On freedom of expression

By Winston Muleba II 

They fought for independence so we could freely write and talk about social, political, spiritual,economical matters etc., alas media houses, print and electronic Journalists are under threat. Following that its not possible for Times of Zambia, Zambia daily-mail, the Post and Daily nation to publish every citizens opinion,people themselves have opted to express their views on online forums and media though some views are exaggerated but informative and closer to the truth, others can cause total confusion whereas others are aimed at defaming and slandering others.

Fortunate Kabamba: prospective priest

By Winston Muleba II
PRIESTHOOD is all about living a Christ-like life and is a special calling for great sacrifice, says Fortunate Mwansa Kabamba.

Kabamba says many people have a wrong perception of what priesthood is all about He says he is a seminarian coming from Kantanshi township in Mufulira.

"I am a diocesan seminarian coming from St Lawrence Parish in Mufulira. Though in my early years in Chingola, Fortunate was used as my first name, but now I go by Mwansa as my first name though I feel more comfortable to be addressed as Kabamba. Just to add a word on Fortunate; Fortunate is a name of my uncle who was keeping me in Chingola, it took some time for him to have a male child and with the coming of the allowances for children in the mines, he decided to put me on the list of children and took Mwansa as a middle name. But when I came to Mufulira, the eldest uncle whom I call the head when enrolling me for grade six removed Fortunate from the list of my names. Hence, at school in Chingola, I was known by the name Fortunate, while in Mufulira I am known by Mwansa. As at now, I feel more comfortable just to be addressed as Kabamba Mwansa, "he says. "At my age, I am only sure of the name of my mother Mrs Rita Kabamba (deceased). The whereabouts of my father are not known. I have tried to my level best to trace the name of my father but all my efforts have been in vain, so I carry the surname of my mother as mine too.

Butterfly farmers strike gold in butterfly conservation project

A government project to promote butterfly farming as a way of conserving the country’s coastal forest has turned into a major earner, from sales of butterflies’ pupae to over 14 markets in the US and UK, earning local farmers more than Sh10,000 a week and now some Sh8.1m a year in exports. 

Enterprising youth earns from sugarcane juice

A childhood love for sugarcane for Charles Odira has metamorphosed to a juice making enterprise that is earning him five times more than he earned selling the cane and earning him nationwide recognition.

His passion for anything sugarcane was inspired by his father who used cane juice to make jaggery commonly known as sukari nguru. Delving into the trade after finishing school, Odira has never looked back. He initially sold sugarcane but a visit to Mombasa International Trade Fair changed his fortunes. He stumbled upon an old friend who worked at the Kenya Sugar Research Foundation who was showcasing sugar crashing machines. 

Participate in the national essay writing competition and win K5000 prize

Do you have ideas or views that can create value and provide for a stable, united and prosperous Zambia? 

Are you willing to share them with the rest of Zambia? 

Zambia National Commercial Bank Plc (Zanaco) in partnership with the Zambia@50 Secretariat invites you to participate in the national essay writing competition and get your ideas recognised and celebrated on the national platform. The essays should be on the following themes: 

Social Media as a tool for positive change

By Winston Muleba II 

In the recent past former  Permanent Secretary of information and broadcasting services, Emmanuel Mwamba challenged the public media institutions to be innovative and register a strong online presence to give credible information to the public. He further said the poor online showing had led to private media to provide wrong information to the public especially young ones.at a web technology planning workshop for public media personnel. At the same workshop Mr. Mwamba said Zambia’s population was dominated by young people who had embraced new technology of accessing information and that they should be furnished with correct information (Times of Zambia, dated 3^rd October, 2013).

Mambwe:entrepreneur,creator and adventurer

By Winston Muleba II
YOUNG people must be brave and trust their instincts, says 20-year-old Joseph Mambwe. 

Mambwe is a young entrepreneur, creator and adventurer who runs a software company. 

Facebook CEO bids to make his social network more relevant than ever

Mark Zuckerberg streams through the crowd at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco like a politician working a pancake breakfast. 

As the Facebook CEO makes the rounds at f8, the company's daylong developer conference, it is clear that he is among his people. Fifteen hundred hackers have amassed, the first time Zuck has called this flock together in two and a half years. They're here to attend engineering sessions about how to build, grow, and monetize their apps; to munch on plastic-wrapped sandwiches trucked up from Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters; and to try to catch a glimpse of Zuck casually hanging out by the Oculus Rift demo, a sight even more surreal for them than the virtual-reality experience itself. Despite the stuffy heat--the 125,000- square-foot space doesn't have air-conditioning, so Facebook had to import its own ventilation ducts, which hum along the wooden ceilings-- Zuck looks cool and relaxed in his T-shirt and jeans. He walks tall, chest out firmly, and with each quick hello he leaves a trail of starstruck smiles and excited whispers in his wake, as if Harry Styles were strolling through a suburban shopping mall. As one beaming attendee says after shaking hands with the CEO, "He seems pretty fucking confident!"

NGOCC condemns Dr. Manda's patriarchal reasoning

THE Non Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) condemns in the strongest terms the sweeping statement by Dr Francis Manda that Zambian women had lost their cultural values. 

Facebook flickers and jokes fly as service cuts out for millions

The popular social networking service Facebook went out of commission today thursday, a problem that affected users worldwide and set off a firestorm on other social media platforms such as Twitter.

