fashion – Chanters Lodge Livingstone

The Last 2014 Experience! Miss Anny stars!

The last 2014 edition of The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring Jay Hillz starred none other than Chanters Lodge Assistant Manager Annastasia Mwila Katele as our Guest of The Week. It’s some three years since Miss Anny (as she is known by the Chanters Girls) last appeared on the show and the level of maturity and self confidence she has reached in that time is most impressive. Says a lot about her and her ability to learn – there she is cavorting with Milli Jam and Jay in the picture above! The Experience has now been on air every Sunday on Zambezi 94.1 fm at 20.30 CAT for the past 7 years and in 2015 we go into our eighth year. The show keeps the name of the lodge in the Livingstone public eye, is nice for our Guests staying in the lodge who feature from time to time, and a good staff motivator too. The Chanters Girls love the show, especially when one of ‘their own’ is featured!

Annastasia told listeners she was given that name by her grandmother, her grandfather insisted that he too should be part of the naming ceremony hence the Mwila in her name, meaning ‘air’ in the Bemba language. “So you’re Bemba?’ surmised Milli Jam. Anny told us that her mum hails from Malawi! She has a daughter – Maryam now aged 14 and studying Grade 10 at Linda Secondary School here in Livingstone. Anny has been working at Chanters Lodge for 12 years having first joined on attachment in 2002. ‘Time flies’! Said Milli Jam and he’s not wrong! Anny explained that she had undertaken a course in food and beverage at the Livingstone Youth Community Training Centre run by the Catholic Church in Livingstone in 2000. ‘Are you Catholic’? asked Milli Jam. “No, I’m Moslem” replied Anny, and she is! She explained that both her mum and late dad were of that faith and she had continued in the family tradition. She prayed at the mosque on Obote Avenue when she chanced to be off on Fridays.

The music on the show was good as usual. We played tracks by Echosmith and Madonna. The guys dropped numbers from Sarkodie ft Banky W – a Ghanian act. Also from Izrael, Roberto (so hot in Zambia right now) and Usher featuring Nicki Minaj. Our oldie of the week was the late Joe Cocker’s Heart of The Matter but no-one won the prize we give each week to the first person to text us the name of the artist on the oldie. My pick of the week was OT Genesis’s ‘Co-Co’ and we closed with TINA by Fuse ODG scheduled to become our opening theme for the show in 2015 (‘This Is New Africa’ for the uninitiated.)

Anny told us that she loves all kind of music, her international favourite artist is Miley Cyrus and on the local scene ‘Roberto’. She admitted to loving shoes more than music and that she had lost count of the number of ‘heels’ in her possession! She supports Arsenal and denied that she had been cajoled into it by the director. Her favourite player is Theo Walcott. “Because he’s handsome?” Wondered Milli Jam. “Because he’s a great player’ replied Anny tersely. She told listeners that she loves her job, especially dealing with people, although she admitted that this was also the greatest challenge. Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing in ten years’ time, our pretty, hard working, talented, well spoken strict Assistant Manager told us that she would like to have her own business, be married and have some more children. The subsequent excitement of Milli Jam and Jay was curtailed by my mention of Anny’s mum – the matriarch of the family!

3
JAN

2014, Africa, Arsenal, broadcasting, Business, Chanters, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, fashion, livingstone, radioshow, staff, training, Zambia

Miss Hope UNWTO 2013

Meet from left to right (above) Matongo Limwanya, Hannah Lubinda and Mavis Mulyata. As you may know Zambia and Zimbabwe co-host the United Nations World Tourism Organization general assembly in the two countries in August 2013. Victoria Falls and Livingstone are the venues. Matongo and Hannah are on the organizing committee of the Miss Hope UNWTO 2013 pageant, in which ten girls will compete for the title in a final to be held in August 2013 at Sun International in Livingstone. Mavis, second placed in Miss Lusaka 2010, is one of the contenders for the title. The prize for the winner will apparently be a car and there is K10,000 (rebased) on offer as well. All three ladies were Guests on the most recent edition of the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. This was the last edition of the show in 2012.

