how do cope up

DID you say ZESCO powering the nation? Which nation? I do a lot of donkey work to supplement my little salary for survival. Electricity was disconnected from my house months ago. I had to sell the bicycle I use for transport to and from work to have the power reconnected. But before that could be done, Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO) increased the tariffs. For whose sake? Worse still, Government is not willing to give us reasonable salary increment, then for what are we living? Are we money making beings for others? Grieved a Lusaka based teacher.
Challenging accessing electricity as it may be by many households, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) authorised ZESCO to increase the electricity tariffs for both residential and large scale power users. The utility company argued that the increment was meant to improve its efficiency in providing power to its users and completing the rural electrification programmes, among other projects within the stipulated time frame.
The net effect of these increments pose serious challenges to most Zambian households whose meagre incomes have already been eroded by erratic inflation rates in the country, says the Social Conditions Programmes Officer Miniva Chibuye, of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
“While it is possible that in the medium term ZESCO may manage to increase Zambia’s capacity to produce more electricity, the country will not manage to restore deforestation and its negative consequences by the same time frame as most households will fall back to charcoal as an alternative source of energy regardless of its spiral effects on ozone layer depletion,” Ms Chibuye added.
This means the brunt of the cost will be faced by households. For example, whilst in 2008 the difference in percentage increase for residential category is at 26.8% compared to the large power category which is at 27.5%, the different is insignificant. Households will be milked more than what they earn. This will be worse if government and other employers will fold their alms and go to slumber instead of improving conditions of services for their employees.
As for 2009, the difference in percentage increment for the two categories is at 16.6% each. However, JCTR says the lopsided percentage increment in 2010 is of great concern as the large power category is pegged at only 2.2% in comparison to the residential category at 11.9%.
Ms Chibuye argued that considering the fact that about 50% of electricity was sold to the mines, the aggregate allocation of a higher percentage to households is not only unjustifiable but will also make it more challenging for households to meet their basic needs.
Electricity is one of the essential needs to the economy as it drives production of goods and therefore, its affordability by many households is supreme. Against this backdrop, the JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket for the month of December showed that the cost of living for a family of six would rise upward with the adjustments of electricity tariffs by ZESCO.
The Basic Needs Basket for the month of December for a family of six residing in Lusaka was pegged at K1, 636,900. Electricity was put at K113, 000, while charcoal was pegged at K66, 800 per bag. Water was fixed at K 88, 500 per month. But with the new tariffs in place, these commodities would shot up, with electricity alone likely to rise by K30, 284. To this effect, water utility companies have started applying for permission to adjust their charges for water upwards for them to stay in operation.
Ms Chibuye anticipates that the Basic Needs Basket for this year would significantly increase beginning in the month of January 2008 as a result of these adjustments. She elaborates that in 2007, the Basic Needs Basket showed a cumulative increase of cost of living in Lusaka, Livingstone, Ndola, Kitwe, Luanshya, Mongu, Kabwe and Kasama. For instance, the December 2007 Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka recorded a total of K569, 500 for Basic Food Items only, while the total cost of Essential Non-Food Items such as housing, electricity and charcoal is at K1, 067,400, making the total cost for the Basic Needs Basket K1, 636,900. In comparison to November 2007, the December Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka has increased by K38, 450. This was attributed largely to the increased prices of kapenta, dry fish and charcoal (usually seasonally influenced, particularly in the rainy season).
When compared to wages of select jobs or the prevailing income levels in Zambia, coupled with already high pay as you earn (PAYE), escalating fuel prices among others, the challenge of meeting food needs and paying for electricity was insurmountable. Food being one of the foremost of the needs, most households will not manage to access the minimum required nutritional levels, they will only eat to survive. In such an environment, malnutrition and diseases may increase beyond what the already strained medical fraternity would manage to handle. This may proliferate in different sporadic sufferings among many Zambians most of whom are not in any employment.
To a large extent, even the attraction of investors would be challenging due to high production costs they would be exposed to especially that electricity is the most source of power. In an event of supplying them power at lower rates, they would still face the issue of the market as most people’s buying power may not enable them to provide these investors with the most needed market for their commodities. The country would thus lose a lot in terms of revenue even foreign direct investment.
The country’s financial market would be affected more as players in this sector may find it hard to remain in operation. The whole economy would thus not be buoyant as it was supposed to be as no one would like to risky their money in an economy with erratic escalating production costs due to raises in key ingredients in the production system. Who would like to invest where accessing water is expensive, fuel prices hiked anyhow and electric tariff higher than in other areas?
If not handled with the care the tariff increment deserve, by improving workers conditions of services, making the Zambia a haven of minimum good life, industrial unrest would paralyze even the least enjoyed productivity. Civil servants who are often paid the lowest would be the most affected, and may ignite the most catastrophic workforce paralysis if their plight would not be taken seriously by government which is the largest employer and major breaker of conditions of service agreements.
In light of the above, the JCTR urges government to pay particular attention to the needs of the poor in Zambia. JCTR’s Ms Chibuye said there was need to take advantage of the favourable environment in the country to ensure integral human development. She moreover, said in the wake of the economic growth currently being experienced in the country, it should be emphasised that meaningful growth can only occur when the poor benefit the most. She added that attention should be paid to achieving the Millennium Development Goal number one, of reducing by half the incidence of poverty and hunger by 2015.
Ms Chibuye said the JCTR strongly believed that the recommended upward adjustments of the electricity tariffs by ZESCO at the authorization of the ERB were inconsistent with Zambia’s aspiration of meeting basic needs for all citizens.
She argued that for that reason and for reasons going beyond electricity in assuring welfare of the people, it was important that as the National Constitutional Conference resumes sitting, the hub of the discussion should be on ensuring every citizen meets their basic needs.

Basic Needs Basket for December (By JCTR)
(A) COST OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS FOR A FAMILY OF SIX IN LUSAKA

Commodity Kwacha Quantity Total

Mealie meal (breakfast) 34,400 3 x 25 Kg bags 103,200
Beans 8,300 2 Kgs 16,600
Kapenta (Siavonga) 48,000 2 Kgs 96,000
Dry Fish 50,000 1 Kg 50,000
Meat (mixed cut) 16,600 4 Kgs 66,400
Eggs 5,300 2 Units 10,600
Vegetables (greens) 3,200 7.5 Kgs 24,000
Tomato 2,600 4 Kgs 10,400
Onion 2,300 4 Kgs 9,200
Milk (fresh) 9,100 1 x 2 litres 9,100
Cooking oil 17,400 2 x 2 litres 34,800
Bread 3,100 1 loaf/day 93,000
Sugar 4,400 8 Kgs 35,200
Salt 2,000 1 Kg 2,000
Tea (leaves) 9,000 1 x 500 g 9,000
Sub-total K569, 500

(B) COST OF ESSENTIAL NON-FOOD ITEMS

Charcoal 66,300 2 x 90 Kg bags 132,600
Soap (Lifebuoy) 1,600 10 tablets 16,000
Wash soap (Boom) 2,600 4 x 400 g 10,400
Jelly (e.g., Vaseline) 6,900 1 x 500 ml 6,900
Electricity (medium density) 113,000 113,000
Water & Sanitation (med - fixed) 88,500 88,500
Housing (medium density) 700,000 700,000
Sub-total K1, 067,400

Total for Basic Needs Basket K1, 636,900

D) SOME COMPARATIVE FIGURES OF WAGES--''TAKE HOME PAY''

Item Kwacha Item Kwacha

Education Transport (bus fare round trip):
Grades 8-9 (User+PTA/year) K250,000 – K270,000 Chilenje-Town K4,800
Grades 10-12 (User+PTA/year) K300,000 – K410,000 Chelston-Town K5,400
School Uniform (grades 8-12) K70,000 – K180,000 Matero-Town K4,200
Health (clinic) Fuel (cost at the pump)
3 Month Scheme (per person) K5,000 Petrol (per litre) K7,207
No Scheme Emergency Fee K5,500 Diesel (per litre) K6,064
Mosquito Net (private) K15, 000-K20, 000 Paraffin (per litre) K4, 250

(D) SOME COMPARATIVE FIGURES OF WAGES--''TAKE HOME PAY''


Teacher
Nurse
Guard with Security Firm
Secretary in Civil
Service
Average Monthly Income in Urban Low-Cost Area - CSO
Pieceworker
on a Farm
Pay Slip
K841,000 to K1,485,000
K936,000 to K2,624,000
K250,000 to K750,000
K817,000 to K1,480,000
645,326 (between
October 2004 and January 2005)
K3,000 to K15,000
per day

pr

Formerly known as Southern Rhodesia, Zimbabwe is a country that lies between two African rivers the Zambezi in the north and the Limpopo in the south. The country is known by tourists for its attractive tourist spots such as the Victoria Falls, Hwange National park, the Eastern Highlands and historical features such as the Ruins of Great Zimbabwe. Currently, because of unrest and political interference, Zimbabwe's vital export sectors have been crippled thereby starving the country of hard currency income. Because of recent economic hardships experienced in the country, the local tourism industry is suffering as tourists turn their back on the once popular destination. This country was once one of Africa's most rich countries and its economy was boosted by rich mineral resources and agricultural exports.
Even though there is political unrest in the country, Zimbabwe still has potential to satisfy tourists and to gain some income at that. As such, my Public Relations (PR) firm has been hired to create awareness of the country as a tourist destination in the Zambian market.
KEY PUBLICS TO REACH
To select the key publics to reach my firm will target people in employment who have enough money and interest to go for holidays. This includes people who are self-employed, and those in formal employment, learning institutions, local tourists, international tourists and high income people. To arrive at this, my PR firm will try and reach the following key publics:
1. Back- Packer Tourists:
These may consist of foreign adventure seekers visiting Zambia. In most cases, back packer tourists move in groups and may reside or camp anywhere. Back packers add to a national income because they pay for their tourist visits, their food and lodging and camping facilities. Another advantage of these groups is that they usually want to visit as many tourist places as possible; as a result, they are likely to spend a lot of money in the country. When in Zambia, these back packer tourists can also be informed about tourist attraction in Zimbabwe.

