The Curio Experience!

Meet Kebby Chimunya (above), Livingstone businessman and Guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz, our weekly radio show airing at 20.30 hrs CAT every Sunday night on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Kebby has a shop at number 41 Mukuni Park in the city, just a ten minute walk from the lodge, selling curios, carvings and other souvenirs to visitors. “I always tell our Guests they must haggle the prices with you when they visit your market!” I told Kebby at the top of the show, “do you give them a good deal?” “Always!” The unsurprising reply. “What’s your best selling item?” Milli Jam wondered and Kebby told listeners there is an angel made from sisal and banana leaves, in various different poses, selling at about ZK30 (US$5). Light in weight it is the most popular item with tourists. “Not wire warthogs or carved giraffes”! We laughed.

Milli Jam wondered how our Guest had first got involved in the souvenir business and Kebby explained that his elder brother had helped him make the breakthrough. Leaving Linda High School he had found it very hard to find employment and with his brother’s help he had now been involved in the curio business for about eight years. “How’s business?” We wondered. Kebby replied that the best months were from May to September but that business was very tough for the rest of the year. “Much the same as the lodges.” I commented, and then made the point – not for the first time on our show – that the city of Livingstone needs Zesco (Zambia’s electricity company which diverts the water above the Falls) to let the water go over Victoria Falls on the Zambian side for at least an hour a day, every day, during the dry season. A plea that will presumably fall on deaf ears – again!

The music on the show was great with latest tracks from Calvin Harris, Coldplay, and Ariana Grande. Jay and Milli Jam picked numbers from Mubby Roux ft Tommy D, Davido, Michael Jackson ft Justin Timberlake as well as Karasa. My pick of the week was D’Banj’s ‘Bother You’ which samples Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Long’. Our oldie of the week was a Zambian track ‘Kedike’ by Chidinma. The prize we give to the first person to text us the name of the the artist was won, with lots of contestants mostly getting the answer wrong!

Kebby told listeners that he is married with one child. Music wise he loves the Gospel genre and mentioned Ambassadors of Christ and Exile as his favourite performers. On a more worldly basis he likes Westlife! He has enjoyed quite a few of the tourist activities available in Livingstone including the museum, sunset cruise and fishing. He has never bungee jumped. His favourite football team is Barcelona and when it comes to England – Liverpool. He told us that he gets visitors from all over the world to his shop, but especially many from USA, Canada and Italy.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time, this hard working, enterprising entrepreneur said that while he would like to still be in business for himself, he also wanted to undergo further education and training as a nurse.

We wished him the best of luck and thanked him for coming on the show.

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Stephen Gillespie and Mark Scarbrough

Meet Stephen Gillespie (above left) and Mark Scarbrough from Indiana and Tennessee, USA respectively, Guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. The ‘Experience’ is our radio show that airs weekly every Sunday at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Stephen and Mark told our listeners that they had only arrived in Livingstone by coach two hours before the show started, they had been ferried quickly to the lodge from the coach station, fed and then whisked off to the studios of 107.7 fm. Actually and surprisingly they showed no signs of tiredness and were only too happy to explain why they were in town. It was Mark’s 15th visit to Zambia – he has been involved in many projects in the past – but for Stephen it was his first time in Zambia and first time in Africa too!

Stephen and Mark explained that they had already been in Zambia for about five days and had spent time in Lusaka and Mazabuka. Their goal is to build a clinic in Pemba, Southern Province in an area where the nearest medical facility is some 50 kms from the the village. The clinic would aid the poor and needy and would include medical, dental and optical facilities. Financed through donations and fund raising in USA, the clinic would be staffed year round by medical and nursing staff from USA on a volunteer basis, but would of course employ some local personnel as well. “How did you link up?” Milli Jam wondered and Mark explained that they had met at a conference held at Two Rivers Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. The purpose of this particular visit to Zambia was to receive all the planning and other permissions necessary for their venture, as well as to make a video of the proposed project which would assist in raising funds and attracting volunteers. Video making is Stephen’s area of expertise, construction Mark’s.

