Photo by Biser Todorov (Wikipedia) If you walk into any restaurant, the truth is that you can call virtually all foods by their English names and you will be perfectly understood. Whether you are in Kitwe or in Kasama, you will find a variety of dishes to choose from. Here are some Bemba words and phrases you…
Kitwe On Line
The Hub of the Copperbelt
Jazz Society of Kitwe
by Lydia Mhango •
Kitwe has started a Jazz Society and I thought I should upload a few photos of the first one we had in January. We shall be holding them once a month. Membership is K50 000 per month. Members that pay can bring their jazz music to play. Members are also allowed to invite one…
Talking Football Terminology
by Richard Katebe •
Photo by Steindy (Wikipedia) Last week I was watching the African cup of nations match between Zambia and Sudan in a local pub. I was sitting next to a gentleman, who seemed not to know anything about soccer, despite him wearing a replica jersey of the Zambia national team. I did not have time…
Testing for HIV Before Marriage
by Richard Katebe •
Many efforts have been made by different organizations that fight the scourge of HIV and AIDS to sensitize people, of the need to take an HIV test in order to know their status. Such efforts have been met with mixed responses from the public. Some have chosen to be tested while others have not, due…
The Linux to Bemba Translation Project
by JS •
Can you say to your mobile phone in Bemba, "Ita ba yama" (Call uncle) and your phone responds, "Ê mukwai, ndeita ba yama" (Yes sir/mam. Calling uncle)? Is it possible to command your computer in Bemba? The answer is "Yes" according to Anthony Musaluke. He has been quietly working at translating Linux into Bemba for several years.…
Dreams Come True
by Richard Katebe •
From humble beginnings At number 27 Kanyanta Street in Kitwe’s Martindale area just opposite Airtel main office, is a private school called Jacky Christian Academy. The school has classes from baby class up to grade 7.The school also offers free computer lessons to all its pupils. There is also a school bus which does the…
A Grammar of the Bemba Language – by Schoeffer – Book Review
by JS •
Book Title: A Grammar of the Bemba Language as Spoken in North East Rhodesia Author: Rev. Father Schoeffer Edited by J.H. West Sheane, B.A. (Native Commissioner, B.S.A. Company, N.E.R.) Arranged with preface by A.C. Madan Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1907 ISBN: 9781146012799 A Grammar of the Bemba Language as Spoken in Northern Rhodesia was…
The Black Dollar Fortune
by Richard Katebe •
Fred Chirwa (not his real name) had just retired from a full time job as a locomotive driver at Zambia railways in Kitwe. He got his retirement package of Fifty five million Zambian kwacha (K55, 000,000). The separation package that he was paid was a net balance after the company deducted the amount for…
Learn How To Read and Pronounce Bemba Words
by JS •
Bemba Lesson 8 Learn how to read Bemba using simple methods. The Bemba language is broadly based on the English alphabet. Most words are based around the five vowels: A,E,I,O and U. (Vowel = A sound made by allowing air to flow freely through the mouth and throat) When you take away the vowels from…
Street Vending in Kitwe
by Richard Katebe •
“MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET “ BY RICHARD KATEBE: The change of government from the ruling MMD to Patriotic front has brought about a lot of expectations from the ordinary Zambian. The general population is expecting to begin to see changes that would bring more money in their pockets as promised by…