Hannah, chair and main mover of the committee explained that the Miss Hope Foundation together with their partners DILab Africa would present a unique pageant concept that is positioned to complement the forthcoming general assembly. She said that the show has the financial backing of the Ministry of Tourism in Zambia, as well as several other commercial sponsors. Several Livingstone lodges and guest houses were also assisting. Contestants would be drawn from all parts of Southern Province in Zambia. Some of this country’s important musicians including Judy, Shyman, Sakala Brothers and Amayenge would be involved.

The music on our show was great, we opened with latest tracks from Ke$ha and Frank Ocean. Zambian tracks were from Bryan featuring PJ and the ever popular SlapDee. Milli Jam dropped numbers from Rihanna and Chris Brown (linked together even on our show!). Our oldie of the week was the obscure ‘There’s A Guy Down The Chip Shop Thinks He’s Elvis’ by the late Kirsty McColl and predictably no-one won the prize on offer for texting us the name of the performing artist. Our pick of the week was Killers – Miss Atomic Bomb and we closed with Redfoo’s ‘Bring Out The Bottle’.

The ladies told listeners that the committee were looking for girls with both beauty and brains for the pageant, and that contestants would receive education about HIV/Aids and cervical cancer as part of their participation. The judges would be looking for girls with confidence. “Who are the judges?” Milli Jam wanted to know, and Matongo explained that their names would be a closely guarded secret to avoid the corruption that had occurred in the past over such issues. We laughed though perhaps we should not have done! The contestants would gather together in a ‘boot camp’ prior to the final. Designers would be involved in dressing the finalists.

Asked where they would like to be and what they would like to be doing in ten years’ time, Mavis said she would like to be a professional model ‘known out there’, Hannah said she would like to be a visionary promoted by big business to empower young Zambian girls, while Matongo said her ambition was for Hope Foundation to be known initially throughout Zambia and later internationally.

We wished the ladies the best of luck in their excellent initiative and took the chance to wish all our listeners the best for 2013.

3
JAN

2012, Africa, education, entertainment, fashion, health, livingstone, music, radioshow, UNWTO2013, victoriafalls, youth, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Brooklyn

Check Milli Jam – presenter of our weekly Sunday night radio show – getting up close and personal with our Guest on the most recent edition of the programme, Makazo Mwangala, better known as ‘Brooklyn’ – half of a rapping duo BK – Brooklyn and Kimorah – out of Windhoek, Namibia. The Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela, airs on Zambezi 107.7 fm Livingstone’s leading local radio station every Sunday from 20.30 – 21.30. Streaming live on the internet too, it’s a great mixture of international and African music. Between tracks we chat to our Guest and later in the show give away a dinner for two at the lodge to the first person to text us telling us who’s the artist on our ‘oldie of the week’. On Brooklyn’s show the track was by the late great Zambian artist Smokey Haangala and we were inundated with text messages all giving us the right answer. Great stuff!

Brooklyn told listeners that she’s a third year journalism student at the Polytechnic of Namibia in Windhoek. She and her fellow student Kimorah came together in 2010 and have so far released seven singles and several videos. The girls play live at events like fashion shows, pageants and CD launches. Brooklyn is a Zambian but has been mostly brought up in Namibia where her dad is a meteorologist with Meteorological Services in Namibia. “Does he present the weather on TV?” I wondered. “No” replied Brooklyn “he writes what the presenters read on TV”. Did she miss Zambia? We wondered. She did, especially her family here. “Married?” Wondered George (predictably). “Very taken!” Was the reply. “Pass George the tissues!” I told Milli Jam.

We featured two of BK’s tracks – ‘Get Ready’ and ‘I Can’. Brooklyn explained that the single is called ‘Get Ready’ because the girls are telling everybody to be ready for them because they want to show their versatility and want to do something in a different style. ‘I Can’ is about “showing all the haters and people who want to bring us down that we can accomplish things.” She said. Brooklyn has a great voice, her inspiration is Nicki Minaj she told us, while Kimorah is inspired by Brandy. The girls wrote both songs themselves and the production on the recording is excellent. Other tracks we featured on the show were from Petersen and Manas locally, and internationally from Justice Collective, Dido featuring Kendrick Lamar, Tom Odell and The One Pound Fish Man (!)