2. High Income earners and Celebrity Tourists:
These could be well to do individuals or groups and famous personalities who would spend a lot of money when they visit the country. For example, foreign investors who come to invest in Zambia could be targeted because these people despite their busy schedules also want to relax at one point or another and tourist spots are just the ideal places for their leisure. These will in turn spread the goodness of Zimbabwe’s tourism to other potential tourists in their countries.

Celebrities can also be my firm’s target audiences as most of them love vacations and adventure and not only can they boost the tourism sector with their money but with their fame as well. For instance, when the famous movie star and now governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, visited Zambia, he may have left a lot of revenue in the country. This is because he may have required high standard services like accommodation, food and so on, which cost more money as compared to an ordinary tourist. Apart from this, a very famous person like him is likely to attract a lot of people even from other countries who would want to have a physical glimpse of him because such personalities are rarely seen around. The people who came to watch him may have also been attracted to view other tourist attractions in Zambia. Therefore, if we can manage to attract such high value personalities, they would assist in attracting more tourists to Zimbabwe and raise her income. This is because the amount of money that one personality like Arnold would spend may be more than what ten local tourists are likely to spend.

3. Learning Institutions and Organisations.
These may be interested to go and enjoy tourism ventures in Zimbabwe. I would target schools, especially private ones because they usually send their students to other countries on educational tours. In view of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a historical site, universities and colleges would also be targeted because they may be interested in such a site for academic purposes.
My firm can also target individual organisations such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) because when they send their delegates for international conferences they usually arrange for them to relax after the conference. One of the ways is to take them to view chosen tourist attractions.

Companies are also another key public my firm will try and reach because they usually hold workshops and conferences at tourist spots such as lodges and hotels. After stressful workshops most participants would love to unwind and workshop organizers usually provide for such by taking their participants to tourist attractions.



4. Newly weds
My firm would pick newly weds as a key public because most of these would be looking for a place to spend their honey-moon and they may just find Zimbabwe to be an ideal place to do so. Others may want to hold family birthday parties at tourist spots as well.
5. Historians and Archeologists
These may include both local and international historians and archeologists as well as history and archeology students from within the country’s learning institutions. These would be interested in seeing the historical sites of Zimbabwe such as the great ruins of Zimbabwe.

SEGMENTATION
My firm will segment the above publics in respect of the following characteristics.
Income: This will help my firm determine the type of service to advertise to the would-be tourists. It is my firm’s belief that the more money that a person has the more likely they will consider going for tourist adventures.
Age: Knowing the age of our audience is important as it will assist in identifying the appropriate media to reach them with. Knowledge of the age of the audience will also help us in the determination of which age group has the most financial resources.
Way of life: Knowledge of people’s life styles will help us know the kind of tastes and choices of tourist places and activities they would love such as adventure, historical sites, game viewing, bird viewing and many others. Knowing the way of life of our audiences will also assist us come up with suitable messages to reach them with. Moreover, this will help us know what kind of media to use to reach them.
Geographical location: Knowing the geographical locations of our audience will help us determine what kind of communication channel to use. For example, we would use radio to communicate to those people who do not gain access to newspapers on time or never at all. On the other hand, we can also use television or newspapers for those audiences that are located in places where they can not access the two media.


COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
We are going to use both the print and electronic media to reach our key publics as these two are most likely to be effective in reaching them. For example, using newspapers has got an advantage of people going back to stories and features for references. In this case we are going to use newspapers, travel magazines and brochures.

For the electronic media, we are going to use television, radio and the internet. Television has the emotional and visual aspect which works effectively because people will be able to see what we are offering. Radio is faster and heaper. The internet also accommodates pictures and videos of places. This will also be ideal taking into consideration that there are people who spend a lot of time surfing the internet.
Awareness messages
In creating awareness messages about Zimbabwe as a tourist destination, my firm will not ignore the aspect of political and social instability, which would discourage potential tourists to visit Zimbabwean tourist attractions. My firm would explain that the land possession programme in the country dates back to 1980.The message that will try and explain the land issue in Zimbabwe will hence be as follows:
The land possession programme in Zimbabwe dates back to the Lancaster House Agreement, between the Zimbabwean government and white landlords after the end of the colonial rule in 1980. The Agreement granted white landowners up to ten years land protection from the distribution policies and reforms. It also provided that there will be compensation after land seizure.

The Lancaster Agreement on the land tenure for white land owners expired in 1990, and government amended the constitution so that land could be redistributed within the country. This move soured the relationship between the Zimbabwean government and interested donor governments in the country’s land. The Zimbabwean government accused them of trying to maintain colonial distribution of wealth even after Zimbabwe was given its independence. In 2000, veterans of Zimbabwe's war for independence in the 1970s began squatting on land owned by white farmers in an effort to reclaim land taken under British colonization—one-third of Zimbabwe's arable land was owned by 4,000 whites. In Aug. 2002, Mugabe ordered all white commercial farmers to leave their land without compensation. Mugabe's support for the squatters and his repressive rule has led to foreign sanctions against Zimbabwe. Once heralded as a champion of the anti-colonial movement, Mugabe is now viewed by much of the international community as an authoritarian ruler responsible for egregious human rights abuses and for running the economy of his country into the ground.
Explaining the land situation will help our potential tourists to understand the issues as they really are. Because of the land conflict most tourists have tended to shun Zimbabwe as a tourist destination .My firm will hence restore their confidence in visiting Zimbabwe because most of these potential tourists think it is not a safe country to visit ever since the land disputes.

Having explained the land issue in Zimbabwe, my firm will then move on to generate awareness messages that will help market and sell the country’s many tourist attractions. My firm’s public relations marketing and publicity messages will include the following:

The Victoria Falls
On the Victoria Falls, my firm would inform people that: Victoria Falls is a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. The legendary Victoria Falls are a ferocious curtain of water which is 1,700 meters wide that plunges deep into the gorge of the mighty Zambezi River. “Thundering smoke”, that’s what the local people of Zimbabwe call Victoria Falls. This is because the immense amount of water thundering over the edge of the falls forms an enormous cloud of thin spraying mist. Those wanting to relax can enjoy the hotel grounds and pool, shop in the local market and perhaps take a gentle sunset cruise, for those after an adrenalin rush try rafting or boogie boarding the rapids, bungee jumping or a micro light flight Victoria Falls serves up adventure to suit even the most avid thrill seeker! Remember, the water on the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls rarely reduces and you would enjoy the beauty of this at any time of the year.
The Zambezi River
About the Zambezi River my firm would tell the public that the mighty Zambezi River forms the northeastern border and here is where you'll find the incomparable spectacle of Victoria Falls and the magnificent expanse of Lake Kariba. The Zambezi has become one of the world's best water adventure travel destinations because of the outstanding whitewater rafting in the Zambezi Gorges below the Falls, as well as excellent canoeing and kayaking above them.
The Ruins of Great Zimbabwe
Here we would say that, this is a complex of ruins from which the country took its new name of Zimbabwe. These ruins extend a radius of 100 to 200 miles, a diameter almost as great as the entire nation of France. They are the largest ruins in the whole of Africa. The ruins are said to have been built by southern Africans about 600-1,000 years ago, they are evidence of a thriving culture in the heart of Africa. Up until recent years, the ruins were believed by Western historians to be the remains of a "mysterious white race" in the heart of Africa.

Hwange National Park
On this one our message will include the following information: for the conservation-minded, you cannot miss Hwange commonly known as Wankie Game Reserve - it's awesome! Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest game reserve. The size of Belgium, it has amongst the highest diversity of mammals for any National Park in the world with over 108 species.

The Eastern Highlands
The Eastern Highlands comprise three main mountain groups - Nyanga to the north, Bvumba centrally situated near the city of Mutare and Chimanimani to the south. These regions are all sparsely populated, highland country with a cooler and wetter climate than other parts of Africa.

