Last week we introduced you to the Duke of Edinburgh Award; an exciting self-development award programme available to all young people aged 14 to 25 worldwide, equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the world.

This year the Duke of Edinburgh Award office in Zambia appointed five ambassadors to help raise, support and upscale this international award’s profile in Zambia. These ambassadors are Youth Activist Erasmus Mweene, local musician Pompi, Miss Tourism Zambia Winnie-Fredah Kabwe and past participants Olunga Otieno and Esanju Maseka.

This article introduces you to the five vibrant young people, get to know who they are and their stories. Be inspired!

Chaka  Nyanthando

Picture credit: BalistiQ Photography

Popularly known as Pompi (The African Eagle), Chaka Nyanthando is a Zambian musician who has been active in the music industry for 10 years. He acts as an ambassador for African youth, showing the achievements that can be had by using your talent effectively. With an honours degree in business systems, this bright young star is highly inspired by the message of the gospel and his music is a creative combination of Afro-soul, R&B and rap.

In 2012 through the American State Department, Pompi went on a tour of the United States, to study how music is used for civil engagement. Along with 20 other media personalities, selected from 20 countries, he was awarded an international visitor’s leadership programme certificate. The multi-award winning artist is currently serving as a Youth Ambassador with the American Embassy in Zambia, Brand Ambassador for Proflight Zambia and has also been selected as one of the 10 Lusaka Global Shapers by the World Economic Forum.

Winnie-Fredah Kabwe

Winnie-Fredah is an Economics student under the University of London at ZCAS (Zambia Centre of Accountancy Studies) and holds a Diploma in Banking and Finance.

She is currently the reigning Miss Tourism Zambia 2012/13, Youth Ambassador of the Infotainment Movement and a professional model signed to an international modelling agency.  Winnie-Fredah is passionate about youth programs, tourism, fashion and charity work, just to name a few.

She is also part of the Smart Partnership Movement, whose main purpose is to bring together people from different backgrounds in order to share ideas, experiences and challenges through a process known as DIALOGUE.

What interests Winnie-Fredah about the Duke of Edinburgh Award is that it encourages young people to set their own goals and take up the challenge of achieving them through hard work and self-motivation. Winnie-Fredah believes that the award programme teaches young people to have discipline which in the long run will benefit their future as they will make responsible and informed decisions.

Erasmus Mweene

Erasmus is an award-winning luminary, founding director of Youth Activism for Change (YAFC), one of the 10 Lusaka Global Shapers selected by the World Economic Forum, Country Ambassador of Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN), Zambia’s National Focal Point for Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) and President of Kairos Society in Zambia. Passionate about youth empowerment, youth job creation, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, anti gender-based violence, philanthropy and social entrepreneurship.

Esanju Maseka

Esanju is a student at Mulungushi University studying for a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics. Her journey with the Duke of Edinburgh Award started in high school where she went through the bronze, silver and gold levels of the programme. Esanju confesses that during the programme there were many times that she felt like quitting. But the satisfaction she got from completing each challenging stage gave her a reason to want to do the next level. Having completed over 50 hours of community service, learned a number of new skills, participated in various team sports, all in an effort to complete the Award program, Esanju says the Award has helped her live a more fulfilling life.

In 2011, Esanju was selected to be part of the Zambian debut team at the 3rd International Gold Event (IGE). This event is a triennial gathering which brings together Duke of Edinburgh Award gold award holders from different National Award Authorities (NAAs). It aims to instruct and inspire those who have attained the highest level of the Award to undertake on-going leadership roles regionally, nationally and globally. There Esanju pledged ‘to create opportunities for more Zambian youth to get involved in the Award.’

Esanju is currently serving on the Duke of Edinburgh Award National Board as a youth representative. She is excited to be working with the National Award Authority, as it works to increase the accessibility of the Award Program to more Zambian youth.

Olunga Otieno

Olunga has worked with young people in a variety of situations ranging from multi-racial and private schools in up-market estates, to informal settlements and streets of Nairobi, Kenya. He has risen over the last 10 years to become a Youth Development Practitioner with experience in designing, implementing and leading youth empowerment and development programmes in Kenya and across Africa.

