Yale University Students on The Experience!

Ben Marrow & Alicia Alvarez

Ben and Alicia (above) were our guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz, our weekly radio show airing every Tuesday evening at 20.30 hrs CAT for an hour live on Zambezi 94.1 fm. The show is a lively mixture of international and Zambian pop music, interspersed with chat with our guests.

Ben Marrow and Alicia Alvarez, third year students at the famous, prestigious Yale University, an American private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Ben is reading Ethics, Politics and Economics, Alicia Economics and Mathematics. High powered? You bet! The guys told us that their college had educated four former US Presidents with a fifth – Hillary Clinton – perhaps on the way to the post. This provoked a discussion about US politics in general and Donald Trump in particular – there’s a surprise! Ben hails from New Jersey while Alicia is from Madrid, Spain. This was their first trip to Southern Africa, visiting family friends in Lusaka, so the guys were determined not to miss the chance of a sight of the mighty Victoria Falls, just 10 kms from Chanters Lodge where they were staying whilst in Livingstone.

Our visitors told us that they had only arrived in Livingstone on the day of the show, having flown from Lusaka with Proflight and having been met at the airport by Richard. Chanters Lodge offers free airport transfers from/to Livingstone Airport for all their guests on arrival and departure. Were the couple ‘an item’ Milli Jam wondered? They claimed they were not but ‘just good friends’ who had met at college and liked to travel together. Alicia seemed a shy mathematician, Ben a more outgoing student. While in town they hoped to have a bike ride to the Falls as well as doing the rhino walk in the Mosi-o-Tunya National Park.

The music on the show was good, with tracks from Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson, Zayn, DNCE, Willz ft Red Linso, Tinashe, Alpha Romeo ft Macky 2 and Tommy Dee, as well as Yemi Alade. The guys said they had no particular favourite music or artists but listened a lot to Yale’s own radio station while they were studying. Ben did say he favoured Kanye West and Chance The Rapper.

Alicia surprised us by telling listeners that she was into the sport of fencing and was in Yale University’s fencing team. I warned Milli Jam to control himself otherwise the young lady might take out her foil and sort him out! Coming from where she does it was no surprise to learn that she supports Real Madrid though other members of her family are for Athletico. Does she miss Spain? Not really the States is apparently ‘more exciting’….

Ben comes from a family of academics – both his parents are university professors. Part of his education had been in UK during the time his father was involved with Cambridge University, he had therefore played cricket, rugby and field hockey, as well as mysteriously ending up as a Manchester United supporter. Thereby knowing much more about sport in UK than his peers in America! We moved on.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing ten years’ from now, Alicia said she would like to have finished her studies and to be working for a big international organization, while Ben said he would like to be working, travelling and to be involved in research. We wished them all the best!

 

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The Tuesday Evening Experience!

Kawana Lubinda

Meet Kawana Lubinda Peter (above), Guest on the first ever Tuesday evening edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz which aired on 26th January. The Experience is our weekly radio show on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station, and has been a regular feature since 2007, in the past on Sunday evenings.

Peter told Milli Jam that he had been working at Zambezi fm for the past week in the marketing department. He is a graduate in Mass Communications and is also an agriculturist. He completed high school in Mazabuka – the sugar town – in Southern Province and indeed had his first broadasting job in that town with community radio in 2004. Since then his experience has been such that he believes he can ‘do anything in radio broadcasting’. Milli Jam wondered whether he had also worked in television or print media but Peter said that aspect was still something for the future.

The music on the show was good. We did not feature Peter’s favourite Boys2Men, but did play tracks from AlunaGeorge ft Popcaan, Ne-Yo, Olly Murs and Pet Shop Boys. There was also work from Shenky Shuga ft Che-Che, Justin Bieber, Slap D and the latest from Sigala – ‘Say You Do’. We do our best to help the station keep up with the new tracks in UK and USA.