The music on the show was good featuring tracks from Kiesza, Chris Brown, Emily Sande, Elyar Fox as well as DJ LBC, Zero, Katy Perry and Macky 2. A great mixture of Zambian and international tracks to reflect the eclectic nature of the music on our show. The prize we give each week to the first person to text us the name of the artist on our oldie of the week was very quickly snapped up by Emma. She won a dinner for two at the lodge for texting us speedily to tell us that Lou Bega recorded Mambo No 5. A track and an artist totally lost on yours truly! You live and learn!

Milli Jam wondered how Mark was always able to bring Richard the latest Charley Pride music whenever he stayed at Chanters and Mark explained that he is a friend of Danny Hutchins. Danny Hutchins is a lead back-up musician with the Charley Pride Band. He plays strings and keyboard with Charley Pride, a country music recording artist who is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Mark revealed that he is single with two grown up daughters, Stephen is married and also has a daughter. Whilst in Livingstone Stephen would be editing the material he had recorded in Pemba for the video, he also hoped to visit Victoria Falls and to go on safari to Chobe NP in Botswana. The guys had also brought soccer kit with them from the States as a donation to one of Livingstone’s local teams. Mark showed some interest in UK football and revealed support for Manchester United. Fairly normal for our show guests. Jay was cock-a-hoop that his beloved Liverpool show every sign that they will be EPL champions in UK this year, Milli Jam and I were happy that Arsenal had won.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Mark said he would like to be in Livingstone with his daughters Melanie and Jennifer staying at Chanters Lodge, Stephen would like to have led multiple visits to Zambia and to have seen their clinic project staffed, thriving and fulfilling a desperate need.

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Mike and Anne Gough

Meet Anne and Mike Gough (above), Guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. ‘The Experience’ is our weekly radio show airing every Sunday night from 20.30-21.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Teachers both, Mike works at The Arnewood School, New Milton, Hampshire in UK while wife Anne is at The Island Learning Centre on the Isle of Wight. Mike is also head of the IT centre at Arnewood as well as the international co-ordinator. Anne’s learning centre helps children with learning difficulties prepare for a return to ‘regular’ school.

“How long have you been married?” Milli Jam asked at the top of the show, Mike sighed (though he denied it) and replied “thirty five years”. Anne and Mike told listeners that they have three daughters and one seven year old grandson – clearly the apple of his grandparents’ eye!

The Goughs explained that they were in this country to research a proposed trip to Zambia for Arnewood students in 2016. They were planning to bring a group of 12/15 youngsters for a month. They told listeners that the students’ itinerary would hopefully include time spent at Hillcrest School in Livingstone with Hillcrest students later travelling to UK on an exchange basis. There would be time spent working at the Butterfly Tree projects at Mukuni Village, building structures with money raised by the students in UK for the project. There would be a safari in Botswana as part of the trip and a week spent volunteering at lion encounter.
Mike and Anne told listeners they had arranged many successful trips in the past to countries as varied as Bolivia, Siberia and Tibet. There was a lot of work involved in planning, as well as selling the trip to prospective students and parents.

The music on the show was good with latest hit tracks from Sigma, The Vamps, David Guetta and Ed Sheeran. Jay and Milli Jam chose recordings from One Direction, Chris Brown and Zambian artists Eddy and Judy. Our oldie of the week was Brook Hogan’s ‘For A Moment’ and the prize we give to the first person to text us telling us the name of the performing artist was won by Mitch, who earned himself dinner for two with drinks at the lodge.

Mike revealed that he was a Liverpool supporter which pleased Jay who is too, and these people spent time congratulating each other on that afternoon’s win again Manchester City. Milli Jam and I were rather irked by this mutual admiration, and felt pleased that the lovely Anne had no interest whatsoever in football. As a couple Mike and Anne love cricket and are executive members at Hampshire County Cricket Club.