A former participant of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award for Young People, Olunga rose through the ranks to become Africa’s Youth Representative on the International Council. This is the global operations board and governing body of the International Award. He is currently a member of the International Programmes Advisory Group, Africa Regional Training Panel (ARTP) and Strategic Think Tank for the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Foundation. He is also a One Young World Ambassador and a mentor for the youth in several countries in Africa.

There you have it: five young people all with a mission – to encourage the youth of Africa to greater heights. We wish them every success.

The post Meet the Duke of Edinburgh Award Ambassadors in Zambia appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

This weekend I spent a little over two hours chatting with my cousin Sara Drawwater. We did some major catching up, covering topics like family, school, health, business, and of course, hair. I was excited to explain my new found freedom in my natural look.

The whole natural movement isn’t new to me. Back in 2005 whilst studying in America, I did my ‘Big Chop’ mainly because my hair was thinning out. It just wasn’t growing. I did scanty research in magazines, discovered Miss Jessie’s products, and quickly went online to purchase some. And then I fell in love with my natural curl pattern.

But to be honest, I didn’t do my research that well. I got back to relaxing my hair in 2006 because I just couldn’t handle maintaining it, or so I thought. Well, come 2010, I noticed the same problem I had previously. My hair was thinning out and just wouldn’t grow – again! This time I decided to transition more slowly, chopping off my relaxed ends, and finally becoming all natural once more. And once more, I I fell in love with my natural curl pattern – determined to keep it this time.

I’ve had to undergo major paradigm shifts in what I think constitutes beauty. I was queen of weaves, tiny Senegalese twists, and cornrows. Rarely would you see me sporting my natural hair. If I did, I would flat iron the kinks out until they were super smooth. Deep down I knew I was damaging my hair. Imagine flat ironing it during the few moments I let my hair breathe from the underworld of those weaves!

Researching the natural hair movement

Recently, I’ve had some time off from my busy schedule as a post-graduate law student. During this time I’ve done major research on natural hair. There is so much information out there. The movement has hit Zambia. You will have read the blog, ZedHair show review – a natural hair movement by Mwiza Nyasa. I recently attended a closed meeting that Masuka of ZedHair hosted with Mwanbibi. It was refreshing to see a group of women listening in on how to manage their natural hair, women who wanted to learn what products to use. Big ups to Masuka and Mwanabibi for championing the movement here in Zambia, and empowering women to love their natural God given hair.

Why all the hype about sulfate free shampoos?

So since I’m going to be writing regularly, I wanted to start with some valuable tips in addition to my personal journey! There’s a lot of valuable information on the Internet, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel. I’m going to be sharing on what spoke to me, as part of my personal natural hair journey.

So, why all the hype about sulfate free shampoos? Shampoo cleans your hair, but it also strips it of all the healthy oil your body naturally produces. The oils it strips out actually protect your hair, and keep it soft and strong.

There’s a whole bunch of chemicals in shampoos but we’ll concentrate on Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (Sls) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (Sles) this month. SLS and SLES are used as detergents and surfactants. These closely related compounds are found in car wash soaps, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. Yet both SLS and SLES are used more widely as one of the major ingredients in cosmetics, hair conditioner and about 90% of all shampoos, and products that foam. As well as stripping our hair from its naturally healthy oils, having these types of harmful chemicals in our bodies can lead to the development of cancer and other serious illnesses.

The next time you go shopping for your shampoo, look for organic shampoos and conditioners. Here are the ingredients you should try to avoid, as they dry out your scalp, irritate oil glands, and/or corrode your hair follicles:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfates
• Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
• Derivatives of Lauryl Alcohol
• Mureth Sulfate
• Propylene Glycol (Antifreeze!)
• Olefin Sulfonate (Deodorized Kerosene!)

Going forward I am going to be contributing regularly on the Best of Zambia blog. Please comment below, to share your personal journeys, ask me questions or suggest topics for me to write on. For now, natural hair products are still quite hard to come by in Zambia, but Essential Skincare are an awesome natural skin care supplier. They are produced in a small lab in Mazabuka!

You can follow me on Twitter where I’ll happily spend hours talking hair!