Peter told listeners that he has been married for nine years and has two boys and a girl. He sent his love to his wife who was listening. He supports Manchester United and said he thought Louis van Gaal should be given more time to bring back success to his favourite club. His favourite all time player – Ruud van Nistelrooy. He had never done the bungee jump but was looking forward to marketing the station to various of the activity companies in Livingstone as well as other corporates.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years’ from now, Peter told listeners that he would like to be very independent, an entrepreneur and an investor, especially in the agriculture sector with a big farm. We thanked him for letting us be the first show at Zambezi fm to delve into his personality and experience!

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The Wilf Hoare Experience!

Wilf Hoare

Meet Wilf Hoare (above), model, radio presenter, young, handsome and guest on a recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. The Experience is the weekly Sunday night radio show sponsored by Chanters Lodge airing for an hour live at 20.30 hrs on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station.

“Hoare is not a very Zambian surname” remarked Milli Jam at the top of the show. Wilf explained that his great grand father was Irish and the name had been passed on through the generations. He assured listeners that he was a Tonga from Livingstone! “Born and brought up in the city”? Asked Jay Hillz. “Yes indeed!” said Wilf. He went on to say that he had been educated at Linda Secondary School in Livingstone but would still need to revisit his Grade 12 Maths exam before he could enroll for further education. Eventually he would love to study journalism and media studies.

He now has several slots on Zambezi FM including a phone in show when listeners phone in describing the problems in their love lives and receive advice from Wilf. “Aren’t you a bit young for that?” I wondered (Wilf is just 19) – apparently not as Wilf’s show is a big hit on the station. The music on the show was good with tracks from Fuse ODG, One Direction, Charlie Puth, Chef 187, DJ Snake ft Aluna George, Jason Derulo, Drimz, Macklemore and Sarah Harding. Wilf told listeners that he had a broad taste in music and listened at home to country, R&B and hip-hop.

On the modelling side Wilf had formed Wil-Wild-3300 which would produce and promote his port folio of photographs enabling him to tie down more modelling contracts. Did he prefer radio presenting or modelling, we wondered. “I love both!” the reply. Wilf told us he is single but has a steady date. “Not really into sport but I like boxing” said Wilf when asked about his football preferences.Rather surprisingly he loves to cook and bake at home.
Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing 10 years from now our young guest said he would like to have finished his studies and to have founded his own successful agency in Livingstone.

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The Joost Vranken Experience!

Joost Vranken

Meet Joost Vranken (above) from Ghent in Belgium, and guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. The Experience is the weekly radio show we sponsor on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show airs every Sunday evening live from 20.30 – 21.30 hrs.

Joost told listeners that he was in Zambia on holiday and was spending a week or so in Livingstone at Chanters Lodge. He was comfortable at the lodge describing the operation as quiet, homely and friendly. He’s an administrator back in Ghent working for De Lijn, a big Belgian transport company. Joost went on to tell us that he had first come to Zambia in 1991 as a history teacher at Kawambwa Boys Technical Secondary School. In those days national service was still compulsory in Belgium but he was able to come to Zambia to work, as an option to serving in the military.

On completion of his national service he had taught for a number of years at Nkrumah Teachers Training College in Kabwe. He holds a degree in African History and Languages from Ghent University in Belgium. He set up a business in Zambia but left to return to his home country in 2007. Asked about the difference between Zambia and Belgium he said ‘the people, the space and the light’. He clearly misses Zambia!

The music on the show was nice featuring tracks from Lost Frequencies (a Belgian artist), Calvin Harris, Chvrches, Demi Levato, Jay Rox, Big Sean ft Jhene Aiko, T-Sean ft JK and Sean Paul. There were a lot of Seans in there! Music wise Joost is into jazz and stars like Van Morrison.

Joost said he and the friend with whom he had travelled had very much enjoyed the white water rafting on the Zambezi during their stay but not the climb out of the gorge. His friend had bungee jumped while he looked on in shock and horror!