Other tourist attractions
Our firm will generate short messages on these other tourist attractions and they will be as follows:
The Chimanimani National Park offers tourists an opportunity for bush walking. There are no roads in this Park, making it an ideal spot for hiking.

Vumba National Park is famous for its beauty forests and botanical gardens. It offers walking opportunities and beautiful views of one of Zimbabwe’s neighboring countries.

Lake Kariba, which is one of the world’s largest man-made lakes, stands as another spectacular place. Here, tourists can entertain themselves with boating, game viewing, fishing and camping.

Outstanding Arts and Crafts
Our messages on outstanding arts and craft would contain pictures of various artworks and craft originally made in Zimbabwe, including their brief background and their meanings.

Other messages would include:
Pictures of attractive destinations.
Messages about the good people of Zimbabwe.
Messages about good road network.
Show animal and animal species in game parks and those that are not found anywhere.
Information on accommodation, for instance pictures about beautiful hotels, motels, lodges and the international standard food including local dishes offered.
Messages about Zimbabwe’s warm climate would be used. For those tourists visiting the Victoria Falls at the end of the rainy season, the immense amount of water thundering over the edge of the falls literally forms an enormous cloud of thin spraying mist. This mist translates into cool temperatures.
Geographical location of Zimbabwe and other tourist attractions.
Transport
On transport, my firm would say: Zimbabwe has good transport network. For example, the railway system connects Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and the Victoria Falls. It is much cheaper to use a train than a bus.
Communication
The message on communication would say; Zimbabwe has a good communication network, with a wide range of services such as mobile telecommunications, internet services, and other services. Examples of these include EcoNet, MTN, among others.
Health Services
My firm’s message would say: In cases of injuries and sickness to tourists and the local people, Zimbabwe is well equipped with health centres and hospitals for the better health of the people.

APPROPRIATE MEDIA FOR THIS PURPOSE
Newspapers
These will be used for feature articles about tourism in Zimbabwe. These will include both private and public newspapers. In addition, we will take advantage of the Zambian newspaper supplements on tourism in Zimbabwe on specific days as part of the promotion.

Television
We would be running documentaries of Zimbabwean tourist attractions. Such documentaries will be showing the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls, pictures of Hwange National Park, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the Eastern Highlands and various art works and crafts by Zimbabweans, including hotels and lodges. The documentaries will be running on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and MUVI TV.
Radio
Radio will be used because of its ability to reach a larger audience and it is also cheaper and faster. Radio is also advantageous because it has a wider coverage.
Travel Magazines
For magazines, feature stories about Zimbabwe tourism can be used in Zambia for publicity. I would also ensure that we sponsor tourism pages specifically talking about Zimbabwean tourism. The magazines can be placed in strategic places such as hotels, lodges, motels, airport lounges and receptions of tourism attractions in order to allow tourists visiting Zambian attractions to have some knowledge about Zimbabwe and its tourist attractions. The magazines will also be placed in both passenger airplanes that operate in Zambia or have any Zambian destination. These may end up wanting to have a feel of Zimbabwean tourism. Zambian magazines to be used include The Lusaka Lowdown, and Zed Magazine, among others.
A deliberate action will be taken to ensuring that Zimbabwean tourism articles are placed in magazines which market African tourist spots. These are magazines like Essence of Africa and Sabuhona. Such magazines are particularly popular with frequent travelers.

Brochures
Just like magazines, these can be placed in strategic places where both ordinary people and tourists can pick them up and read at their own time. The same message that is published in a magazine would be the one put in brochures but now summarized.

In-flight Video Advertising
Arrangements or partnership with various airlines can be done so that videos can be played in planes to publicize Zimbabwean tourism. Flights between Zambia and Zimbabwe will be targeted. Airline owners would be advised that if passengers read or watch messages on Zimbabwean tourism, they may want to travel again to specifically view our tourism attractions. In this way, they will also get more customers on their flights to Zimbabwe.

Exhibitions
Another strategy of marketing Zimbabwean tourism in Zambia would be through exhibitions at Trade and Commercial shows. Our exhibitions and fairs would comprise of various art works and crafts made in Zimbabwe.

It would also be a great opportunity to display magazines and brochures with information about tourist attraction centres in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the Eastern Highlands and outstanding arts and crafts. I would also display information about good road-networks, security in Zimbabwe, international standard hotels, lodges and other accommodation facilities.

In this time of high technology, a video display showing the parks, great ruins of Zimbabwe and other tourist attractions would be made available. I would also make sure that as Public Relations officer, I am personally there at the exhibitions so that I can explain Zimbabwean tourism in great depth and answer any other such related queries.
Arts and crafts by Zimbabweans would also be exhibited here.



Promotion Concert
Through a promotional concert, musical artists such as Oliver Mutukudzi “the elephant of Zimbabwe” would be invited to come to Zambia to participate. The concerts would target places such as Hotel International, Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka as well as Sun Hotel in Livingstone, where very high income people and potential tourists are usually found.
This is because Mutukuzi is popular in Zambia and would pull a huge crowd and we would use this opportunity to market our tourism. We would also inform him that the purpose of the concert is to market Zimbabwean tourism in Zambia, therefore he should promote Zimbabwean tourism during the concert.

Alliances with Tour Operators
In this case, as a firm, we would partner with tour operators like Voyagers to help market Zimbabwe. When they transport tourists for instance, they can give them information about Zimbabwe and its tourism industry. It is very possible that after touring Zambia, tourists may be encouraged to visit Zimbabwe as well.

The Internet
The internet has increasingly become important tool in promoting tourism programmes world over. Use of internet services in Zambia has grown tremendously and so the opportunities for our promotions are many. Most people are spending a lot of time browsing the internet and may come across our tourism promotional products.

One key use for us will be the use of websites. Creating a tourism website would help promote Zimbabwe’s tourism industry in the Zambian market. This is in view of the fact that websites can be accessed anywhere in the world, including Zambia. A website will include detailed information about Zimbabwe’s tourist destinations. The website can also include pictures of Zimbabwe’s tourist attractions as well as comments from tourists who have visited Zimbabwe. The visual aspect and hyperlinks are an added advantage of a website as this is likely to attract as many tourists as possible.

In addition to our website, the internet can be used to advertise our tourism destinations on popular sites that attract countless visitors everyday. This will include placing advertisements on Zambian websites such as Coppernet (www.coppernet.zm), and Microlink (www.microlink.zm).

Press Junkets
Here, as a firm, we would organize reporters from various media houses and take them on a tour in Zimbabwe. These reporters will in turn write news stories or come up with a television package that would promote tourism in Zimbabwe.

Presentations to Captive Audiences
As a Public Relations firm, we would take advantage of international or national conferences by displaying our tourism products and messages. This would enable us to attract conference attendants to go and view tourism in Zimbabwe.

Yahoo! Mail - csyako@yahoo.co.uk

http://uk.f270.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowFolder?Search=&Npos=2&next=1&YY=40321&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=25&order=down&sort=date&pos=1&view=a&head=b&box=Inbox

challenges at university of zambia

The Universal Primary Educational goal of 2015 will not be achieved if government does not address the challenges that have eroded the educational sector.

Government should pay attention to the requirements that enhance effective learning.

Zambia has been ranked among the countries in the sub region that allocate the lowest proportion of its Gross Domestic Product to the education sector.

The water problems at most learning institutions have proved government’s lack of concern to the education sector.

In July, there was a critical water shortage at Namuswa Basic School in Choma.

The water shortage forced some girl pupils to prematurely abandon school.

The fetching of water from outside the school by the pupils had adversely affected learning.

The head teacher at the school explained that the boreholes at the school were non-functional and that the persistent water problem had been reported to the authorities in the district, but they had no solution.

In October, Pemba Boarding High School also in Choma faced the same problem of water.

Again the district commissioner was informed but he seemed to have no solution.

And now, Evelyn Hone College has been indefinitely closed due to water shortage at the institution.

This is not the first time the institution is facing this problem.

The University of Zambia has also on several occasions faced such problems.

The problem of water has been on-going and it is only when it escalates that the government tries to intervene.

It is said that for development to take place, people should be educated in order to handle resources in a rational manner.

But one wonders how people can have quality education if problems of water persist at institutions of learning.

It is high time the government looked into the plight of the education sector in the country.

wealth and youths

Zambian women should not engage in commercial sexual activities to earn a living, but use their God given potentials to transform themselves into women of integrity, Mary Katongo, a third year mature “tuwee” at the University of Zambia has said.

Mercy said it is high time women rose to the occasion by using their integrity through developing entrepreneurship skills.

“Women should be of integrity in all aspects of their lives.”

She has urged women to use resources within according to how God blessed them to transform their lives and those of the communities near them.

She added that women should learn to live within the budgets to avoid falling prey to vices, which affect their integrity, hence, the need to train them in all spheres of life.

Mercy has warned against abusing women and encouraged the victims to report to the nearest law agency once they are abused to bring the culprits to book.