The post My natural hair journey in Zambia, and tips on sulfate free shampoos appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

Why do we eat? It is true that we eat for energy, growth and repair but mostly, we eat because we enjoy it. But eating healthy is important too. We need to make sure we get a good range of foods. The food we eat is broken down into the following types:

• Carbohydrates to glucose (sugar)
• Proteins to amino acids
• Fats to fatty acids

Our body uses sugar as its primary source of energy.  Since our brain does not “store” energy (sugar) it needs a continuous supply of energy. Rule no 1 is: Do not skip meals.

In order to regulate our weight, we must pay particular attention to how much we eat. Rule no 2 is:  Control portion sizes.

Skipping meals
Although skipping meals is seen by many as a quick way to lose weight, the side effects of skipping meals are actually much more serious than the potential benefits. Some consequences of skipping meals can include promoting the development of diabetes, inadequate nutrition, and drastically altering the way that your body digests food.

Skipping a meal can also make you feel dizzy, shaky and lead to a lack of concentration. In summary, skipping meals isn’t the healthiest option for your diet plan. Proper nutrition and exercise is key.

The right portion sizes
The culprit behind weight gain is not necessarily what you’re eating, but how much. The secret to a healthy lifestyle when it comes to food is a well-balanced meal consisting of healthy food in controlled portions or standardised servings. Portion control is a critical part of successful weight loss and weight management.

According to the American Dietetic Association, you can use the following “models” to approximate portion sizes:

• A deck of playing cards = one serving (3 oz.) of meat, poultry, or fish (can also use the palm of a woman’s hand or a computer mouse)
• Half a baseball = one serving (1/2 cup) of fruit, vegetables, pasta, or rice (can also use a small fist)
• Your thumb = one serving (1 oz.) of cheese
• A handful equal to the size of a tennis ball = one serving (1 cup) of yogurt or chopped fresh greens

Although serving sizes are “standardised”, individual portion sizes will vary because people have different caloric requirements.

Want to know more about portion sizes? The food pyramid provides a guideline to the number of servings to be eaten per day. This is a topic we will be covering in another blog so be sure not to miss any of the Fitness Friday posts!

This article was submitted by Food Lover’s Market. Visit their webpage, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

If you missed any of the previous Fitness Friday blogs, you can view them all here.

The post An Introduction to Eating Healthy: on skipping meals and portion sizes appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

The world is moving at a fast pace towards the private business enterprise model, a system with its own rules and regulations for promoters. Many if not all Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) the world over trace their successes to humble beginnings in which the owners dared to dream big. In dreaming big, they acted big, in accordance with the legal and statutory provisions of their localities. They had their businesses registered and started operating legally.

There are two ways of registering your business in Zambia. You can just register the business name with PACRA, or you can form an incorporated company and register it with them. Many business owners initially register their business name only; then, at a later date, as the business grows, they incorporate the company.

It is very simply to register your business name. Yet today I still hear quite a number of young business-minded people saying “registering a business name makes no difference at all”. Like many others before you, you might feel you can only register your business name when you start making profits or when you finally have an opportunity to run the business. But you could be wrong, as there are many benefits of registering your business name early on.

Getting started in business
I have come to realise that the most important investment in a business is the business plan. You can only convince financial institutions and other relevant bodies through the business plan you lay on the table. You may only have a plan and a name for your business for now, and that’s fine to get started. Now take that step and register your business name!

Make sure no-one else takes the name
The more you delay in registering your business name, the more likely you are to find that the name you have really treasured has been registered by someone else. This actually happened to a friend of mine. By the time he got round to having his business name registered, the name had been taken. Many have lost good business names just like that.

The durability of a registered business name
The registered business name can live longer than the owners. The owners may die or no longer have the desire to run or manage the business due to many other factors. Others may take over the ownership by buying it. This is interesting, because business names that have existed for years and years have developed a certain reputation for services and products. That reputation cannot be built outside of a registered business name. The name becomes a distinguishing brand.

Opening a bank account
Having a registered business name will enable you to open a bank account. The benefits of having a business bank account cannot be overemphasised. Your business associates will inquire whether you have a bank account because they would prefer to make payments to a well-established business. It also makes it easier to apply for business loans.

The advantage of incorporating your business
If you haven’t incorporated your business at the start of business operations, you should look at doing so as soon as possible. There is a cost but there are very tangible benefits.