On the sports scene he is into squash and was very much involved in the administration of the sport in Zambia when he was based in Kabwe, even accompanying the national under 21 team to the All Africa Games in Botswana. He supports his local team in Ghent in the Belgian league and in England Arsenal. We were happy about that!

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years time, our guest said it was a big question but that he would like to be healthy, happy and if possible involved with business in Zambia. In this regard he talked of Zambian honey. ‘A Zambian honey?’ I wondered (Joost is single). “No” the reply “the Zambian honey industry”. “Ah!” I said.

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The Zambia Air Force Experience!

Cephas Mudaala

Meet Captain Cephas Mudaala (above) of the Zambia Air Force and guest of the week 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 at 20.30 hrs CAT for an hour live every Sunday night on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show is a great mix of local and international pop music and conversation with our guest. We also give social media and pop chart updates, each and every week.

Cephas told listeners that although he is based in Lusaka, he was currently in Livingstone for a month on training. After completing secondary school at St Raphael’s School in Livingstone Cephas had joined Fairmount Hotel as an accounts clerk, then Sun International in the same capacity. He had joined Zambia Air Force some twelve years ago. Working his way up he had obtained the rank of Captain, was a trained pilot and now an instructor of pilots! He flies the MA60 – a Chinese aircraft. “So you sing the R Kelly song “I Believe I Can Fly”? I enquired. “R Kelly – one of my favourite artists” the dead pan reply!

The music on our show was good. We played tracks from Fuse ODG, Walk The Moon, Zedd ft Selena Gomez, Olly Murs, Rixton, Afunika, Kevin McCall, Iggy Azalea ft Jennifer Hudson and Jaguar ft 2 Kind – the latter one of Zambia’s latest hot acts!

Cephas told us that he is married and that his wife is also in the Zambia Air Force – a lieutenant by rank, though apparently in command in the home! “Was it love at first sight?” Milli Jam wondered. “Funny that!” Remarked Cephas “when we met, the first thing I said to her was ‘we will marry’ and she had laughed, but I had the last laugh!” He and his wife have a two year old little boy Luyando. ‘Love’ it means! “Naughty?” I wondered. “Very!” The reply.

Having been brought up in Livingstone Cephas said he was very familiar with the many tourist activities in Livingstone and although he had never bungee jumped he had almost’ done it and ‘would love to do it’. He had also never jumped out of a plane – we guessed that he flies planes so that others can! He and his wife had recently though had a great time at Mukuni Big 5 riding elephants and walking with lions.

It transpired that our Guest supports Manchester United, claiming that he was ‘forced into it’ by his elder brother. Just imagine! We then spent some time discussing Arsenal players and Jack Wilshere’s two goals for England in an international that afternoon. When not flying planes, teaching others to fly or looking after Luyando, Cephas enjoys sleeping and listening to music.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years’ from now, Cephas said he would like to be a General in charge of Zambia Air Force.
“Yes Sir!” We said……

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The Chosen One Rocks ‘The Experience’

James Silavwe

 

James Silavwe (above) also known as ‘The Chosen One’ is, according to Milli Jam who knows about these things, the best club DJ in Livingstone and amongst the best in Zambia. “What makes you say so?” I wondered. “He has great mixing skills, a good choice in tracks and he really knows how to keep the dance floor heaving and buzzing”! Was the reply. “If he’s based in Livingstone, how come you say he’s amongst the best in the whole country?” James explained that he has become known across the country as he works for Eastpoint, and the company has clubs in Lusaka, Chipata and on the Copperbelt. The DJ’s are from time to time sent on temporary transfers to sister clubs, hence James has become known and popular throughout the land!