They told listeners that they had returned from a two day safari in Botswana that afternoon, they had very much enjoyed the outing and had been lucky to see a vast array of wildlife including lion and, Anne’s favourite, warthogs. They hoped to have time to do some of the many other tourist activities available around Victoria Falls during their stay, but ruled out the bungee jump!

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time Anne said she would like to be on the silk trail exploring China, while Mike wanted to be revisiting communities he and his students had helped in the past, in different countries around the world. We thanked this interesting happy couple for guesting on the show and wished them well in the planning for their trip. We looked forward to welcoming some of their students as Guests on our programme in a couple of years’ time!

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The Mark Namakando Experience!

We were happy to introduce a young Zambian musician to our audience when Mark Namakando (above) was our Guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay-Hillz. Our show airs every Sunday evening at 20.30 hrs for an hour on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show is a lively mixture of music and chat, hosted by one of Livingstone’s best loved DJ’s – Milli Jam, ably assisted by up and coming Jay Hillz, co-host of 107.7 fm’s popular Breakfast Show.

Mark told listeners that he is a rap artist and that he mostly performs with another young artist known as PMT – they perform under the name of ‘3 Lettered Kings’. The boys have so far recorded about seven tracks. Mark explained that he raps mostly in English but sometimes in his native Lozi language ‘about how I look at life and society, as well as how I feel’. “Do you rap about relationships?” Milli Jam wondered. “Not yet” came the reply. “Are you in a relationship?” MJ persevered with this line of questions and shyly Mark admitted that yes he was. He revealed his age as 20 and told us that he had completed Grade 12 at Hillcrest Technical Secondary School in Livingstone. (One of Livingstone’s best secondary schools). After Grade 12 Mark had studied for a certificate in marketing from a Livingstone college.

As Mark had revealed to listeners that one of his Zambian musical influences was CRISIS, the guys dropped his latest ‘That’s The Way It Is’ on the show. We also played tracks from Davido, Chris Brown ft Aliyah, General Ozzy, Sam Smith, Martin Garrix, 5 Seconds of Summer and Faul ft Wa Dad vs Pneu.

Mark revealed that he, like Jay Hillz, is a big fan of Liverpool FC in UK and both were delighted that their team had that evening risen to the top of the EPL. They were totally convinced that the team could stay there until the end of the season and become champions. Mark and Jay Hillz revealed they had met as co-members of Zambezi 107.7 fm’s ‘Fan Club’, when they had auditioned for the station on the same day. They had remained firm friends ever since. Mark told us that after his marketing course he had spent some time on attachment with Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation in sales, but had found it tough selling advertising on the national broadcaster to small Livingstone companies. Although they had wanted him to continue after his attachment he had decided to stop and help run the family business.

Still single and the youngest of nine siblings, Mark said that in ten years’ time he hoped to be his own boss, to have started his own business and to have finished his marketing studies, as well as being a big success in music. We wished this personable, likeable, hard working young man all the best in the future and thanked him for appearing on our show.

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DJ Obby Sims

Meet DJ Obby Sims, (above) leading DJ and supervisor at Livingstone’s hottest night club East Point, and guest on the most recent edition of our weekly Sunday night radio show, the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. Obby’s real name? Obrien Simbwalanga, Tonga by tribe! ‘The Experience’ is sponsored weekly by Chanters Lodge and airs for a hour every Sunday at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s best loved local radio station. The show is popular with local residents, partly because it offers the chance to win dinner for two at the lodge, to the first person to text us the name of the artist on our regular ‘oldie of the week’ spot. The prize on this show was quickly snapped up when we dropped Tina Turner’s classic ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose You’.