Most of the time when I have gone into offices to lobby for business, the first question I am asked is: “where are your legal documents for your business?” I am sure some of you reading this article have been asked this question too. When your business has supporting documents from all relevant statutory bodies in the country, you earn respect. The Certificate of Incorporation issued to you by your Government through the respective agencies or departments protects not only your business activities, but also your business name. This means that your business will be legally registered, providing security to your business and building confidence for your business associates.

Receiving legal liability protection is another benefit of incorporation. In case of accidents, individuals are not held liable for accidents. In such cases, insurance covers the damages and any lawsuits.

The professional way
In short, incorporating your business is the professional way. The process of incorporation creates a separation between your personal activities and your business activities. Moreover, when making business payments, it is better that payments are made out to a business rather than to an individual.

The World Bank summaries the benefits of formally registering your business: “Formal registration of companies has many immediate benefits for the companies and for business owners and employees. Legal entities can outlive their founders. Resources are pooled as several shareholders join forces to start a company. Formally registered companies have access to services and institutions from courts to banks as well as to new markets. And their employees can benefit from protections provided by the law. An additional benefit comes with limited liability companies. These limit the financial liability of company owners to their investments, so personal assets of the owners are not put at risk. Where governments make registration easy, more entrepreneurs start businesses in the formal sector, creating more good jobs and generating more revenue for the government.”

In conclusion
Registering your business name is a must at the start of operating a business. (You may ask “What’s in a name anyway?” That’s an important point that I will delve into next time.) Incorporating your company also has many advantages and you should look at doing this as soon as you can, as your business evolves.

The post The Importance of Registering your Business appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

People of Zambia, it’s time to reward brands and companies who give you a quality and a rewarding customer experience. We are creating a top 10 list of brands in Zambia that we can be proud of, as voted by you. Reward Zambian companies you are proud of by nominating them, promoting them and voting for them.

#TopZedBrands background

Born out of an @InsakaChat, we followed up with @InutuWaSibongo’s fantastic idea of rewarding Zambia’s leading brands. 30+ emails later between @InsakaChat, @MissBwalya, @InutuWaSibongo, @Chiqqashanna, @C1rca1964, and @thebestofzambia,  the hashtag #TopZedBrands was born.

Schedule of events

1. From today, the 28th of October, to November 15th you can nominate your #TopZedBrands. Send the name of the brand you are nominating together with your reasons for your nomination in one or two sentences. Nominate brands on Twitter @TopZedBrands using the hashtag #TopZedBrands,and through the #TopZedBrands Facebook page. Please help us reward the best brands!

2. Between November 15th and November 20th a panel of judges (to be announced) will select a top 10 list of brands based on set criteria.

3. Between November 20th to December 15th, you the public have the final say as you vote in your top three brands.

Get nominating

You can nominate as many times as you like. Remember to tell us why you are nominating the brands you put forward. This is what we are looking for in the brands crowned #TopZedBrands:

• Quality product or service you can depend on
• Good customer service
• Impressive visual brand (logo and marketing message, packaging, or in-store visual brand)
• A product or service you feel is export ready, and should be on international shelves

As you consider who to nominate consider your Zambian brand experiences, and what you know of brands across all sectors. Here are some suggestions:

• Products made in Zambia
• Food and drink
• Entertainment
• Retail
• Fashion
• Travel
• Personal services
• Professional services
• Financial services
• Agricultural brands
• Industrial brands

Nominate by

Nominate brands on via @TopZedBrands and use the hashtag #TopZedBrands and through the #TopZedBrands Facebook page. Send the name of the brand you are nominating together with your reasons for your nomination in one or two sentences.  Please help us reward the best brands that provide products and services in Zambia!

Follow these accounts to stay up to date with #TopZedBrands happenings:

Follow @topzedbrands

Follow @thebestofzambia

Follow @InsakaChat

Follow @MissBwalya

Follow @InutuWaSibongo

Follow @Chiqqashanna

Follow @NambeyeK

Follow @sara_drawwater

The post #TopZedBrands — nominate your favourite brands in Zambia appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

Locally known as “infinkubala” and sometimes as “ifishimu” in Zambia, the Mopane worm is an African delicacy that has literally “wormed” its way into the hearts (and bellies) of people across Southern Africa. These caterpillars are a popular dish in Zambia and are said to be extremely nutritious.