This whole conversation took place on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz when James was our Guest and ‘the chosen one’ on the night! Our show airs every Sunday night on Zambezi fm for an hour live and is popular throughout the local community. “How did you get the name ‘The Chosen One’?” Jay asked our guest who explained that when he first started as a DJ some six years’ ago, his colleagues felt that he needed a handle to his name and his friend Obi had suggested ‘The Chosen One’. The name had stuck. James told listeners that before being employed at Eastpoint he had been trained at Club Fairmount in Livingstone by Milli Jam amongst others. He described Milli as his inspiration.

The music on our show was great with tracks from Natalie la Rose featuring Jeremih, DJ SKT ft Rae, Lawson, John Newman, Gogo ft DJ Cleo, Simwala ft F Jay, Numani Ona and Disclosure.

James told us that he had been brought up in Livingstone but had for a while been educated at Kitwe Boys School before transferring to Hill Crest Technical Secondary School in Livingstone. He is still single although ‘spoken for’, he has no children as yet. He attributes his success in his field to the care he takes in pre-selecting and preparing his tracks for each and every show.

The Chosen One told us that he supports Manchester United – that was enough for Milli Jam to almost avoid asking him anything about football – it would have been different if he had said Arsenal. Changing the subject, had he ever bungee jumped we wondered? He had not – though said he would like to. That’s what they all say….

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years’ from now our guest told us that he would like to own and be managing his own club and to be married with children.

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The Nchimunya Experience

Nchimunya Chikosola

 

Meet Nchimunya Chikosola (above), a worker in production at the studios of Zambezi fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station and hosts of our weekly radio show, the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. The show airs every Sunday night from 20.30-21.30 hrs CAT and is a great mixture of the latest Zambian and international pop hits, and chat with our guest of the week. Nchimunya was the guest on the most recent edition of our show.

Nchimunya told listeners that he had been employed at Zambezi fm (starting as an intern) some eighteen months ago. During that time he had garnered experience not only in production but in marketing and as a presenter as well. Currently he was a driver too! He had been educated locally at St Raphael’s Secondary School. He had spent some time working for Safari Par Excellence in video production and had realised that this was work he loved.

In 2010 his mother had retired from employment with Zamtel and upon receiving her benefits had sponsored our guest to undertake a degree course at the University of Namibia in Windhoek from 2010-2013. He had read Media Studies and Sociology and had loved his time at University, making a lot of friends. Radio featured as part of his course. He told us that studying at university in Namibia was preferable to Zambia as there were ‘no closures that side’. We told him he was very lucky to have such a loving mum, willing to blow her benefits on his further education!

The music on this show was good with latest tracks from Jason Derulo, Martin Garrix ft Usher, DJ Target, Bobby East (controversial Zambian artist), Nicky Minaj and DJ Mish’s ‘Yappata’. Meaning? Unclear.

Nchimunya said that his own personal taste in music was hip hop but that working on radio he had very much widened his listening range and this had increased his interest in Gospel, House, Rap and other genres. He told us he did not really follow one UK football club but tended to ‘go with the flow’. We seriously advised him that on this day this made him a Gunner as Arsenal were celebrating their second FA Cup victory in succession and twelfth in all time! They were in fact ‘the flow’!

Still single and without children, Nchimunya can be found on both Facebook and Twitter. Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time, our guest told us that he would like to be married with little ones, own a production company and have investment in a radio station.

We wished him the best of luck.

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The Neopolitan Experience

Giovanni Ceperano

 

Meet Giovanni Ceperano from Naples, Italy, (hence the title), on holiday in Zambia, and guest on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz. ‘The Experience’ is the weekly radio show we sponsor every Sunday night on Zambezi 94.1 fm, Livingstone longest established commercial local radio station. The show goes out live from 20.30 hrs for an hour and features local and international pop music, as well as chat with our guest, and social media as well as pop chart updates.