Women should be taught the dangers of HIV/AIDS and the importance of returning to School as a way of improving their lives.

The women have been challenged not to lower their integrity by accepting bribes in their pursuit to better life but should acquire wealth in an acceptable Godly manner.

She said this could only be done if women themselves realised the importance of acquiring wealth in proper Christian manner, unlike driving posh cars using wrong means such as bribery or selling their bodies for sexual activities.

library

The University of Zambia (UNZA) Acting Chief Librarian has said educational standards in the country will not improve to reach international levels if libraries continue to be under funded.

Speaking in an interview with the Lusaka Star, UNZA Acting Chief Librarian Akakandelwa Akakandelwa said wide access to up-to-date information through libraries is the only way students can understand in detail what they are taught during lectures.

Dr. Akakandelwa said UNZA library has limited current books despite being the National Reference Centre and largest library in the country.

He pointed out that it is unfortunate that restocking of the library has not been prioritized due to limited funding to the university by government.

Dr. Akakandelwa said restocking of books needs to done constantly as times are changing and new information has to be provided to suit the current global situations.

He appealed to UNZA management to consider getting a portion of school fees for every semester so as to facilitate constant funding to improve library services.

He added that there has been no budgetary allocation for purchase of new books for the past 20 years as the money given to the library by UNZA administration is exhausted on paying salaries to library staff.

"The library has been relying on book donations from Book Aid International (BIA), Swedish International Aid (SIDA) and the Finish Development Agency (FINIDA) among others," he said.

Dr. Akakandelwa thanked the donors for the books but said that most of these are not directly connected to the university curriculum.

He however, disclosed that the library management has tried to enhance its services by affiliating with the Zambia Library Consortium (ZALICO) which has been in existence for almost four years.

Dr. Akakandelwa said that it is through the consortium that the library has managed to provide about three thousand free electronic books by subscribing to different websites for an amount a single library can not afford.

He urged library users to utilise the online copies as they can be accessed without a password.

However, he bemoaned the under utilisation of online copies as shown by the number of users visiting the sites.
And UNZA former Vice Chancellor Robert Serpell said there is need to teach students how to use the internet for research if they are to fully appreciate the online information.

Prof. Serpell said most of the online journals are too technical for Undergraduate students to clearly understand.

He said most of the information is secondary and takes someone who understands the concepts of primary information to get more sense out of it.

He added that screening software should be introduced in the university in order to detect plagiarism of information from the internet.

Prof. Serpell said data obtained from the internet can easily be plagiarized than from books.

He said the screening method has helped reduce plagiarism cases even in universities which have well stocked libraries such as the University of West Cape in South Africa.

University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) President, Sage Siamuwika said it is unfortunate that the library is not mainly a research place as intended but a study place.

He said management should prioritise library services if the university is to meet the needs of different stakeholders the library serves.

He disclosed that the union is working with the library management in trying to upgrade the library through the installation of more computers connected to internet.

Mr. Siamuwika said more computers will soon be put in the library so that students can use online copies accessed through the library website.

And a fourth year student in the School of Law, Inutu Akolwa has urged UNZASU and library management to speed up the process of putting more computers to back up the library stock.

Ms Akolwa said books recommended on course outlines are limited in the library.

"When the recommended book is available, it has to be shared by five to ten students who have to finish their assignment at the same time," she said.

Ms. Akolwa pointed out that she usually depends on the National Assembly Library which has exclusive usage.

She wondered how students who may not be privileged to use other well stocked libraries can produce quality academic work to earn them good marks.

"In University, we have to rely on research and not understanding things from our own context without empirical information," she said.




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library

The University of Zambia (UNZA) Acting Chief Librarian has said educational standards in the country will not improve to reach international levels if libraries continue to be under funded.

Speaking in an interview with the Lusaka Star, UNZA Acting Chief Librarian Akakandelwa Akakandelwa said wide access to up-to-date information through libraries is the only way students can understand in detail what they are taught during lectures.

Dr. Akakandelwa said UNZA library has limited current books despite being the National Reference Centre and largest library in the country.

He pointed out that it is unfortunate that restocking of the library has not been prioritized due to limited funding to the university by government.

Dr. Akakandelwa said restocking of books needs to done constantly as times are changing and new information has to be provided to suit the current global situations.

He appealed to UNZA management to consider getting a portion of school fees for every semester so as to facilitate constant funding to improve library services.

He added that there has been no budgetary allocation for purchase of new books for the past 20 years as the money given to the library by UNZA administration is exhausted on paying salaries to library staff.

"The library has been relying on book donations from Book Aid International (BIA), Swedish International Aid (SIDA) and the Finish Development Agency (FINIDA) among others," he said.

Dr. Akakandelwa thanked the donors for the books but said that most of these are not directly connected to the university curriculum.

He however, disclosed that the library management has tried to enhance its services by affiliating with the Zambia Library Consortium (ZALICO) which has been in existence for almost four years.

Dr. Akakandelwa said that it is through the consortium that the library has managed to provide about three thousand free electronic books by subscribing to different websites for an amount a single library can not afford.

He urged library users to utilise the online copies as they can be accessed without a password.

However, he bemoaned the under utilisation of online copies as shown by the number of users visiting the sites.
And UNZA former Vice Chancellor Robert Serpell said there is need to teach students how to use the internet for research if they are to fully appreciate the online information.

Prof. Serpell said most of the online journals are too technical for Undergraduate students to clearly understand.

He said most of the information is secondary and takes someone who understands the concepts of primary information to get more sense out of it.

He added that screening software should be introduced in the university in order to detect plagiarism of information from the internet.

Prof. Serpell said data obtained from the internet can easily be plagiarized than from books.

He said the screening method has helped reduce plagiarism cases even in universities which have well stocked libraries such as the University of West Cape in South Africa.

University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) President, Sage Siamuwika said it is unfortunate that the library is not mainly a research place as intended but a study place.

He said management should prioritise library services if the university is to meet the needs of different stakeholders the library serves.

He disclosed that the union is working with the library management in trying to upgrade the library through the installation of more computers connected to internet.

Mr. Siamuwika said more computers will soon be put in the library so that students can use online copies accessed through the library website.

And a fourth year student in the School of Law, Inutu Akolwa has urged UNZASU and library management to speed up the process of putting more computers to back up the library stock.

Ms Akolwa said books recommended on course outlines are limited in the library.

"When the recommended book is available, it has to be shared by five to ten students who have to finish their assignment at the same time," she said.

Ms. Akolwa pointed out that she usually depends on the National Assembly Library which has exclusive usage.

She wondered how students who may not be privileged to use other well stocked libraries can produce quality academic work to earn them good marks.

"In University, we have to rely on research and not understanding things from our own context without empirical information," she said.




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AIDS challenges among youths

“I wish I was the only HIV positive person on earth today because I can definitely keep the promise and my doing so would let me die with the virus thereby eliminating AIDS from the earth for good. If I was the only person having it, it could end with me.”

These are the words of Bernard Kampolombo a second year student in the School of Education at the University of Zambia (UNZA). Bernard is HIV positive and as he utters these words he says them with an indescribable passion. The look in his eyes says he means them with all his heart.

The first time you meet Bernard you would think otherwise about his HIV status. He is a lively healthy looking person with a huge sense of humour. He is a down to earth kind of person. He says most people do not exactly believe him once he discloses his status. And you cannot really blame them because even his body physique is like that of an athletic person.

Born in the North Western Province of Zambia 34 years ago, Bernard says his life has taken a new turn ever since he found out he was positive. He recalls the fateful day in July of 2005 when he learnt of his status at a time when he was in a serious relationship with a girl he was so much in love with and wanted to marry.

Because he loved his fiancée so much, Bernard decided that they go for an HIV test before they tied the knot. His fiancée did not see the need for the test because as a couple they had been faithful to each other and had abstained from sex since their relationship began. But eventually she agreed to go for the test. With the trust they had in one another, they decided to go for the testing together. They wanted their results to be announced in each other’s presence.

For Bernard, taking the HIV test was also just like one of those by the way things that everyone does in life. He says for him it was just a process that he had to go through, not because he thought he was positive. The thought of being positive never even crossed his mind. Little did he know that behind that test lay something that would end up determining whatever decision he made in life from then on.

When the counselor brought their test results and announced that he was positive, Bernard was shocked and for the first time in his adult life he cried.
“I cried for over thirty minutes. That is the longest time I have ever cried in my adult life,” he says.

Bernard explains that he felt like he was just having a bad dream at that moment and he even wished someone could just pinch to wake him up and tell him it was all a dream. But it was reality. He was shaken to the core of his heart and could not believe it. And the counselor attending to them also thought the results were wrong and might have been switched for another clients’. She told him he did not look one bit positive. To make sure of this, she took the results for confirmation with lab technician who had done the test and yes Bernard’s results had not been switched. He was HIV positive. That was the reality of the moment.