Brooklyn told us that both she and Kimorah have jobs to help pay for their college education. Brooklyn is in charge of social media for a marketing company while her friend works for the ‘Namibian’ newspaper in that country. They had first met at the Polytechnic of Namibia where they were in the same class. “We just clicked. She liked what I liked. She listened to the same music as me and that’s where Kimorah told me about her interests in music,” said Brooklyn, adding that from there they got along like a house on fire. Asked when the girls were coming to perform in Zambia, Brooklyn said “keep your eyes wide open, there’s something in the works!”

Milli Jam closed with the usual question to our Guest – where would she like to be and what would she like to be doing ten years from now? Brooklyn replied that she would like to be “sitting on a large stack of money” and to have trillions of fans in an international market. “Get in!” We said.

27
DEC

Africa, Chanters, education, entertainment, fashion, livingstone, media, music, Namibia, radioshow, recording, Zambia

Kim Musonda in the house – again!

No, not the Big Brother Africa House this time, but the studios of Zambezi 107.7 fm in Livingstone, the city’s leading local radio station and host to the Chanters Lodge Experience with the Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild Kaufela. That’s the regular Sunday night radio show we sponsor, airing between 20.30 and 21.30 hrs every Sunday night! Kim was the Guest on the most recent edition. To the uninitiated, Kimberly Musonda (pictured above) was one of Zambia’s representatives in the Big Brother Africa house in South Africa, 2011 edition, on MultiChoice DSTV, staying in the house for 88 days and thus becoming one of the last seven contestants. “Did you fall in love on the show?” We wanted to know. “I had ‘almosts’ and crushes” she replied. We laughed.

Kim lives in Livingstone and was educated at Macha Girls Secondary School in Southern Province though for a large part of her childhood she was brought up in Botswana where her dad was working for the UN. After Grade 12 she toyed with further education in journalism but gave it up to follow a beauticians’ course at Kabwe Trades Training Institute. She is now a qualified masseur and can fix your hair, nails and skin too if you have an appointment. She has established her own business ‘House Of Kim’ and deals in cosmetics, apart from organizing the media dates, promotions and endorsements that have followed her successful stint in the Big Brother House. “How did you manage to get chosen for Big Brother”? Milli Jam wondered. Kim explained that she had applied on line along with thousands of other people and was eventually chosen from some 5000 other auditioned candidates. She said she’d been surprised to be chosen as she is rather quiet by nature and had even nearly missed the auditions. “What did your parents say when they heard you were to appear?” We wondered. “My dad told me not to tell my mum”! Was the reply. “Quiet by nature……” I wondered. She did admit later that she was ‘fun loving’! That somehow sounded more likely!

The music on the show was latest and featured new tracks from Rihanna, One Direction, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo internationally and ZoneFam and JK on the Zambian scene. The oldie of the week was Jennifer Hudson’s ‘Spotlight’ and the prize of a dinner for two at Chanters Lodge given to the first person to text us telling us the name of the artist on the oldie of the week was quickly snapped up. As usual we gave listeners all the latest news from the lodge, the social media scene and the US and UK charts.

Kim told listeners about her voluntary work for the “Give A Little To Save A Soul” not for profit organization which collects contributions from the public and distributes them to the old peoples’ home in Livingstone, as well as to local orphanages. She announced that there would be a party at one of the local Livingstone schools on Independence Day – October 24th in order to raise funds and she appealed to the audience for contributions. Are you “married or single?” Milli Jam wondered later. “Neither” Kim replied “occupied”. “We see” we said. “I also have a crush on Chris Brown” she admitted……

Asked where she would like to be and what she would like to be doing 10 years from now she replied that she would like to be married with two children, highly involved in the media with a lot of blessings and endorsements. She would also have love to have her own fashion label. I wouldn’t bet against this vivacious, personable, pretty Zambian girl achieving that!

