Mukupa Writes

At this time and age, technology has evolved and so have modes of transportation and communication. To find a town that is completely secluded from these advanced services is not only shocking, but also heartbreaking. Yet this is the reality that people of Bwalya-Mponda have been living with since time immemorial. The town is located 87 kilometers away from Samfya district in Luapula province. It is one of the few swamps found around Lake Bangweulu. The people who live there are Unga by tribe. As the town is waterlogged, the main mode of transportation used is water transport. Dugout canoes are the commonest vessels used. I first went there with my mother, Mary Mutoni, in 2004. She hails from that swamp. I had jitters when it was time to get into the canoe. I was actually the last to get into it. It was a hair- raising experience. I slowly put my legs into the dugout canoe and sat very close to my mother like I could suddenly drown if I sat far from her. There were nin...

By Linda Mupemo The decision by the University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) to initiate a boarding house harmonisation project is welcome as many students are being exploited by boarding house landlords in the name of providing them with accommodation near campus. The University of Zambia has been gripped with the accommodation crisis for many years now. Some landlords near the university premises have seen this as a business opportunity as they have turned their houses into boarding houses where students rent bed spaces at a fee decided by the landlord. At the moment, there are over 10 boarding houses for both females and males around UNZA. The initiative is commendable and very helpful to students coming from places as far as Mpulungu who are not accommodated on campus. However, some landlords have taken advantage of the situation and are exploiting students by making them pay huge amounts of money for bed spaces in houses that are in deplorable states. The living...

Long, thick and shiny hair is the desire of almost every woman. Note the word 'almost' because some people   like it short, kinky, while others, well, go locks. Whatever hair length and type one has, the important thing is keeping it healthy. My sisters and I have had long hair since forever. We are fortunate enough   my mother's long-black-hair genes rubbed on us the right way.  My sister, Pamela Mupemo, on the left and I on the right The fact that I've always had long hair made me shun caring for it. I have never applied   my scalp with any necessary hair nutrients. I always thought to myself, "my hair is already long so why bother myself with buying hair products ?" All I have ever done is plait it (weaves and braids), un plait, blow it (at whatever degree of heat), let it breathe for a week or two, plait again and the circle continues. Through it all, the only product my scalp has ever come in contact with is vaseline, Baby Care to be specif...