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...

The article below is adapted from a speech I gave during the funeral service of the late Kenneth Konayuma on 22 October 2021 at the Bread of Life Church International in Emmasdale, Lusaka. Early Years (1972-1979) It pleased God to bless the union of Josiah and Betty Konayuma with twins (Kenneth & Catherine) born on 21st June 1972 at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. My earliest recollection of some notable events in Kenny's life is when the twins were almost two years old a snake slithered through where they sat in the garden where my mother was working. This event made my late mum very scared. In God's providence, the snake went away without harming any of them. Kenneth started his primary school in 1979 at the then Northmead Primary School (now Northemead Secondary School) in Lusaka. Mum had to spend a night on the queue for him and Catherine to get a Grade 1 place. That is how tough it was to be enrolled in grade 1 back then. I used to walk to school with Kenne...

My earliest memories of the late Brenda Muntemba Sichilembe date to the 80s at Lusaka Baptist Church where she became a member after becoming a Christian. I will say more about that later. For now I go back to memories at the University of Zambia where she was a student. I was ahead of Brenda by a few years. One of the courses she had to do in her Economics studies was Mathematics. This Mathematics had some components of Statistics. Since I was studying Mathematics under the Bachelor of Education degree, she asked me to help in explaining some Mathematics concepts. I gladly did that. I guess I did a good job because she passed the course. She later called me 'Teacher' in appreciation of the help I had rendered to her. I felt honoured to be called that way. I was impressed that she did not allow a challenging course to get in the way of getting her qualification. She worked hard. Sought help and got her qualification.  Such was Brenda. Determined and focussed all the way. Bre...

This blog post is based on notes that I made during a presentation that was made by by Pastor Conrad Mbewe during the Zambia Baptist Historical Society AGM held at Twin Palm Baptist Church last Saturday. The material for the presentation was complied Kapambwe Sunkutu the late daughter of the late Pastor Sunkutu. Kennedy was fairly involved with the life of KBC. In the early days he played an instrumental role in door to door outreach of KBC. He was a deacon and preached there often. When he moved to Choma he assumed the overall oversight of the church. He was ordained as elder of Central Baptist Church in Choma by KBC when he was barely a year in marriage. In April 2001 he was sent by KBC to plant a church in Kafue called Kafue Reformed Baptist Church where he served till he was called to glory. Kennedy as a preacher He had a deep riveting voice. His preaching was applicatory. He always ended his sermons by urging the listen to apply what they had heard. Kennedy as an evangelis...

My first encounter with Oliver Mtukudzi’s fondly known as Tuku was in the late 90’s. My workmate at Mpelembe Secondary School, Kanyampa Manda would speak highly of Tuku’s music. This made to start buying his audio tapes and video cassettes and later his CDs and DVDs. 


 My Favorite Tracks 
 Tuku’s music was simple, clear and direct. He loved to engage with various social issues affecting communities in his own country and in Africa. Some of my favorite tracks are: 

 Todii:  (What shall we do?). In this song Mtukudzi reflects on the challenge faced by communities as a result of the scourge of HIV/AIDS. The song gives cadence and sympathy to those who provide care. At the same time it magnifies how despicable those in positions of authority are for violating their responsibility. My other favorite tracks are Mabasa which talks of the anguish of losing a loved one, more so when not only you but even others have lost their loved one. Who will help the ...

Last week on Tuesday, the Zambian Reformed Baptist Church family lost one of it's long serving and committed pastors Kennedy Sunkutu who at the time of his death was pastor of Kafue Reformed Baptist Church. Who was Kennedy Sunkutu? Barnabas Chiboboka records:  Kennedy worked as a Secondary School teacher after obtaining a BSc (Ed) from University of Zambia in 1986, and briefly as a College Lecturer in Luanshya. In 2000, Kennedy was sent as a Missionary Pastor by Kabwata Baptist Church to plant Kafue Reformed Baptist Church. In 2009, the Church became autonomous, and called him as its Pastor where he served until his passing away.  He obtained a Master of Philosophy in Practical Theology in 2011 from Cape Town Baptist Seminary.  He served as Registrar and Lecturer at the Lusaka Ministerial College. Kennedy wrote several gospel tracts, some for occasions like Christmas, Easter, Youth Day, and others for general evangelistic purposes. Some titles include: – ‘Another ...

Last month on 21st March 2018, it was exactly five years since renowned Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe passed on.  Isaac Makashinyi, a thriving writer and pastor wrote the following reflections. Please read on.  21st March, 2018, marks exactly five years since renowned Nigerian and African novelist, poet and professor Chinua Achebe died. I can’t explain why this date has remained embedded on my mind since his passing on. Somehow, the name of Chinua Achebe emerges from my subconscious around the time he died. It’s a memory that has been effortlessly kept like the birthday of a loved one. Chinua Achebe is the famed author of Things Fall Apart, published in 1958 when he was only 28. It was his first novel that in part led to his being called the “Patriarch of the African novel.” I was in Grade 9 when I read Things Fall Apart. It was the second novel in the African Writers’ Series that I read. The first one was by our own Dominic Mulaisho, The Tongue of the...