Obby told listeners that he had been DJ at East Point for about two years since the hot spot opened, prior to which he had been at Fairmount Hotel in Livingstone as entertainment manager. He still regarded the Fairmount disco as East Point’s major competition especially since their recent renovations. He recounted to listeners how he had started in the entertainment business in Lusaka at Moon City night club in the 80’s with the help of the late Eddy Groove who had taught him how to DJ with vinyl – “nothing like CD decks in those days!” He said. (This stirred some of your writer’s memories!) Later Obby had worked at Lusaka’s huge Black Velvet night club. This was a controversial place in the end, but in its’ heyday it had held more than 1200 revelers at one time! After working for Hanif Adams and Clouds in Lusaka, later Obby had come back to Livingstone and, as mentioned, started work with the Fairmount Hotel.

The music on this show was good. We opened with latest hits from Tinie Tempah and the Chainsmokers. Milli Jam and Jay chose tracks from Stevo, Shaggy featuring Ne-Yo, Lorde and Karasa with Cleo Ice featuring Zone Fam. Our pick of the week was ‘Dangerous Love’ from Fuse OGD featuring Sean Paul, and we closed with a hit from Enrique Iglesias’s latest album.

Obby sadly revealed that his fiancee had passed away the previous month and that he was still enduring the grieving process. He did not have any children. He also told us proudly that he had done the bungee jump and that he was a regular on sunset cruises on the Zambezi. His football team is Arsenal (as shown by the above photo!) and his favourite all time player Thierry Henry. He was really hoping his team would win the FA Cup this year. His favourite music is tracks from the 80’s and 90’s – his favourite international artist the late Michael Jackson, Petersen his Zambian pick. We were surprised at the latter choice as his first cousin is B1 – also a famous Zambian musician.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time (Milli Jam’s favourite question to our weekly guest) Obby said he would like to be in Livingstone, running his own club with his own workers, married to a beautiful woman and to have lovely children. We wished him the best of luck and told him to keep on rocking his patrons!

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The Australian Experience

We were delighted to welcome bank Isaac Mwanza (above) to the latest edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. It was Isaac’s second time to be our guest on the programme. Why then ‘The Australian Experience’ you’re wondering about the caption above? Well, Isaac is a Zambian but for the past year he’s been studying and working in Australia so, as he was back in Zambia for a short holiday, we invited him on to the show to tell us all about his Australian experience. Before leaving for Australia in January 2013, Isaac had been a full time employee and presenter at Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station which hosts our show every Sunday night for an hour at 20.30 hrs.

Isaac told listeners that he was in college in Townsville, a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef in the dry tropics region of Queensland. He is studying for an Advanced Diploma in Information Technology and hopes to finish the course by the end of this year. From there he wants to remain in Australia and go to University for a degree in IT. “How are you financing the project?” Milli Jam wanted to know and Isaac explained that he had been lucky to get a part time job in a warehouse belonging to a big company dealing in building supplies. He was involved in occupational health and safety with the company and he hoped, eventually, to be able to persuade the company to sponsor his further education. It did mean that he had a very busy life fitting in both work and studies.

The music on this show was latest. We opened with Clean Bandit’s huge hit ‘Rather Be’ featuring Jess Glynn, back to back with a new release from The Vamps. George chose tracks from Tk and Izeal as well as Bobby East, while Milli Jam went for Lorde’s ‘Royals’ song of the year at the Grammies. He also featured Ellie Goulding’s smash ‘Burn’. Our oldie of the week was a local track – ‘Juju Lover’ by Daddy Zemus and the prize we give of a dinner for two with drinks at the lodge to the first person to text us the name of the performing artist, was quickly snapped up! We closed with Neon Jungle’s ‘Braveheart’.