He felt like everything he had been building career wise was now shattered. Bernard is a teacher and had acquired teaching Diploma (Science) and certificate from Nkrumah and Solwezi teachers’ training College respectively. His dream in life was to become a teacher. All his life he had wanted to aim high and teaching just seemed like the route to his success in life. He was trying to build a personality for himself and the knowledge of being HIV positive made him feel his dreams had been shattered.

The big questions that kept resounding in his mind at that moment were how? when? and who? He was confused. He says he knew all the ways that people acquired the virus and the major way was through having unprotected sex with an infected person. Yes, he had had unprotected sex way back in the 1990s. He recalls that the first time he had sex was in grade seven in 1990 and it was just something he did just because he and his peers on a school football team had done when they went out for games. The relationship with the girl he first had sex with was not even a serious one. It was just child’s play.

Bernard seems to be sure that if he had indeed gotten infected when he had sex for the second time in 1991 in grade eight. He explains that this relationship was not one that he had planned or wished to get into. It just happened. One of his peers had organised a girl for him and she seemed more than willing to be in a relationship with him. As usual, he did not love the girl. It was just about experimenting with sex as most teenagers do; trying to explore the unknown. Bernard remembers having unprotected sex with this girl on two occasions.

“A few months after these sexual encounters I got a sexually transmitted infection (STI),” he adds. He quickly got the STI treated, but months later he developed Herpes Zoster on his abdomen which he also got treated himself.

All this time, it had not occurred to Bernard that all these illnesses were linked to the fact that his immune system was slowly deteriorating. The HIV was taking his toll.

However, suffering from the STI made Bernard vow never to indulge in sex because he says the treatment process for the STI was the most painful thing he had ever experienced.

“I decided that if sex could bring me such pain I would never have it until I was ready and that was until I was married. So, since Grade eight I abstained,” This is the more reason why he was confused about where the virus had come from.

Bernard had turned a new leaf. His academic performance became excellent and he used to spend most of his time in books and as such managed to pass to go to Grade ten with flying colours. He was made prefect in grade eleven and was the jets chairperson. He was a shining example of what a perfect student and morally upright person is. Most of his fellow pupils used to look up to him. He was their role model.

“If I was told to put my life records on a billboard years after grade 8, I think I can do it with pleasure because I am so sure I led a clean and morally upright life,” he emphasizes.

He did have female friends after grade eight and just friendship is it was; no strings attached. No sex. Even as he went through Nkrumah and Solwezi colleges he was still as disciplined. Temptations would come, but he always managed to over come them by just standing his ground and simply remembering the vow he had made to himself.

Days after the HIV diagnosis Bernard could not sleep most nights and so he turned to sleeping tablets to take him to sleep every night. In addition, for the first time in his life he turned to alcohol to forget his troubles. He had withdrawn from most social activities. “I could lock myself up in my room and just drink the hard stuff mostly spirits as these could get me high and then take me to sleep,” he recollects.

Slowly, Bernard started accepting his status and decided not to dwell on spilt milk but to move on in life because this was a situation he could not do anything about. The deed was done.

In the same year (2005) that he found out his status, Bernard got accepted to study at the University of Zambia and this turned out to be a debate for him. Whether to go to UNZA or not. He wondered what the point of coming to UNZA was if he was positive. He actually thought once positive your life is over.

After a lot of thought, he decided to go UNZA in the hope that the studies would help him forget about what he was going through. He thought being busy with schoolwork would relieve him of the burden of thinking about his status. Meanwhile, he started taking Antiretroviral Drugs because after taking the reconfirming HIV status test which was also positive, his CD4 count had gone down to 60 way below the normal of over 200.The doctor attending to him actually told him it was a miracle that he was still healthy and not suffering from any opportunistic infections.

And when he came to UNZA in 2006 he was worried about his ARVS running out as he had registered with a clinic from back home. This really worried him so he decided to go to UNZA Clinic to find out about whether they gave ARVS to students and to his amazement there was more in store for him apart from the drugs. He was asked whether he could help reach out to students on HIV related issues considering that he was positive. Without hesitation he agreed to be a Health Promoter under Zambia Malawi Namibia Western Cape University (ZAMANAWE), an organisation that coordinates HIV/AIDS Activities in the four named Universities. This meant he had to go public about his status.

Bernard was very comfortable about going public about his status, which is quite a daunting thing to do for most HIV positive people. He decided that if his life had changed it was time to make the most of it. And he thought teaching others about HIV/AIDS was the best way to go about it. The only problem he was facing was that after telling some of his friends about it some of them were advised him not to.

“While I appreciated their advice, I decided that this was not up to my friends but up to me and so on 1st December of 2006 which was World AIDS day I made my first public appearance and it felt good and rewarding,” he recalls.

Reaching out to others about HIV /AIDS to Bernard feels like it is a responsibility he had to take up. “It is my life project,” he says. It is feels like a new field and I am not going to give up on it. People have to learn about HIV / AIDS.” He adds that, even if three out of ten people listen to him it is fine because he will live to remember that he taught someone something that would save their life.

Bernard says he has spoken to a number of students about HIV/AIDS within UNZA and numerous other schools and he admits that he has had challenges especially where most of them would rather not go for VCT.

“VCT is something people should take seriously; it helps save your life. It has to be a responsibility that some one takes up because of the ones he or she loves,” he adds. He says most people could be HIV positive without knowing and will only realise it when its too late which was what happened to him, but was lucky enough to be put on ARVS that have been sustaining his life so far.
“You can be healthy for a number of years without realising that you are carrying the virus. Am a perfect example; it took the virus almost 17 years to manifest, but it was there all the time.

Bernard admits that life has not been easy as a person and student living with the virus, but he says he just takes one day at a time remembering that he has a role to play of teaching others about HIV /AIDS and sharing his life experiences. Life has given him a different direction and he feels he has to give himself up for one or two lives.

And it looks like Bernard’s efforts are paying up. Just recently on this year’s World AIDS Day, he scooped the ‘UNZA Award’ for best UNZA Health Promoter. He says this award is a great inspiration to him as he is even more motivated to teach more people about the pandemic.

His major appeal to young people is for them to abstain from sex until they get married, which he did after grade 8 only for him, it was already too late. He was already infected with the virus. He adds that in this era of information explosion parents should also take up the role of telling their children about HIV/AIDS and the dangers of unprotected sex. He says it is high time that parents started calling a spade a spade.

“Issues of sex have to be talked about openly in the homes, there is no time to beat about the bush,” he says. Bernard adds that the family is the route to the community and once families know about HIV/AIDS they can relay it to communities and the communities will in turn relay the knowledge to the nation at large.

“Spreading, AIDS is like setting fire to the same forest you are in, because not taking precautions will make you infect all those innocent people in the world including your own family members,” he says.
He adds that talking about AIDS and other sexual issues seriously will help us save many people that are at risk of getting burnt especially the young ones who are also our future leaders.

“That is why I wish I was the only HIV positive person on earth because I would ensure that it ended with me. As such, right now am being faithful to all humanity in that am abstaining considering that am infected, am also teaching others about HIV, abstinence, faithfulness, condom use and the importance of going for VCT in good time. I am not setting the fire to the forest I am in,” he states.

It is clear that the sky is the limit for Bernard Kampolombo; his dream of reaching out to people about HIV/AIDS is exactly what his ‘life project’ is all about.

which music do you go for as a young people

Reggae Feature Lusaka Star
Music is music, no matter what kind of music it is still music.
Album: Talking Blues
Musician: Bob Marley

Reggae music is finally coming to an age where its musicians and fans would no longer be seen as lay about, vagabonds and scroungers.

With the new generation ragamuffin and ragatone taking the world of music by storm, many have had to change their past misconceptions about reggae music and consider it from a new perspective.
Reggae is a music that originally started in Jamaica by the drumming of the slaves, but can trace its roots to West Africa.

Sociologist Anthony Giddens notes that the slaves managed to keep alive the tradition of African drumming by integrating it with the European musical styles imposed by the slave owners at times.

Giddens continues to say that the emergence of the Rastafarian movement proved crucial for the development of reggae. The movement merged its themes with the Burru style of drumming which produced a unique music calling out to an end of oppression and liberation.

The music as it is now is miles ahead of what was known as reggae in the 1950s. Though the music could be said to be becoming more radical with the Bobo faction within the movement out rightly chanting against the social evils in society, it can also be said to be joining ranks with hip-hop and rhythm and blues (R and B).

In the recent past, old timers in the ragamuffin scenes like Beenieman, Shaggy and Bounty Killer have been introducing more hip-hop beats in to their songs and even doing collaborations with hip-hop and R and B musicians.

Bounty Killer who is one of the popular old school ragamuffin musicians has over the years done a string of songs with hip-hop musicians such as Busta Rhymes, Jero da Damaja, and the Fugees. Beenieman, another old school raga musician, recently did a song with Janet Jackson, and Dermain Marley (Juniour Gong) has done a song along side Mr. Chicks of the Lost Boys, and the female hip-hop rapper Eve.