Giovanni said that this was not his first trip to Africa as he had been on safari to East Africa some time back, visiting Kenya and Tanzania. On this journey he had stayed for a week in Kruger NP in South Africa and had been lucky to see all of the ‘Big 5’. Since arriving in Livingstone a few days ago he had been on the sunset cruise on African Queen, and the day of the show he had spent the day in Chobe NP in Botswana where he had seen hundreds of elephant as well as a pride of lion. In between times our guest had been to see Victoria Falls from both Zimbabwe as well as the Zambian side and thought the view from both sides ‘very beautiful’. Had he bungee jumped? No he was ‘scared for that!’

Our guest told listeners that he works for the internal security police in Naples and that he has been a detective in that section for some twenty years. Was his job dangerous, we wondered, going after high powered criminals? “It can be” said our guest. ‘Just a minute’ I said – ‘you’re scared to bungee jump but you chase criminals for a living, how does that work?’ Giovanni laughed.

The music on the show featured hot tracks from Blonde ft Alex Newell, Rudimental, Kantu and DJ Gesh, Britney Spears ft Iggy Azalea, P Square ft Don Janzzy as well as DJ Muzengaman.

Giovanni told he us he was not married and that he had an eight year old son Stefano. His favourite band is U2 and he likes both rock and pop. He loves to go out dancing to discos in Naples when he has time. He’s a big fan of Napoli FC, currently fourth in La Liga and goes to watch – again when his job allows the time. Napoli FC is famous partly because of Diego Maradonna one time player for that team.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years from now Giovanni said he would like still to be doing the same work and travelling. He said he was off to Cape Town the next day and we wished him all the best

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The Braithwaite Experience

Anthony and Kate Braithwaite

 

Meet Anthony and Kate Braithwaite, guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient ft Jay Hillz. ‘The Experience’ is our weekly radio show airing on Zambezi fm, Livingstone’s leading local radio station, every Sunday night since November 2007! Just imagine! The station transmits our show on 94.1 fm at 20.30 hrs CAT for an hour live. The programme is a lively mixture of latest international and Zambian popular music as well as chat with our Guests, often clients staying at Chanters Lodge, as indeed were Anthony and Kate (above).

Anthony told listeners that he and Kate, who had been married for five years, had been living in Lusaka for the past three years. Anthony who is British, with Barbadian roots, met Kate, who is Zambian, in England “on a blind date a long long time before we actually got married” we were told. Kate professed to being ‘rather shy’ and Anthony answered most of our questions. Milli Jam wanted to know Kate’s tribe and upon being told she was Bemba cast huge doubts on the shyness issue! We carried on…..Anthony has two children ‘of his own’ and six grand children as well as loads of step children! He also has two business degrees from UK universities.

Anthony told listeners that he is a venture capitalist working for Global Trading Offshore in Lusaka looking to help the development of Zambia by providing access to capital, particularly for entrepreneurs, and was involved with various projects in Lusaka. He and Kate were visiting Livingstone, he for the first time, partly for pleasure but partly for business looking at a real estate project in the city.

Anthony told us that he is very much involved with fund raising for the Kucetekela Foundation, a Zambian NGO concerned with the provision of secondary education to bright children with financial challenges. In this regard he was particularly grateful to Best Of Zambia and Stanbic Bank for their support.

The music on the show was great, we featured tracks from Jess Glynne as well as Sigma ft Labrinth. Others were from Rihanna, Willz and Wezi with their Zambian smash ‘Toliwe’. Milli Jam chose work from Omarion and Izrael ft Nalu. Our pick of the week was from the sensational James Bay and we closed with a new track from Usher ft Chris Brown.

Whilst in Livingstone Anthony and Kate would visit Victoria Falls and were looking forward to a one day safari in Chobe NP, Botswana. Anthony told listeners his preferred listen to music is reggae and that he is a long term supporter of Liverpool FC. Jay enjoyed that revelation, others did not!! Anthony is also a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and gives free lessons to vulnerable children in Lusaka as and when he has the time.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing ten years from now, Anthony said he would be retired in his beach front property in Barbados with regular visits to London and Lusaka. Sounded pretty good to the rest of us!

 

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