Zebras grazing to the waking sun - Livingstone, Zambia
In Zambia, less than a million people work within "formal" and "legal" employment structures, according to Costa Mwansa, a local journalist. For a country of 12 million, that's a pretty thin taxe base for the government to feed on. A lot of people work "informally" - in agriculture, as street vendors - and don't pay taxes, but also don't benefit from social services.
(N.B. the TV production Costa and I are working on aims to show Zambia from a dynamic perspective, blending challenges and successes. Success is often overlooked when representing African countries.)
Nevertheless, my point here is that I developed a whole new appreciation for taxes when being in an environment where most people don't pay any.
The biggest challenge is to let go of the patterns and stereotypes that have been ingrained in your mind throughout all your life, and to see a new place through the eyes of a child.
Making room in yourself to notice the hidden layers and power structures of the place that surrounds you ... Informal systems in place of set rules, discernible only to the local eye.
For example: the fact that the taxi drivers parked near the BP fuel station have a leader, and he should be the one answering a journalist's questions.
Or "street kids' and workers' turf". A bunch of men and boys gathered around a 15-year-old street girl we interviewed, shouting at her that if she lied to the camera, they would go after her.
Generous people, famous musicians, shaking hips at Mayela night club, traditional markets, fickle electricity supplies, bumpy roads and cold evenings ... "Zambia is real Africa!" The first 3 days of the East4South reporting project - Africa segment
The first impressions are always the most important to record, because with every day, I will slowly lose the fresh, unaltered perspective I had during my first contact with a new place.
Getting off the plane, a group of forty uniformed schoolchildren shouted, “Welcome to Zambia! Welcome to Zambia!”
Costa, from MuviTV, picked me up, and we looked for accommodation. We went to three different places before settling on Mika Lodge.
On the way there, we passed through Manda Hill, where the Parliament is situated. It is made of copper, an abundant resource in Zambia. When there are elections, Zambians speak of the “race to Manda Hill”.
We drove on bumpy roads full of holes. According to Costa, it’s because of corruption. The government spends money on roads, but often, they don’t get built. There are many public health billboards on roadsides, including one with a little girl saying sex with her won't cure aids; another one informing Zambians sexual harassment is a crime; a third one encouraging the fight against malaria.
Below, a little 2-minute movie from the first drive, READ MORE first day impressions HERE