Isaac told listeners that he was too busy in Australia to spend much time missing Zambia! He was still a full time Arsenal supporter but the time differences and his busy schedule made it difficult to watch every game on TV. He told us that Australians are fanatics about rugby and he had subsequently developed an interest in the sport. “Are you married in Australia?” Milli Jam wanted to know. Huge laughter followed and eventually the answer ‘no’ was heard! Isaac said he would be in Livingstone until February 3rd and while he was in town he was appearing on radio on Friday and Saturday nights. So far he had not had the chance to DJ or to appear on radio in Australia, but he hoped eventually that that would be a dream come true.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years from now, Isaac said he hoped to have his own IT business, to be happily married with children as well as a lovely house and car. Given his drive, personality and hard work we were sure he would succeed and observed to young people listening that they should follow Isaac’s hard work and determination to succeed.

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The Flavor of The Experience

Meet Emmanuel Dodia (above), aka DJ Flavor, Guest on the latest edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela, hence the headline! The Experience is our weekly Sunday night radio show airing on Zambezi 107.7 fm for an hour at 20.30 hrs CAT and is a lively mixture of music, and chat with our Guest of the week.

Emmanuel told listeners that as well as being one of Livingstone’s top club DJ’s at night, he has a full time day job with Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO), Zambia’s much maligned power company for whom he works as a Customer Care Officer. “How do you cope with the abuse?” I asked Emmanuel, sure that given the amount of load shedding to which the Zambian population is regularly subjected, abuse must be pretty frequent. “We’re trained!” Replied DJ Flavor, laughing. “Please tell your bosses to let the water go over the Falls for an hour or so every day during the next dry season.” I urged Emmanuel. Laughing again he replied: “Do you want more load shedding?” I replied by advising him not to laugh at such a serious matter and that I felt most Livingstone residents would take an hour or so of load shedding, in return for a daily flow of water over the Falls for a limited period of time!

Emmanuel told listeners that he had been a DJ for about four years, a protege of PJMasterz he had started playing at ‘da Fusion’ and doing road shows, before officially opening ‘Ayoba’ one of Livingstone’s liveliest, busiest night clubs right in the heart of the city. Currently Flavor was playing Limpo’s pub (opposite the civic centre) during the week, and at Taonga Safaris on the banks of the Zambezi at weekends. When Milli Jam asked what music he played for his audience he replied that it depended on what they wanted and that he believed in ‘customer care’ in both his occupations! His own personal taste in music was towards R&B and House with Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj being his favourite artists.

The music on this week’s show was good. We opened with tracks from Fuse ODG and Hardwell featuring Matthew Koma. George dropped numbers from Salma Dodia (Emmanuel’s first cousin) and Slap Dee featuring Kantu. Milli Jam chose Kid Ink featuring Chris Brown as well as Katy Perry featuring Juicy J. Our oldie of the week was Jay Sean’s ‘War’ and the prize we give each week to the first person to text us telling us the name of the performing artist was quickly snapped up. My pick of the week was Magic’s ‘Rude’ – George loved it.

Emmanuel told listeners that he’s been married to his wife Ivy for about eighteen months and that they have a baby girl Amelia, just eight months old. He supports Arsenal (hooray said Milli Jam and I), all time favourite player Thierry Henry, current star Theo Walcott. Emmanuel also loves basketball although he no longer plays. He told us he had undergone a course in public relations at UNZA before taking up his appointment at Zesco.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years from now, Emmanuel said that he would like to be ‘grown up with his family’, adding up to more than just something in music, and holding down a good job. We wished him the best of luck.

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The Veterans Experience!

Judy Smetherham (left above) and Di Rapson are truly veterans of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela! It was their fourth appearance as Guests on our show when we featured them on the first 2014 edition of the programme last Sunday night. The show has been running on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station since late 2007 so this marks our seventh year on air. “Why do you keep coming back to Zambia?” Milli Jam wanted to know at the beginning of the programme. “We love the people of Zambia!” The ladies replied and went on to tell listeners that they had arrived back in Zambia on December 22nd flying in from Perth, Australia where they live, and work in education.