The collaborations between reggae musicians and musicians from other genres of music is not a new concept in reggae, as it has been attempted by legendary reggae musician Peter Tosh who did the song Don’t Look Back with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.

Bob Marley’s son Junior Gong presents an interesting case in reggae music, with most reggae fans and disk jockeys uncertain on whether to classify his music as reggae or hip-hop. Same applies to the musician Wayne Wonder and Shaggy.

Junior Gong together with his brother Kymani Marley, who is also riding high in the reggae chats have in deed proved that talent can run through a family.

Comparing the two musicians with the rest of the Marley’s family only exposes one to disappointments in terms of music. Most of Bob Marley’s family have tried being musicians but have not achieved much in their attempts. Bob’s mother (Cedela Marley), wife (Rita Marley), and the children who formed the band Melody Makers under the guidance of Ziggy Marley have not been a hit in the music industry.

However, the merging of reggae with other music forms is not a new phenomenon. Giddens observes that it was an amalgamation of different music styles that made reggae possible.

He says that in the late 1950s, West Indian musicians began mixing Rastafarian rhythms and lyrics with elements of American jazz and black R and B. This combination eventually developed into ‘Ska’ music, and then, in the late 1960s, into reggae.

Giddens continues to note that in the 1980s and 1990s, reggae was fused with hip-hop to produce new sounds, as can be heard in the work of the groups Wu-Tang Clan and the Fugees.

The change in reggae within itself to create a variety of forms can be credited to producers and musicians who have been willing to experiment with beats and vocals.

Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare have been identified as being among the most influential producers who led to the rise of the modern dancehall. Their work as part of Peter Tosh’s hand could best be described as ground breaking and indicated the start of a new style within reggae music.

The two producers, with Tosh’s encouragement came up with new beats that included instruments that were not used in reggae and tried new ideas with the arrangement of beats.

It is also through the willingness of musicians to try out new ideas that reggae has been able to grow to its current status.

From the days of Daddy I-Roy, who was one of the first reggae musicians to chant reggae lyrics over the radio, at a time when Bob Marley only had a dream of becoming a musician, the music has come a long way with new categories of the music being established.

These categories include variety such as roots reggae, dancehall, ragamuffin, chant, and more recently ragatone and new generation ragamuffin.

Marcia Griffins, one of the former member of the I-Three (back-up vocals in Bob Marley’s band), credits the new generation ragamuffin artists like Elephantman and Lexxus as having open new venues in which reggae can attract more fans.
Ragatone, on the other hand, is an interesting mix of music that has aspects of ragamuffin, techno (rave/dance) and Latino hip-hop.

Earlier on, ragatone did borrow heavily from the ragamuffin rhythm, with the prominent among them being the Bam-bam beat (as previously used by musicians such as Pliers in the song Bam-bam).

However, the ragatone beats are advancing by the day with established musicians such as Enrique Iglesias and R. Kelly trying their hands on the music genre.

It is, however, sad to note that as reggae advances, most of the songs that are being produced are neglecting the underlying messages that formed the basis of the music, which are equal rights, justice and respect for all mankind.

youths seeking a place in society

The return of Crystal Shaun

When Crystal Shaun did a single with K’ Million in 2003 Uleibukisha, people expected another release immediately, but to their disappointment it never did .But this disappointment will soon be wiped out with Crystal’s come back album this December called ‘‘the return”. He has returned from almost over three years of absence from the Zambian music scene.

Crystal Shaun released his debut album in 2003 Bapongoshi .His new album has been inspired by reggae, raga and calypso type of music which includes love songs among others. These songs come with a big blast because he features most of Zambia’s prominent musicians like K’Million who sings with him in a song called ‘Ndiwe’ that is currently hitting the airwaves and which has been received by the public with great enthusiasm. Kelvin Mwesa also features in a song titled ‘Sembe’, a sad song about a girl who dumps her boyfriend for a rich man but later regrets her decision and begs for reconciliation with her boyfriend.

‘‘What inspired me to do Ndiwe was that I see many people who are in love today telling other people that that’s my wife or that’s my girlfriend, but never really showing how they are really proud of being in relationships with their partners. It should go beyond just calling someone your girlfriend or boyfriend, actions have to be linked to this,” he says proudly showing off the picture of his girlfriend on his cell phone screen.

He says it through little actions like these that you show how committed you are to your partner.

The long awaited album which was supposed to be released sometime back met a lot of drawbacks. At some point in time this year Crystal Shaun’s music project was infected by virus in the studios he was recording from. That meant he had to start all over again.

“And before I could get back to the studios my sister became sick and later died. Before I could recover from that my brother Safeli lost a son, this happened within a short time. Later on I lost my uncle; so much happened and that meant I had to be in Mpika all that time. It was a sad period for me and that’s why I have decided to do a happy album because it was going to get my happiness back,” he adds.

He says as such he is not going to do any sad songs on the ‘Return’ and that it going to be something that will keep on coming back to his fans even after they listen to them.

“When my father died I wrote a song Pakakokola, and every time my mother listens to that song she cries, that’s why this is a happy album for my happy fans out there,’ he says.

Other artists featured in his album are Damino, Runnel and Chatu from Namanje.

The album is being recorded under Slim Beats studios and will be distributed by Super Shine.

Crystal Shaun says there is will be no need for people to pirate the songs because he will be giving them at a give away price. The CDs and tapes will sale at reduced prices compared to the normal market price at hand in Zambia.

He says piracy is an evil vice that needs to be eradicated in Zambia because it is making most artists to lose out on a lot of profits and their fans are getting poor quality music because of the piracy.

The ever smiling and active Shaun spends most of his free time at home watering the lawns, cutting flowers and spending his time with his sisters and he says going out for him means he is out their performing. He likes cooking too, especially his favourite food Ubwali Ne Finshimu as long he prepares it him self.

how to approach your boss: lessons for youths

QUESTION ONE
The statement may be well meant but the chairman might not understand its implications.

v Firstly, although the company may really mean to complement current efforts in the country to improve Zambians’ lives, it may imply that Zambians are poor and lazy people who cannot do anything to improve their standards of living on their own. This is because the statement can be misinterpreted by some people. The unemployed publics for example may have their hopes raised as they will expect more jobs to be created for them which will improve their living standards even when there are other determinants to that, which the company may not meet alone.
v In PR, statements should be made within reason that presents the company well to its publics for it to be understood or accepted and win good will. The company should be able to account for its statements and back them up with works. The company seems to have set for itself standards as implied in the chairman’s statement. Therefore, the publics expect the organization to live up to those standards. If it fails to meet these expectations, people may lose confidence and trust in it. Thus, the company will lose the goodwill of the public on whom any organization depends for its success.

v Additionally, the statement may imply that the government has failed to meet its responsibility of raising the standard of living for Zambians. If government views the statement in this way, it will create a bad relationship between the two of them. Government is their biggest investment partner, a regulator of investment policies and laws and helps create an enabling environment for smooth operations of investors. Therefore, a negative relationship between government and the company would put the company at a disadvantage.
v Another implication of the statement is that the chairman thinks that all Zambians are poor and desperate for foreign investors to bring development for them. This statement shows that the chairman came with a wrong perception of Zambia and therefore does not understand the actual situation in Zambia. Zambians are becoming suspicious of foreign investors due to past trends of promising things they could not deliver. Local investors also argue that they can do better than some foreign investors, and may thus have a ground to convince people that foreign investors are giving alienating statements they cannot live by. This may result into poor relations with potential local shareholders who may feel belittled.
v Another thing to take into consideration is that, there is no guarantee that oil will be found in the quantities that will raise the standards of living of the people as portrayed by the company chairperson. The company chairperson will be viewed as a liar.

QUESTION TWO
v As a PR manager of the company, I would say something pertaining to the company’s intentions in its investment in the oil industry. I would start with thanking the people of Zambia and government for allowing the company to operate in the country and explain that the company will try what it can to improve people’s lives in different ways. We hope to work well with other companies as we contribute to the country’s tax base.

v I would also explain to the public that the company has the duty to supplement government efforts in improving people’s lives by providing jobs. Our coming in the country will add on the number of jobs in the country. We give respect to the local authority and their efforts in ensuring that people’s living standards are improved will be supplemented in the best way possible.

v I would be obliged to clarify certain things from the chairperson’s statement that I feel would be misinterpreted. The chairperson may mean well, but the way he phrased the statement; “…and raise the standards of living for you Zambians,” may be discrediting to the company. Zambians are getting fed-up with investors’ statements that portray them (investors) as more concerned with the welfare of the people rather than the primary profit motive which drives them to which they often fail to live by (never come to reality).

QUESTION THREE
I would approach the chairperson and:
v I would tell him my view of the possibility that his statement might be offending to some Zambians because their experience with investors has made (many of) them to believe investors are not concerned with their welfare only profit. I will tell him that I will prepare a press release to clarify on your earlier statement so that people do not get a wrong impression about the company. I will tell him that clarifying things now may be less costly than at a later time. This (clarifying) will show that we treat people with the respect and maturity they deserve, and they will in turn cooperate with the company and support its programmes.

practising public relations among young people

Having been appointed as Public Relations Director of Get Well hospital, below is what I would do during the first year of my appointment divided into three periods of four months each.

