Young villagers - kitweonline

Today you can time travel as you go around Kitwe! That may sound like a bold assertion, if not down right mad!

Let’s start with a brief trip to 1920.

Imagine you have a box of 10 cameras. When you get to Chitwe near Kitwe stream, you give out the cameras to the Lamba people living in the area. You explain to them that in future there will be a great big city centered on this village. You want them to go round taking photos of different places so that future citizens of Kitwe will be able to see what the place looked like in the past. They will probably laugh at you and even accuse you of practicing witchcraft.

Imagine that  just one of the villagers, a little boy,  took you up on your word and he dutifully went around taking photos as Kitwe developed. He took  photos of boring locations once a year wondering what was the point of such activity.

He then passed the camera on to his children for them to continue the assignment. Imagine going to Chief Nkana’s palace to ask to see those photos today. What would your reactions be to seeing the way Kitwe has evolved over the years? Every photo would tell a story. Flicking through these photos, you will be smiling at some of the scenes. It will be a very interesting experience.

Do you own a mobile phone with a camera function? Do you own a camera? Well, just close your eyes and listen to someone whispering in your ear. They have travelled 100 years from the future and they are saying to you “Today, can you please take one photo from anywhere in Kitwe. Keep it for us so we can learn about our city’s past?”

Will you think you are just imagining things? Or will you see this opportunity for what it is – a chance to become one of the photo guardians of history?

It is a distinguished post. Step forward and record a part of history. These photos have a value that increases with time.

Here is a slide show of some recent photos submitted by John Katebe.

He stood in front of some trees and grass, pointed his mobile phone and took photos.

Come back in a 100 years time and compare the scenery!