In this article Conservation Lake Tanganyika shares some interesting facts about the Mopane worm and walks us through the process of preparing this dish, from harvesting right down to cooking it. Not tried it yet? Read on! (Disclaimer: Not for the faint hearted) 

About the Mopane worm
Scientifically known as Imbrasia belina, the Mopane worm is the large caterpillar (or larva) of the Gonimbrasia belina species, commonly called the emperor moth. It’s called a Mopane worm because it feeds on the leaves of Mopane trees after it hatches in summer.

The Mopane worm is black, peppered with round scales in indistinct alternating whitish green and yellow bands, and armed with short black or reddish spines covered in fine white hairs.

Like most caterpillars, the Mopane worm’s life cycle starts when it hatches in the summer, after which it proceeds to eat the foliage in its immediate vicinity. As the larva grows, it moults 4 times in its 5 larval stages, after which the Mopane worm is considered most desirable for harvesting (for the pot).

Harvesting the Mopane worm
Mopane worms are hand-picked in the wild, often by women and children. In the bush, the caterpillars are not considered to belong to the landowner (if any), but around a house permission should be sought from the resident.   When the caterpillar has been picked, it is pinched at the tail end to rupture the innards. The picker then squeezes it like a tube of toothpaste or lengthwise like a concertina, and whips it to remove the slimy, green contents of the gut.

The traditional method of preserving Mopane worms is to dry them in the sun or smoke them, whereby they gain extra flavor. The caterpillars are traditionally boiled in salted water, then sun-dried. This dried form can last for several months without refrigeration, making them an important source of nutrition in lean times.

The industrial method is to can the caterpillars (usually in brine). Tins of Mopane worms can be found in rural supermarkets and markets around Southern Africa.

Ready to eat!
The Mopane worms are high in nutritional value. Whereas the iron content of beef is 6 mg per 100 grams of dry weight, these caterpillars pack a whopping 31 mg of iron per 100 grams. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Mopane worms are also a good source of potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc, manganese and copper.

Dried Mopane worms can be eaten raw as a crisp snack. Alternatively, Mopane worms can be soaked to rehydrate, before being fried until they are crunchy, or cooked with onion, tomatoes and spices and then served with nshima, or chips I guess.

The post The Mopane worm – A popular African delicacy appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

It’s been an incredibly exciting week watching your nominations stream in via #TopZedBrands! We especially thank the early adopters, the usual suspects and leaders of the Zambia Twitter landscape – you know who you are! 

This first week of nominations has shown some interesting results. It has also highlighted that we need to clarify our guiding principles. Sharing these principles publicly is in the interest of fairness and transparency. 

In simple terms we want to promote Zambian brands. Here are our guiding principles:

1. Frankly, we want to start a movement! We see #TopZedBrands as a movement that will recognise Zambian success, demonstrate what is required for other Zambian brands to succeed, and educate business leaders of the importance of business etiquette like good customer service. We want to reward Zambian brands that offer:

• Quality product or service you can depend on
• Good customer service
• Impressive visual brand (logo and marketing message, packaging, or in-store visual brand)
• Product or service you feel is export ready, and should be on international shelves

2. #TopZedBrands is not accepting people nominations – whilst we appreciate and respect the people making a true difference to Zambia, #TopZedBrands is about Zambian products and services brands, not people brands.

3. All companies operating in Zambia can be nominated. This includes:

• Small start up business that are setting out in building their brand, growing businesses, established brands, and franchises
• Companies fully owned by Zambians, mixed ownership, and even those brands that have a strong Zambian identity, are operating in Zambia, but are actually foreign owned. We believe that every business operating in Zambia, wherever they are from, have the same challenges to make their business a success. To be successful, all businesses must offer a strong brand experience, quality products and services and good customer service, irrespective of where they are from.

4. Anyone affiliated with #TopZedBrands should not be nominated. Anyone that is, will graciously stand down. This includes organisers and judges.

5. A retweet on Twitter does not constitute a nomination or a vote.

Now please go forward and nominate via:

• @TopZedBrands using the #TopZedBrands
• TopZedBrands on Facebook
• Read our launch blog

The post TopZedBrands 2013 – our guiding principles appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

“These days, when I go to boutiques, I don’t buy much. Before, I’d come home with bags and bags of clothes when I traveled. But now all I buy are chitenge outfits.” 

