Diary of a Rural Journalist

By Linda Mupemo

Hey people! It has been forever, group hug! Group hug!! Oh well, I do not really know who is reading this. But hey, with an audience of one or a thousand, the show must go on. 

The thing is I am already in Easter mode. You know the bringing dead things back to life type of mode? Yup! So I thought of channeling some of this energy towards breathing life into the skeletons of my blog. Breathe oh blog! Breathe!!!

 I never even got to share my hair experience with castor oil hey, but  I am back now. And I will write all about that soon enough.

You know how we make plans especially when you are in your final year of study? Like I just want to ace these examinations, get my degree, find a stable source of income and settle in one of the urban areas. Then bammmm! Reality hits you. 

Let me just say God has a sense of humour. He has this funny but fulfilling way of unleashing me into my destiny. 

So, I am out here in one of the rural parts of Zambia, practising Journalism. I have so much to write home about, I will be doing it gradually lest I bore you with a lengthy article.

Being a Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) employee,I  have the privilege of being the only Journalist in the district hence I do not really have to worry about my news stories being scooped. 

However, that has not made me relax since I subscribe to the never-sleep-on-a-story philosophy. Life can be so dynamic you know, while you are snoring the night away, your story is being overridden by other events. I never take that risk  and so night time does not really halt my grind.

As a rural Journalist, I do not have the luxury of attending graduations, work shops, massive political rallies and whatever else urban journalists derive news from. This calls for me to be a critical thinker. I am expected to be innovative. I have to be creative, sniff through the ground, shine my eyes and see news where there seems to be none.

It has been an interesting experience if you ask me. And I must hasten to say I am highly indebted to the people of Milenge district. Their support has greatly contributed to me accomplishing my tasks.

Have I mentioned that I was a fashionista before I came to Milenge? Lol If you are not careful, working in a rural area can lower your style game. Thanks to social media, I am always up to date with fashion trends. I love wearing statement pieces. I love looking good, there is this level of confidence that comes with knowing you are glowing! 

Nevertheless, here in the rural area, I have to strike a balance between fashion and decency, I always do regardless of my geographical location. But it  is on a whole new level out here. I believe there is a thin line between being fashionable and sheer indecency. I choose to be on the decent side of fashion. I am always cautious with my outfits. I try to look good but modest. Do not be so shocked when you find me standing behind the camera all clad in a wrapper one of these days 😉

Well, it comes with me studying my community. The people are somewhat not exposed to so many things but are slowly getting there. I like to fit in and make them feel comfortable around me. I would not want my outfits to attract unnecessary attention and make me appear like a village slay queen of some sort. The camera already attracts so much attention to me. 

See, Milenge residents have a special relationship with the camera. They love the sight of it. They love being captured. Whenever they see me with it, most of them stop me and ask, "Madam Mupemo, tukolombako ka snap and give."

The amazing thing is most of them do not have devices we can later transfer the photographs to. The click of the camera button just seems to tickle their fancy. I love that about them for obvious reasons, it makes my work easier 😉

I would be lying to you if I told you being a rural Journalist is all sunshine and rain balls. Yes, people will tell you rural life is advantageous as it is cheap and so you get to save money and all those good things. The reality is it comes with its own challenges among them poor internet connectivity, lack of banking services and bad road network. 

Some parts of the district are impassable and so I have to brace myself for motor bike rides. Where there are people , there is always news and if there is news, I  have to find a way of getting there come what may. 

Talking of roads, the main road, Milenge-Kasanka is still being worked on. It had been in a bad condition but the government recently started upgrading it. Due to the nature of the road, lack of transport is a major challenge we grapple with. The few vehicles that come here are usually overloaded. Just when you think the vehicle has reached its full capacity, the driver takes on more passengers on board. In their own words, "Milenge taisula."

All in all, I am thankful for the opportunity to work from this side of our lovely country. No amount of money can buy the lessons I am learning. God knew I needed this season, I needed this foundation as I kick start my career in the media industry. I hope to put my district, Milenge, on the map through my reports. Not to blow my own trumpet, but  I think I have already started doing that 😉 Praise the Lord!

Have a blessed holy week. Remember to reflect on how much Jesus Christ sacrificed for us to be reconciled to God and strive to live lives that represent the Kingdom. 

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