FIRST PERIOD
In the first period, I will venture into research work on the perceptions and attitudes of the general public, which is the hospital’s target audience towards the institution. For public relations to be an effective process, research should always be the starting point. This is so, because every course of action calls for substantiation of facts and opinion assessment among others. Research also helps us to avoid spending on issues that do not exist.

Although Mr. Jack Mwansa, the chief hospital administrator, has attributed the unproductivity of Get Well to its location in a high crime area, there is a possibility that the problem may be due to other factors which may, among others, include high user fees and poor services. If the research indicates that for sure people are shunning the hospital due to crime in the area, I would suggest to management that security measures are put in place both at the hospital premises and possibly in the entire township to reduce crime.

Since the hospital is located in a high crime area, the next programme would be to protect the hospital premises. And below is an outline of specific tasks:

1) Improve security within and outside the hospital by:
Engaging a security firm such as Pre-Secure or Mint Master to secure the hospital. Additionally, management will be advised on the need for the installation of security alarms as well as an electric fence around the hospital premises.

2) Putting measures to reduce crime in the whole township by:
Encouraging members of the community to form a neighbourhood watch to be making patrols in the area. This would make the community become more security conscious.

The hospital would also collaborate with the police force and build capacity for patrols. Because transport is usually one of the major setbacks for community police in the country, I would therefore ask management to avail one of the hospital vehicles to help in police patrols in and around Matero. In the same way, Get Well Hospital would ask the residents through their neighbourhood watch to lend their vehicles to their neighbourhood watch for the benefit of everyone in the township.

I would also embark on a massive use of a public address system and staged events to sensitise the community on being security conscious. Messages would be those informing the community to report to the police or neighbourhood watch of any suspicious behaviour.

Furthermore, members of the community would be encouraged to give tip-offs to relevant authorities about crime to help track down criminals.

My public relations department would also encourage business houses in the community to be rewarding those who supply tip-offs leading to the arrest of suspected criminals. This would encourage people not to conceal information on the whereabouts of suspected criminals.

The department would also initiate staged events in the community as a campaign to improve security in Matero. During such events, members of the community would also be encouraged to participate in plays that depict the benefits of them coming together to curb crime in the area.

3) Security for employees
In order to ensure security for employees, transport would be provided to ferry members of staff to and from work.

Senior members of staff like doctors would be given car loans to help them purchase vehicles to transport them as they move from their residences to the hospital and vice versa. For those who would not want car loans, they would be provided with separate transportation from the junior and general members of staff. Apart from being a security measure, it can be a way of attracting more physicians to the hospital.


SECOND PERIOD
The second period will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the security measures put in place in the first period. This period would also use the findings of the previous research in order to come up with appropriate measures to improve the business ventures and image of the hospital.

Getting the hospital known to the public through positive publicity would be the other aspect that the second period will carter. For example, offering free services on particular days like World Breast Cancer Day in order to attract the media. Such opportunities can be utilised in selling the kind of services the hospital offers.

In an event that crime does not seem to have gone down in the township, my department would seek other methods aimed at reducing crime levels. Since crime in the community is the most likely cause of fear in people seeking health services at Get Well Hospital, there would be need to intensify security within and outside the hospital premises continuously.

And if our evaluation shows that the crime levels in the community have gone down, my department would be engaged in vigorous publicity to inform the public of the development. Everything possible would also be done to build a reputable image of the hospital contrary to past perceptions people may have about the township in general and the hospital in particular. For effective publicity, the following measures would be embarked on:

Television Documentary
The documentary would among others show the security measures that have been put in place at the hospital premises. For example, the electric fence and alarm systems installed and even guards by the entrance into the hospital grounds and elsewhere.

Interviews with doctors and nurses satisfied with high quality services offered at the hospital would also be shown.

Patients impressed with both security and health services would also be included.

Apart from that, I and other workers at the hospital such as doctors and nurses would also be featured in the documentary. In this case they would be talking about why the hospital decided to engage in fighting crime in the area. The emphasis would be that the hospital is not only concerned about the health but also the general welfare of the community.

The vehicle/s used for patrolling the area would also be shown in the documentary.

Interviews with Matero residents appreciating the measures put in place by the hospital in response to the problem of crime would also be part of the documentary.

Get Well Hospital’s outstanding speech clinic would be highlighted in the documentary. Parents with children who have speech problems would be encouraged to bring their children to the clinic to be attended to by the best speech therapists that the hospital has.

The only teen alcoholism programme in the country would be another prominent feature in the documentary. This would be one of the ways of selling out this exceptional service to the public. Reformed alcoholics would be featured testifying about their previous and current social lives and how Get Well has helped them change their lives for the better.

The scenery view of the location and actual structures of the newly built high-rise building would not be left out. This has the benefit of attracting prospective physicians as management is willing to give them office suites on the top floors of the tower for rent.

Press Releases
As a way of free publicity, the public relations department would strategically structure press releases that will show trends on how the hospital has achieved the handling of alcoholism related issues and statistics of people attended to. Not least, new developments and periodical free medical check-ups would also be publicised with the help of such releases.

Advertisements
These would be used on television, radio, and newspapers to directly sell to the public the health services offered by the hospital. Television advertisements would be considered ideal to advertise locations and services due to the audio-visual aspect involved and makes the adverts more appealing to the potential clients.

Feature articles
Another publicity strategy would be the use of feature stories. These feature stories would specifically show the decline of crime in Matero. This would be likely to be attributed to the efforts put in place by Get Well Hospital management in conjunction with police and the community. Details of previous crime rates compared with current ones in terms of percentages would make interesting and educative readership. Quotes from neighbourhood watch representatives, patients at the hospital, a doctor or nurse, public relations personnel and so on would be stressed to highlight the benefits of the security measures both within and outside the hospital premises as a matter of health concern as well as having resulted in reduced crime rates in the entire township.

Live television presentations.
Here, the hospital would sponsor a radio programme, for example a ‘Health Line’ where one of our doctors would be featured to answer some questions relating to health problems from listeners. And because the public would associate the doctor to Get Well Hospital, patients will most likely go to our hospital for their health problems. Talk shows would also be used to reinforce the publicity efforts of documentaries, press releases and advertisements. And during breaks, we would slot in commercials about Get Well Hospital.

THIRD PERIOD
After employing the above various publicity efforts, my department would evaluate whether the public would have changed their attitudes towards the hospital and its services. That would mean observing the customer database or number of patients coming to the hospital and compare these with previous trends to see if there are any significant changes. I would also ascertain if health personnel have started applying or have been employed at Get Well, a hospital whose patients’ and physician’s low turn out seem to have worried the Chief Administrator just when I was appointed over half a year ago.

If there have been positive responses and positive change of attitudes towards the hospital in the areas highlighted, the next step would be to:

Do more in terms of social responsibility for the community
i. One way is by periodically offering free medical check-ups to the residents of Matero and others on days like the world tuberculosis day.

ii. Free medical treatment for one selected orphanage once every month throughout the year.

iii. Subsidising medical fees to children below the age of 7 and elderly people over 70 years.

iv. Offering incentives such as over-time allowances to doctors as well as offering annual awards for best performing physicians.

v. Assisting the local council in garbage collection as it poses a health hazard both to the environment and human settlement.

vi. A proposed budget for these suggested social responsibility activities will be presented to management for consideration. Once and if approved the programme will be rolled out and be implemented diligently to win public goodwill and favour, a factor which will increase the hospital’s clientele.

A tabulation of the proposed budget is given below.
BUDGET
FIRST PERIOD
Research

-formal -8 million Kwacha

-informal- 1 million Kwacha
total-9 million Kwacha

SECOND PERIOD
Documentary- 7 million Kwacha
TV shows - 15 million Kwacha
Features - 3 million Kwacha
Advertising 25 million Kwacha

total 50 million kwacha


29 Million Kwacha
THIRD PERIOD
Evaluation
11 Million Kwacha


TOTAL

70 Million Kwacha

MNCs: whose interests; the youths or the old burgeiosie?

INTRODUCTION
The growing environmental problems in the 1980s caused a re-think in the approach of development as people became concerned at the rate at which environmental resources were being used. Therefore, as an alternative world view of development, ‘sustainability’, which is sometimes referred to ‘Green Vision,’ emerged in 1987 during the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Report). Proponents of this paradigm shift argued that there was need for a new vision of development, new forms of thinking, a different focus and a challenge to the old dominant approaches which were inappropriate and exploitative.

Premised on the above views, this essay expounds on the meaning of sustainability and how relevant the concept is to the development of developing countries (LDCs).