Their first stop in the country was Lusaka from where they flew to Mfue in the South Luangwa National Park where they enjoyed Christmas, explaining that Santa Claus had arrived at the lodge in a 4 x 4 with presents for all the Guests. “Not on an elephant?” We wondered. Whilst in the Luangwa they had seen just about all the game there is to see, apart from rhino, but including leopard and wild dogs. From Mfue they had flown to Livingstone via Lusaka on January 3rd, taking in the elephant orphanage in Lusaka on their way. The ladies had been on the river safari since they arrived in Livingstone as well as taking a microlight flight over Victoria Falls that very morning. They were lucky on both outings to avoid the incessant rain experienced in the city for the whole of the previous week. The ladies were looking forward to a one day safari to Chobe NP in Botswana on the following Tuesday, with Chris Tours.

The music on the show was great. We featured our new theme tune for 2014 at the top of the show – Avicii’s ‘Hey Brother’. Tracks from Pitbull featuring Ke$ha and Bruno Mars followed. George dropped numbers from Exile as well as Edma featuring Ty2. Milli Jam added a West African flavour with recordings from Niyola, as well as Kcee featuring WizzKid. George picked Harry Belafonte’s ‘There’s A Hole In My Bucket’ as the oldie of the week, but no-one won the prize we offer to the first person to text us telling us the name of the recording artist. Hardly any wonder! My pick of the week for the ladies (who just LOVE elephants) was ‘Come A Little Closer’ by….Cage The Elephant. We closed with an old number from Charlie Pride.

Judy and Di told listeners that they would leave Livingstone the following week and head for Cape Town for a nine day holiday in that super South African city. After that they would fly to Dubai, from there proceeding on a four day tour to Oman before returning to Dubai for some days, prior to flying home. The ladies also revealed that they had plans in the pipeline to visit Canada and the USA. Milli Jam wanted to know what changes they had noticed in Livingstone since their last visit eighteen months ago, and the ladies noted the improvement in the roads, new street signs and the increase in activity prices – the latter reported through clenched teeth!

In an unexpected move, Judy produced a marvellous book of photos taken in Zambia during their three previous visits, including fabulous pictures of the lodge and its staff, the radio show and its hosts, as well as stunning pictures of the Falls, gorges and Zambia’s awesome wildlife. Pictures of all the various activities they have done in Zambia are also featured in the book! Naturally those present felt that they would each be given their own signed edition of the unique volume but this turned out not to be the case, and the book went away with its owner, never to be seen again. The ‘boos’ in the studio were louder than those for David Moyes at Old Trafford as Man U lost at home yet again!

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time both ladies said they would like still to be happy, healthy, travelling and creating more books of photos!

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The Chrismar Hotel Experience

We were delighted to welcome Robert McCarron (above) as our Guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. The Experience is our weekly Sunday night radio show airing on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. Rob is general manager of Chrismar Hotel, one of Livingstone larger hotels located on the Royal Mile near the Boat Club, close to the entrance to Mosi-o-Tunya National Park and of course the Zambezi. “The hotel currently has 59 rooms but is in the process of extending by an additional 40 rooms”, Rob told listeners. It was the first time we’ve had one of the general managers of Livingstone’s big hotels on the programme and Milli Jam asked him how he felt to be the first. Robert replied “you have the country’s best known hotel manager on the programme every week, so I’m hardly the first!” I guess I blushed!

Rob told us that he has been in Zambia for 3 years and has, for most of that time, been the manager at Chrismar. He’s an American, a graduate in business management, travel and tourism from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. “Why did you come to Zambia?” Milli Jam wanted to know. “For a change” the reply. We were not told the type of change required! Rob said the hotel had had a great year in 2013 with increased occupancy and room revenue, enjoying a thriving conference trade, with the majority of Guests coming from within Zambia.

