Meet Victor Chama Musonda (above), guest on the most recent edition of our weekly Sunday night radio show, The Chanters Lodge Experience with The Milli Jam Ingredient featuring George da Soulchild, airing at 20.30 hrs CAT on Zambezi 107.7 fm Livingstone’s leading local radio station. The show streams live on the internet too, links are on our Chanters Lodge website or the station’s own site – 18.30 hrs GMT every Sunday, and we’d love you guys out of Livingstone to listen!

It had been such a momentous week for news in Zambia, with the election of a new president from a new ruling party, we felt it appropriate to have a ‘newsman’ as a guest on the show to hear his take on events. Victor is Head of News and Current Affairs at Zambezi fm. “How was your week?” we asked him. “Hectic!” Was the word he used! “We didn’t get much sleep from the time voting started until the final results were announced, I spent most of my time at Livingstone Civic Centre feeding results back to the studio where they were live on air”. He continued. “Now we go live to Victor at the Civic Centre” I said, laughing “we heard you!” “We certainly didn’t get much sleep after the results were announced” I continued “the noise from fireworks, shouting and honking of car horns and blowing of vuvuzuelas in celebration saw to that!”

“How did you get into journalism?” Milli Jam wanted to know and Victor explained that he’d always had an interest in events and writing, so a journalism career seemed to be a natural choice. He explained that he’d studied for three years at the Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka for a Diploma in Journalism. He admitted, however, that he’d always wanted to be a DJ!

The music on the show was hot! We opened with ‘I’ll Fight For You’ by Jason Derulo which samples Toto’s ‘Africa’ a great 80’s favourite in these parts. This track dropped back to back with One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ number one in the UK at the time the show went on air. Our Zambian tracks, selected by George were ‘Mutu’ by T-Boy (‘cut off my head and take out my eyes to stop me messing up’, he’s telling a girlfriend) and George coupled this with Donchi Kubeba by Dandy Crazy. This track almost became a national anthem in Zambia before the election, as the campaign song for the Patriotic Front, the party that won the election. It means ‘don’t tell’ and was urging voters to accept money and gifts from the outgoing political party but then to vote PF! But shhhhh – ‘donchi kubeba’ – don’t tell! Milimo featured ‘How To Love by Lil Wayne from his smash album Carter IV. Oldie of the week was Tina Turner’s ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ and there was a great response to the question ‘who’s singing this?’ Peggy from Maramba won a dinner for 2 at Chanters, she was fast to tell! We closed with Lady Antebellum’s ‘We Owned The Night’ title track from their current US No 1 best selling album. Like I said – hot!

Milimo asked Victor about his family and he told listeners that he was married but only since July, he took the opportunity to greet Theresa his bride who was listening at home. He told us that his father Edward Musonda had played for Kabwe Warriors and the Zambia national soccer team in the early 70’s, and was still actively involved in football administration. He had never bungee jumped but he had certainly walked with lions and ridden elephants with Mukuni Big 5. Before joining Zambezi fm in March 2010 he’d held a similar post at Radio Mosi-o-Tunya also in Livingstone. He further admitted supporting Manchester United. His favourite music was gospel. His ambition to further his education.

Victor stressed the importance of fair reporting and left us with the impression that the news in Livingstone was in excellent hands!