DEFINITIONS\MAIN BODY
Sustainability has been defined differently by various scholars. According to Jarzombek (2003: 09), “it is simply sustainable development, a concept which was coined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1980, which refers to the development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs.” Jaiyebo (2003: 111-112) defines it as “the development that is manageable, irreversible and interdependent; and that which takes on board environmental concerns into account.”

Additionally, Agrawal (1992: 34) claims that sustainability concerns the use of resources for economic growth with the conscious of integrating social, economical and environmental factors that are cardinal to national development. It is about striking a balance between environmental, social and economical considerations. That is, improving the quality of life whilst living within the ecosystem’s carrying capacity. It entails limits, checks and balances between human and environmental needs and between the present and future generations, (ibid). It is about stakeholders’ participation in decision-making and implementation, for instance, disadvantaged groups such as women, youths and indigenous people. In other words, it is about localised actions that are considerate of environmental aspects in all developmental programmes.
The concept encompasses economic, environmental and social aspects as three general policy areas. The three were however broken into seven strategic imperatives for sustainable development in the Brundtland report. These are: reviving growth; changing the quality of growth; meeting essential needs for jobs, food, energy, water and sanitation; ensuring a sustainable level of population; conserving and enhancing the resource base; reorientation of technology and managing risks; merging environment and economics in decision-making (op. city.). This entails that sustainability is basically about preserving the ecosystem in the context that the poor are able to improve their material condition without those wealthy suffering adverse effects in the long run. According to the World Bank (2002: 12), “sustainability is about achieving millennium goals in a way that is supportive of the ecosystems.” Additionally, the Brundtland report emphasized that the state of technology and social organisation, lack an integrated social planning which limits the world’s ability to meet human needs now and in future.
Sustainability presents various complementary ideas on how development should be conceptualized which have a common theme, appropriate linkages and grounded in local (grass-root) situations and realities. It brings to the core of development thinking and conceptualization, the poor who are neglected, and portrays them as active and creative human beings who lack the chances and choices to determine the kind of development that makes sense to them, (ibid. p.45). The view also deals directly with issues such as gender, the environment, peace, the household, community and religion, human rights and democracy. Proponents of the view propagate for the kind of development which shifts attention away from growth and economic processes to more meaningful forms which put people and especially the poor first and the environment.

According to Seabrook (1993: 233), “sustainability is simply ecological sustainable development, which refers to using, conserving and enhancing community’s resources so that the ecological process on which life depends are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in future can be increased.” And the IUCN quoted in Shiva (1992: 197) further states that, “sustainable development means achieving a quality of life\ standard of living that can be maintained for many generations because it is; socially desirable (as it fulfills people’s cultural, material and spiritual needs in equitable ways), economically viable (self-reliant, with costs not exceeding income) and ecologically sustainable (maintaining the long term viability of supporting ecosystems).” This entails balancing these objectives since none should be pursued at the expense of other, but should be integrated as development can only be sustainable when all the three objectives are met.

Principally, sustainable development involves the integration of developmental and environmental aspirations at all levels of decision making. It encompasses the concepts of inter and intra-generational: that is, ‘equitable’ access to environmental resources both within the present and future generations; application of precautionary principles; and the maintenance of biological diversity and integrity, both of which are important for continued existence of ecosystems. Inter-generational equity refers to the use of resources by present generations without degrading the environment to the extent that future generations fail to meet their needs, (ibid). However, it is not clear on how far into future the present generation should be considerate. Assuming the needs of the future generations is not clear also. The concept is also not explicit on which future generation it is talking about; human or ecosystem, thus making it more problematic to determine how these generations will be appropriately considered in the design and implementation of current policies.

According to Shiva (1992: 198), “Intra-generation equity refers to the view that present generations have the right to benefit equally from the exploitation of resources, and have equal rights to clean and healthy environment both at national and international levels.” At national level it implies fairness in accessing common natural resources between ethnic groups in society. It also looks at how government can restrict the use of resources through environmental laws. Paradoxically, at international level it means fairness between countries in accessing international resources. That is, low income people should at least meet their basic needs, such as healthy, environment, food, shelter, cultural and spiritual needs. This can be achieved by transfers of wealth from higher to lower income countries and within poor countries between the wealth elites and the poor.
RELEVANCY OF SUSTAINABILITY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LDCs
The relevancy to sustainability to the developing of LDCs is questionable considering the unprecedented challenges they are faced with in balancing economic growth and environmental concerns. According to Hugh-Jones (1989: 89), “constraints of LDCs to sustainability result from laws of nature, physical environment, raw material resource stocks for exploitation, carrying capacity, human actors due to high poverty, cultures, ethics and values, technology, and available spectrum of diversity.” These constraints reduce the total range of future possibilities and consequently leave only a limited, potentially accessible set of options. Different from the situations at early development stage of developed countries, developing countries have to pay more attention to current challenges of poverty, debt, balance of payment problems, budget deficit among others, in order to realize the same level of economic growth.

Critics argue that major causes of ecological destruction in LDCs and the world over are commercial extractions of raw materials from naturally endowed countries to meet the high demand for them by the expanding agricultural and industrial activities. This situation is worsened by the encouragement of free (but unfair) trade, at the expense of the environment. Deteriorating terms of trade has worsened environmental negligence especially by LDCs that have to allow more extraction of raw materials that they have specialised in exporting on the international market. The prices for these commodities have often reduced further because these countries produce same types of commodities that flood the world market thus further reducing the prices of LDCs’ exports. For example, those exporting timber cut more timber and those producing cotton, copper, and the like produce more both to meet the needs of their economies and servicing the debt.

Failure by LDCs to pay their debts for instance forced creditors to push for their money through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). This puts more pressure on LDC governments that have to produce more foreign exchange in order to meet certain benchmarks, thus a serious oversight on environmental matters. Many multinational corporations (MNCs) are often attracted to invest in these countries even in environmentally sensitive areas with fewer regulations to ensure that basic environmental standards are met. According to (2004: 209), “MNCs have taken advantage of the weak environmental laws in LDCs, thus have caused devastating and almost irreversible environmental problems in these countries.” Additionally, people have been displaced to marginal lands, water reserviours have been polluted, soils are eroded, floods have been enhanced, and droughts are common due to disturbed rainfall patterns. MNCs have mainly targeted mining, agriculture, forestry and ranching sectors of LDCs, which have proved to be serious contributors of environmental degradation.

Worse still, the desperation by LDCs to provide basic needs for their people and that coupled with the surmounting pressure to wipe out their debts has compromised their little attention towards the environment. According to Ellis (2000: 212), “the pressure of paying the debts have forced LDCs to engage MNCs at different levels in the exploitation of their natural resources in the bid to increase their exports, but the burden has continued to accumulate.” In addition, most LDCs are struggling to meet certain benchmarks set by those they owe money through the IMF and the WB, thus diverting most of the funding towards those benchmarks at the expense of the economy, environment and the social sector which are the general concerns of sustainable development. The heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) completion point can be one example where to reach the benchmark; Zambia diverted a lot of resources to programmes under its auspices at the expense of key areas of the sustainability concern.

Further more, LDCs lack the technological capacity required to handle environmental degradation like recycling non-biogradables such as plastics. According to Akufo (2005: 10), “today world’s demands for products and services with high technological content and recycling of non-biogradables that are a serious threat to the environment, but against this backdrop, LDCs only spend less than 2% on Research and Development, which excludes them from the global economy.” LDCs cannot the ability to reduce environmental degradation. In Zambia for example, Konkola Copper Mines failed to meet the Environmental Council of Zambia’s (ECZ) statutory standards regarding sulphur dioxide pollution from its Smeltaco Plant in Kitwe (ibid). ECZ recommended the use of converter modified technology, which enables the capture of more sulphur dioxide that can in turn be used to manufacture sulphuric acid for mineral processing. This is in line with the environmental concept of cleaner production, which promotes the continuous use of industrial processes and products in order to reduce pollution and thus minimise the risks to humans and the environment.
CONCLUSION
The concept of sustainability poses a crucial challenge to methods of development pursued so far as they are deemed harmful to the environment and have adverse effects on the quality of life and livelihoods on both humans and the ecosystem. The concept’s core thesis is premised on the use of resources for economic growth with the conscious of integrating social, economical and environmental factors that are cardinal for balanced development. It is concerned with the reconciliation of development and the environment in order to enhance socio-environmental sustainability for the benefit of future generations. Ironically, the applicability of the concept in LDCs can be a costly move due to high poverty levels, indebtedness among other challenges. People in LDCs depend more on the environment for livelihood resources because they have few options for survival. These countries also have huge debts to wipe out. These socio-economic challenges of LDCs have resulted into the commercialization of most economic activities for more returns in terms of foreign exchange. Additionally, it has weakened the use of environmental friendly developmental methods, because new economic and cultural aspirations of the new socio-economic cleavages have alienated local control of resources, which has led to the emergence of ‘anarchic’ charcoal, fuel-wood and timber businesses to sustain global markets. These coupled with rapid population increases have led to over exploitation of the already shrinking natural resource bases in LDCs, which MNCs have largely fueled.