That’s what Karen Nakwala, organiser of Zambian Fashion Week, had said about her wardrobe. She was sharing her thoughts on the fashion industry in Zambia. As a man, I find it very intriguing that people would dedicate whole ceremonies to this ‘fashion’. Give me a t-shirt and jeans and I’m comfortable.

A reluctant dip into the Zambian fashion world

So I somehow found myself tasked to delve deep into this world of models, motifs and even mannequins! My friend Buba was more than willing to accompany me on this investigation. She too was fascinated by this fashion phenomenon.

When we arrived at the Zambia Fashion Week main event on Saturday, Tukiya from Mafashio was on hand to snap pictures of my co-conspirator and I, who kept referring to herself as a ‘drab creature’. She must have been feeling a little intimidated by all the fashionistas. I felt I looked drabber than she did, as I’d opted for my usual garb. She on the other hand seemed quite prepared in her Styrofoam top and goat-skinned skirt. Very avant-garde.

Before the actual spectacle began, I took some time to go around and take in the aesthetics. Petros Giannakakos, one local designer frantically moved between his booth and backstage. He’d told me this would be the seventh time he was attending this event. His PG label experiments with a wide variety of colorful fabrics and his creative threads were on display in the sidelines, as if paying tribute to the sacred runway. Also exhibiting some of her fashions was Cece. Her chitenge designs combine stylish Ghanaian prints with Zambian patterns to create African inspired gowns and even menswear.

How anyone would pay that much for clothes is still beyond me. But maybe that’s my problem. Maybe that’s why I’m not scoring well with the ladies. This matter needed further investigation. I decided to charter more of this territory.

The secret civilization of “fashionistas”

Fabulous females fanned themselves with flyers in the sweltering heat. Looking at these people in their element was truly fascinating. I felt like a culturalist studying some new found secret civilization.

I wandered outside to make more observations. I stumbled upon a seemingly shy female flaunting her best features as Tukiya snapped a picture of her. “What should I do? Tee hee!” she giggled as she turned around. An older lady asked Sekayi, the other half of MaFashio to hold her things so she could pose for a picture. She was like a seasoned veteran, a lioness in effortless vogue. The younger ones had an impromptu photo-shoot by a backdrop with various logos camouflaged across it; antelopes at play in the wonderful world that is fashion. Truly fascinating.

The main event of Zambia Fashion Week

Thandi Alifo’s designs were showcased first. Her journey into fashion started much earlier in her life, when she made clothes for her dolls and now her fashion style embodied a sassy, chic look.

The wondrously long-legged ladies strutted their stuff with a confidence most would admire; unwavering game faces that seemed to say they could have catwalked even on stilts.

A number of seats were still empty well into the event because numerous reserved signs lay across them. Professor Clive Chirwa was in attendance and I expected that more important people and socialites would make an appearance. The Second Lady was also on her way to the event. I wondered what security would do to me if I literally tried to rub shoulders with her…

On the runway were models draped in various designs from chitenge inspired fabrics to European style stripes. Chitenge seemed to be quite popular though, and rightly so. Zambian fashion should after all be Zambian inspired.

Cuthbert Nguni’s designs were the first to bring out a male model, and I was a little surprised. I overheard one of the ladies saying that the model had a nice bum, and then quickly dismissed the thought of myself on that runway.

Debbie Chu’s ‘Misty Personal’ collection inspired much admiration and applause from the crowd. Her out-of-the-box creations fused rock star style fashions with some casual designs.

Bright lights flashed as a mob of photographers hounded the end of the runway to immortalise the models in digital snapshots. These foul mortals were almost drooling at the fashion goddesses and I had to use brute force and shoulder shrugs to find a spot at the feet of the models. I would have loved to flash my press pass and get preferential treatment, but I knew these bottom feeders would flash their passes right back. I would have to use my pass elsewhere in this foreign land. Backstage perhaps…

Innocent Angels were on the runway. One of the designers talked into the microphone about how their collection was inspired by the summer. “As you can see, most of the pieces are yellow. Influenced by the beauty of the sun.” She almost gave away too much detail of her fashion conquest and dropped a hint at global domination as she described their earth inspired dress. “This globe outfit represents where we are going—the whole world. We will fascinate the world with our fashions.”

