Zambia Experience

Zambia experience

Recently, Aaron and his brother&wife plus I went to a sarafi lodge on Chete island in Zamiba for a holiday. I have been real busy so I haven't written about the experience yet since I returned on the 1st of May.

I must say, it was quite an experience of a lifetime. I came so so close to wild elephants and observed alot about the simple Zambian village life around the market place where we had to go and buy stuff for the lodge. I realised that life really can be that simple if you really want to (or if you really dont have a choice).

Zambia is full with magic. The animals and the people and their environment, it was beautiful because it is a place much closer to nature. I really long to be in a place like that: so in harmony and balanced. However, there is a sad side of this beautiful picture; a very African scene of foreigners coming in "helping" them while taking away resources. I saw a Chinese mining company in Silasongawe near to the island that I was on.

In short, what have I learnt and felt from this amazing experience:

1. Life really can be very simple, it is sad that civilisation and globalisation is disabling us from being able to live simply. I really feel sad how shopping centres are just getting bigger and better in every corner of South Africa (and surely worldwide). I want to ask mankind a question: why do we want to live so unnaturally? We dont really need that many BIG shopping centre. The consumerism is really disgusting to me even through I like to window shop alot!

2. When life is simple and it was not by choice, it can be a very hard life. Zambians amazes me in the way they live with little thing they have. It also shames me about how much I have got, e.g. this laptop I am typing from. God, how can you be so hard on certain people on earth? Zambians, like many Africans are facing and dealing with the AIDS pandemic, TB and Malaria and other disabilities. I felt like just staying and apply my therapeutic skills to provide help for them. Unfortunately, in addition to the harshness of life as it is; locals do not believe in western stuff e.g. education and medicine.

For me this was an ethical question... May I enpose my ideas of what's good for them on them? Yes, it is clear that an injection can save lots of lives and maybe education can change one or two people's fortune and fate. But is this truely good? How do you define what is good? Is living longer and possibly healthier as well as being more intelligent a better or happier life? I am more educated and I use western medicine to be healthier, but am I really happier than they are? To me, being smart is more likely to a curse, esp if you are the think of the mankind type.

3. It deeply saddenes me about the Chinese mine in Zambia. I fully understand that there is simply no free lunch in this world, nobody do charity; there is always and always some string attached! I know I am harsh and expect highly of "my own people", but I cannot believe that people from a nation who was previously oppressed would think of taking advantage of others in any ways. Do we not know the pain of being oppressed???!! Have we really lost our sense of judgement in what is good morally? Or have I over-reacted in observing this? I want to believe this is done in good intention for all, I really believe the good in people. But God, it is getting harder and harder to believe in the good in people. I am deeply hurt by this scene because Chinese business men are not the only one that is doing this. God, just what kind of creature have men become?

What have we done now by using our intelligence to overcome nature and opposing its laws? Where will this lead us?