5
OCT

Africa, charities, children, entertainment, fashion, guests, music, radioshow, rsa, volunteers, Zambia

Tribal Textiles

Here’s an eye opening little piece from You and Mia

“I recently returned from Zambia. While there, I took the opportunity to visit Tribal Textiles, near Mfuwe.
Driving along a bumpy country road lined with trees, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, there is a signpost for Tribal Textiles. Turning off the main road, you are greeted by white-washed buildings, lush greenery overhanging wooden benches and stone courtyards. The air is cool and fresh under the shade. We stretched our legs, cramped from the long road-trip and walked through the shop and workshops.

Colors pop off of pillow cases and aprons. Bold geometric shapes and traditional patterns cover everything from bedsheets and curtains, to table runners and other home accessories. Everything is made with 100% cotton, designed and painted individually. I first thought the designs were created using Batik, like in Indonesia. But the designs are made using a starch paste that is sun-dried and then hand-painted. Baking the fabric makes it durable in countless washes.”

(Go the link to see the video about Tribal Textiles)

16
APR

entrepreneurship, fashion, innovation, Zambia

CQ

George da Souldchild-Kaufela, co-host of our Sunday night radio show ‘The Experience’ on Zambezi 107.7 fm, upcoming singing star, as well as our valuable and regular blog contributor keeps an eye on the local Zambian music scene for us! Here’s his latest report on CQ and music piracy in Zambia!

“Fans of CQ may have to wait a while longer to get his new album because the ‘Waziba’ hit maker isn’t releasing one any time soon. CQ has revealed by interview from the USA that he’s not making a solo album because of piracy, but instead he will focus on making an album with OC. The album is being exclusively produced by OC, Mister of California and Wreckless from Florida. CQ’s latest song “Ndekeleni” with Exile is enjoying massive airplay on local radio stations and his Digital X produced JK featured “Multi Lover” tune is excellent, but he insists that he is not releasing any album soon.

“I don’t see myself releasing a solo album anytime soon, mainly because the system in Zambia is pathetic. We (musicians) invest too much and get too little out of albums, so I’d rather run with the new trend of just releasing singles. We get badly pirated after all the effort we put in, even going quiet for a year hoping that when the album is out it will make a lot of noise, only to find that pirates have poached maybe two songs and have then made what they call ‘Zed Compilation’. This gives an impression that your album only has two hot songs which I find unfair. So, as long as the system doesn’t change I’m not changing my mind”, he revealed.

The star who is tight lipped about the collaborative album he’s recording in the USA with OC said he’ll focus on doing shows as he makes more money from them than from making an album. CQ says that music is a big part of his career but he has other lucrative ventures that take up a lot of his time. He’s a print model for Black Rose and an actor who retains a permanent role as a barman in Kabanana. He also runs his own record label, Extra Large Entertainment, and is now looking in to opening a fashion clothing line to be called CQ Muzukulu.“

Wish him the best of luck!

15
JAN

Africa, entertainment, fashion, livingstone, music, radioshow, recording, usa, Zambia

Pick N Pay Zambia

There have been consistent rumours of these people opening in Livingstone but as yet there are no definite signs. We have Spar (currently moving from Falls Park to the city centre) and two Shoprites but there are still plenty of basic items that it is difficult, if not impossible, to find. I doubt if there is enough business for a third chain store – unless of course they could compete on price and variety and put Shoprite or Spar out of business in the city. Business Live reports:

Retailer Pick n Pay has announced the opening of its third Zambian store in Lusaka, further signalling the group’s confidence in the Zambian economy. Pick n Pay opened its first store in Lusaka in July 2010 and its second in Ndola in March 2011. “The third store, which will be situated in the Levy regional shopping centre, is one of five planned for the country over the next four years,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.

According to Pick n Pay head of group enterprises Dallas Langman, the southern African region represented an increasingly attractive market. “As disposable income continues to grow, the region’s retail potential remains largely untapped and there is considerable opportunity for foreign investors who are willing to enter intro constructive partnerships with local communities, suppliers and government agencies,” Langman said.

“The incredible success of our first two stores and the enthusiasm with which it has been welcomed by our customers, has exceeded our expectations and has fully vindicated our decision to expand our presence in Zambia rapidly in coming months,” he added. A fourth store will open in Makeni on 1 December. “The combined investment of both the Levy and Makeni stores is in excess of R40 million, signalling our confidence in the Zambian economy,” Langman added.