The fashion people continued to boggle me as they had a whole category dedicated to clutch purses. They were some creative clutches I must admit. They blended everything from leather to denim, and even the popular chitenge.

Entertainment break

The glamorous show was not all fashion. For our entertainment, a couple in some circus-like costumes came out and asked that the people of the paparazzi move their settlement to make room for the performance. I was smiling inside; the bottom feeders had temporarily been displaced. The couple broke into an amazing fusion of salsa and break dance to the sounds of Tina Turner’s Golden Eye. They twirled and flipped much to the amusement of the fashion people and the audience.

Back to the fashion
Local designer, Charity Nyirongo brought out some adorable children to much uuum… adoration. They inspired ‘oohs’ and ‘awwws’ as they showed no trace of fear while they modelled lovely yellow traditional print designs. The little boys rushed their walk and looked like they wanted to get it all over with as they almost ran off stage. But I knew, like me, they were secretly enjoying this strange spectacle.

Not all the designers were local, and Sabina Mutsvati showcased some Zimbabwean creativity. The models walked majestically down the runway to an enchanting xylophone tune that complimented her apparel. Large wire loops and rings adorned her dresses to create a larger than life collection. These fashion people must have really tapped into some distant creative part of their mind to bring their outfits alive. I needed a more in-depth perspective.

Backstage pass

It was time for me to explore the inner workings of what they referred to as ‘backstage’. Behind the scenes, everything was even more alive. It was a marriage between controlled chaos and the choreographed turning of cogs that made the fashion show machine run smoothly.

Charity Nyirongo explained about what had gone into this year’s ceremony. “I’ve been participating since 2011, and this year’s has been the biggest. From the mini shows and the run up to today’s event, this year has just been great.”

I was a little intimidated by the models as I talked to her. They took little notice of me and walked with their heads high. Like elegant giraffes walking the planes of that kingdom. One of them was curious enough to stoop down to my level and speak to me. “I have a passion for it, and I absolutely love fashion,” she said flashing a heart melting smile at me. “I love all the attention I get when I’m on stage wearing gorgeous outfits,” said Mercy.

What I saw behind the scenes was so different to the beauty that went onto the run way. Here, I got a glimpse of the intricate workings of the wonderful and sometimes strange world of fashion. Karen Nakwala was there scanning through her program and list of models with a pensive look on her face. She smiled casually and gave me a thumbs-up when I asked how it was all going. She was like a conductor working to transform the whole show into a beautiful orchestra.

Closing thoughts

When I returned to my seat in the audience, Buba had whipped out a Japanese folding fan. She fit right in with the crowd. I’m not sure if I’d learnt more about fashion at that point, but she said that she’d stolen a few ideas for her own threads.

As we traded notes, a grungy alternative song by Bjork came on urging on Towani Clarke’s models. Her new line is called Chongololo, inspired by the millipede of course. Needless to say, everyone’s attention was piqued by the tasteful display of skin through thin fabrics. “They are masters of disguise and perfect for hiding undergarments,” Towani explained to me.  As she spoke to me a friend of hers came by to congratulate her on her avant-garde fashions. They laughed when she mentioned how Towani had managed to blend a level of taste with sexiness that had successfully captivated the audience.

One would think that there was a complex hierarchy that needed a cutthroat attitude to go with their scissors as they snipped their way to the top. But it seemed there was a fighting chance for the rising stars. Patricia Mulenga scooped this year’s Emerging Designers award and will be whisked away to Swahili Fashion Week to learn foreign fashion secrets and return home to share her findings.

The sun had set in long ago, and it was time for us ordinary people to return from whence we came. The spectacle wrapped up and the fashion people will return next year to grace us with new garments and show us more of the fabulousness of their secret culture.

I felt a little more enlightened on the subject of fashion. The parade I had witnessed was a celebration of creativity and clothing. It was a chance for people to witness this secret civilization at play on a grand scale. Fashion is not just garments and frolicking on a runway, fashion was a way of life. Fashion is chitenges.

Look out for a picture blog on Zambia Fashion Week 2013  — coming soon!

