David Kwalela on ‘The Experience’

David Kwalela, pictured above, was 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 the weekly radio show broadcast by Zambezi Radio 107.7 fm between 20.30 and 21.30 hrs every Sunday night, sponsored by Chanters Lodge Livingstone, now in its fifth year. The programme is a lively mixture of local and international music, interspersed by conversation with our guest, and we also offer a weekly prize of a dinner for two at Chanters Lodge to the first person to text us, telling us who’s singing our ‘oldie of the week’. On this particular show the oldie was ‘Hail Mary’ by Tupac and the response was excellent!

David told listeners that he is a Livingstone resident and Director and Principal of Livingstone College for Tourism Studies, a college started in 2006 and gaining affiliation with the Zambian Technical, Vocational and Training Authority in 2009. The College offers 3 month courses in food and beverage, front office management, hotel management, tourism studies and housekeeping and also offers practical training on campus – unusual for small colleges such as this. David explained that he arranges industrial placements and attachments for his students at local Livingstone hotels and lodges as part of their course. “Course fees are tailored to make it as easy as possible for students to afford in these difficult economic times” David said “and we also offer advice on career development”.
The music on the show was smart. Opening the show with Usher’s ‘Scream’ back to back with Cover Drive’s ‘Sparks’, we were off to a lively start. George played Roberto’s ‘Salaula’ featuring Enipal and confirmed that Roberto had been in town during the weekend appearing at a show with 107.7 DJ’s at another hotel in Livingstone. Milli Jam dropped Ne-Yo’s ‘Tonight’ featuring Just You and Me together with Lil Wayne and Drake’s smash – ‘The Motto’. Richard – who can spot ’em – featured Tulisa’s ‘Young’ as his pick of the week – not bad seeing the play list is finalized on Thursday and Tulisa topped the UK charts with this single on Sunday! The closing track was Trace Adkins’ country hit ‘Ain’t No Thinkin’ Thing’.
David told listeners his favourite musical genre was R&B and that his football team had been Arsenal since 2000 – that went down well with some of the hosts, especially Milli Jam who shares those tastes! “How did you come to start a college?” Milli Jam asked our guest. David explained that he’d worked for 15 years as a chef at Fairmount Hotel in Livingstone. When he retired he had undertaken a course in hotel and catering studies at the University of Zambia, which gave him the knowledge he needed to fulfill his ambition. He told listeners he was married to Imelda and they had five children – 4 girls and one boy.

Asked where he would like to be and what he would like to be doing in ten years’ time, our interesting, ambitious and hard working guest told listeners that he would like to be a role model in hospitality training in Zambia, and principal of his own much larger, expanded college. We wished him the the best of luck in his ambition.

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