The music on the show was good, we opened with two top Christmas hits from the UK by Sam Bailey and Pharrell Williams. George dropped Zambian tracks from Petersen and Mampi, while Milli Jam chose records from One Direction and Tiwa Savege. Our oldie of the week was Bruno Mars’ Grenade, and we had two prizes on offer to the first people to text us the name of the recording artist on the track. Robert had kindly contributed a dinner for two at Chrismar Hotel to add to the dinner for two with drinks at Chanters that we give away each week on a regular basis, and the two prizes were quickly snapped up by our listeners!

Robert told listeners that he’s married to a Zambian lady with whom he has twin one year old little boys, and yes, they do keep the family awake at night and busy, but he said he himself is a ‘deep sleeper’ so not that disturbed! Rob said that he comes from a family of musicians, his mum is a musician with the Boston Symphony Orchestra while his dad plays piano in piano bars across America. Both his brothers play in bands. He said his own musical tastes were wide and that he especially enjoys rap, rock and reggae.

As a Bostonian he loves all his Boston sports teams and, because the owner of the Boston Red Sox is also the owner of Liverpool FC in UK, he’s a fan of that club. This made George very happy. Rob’s first sporting love however is basketball, and he revealed that he is the coach of the Hillcrest School basketball team here in Livingstone as well as the team for Southern Province. As for tourist activities he loved white water rafting and felt that everyone should do that once in their lives. He had swum in Devil’s Pool but had not done the bungee jump. “No time!” He said. “It only takes 7.5 seconds” I replied, and we laughed!

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time Rob revealed that he wanted to be the team coach for the Zambian national basketball team while training his 11 year old twin boys in the art of the game! He also mentioned that he would like to have more children. Nothing about hotels we noted!

We closed by wishing all our listeners a very happy Christmas and prosperous 2014.

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The Chris Tours Experience

It was a pleasure to welcome back Chris Mweetwa (above), director of Chris Tours, as our Guest on the latest edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild. The Experience is our weekly Sunday night radio show airing at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 107.7 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show is a lively mixture of latest Zambian and international music as well as chat with our Guest of the week. If one of our listeners can quickly text us the name of the artist singing on our ‘oldie of the week’ there’s also the chance to win dinner for two with drinks at the lodge – and a swim if the weather’s up for it and the water’s warm!

Chris told listeners that when he’d last appeared on our show, some three years ago, he was a taxi driver on the verge of completing a contract with the vehicle’s owner which would then give him ownership of that car. He revealed that in the three intervening years he had completed that contract and had then successfully established a tours and taxi company, Chris Tours. He was now the proud owner of a fleet of six vehicles, three mini-buses and three taxis. He had managed to get a loan to start off the expansion and had progressed from there. As well as the regular taxi business, the company offers airport transfers, transfers to any point in Zambia and surrounding countries, as well as vehicle hire and safaris, especially to Chobe NP in Botswana. Chris gave listeners details of his website and Facebook page and mentioned that his company handles all Chanters Lodge Clients to Botswana, as well as staff transport for the lodge.

The music on the show was great. We opened with latest tracks from Avicii and Leona Lewis. George dropped Zambian tracks from Macky 2 and Tyce. Milli Jam chose numbers from Ellie Goulding and One Direction. The prize of a dinner for two with drinks at the lodge to the first person to text us telling us who’s the artist on our oldie of the week, mentioned above, was not won on this show – George chose The Specials with a topical ‘Free Nelson Mandela’ a rather obscure if trendy single.

Chris revealed to listeners that he is married with 5 children, his eldest daughter is 15 and the youngest child just one year and 5 months old. Originally from Kalomo, north of Livingstone though still in Southern Province, Chris said he had been in Livingstone since he was 10 years old and had completed his education at Linda Secondary school in the city. He claimed he supported Arsenal FC in England while others present suggested he might have been forced to say this! He told listeners that he had recently returned from his first visit to Johannesburg and had been impressed with the multi lane highways as well as the Gauteng train in that city.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Chris said that he wanted to be in Livingstone having grown and expanded his excellent tour company. We had no doubt at all that he would succeed.

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