal for five years – he was proud of being a permanent employee as opposed to being on contract. Justin gave listeners some idea of the Guests’ favourite cocktails and the trials and tribulations of stock taking in a large busy bar.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Justin replied that he quite fancied being on radio, rising to other challenges and making good progress in the hotel industry. We guessed that being the non-drinking, hard working guy that he is, he would definitely succeed.

As an added bonus I was given a Sun International pen!!

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Octavia Jordan Rocks ‘The Experience!’

Meet Octavia Jordan (pictured above) a pharmacy student from Howard University, Washington DC and our Guest on the most recent edition of the ‘Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Soulchild’. ‘The Experience’ is our weekly radio show airing on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Octavia had been staying at Chanters Lodge for two weeks while on attachment to Livingstone General Hospital as part of her doctorate. Octavia explained to listeners that she was in her eighth and final year of study to become a pharmacist and that she was the first student from Howard to come to Zambia on attachment. “A pioneer then?” We said. “Yes!” She said. “Are you from Washington?” Milli Jam wondered at the top of the show and Octavia told us that in fact she hails from Ann Arbor in Michigan and that the first years of her study were at the University of Michigan.

Octavia told listeners that this was her first visit to Africa and that for a week before arriving in Zambia she had spent time in Pretoria, South Africa. When she left Livingstone at the end of the following week she would spend another week in the Howard University office there. “Is Zambia what you expected?” wondered Milli Jam, but Octavia seemed not to be sure, so we thought perhaps it wasn’t. She did say that staying in Pretoria was more or less like staying in her home town back in the States with the same restaurants and shops! She loved Zambian people whom she described as warm, friendly and helpful and also liked Zambian food, especially nsima and Zambezi bream!

The music on the show was good, opening with latest tracks from One Direction and Olly Murs. Milimo chose Zambian tracks by Chefy – Foolish Me (“I know this track” said Octavia as one of the Chanters Girls back at the lodge sent me a text to say ‘thanks for playing this one!’) and Salma ft O.C’ ‘Folo Folo’. We also featured tracks from the late great Puff Johnson as well as Justin Bieber with Nicki Minaj, Akon and Icona Pop.

Octavia said she had enjoyed Victoria Falls and had plucked up the courage to do the bungee jump and the bridge swing. “Have you told your mum?” I wondered. She had. “And what did she say?” I asked. “She said I was mad!” The predictable reply. “What did she say when you first told her you were coming to Africa?” I asked. “She told me not to come back married!” From this we deduced that Octavia was single which she confirmed. She said she’d had a good time at one or two of the clubs in Livingstone when she’d been free at weekends and loved Zambian music.

She had watched the Zambian national soccer team on TV too, though she confessed to being more a fan of American football and the Washington Redskins. Octavia was also lucky enough to see the lunar rainbow at the Falls during her visit, which she loved, and had also visited the crocodile park.

Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing ten years from now, Octavia told us that she would like to be a practicing pharmacist, specializing, location – geographically open, married with lots of children. We didn’t doubt she would achieve all of that!

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