Situated in Zambia’s second largest shopping centre, the 4,000 square metre Levy store will sell in excess of 20,000 lines ranging from fresh produce, clothing, home-ware and liquor. The store has created employment opportunities for a further 150 Zambians. “Investment in African talent, the growth of our employees and skills development is a crucial part of our expansion strategy and it has been gratifying to be a part of job creation and socio-economic development in Zambia,” Langman said. He added that at least 65% of stock was locally sourced while 70% of fresh produce was provided by Zambian suppliers.

“Pick n Pay has a total of 230 local suppliers in Zambia which include agencies which supply imported products to the company’s stores. “The company has a total of 10,100 grocery lines listed in its Zambian stores, of which 6,700 products are derived from local suppliers.” The range includes canned vegetable products, coffee, legumes and an organic range of sauces as well as processed meats.

“It has been very satisfying to be able to source much of our produce from local suppliers, particularly small scale farmers who have proved themselves more than capable of providing foodstuffs at a price and of a quality demanded by Pick n Pay’s customers.”

10
DEC

Africa, copperbelt, fashion, infrastructure, innovation, livingstone, Lusaka, Zambia

Petersen Performs In London Tonight!

George Kaufela, co-host of our Sunday night radio show reports:

Zambian artist, Petersen ‘Zagaze’(above) is to perform at the London Global Catwalk Fashion, Music, Film & Theatre Event to mark World AIDS Day tonight Friday December 2, 2011.

The London GLOBAL CATWALK event is part of a worldwide synchronised Music and Fashion Event organised by POSITIVE RUNWAY: Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread, and will be simultaneously staged on the same day in different cities and countries around the world including London, Miami, Lagos, Abuja, Dar Es Salaam, British Virgin Islands, Greece, the Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago and others to commemorate the 2011 World AIDS Day.

Petersen who had flown to London last month to perform at the Zambian 47th independence Anniversary celebrations is currently in the studios working on his new music material with London producers, will join celebrities such as USA comedian, Rick Ross, Dwight Eubanks, (celebrity stylist from the USA reality TV Show “Real Housewives of Atlanta,”) who is the official Patron of POSITIVE RUNWAY, Bianca Golden and Alasia Ballard from America’s Next Top Model, Charles Young – formerly of Dunk Ryders, Miss Bahamas (Monesha Rolle), flying in from the Bahamas, Miss St Maarten, (Trumane Trotman), flying in from St Maarten’s Islands, Miss Dominican Republic, Zoe Bakoko Bakoru, Chicago-based world renowned HIV/AIDS Advocate/Activist and many other celebrities and prominent personalities in their respective participating countries who will join POSITIVE RUNWAY’s Red Ribbon Models to walk the HIV/AIDS Virus out of the Globe in different cities and countries around the world.

This London event will be a red carpet event combining Fashion, Music, Theatre and Film Screening with POSITIVE RUNWAY’s signature Red Ribbon Models walking the Runway. The event will be filmed for worldwide broadcasting and will be graced by dignitaries and VIPs as well as celebrities from Fashion, Music, Film, Television, Sport and other Arts, to send out a powerful positive message to “Stop the Spread of HIV/AIDS!”

The Fas‏hion segment of the event will feature some of London’s multi -award winning fashion designers and runway models. Participating designers include Yemi Osunkoya of Kosibah Creations, Nkwo Onwuka of Nkwo designs and Sue MK of Haranga African Klodz, as well as top men’s fashion designers, Benjamin Kitoko and Zekaryas Solomon.

Also expected is award-winning actress Demeteria McKinney from Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne.”

POSITIVE RUNWAY: Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread is a voluntary global HIV/AIDS response campaign that tours the world working with beauty queens, models, fashion designers, music artists and celebrities from film, music, television, sport and other arts as influential advocates in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS and other vices affecting today’s younger generation such as child trafficking, sexual responsibility, child abuse, drug abuse, gun and knife violence, as well as negative peer pressure, among many other vices.

(info coutesy of ukzambians)

2
DEC

charities, entertainment, fashion, London, Zambia