Reflections from the Zambezi

Uncle Eliphaz, known in full as Eliphaz Simwatachela Konayuma, was the young brother to my late father. He was born in 1939 and died in July 2001 at the age of 62. Ba Eliphaz was an accomplished educator who rose from the ranks of a teacher in Southern Province to an Education Officer in Kasempa, in North-Western Province. He was married to Diana Njase with whom he had the following children: Gustav, Peggy, Sladden, Obrien, Africa and Emmanuel. Uncle Eliphaz was a handsome and generally quiet man, but when you were with him, he had a number of stories to tell. He was a humorous man with a winsome smile. He was also an intelligent and smart man with a characteristic style of combing hair backwards which I copied for some time as a child. As a smart man, in terms of bathing he could take at least an hour to bath! Uncle Eliphaz would visit our home regularly especially when we lived in Emmasdale in Lusaka. My late young sister Linda stayed at the home of Uncle Eliphaz in Monze when she be...

Yesterday (3rd September) marks exactly 10 years since Aunty Betty Zulu passed on in the UK. Aunty Betty was a dear aunt to us as well as a dear mother to her children not forgetting grandmother to her grandchildren. She was a great friend to her friends and many things to many people. I remember Aunty Betty for the following things: 1. Having time for people. Aunty Betty had time for almost everyone. She would make time for you when you visited her as a relative and friend. I would visit her home after church. This meant walking from Longacres to Libala. She would make time to chat with me. Many can testify this about her. Her home was open for friends and relatives.   2. Her rich wisdom on a number of issues. Aunty Betty spoke words of wisdom whenever you interacted with her. During the visits I made to her home I would tell her some of the challenges that I faced when I interacted with my parents as I stayed with them. She would offer me wise counsel on how to relate to my par...