Cassava production:turning minors into majors

Cassava is one of the most popular and widely consumed food crops in Africa thanks to its versatility. Due to the importance of this food in the region, it is commonly referred to as a cornerstone of food security in Africa. The competing needs for cassava cut across both human and animal consumption. Besides, it is fastly becoming a popular raw material in industrial production and is now the preferred material for making biofuels. 

Overdependence on Investors is at the heart of among other employment Challenges in Zambia

By Winston Muleba II
This year Zambia celebrates its 50th year of independence. Before and after independence finding a job has been a challenge.

Our parents keep sweet talking us that jobs were never a challenge years ago forgetting to think Zambia then had a very small population in that a good number were employed just after high school,colleges and University.

A lesson to learn from

By Winston Muleba II 

 Lately social networks including facebook,twitter, Google+, etc have become platforms of humiliating and invading other peoples privacy. 

On Writing Skills and Becoming a Writer

So you think you are not a great a writer because you tried a few times and thought it was not good enough? If you did, it is not a problem. A lot of people think they cannot write. Yet they speak, everyday, everywhere. They can speak even when they are not thinking. If they can speak, you should wonder why they cannot write. Is not that a contradiction? Is not it strange that people have no problem speaking but most of them think that they cannot write? That does not make sense, unless one never went to school. If you are reading this, it means, you are educated and computer savvy. You can make sense of things. You can understand what others are saying. Therefore, with some effort you should be able to write, like everyone else. 

How To Discover Your Secret Talent

There’s a big trend of people finding their mission, quitting their jobs, and starting their own thing. You may think that they’re lucky to have this opportunity or insane to leave everything behind and start all over again. 

In the Fight against Gender-Based Violence, One Picture Can Tell a Million Stories

Seven artists from aroundp the world gathered recently at the World Bank Group’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss gender-based violence and the role art can play in tackling the epidemic."Let’s not ask the specialists today. Let’s ask the artists," said Ian Bannon, a social development expert in the Africa Region of the World Bank, when introducing the panel.

Violence against women in Africa

Worldwide, 35% of women (one in three) are subject to violence over the course of their lives. 

As in other regions, violence against women and girls is widespread in Africa. Its many forms range from domestic and intimate partner violence, to sexual violence, female genital mutilation, and, trafficking.

Knowing and being who you are

Unfortunately, most people do not live their lives. They do not like to be themselves or express themselves freely. They live their lives according to the expectations and desires of others. They allow others to pull their strings or make important decisions for them. 

Merdado Kapansa Chalata: established published author

By Winston Muleba II
IT HAS been said that retirement is time to do what you want, where you want, when you want and how you want to do it. Whether this is true is debatable. 

Today, we feature Merdado Kapansa Chalata, SFO, an established published author. 

Question: Who is Merdado Kapansa Chalata? Answer: I am a man with a background in the Charismatic Life Renewal Movement of the Roman Catholic Church, and have had mystical experiences in life, which have shaped my genre of writing. 

Q: What does SFO, which you add to your names, stand for? 

A: I add SFO acronym to my names because I'm a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order, founded by St Francis of Assisi, for the laity and like his patron saint, St Francis.

Chris Brown released from prison

The "Loyal" singer has been let out early though this will be temporary as he still needs to stand trial for his second assault case for his atack on pan alleged fan in Washington DC. If he is found guilty he may need to serve another 6 months in prison but only time will tell how the case progresses later this month!   

How to Write a Business Plan

Whether you are just starting out or ready to expand your enterprise, a business plan is your blueprint for success. Projecting three to five years into the future, a business plan articulates your business goals and clarifies your path to achieving those goals. 

How to be successful in marketing your farm produce

Sustainable farming requires a shift from traditional subsistence to business oriented farm production, for the farmer to realize full benefits. Agribusiness activity which does not end up in selling of the produce is a failure. 

Sylvia Banda's entrepreneurial qualities surfaced in high school

Sylvia Banda has been working to combat the low demand for locally produced, traditional food in Zambia by creating entrepreneurial hubs that guarantee markets for these goods and by fostering an appreciation for local food in both rural and urban areas. 

D’banj Named Best Selling African Artiste At 2014World Music Awards

D’banj has won a major award at the 2014 World Music Awards in the category of “BEST SELLING AFRICAN ARTIST”. 

The event took place on Tuesday, the 27th of May, at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monac.

Meet Kafula Mwila: a remarkable and upcoming voice of comtemporary literature

By Winston Muleba II
THE abundance of life does not come to those who have had obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fibre. 

Today we feature Kafula Mwila, who shares how young people can restore their moral fibre in society. Mwila is a remarkable and upcoming voice in contemporary literature. She is a novelist, poet, educator, historian, playwright and child rights activist. 

Born on September 2, 1969, she grew up in Zambia, for the most part. However, due to her father's job which took him to many places, she ended up at Holloway Primary School in Poona Town, India.

"When we returned to Zambia in 1978, I continued at Mano Primary School in Mufulira but that was short-lived because my father was on the move yet again and we went to Mongu where I wrote my grade seven examination. It is in Mongu that my parents decided that the movements would impact negatively on my education and they opted to leave me at a girls' boarding school. So for five years, I was a pupil at Holy Cross Girls' Secondary School until I completed in 1986," she says.