The above findings are an account of the spectacular event that was Zambia Fashion Week 2013, which ran from the 17th to the 19th of October 2013. It is the ultimate fashion event of the year and was brought to us by the good people at Afro Media.

Benny Blow is a writer sent from the future and is desperately trying to raise money to repair his time machine so he can return to his own time stream.
You can read more of his work on his blog here, follow him on Twitter @Benny_blow and friend him on Facebook here.

The post The weird and wonderful world of fashion — Zambia Fashion Week 2013 appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

By now you should have noticed the #TopZedBrands nominations om Twitter and Facebook. If not, find out more via the launch blog, #TopZedBrands — nominate your favourite brands in Zambia and TopZedBrands 2013 – our guiding principles.

View the nominations so far via this Storify, “#TopZedBrands October 28th to November 10th 2013.

The post Storify: #TopZedBrands October 28th to November 10th 2013 appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

Bustling Lusaka market scene

Few people know where Zambia is, let alone what it has to offer. Zambia is lumped together in the ‘country’ called Africa. Proud Zambians have no quality media content to prove that Zambia has more, it’s just a blank white space. Zambia is severely underrated. Zambia is an untold story and we appeal to you to help us change that.

Read more about the project, and partner with us to raise Zambia’s profile by donating any amount of money. To learn more, have a look at this video:

It all started at the first Startup Hour in September at Smugglers Inn (courtesy of Matthew Grollnek’s Start-Up Junction).

Ngosa Chungu of Purple Tembo and some of us from the Best of Zambia were bemoaning the depressing lack of decent informative videos on Zambia. Light bulb moment — stop moaning and take action. A philosophy that runs deep through the veins of the Best of Zambia. We had the skills and the platforms to do this video thing. The missing resource was budget — we were afterall at an event called ‘start-up junction’!

Inspired by the Fest Gurus who successfully fund raised for their project through crowd funding, we felt this method would be the most appropriate means of raising funds, allowing us the creative independence we wanted.

A few weeks, several meetings and a promo video later, here we are with our first pitch for funding of the first video … Read more about the project, and partner with us to raise Zambia’s profile by donating any amount of money.

The beginning of a series of videos on Zambia

For too long, Zambia (and much of the rest of Africa) has been a blank. The Best of Zambia and Purple Tembo want to change this. We want to develop a series of short videos so we can showcase Zambia to international audiences – its landscapes and wildlife, its industry and agriculture, its society and institutions, its people and culture. The first Lusaka Markets Video is just the beginning.

The video will be orchestrated and created by Ngosa Chungu of Purple Tembo, a production company focused on creating proudly Zambian and positively African media content. This company has the local knowledge, as well as the flair and skills needed to film and produce the video.

With the first Lusaka Markets Video ‘under our belt’ we believe we will be able to get support for video content that’s further afield – Northern waterfalls, Solwezi the boom town, Kuomboka …. With your help, together we can ‘fill in the blanks’ of Zambia.

How to back this Zambia video project

Just go to Kickstarter and press the green ‘Back This Project’ button on the top right of the page. You can donate £5, £10, £50 or £100. Every amount, large or small, will go some way towards making the first video possible. Thank you  The last word from our friends at Kickstarter: “Backing a project is more than just giving someone money. It’s supporting their dream to create something that they want to see exist in the world.”

About the funding platform and the security of your money

We have chosen Kickstarter, a crowd funding site, as our fund-raising platform. Kickstarter is currently open to creators based in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. So we’re working on raising £1,950 through the Best of Zambia’s Marketing and PR Director Sara Drawwater who is based in the UK. These funds will be used to shoot the first video that will capture Lusaka’s bustling market scene.

(Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing — projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. All-or-nothing funding is scary, but apparently it’s amazingly effective in creating momentum and rallying people around an idea. To date, an impressive 44% of Kickstarter projects have reached their funding goals.)

Special thanks

To Barefeet Theatre, Chosa Mweemba, Ngosa Chungu, Jacqueline Haankwenda, Asikana Network and Bongo Hive for their time and skills in getting us this far. Now we need your financial support to make the rest happen!

Related blogs
Ngosa Chungu on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign
Chosa Mweemba on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign

The post Help promote Zambia’s untold story by donating to the Lusaka Markets Video project appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

Three days ago we launched a Kickstarter campaign for funding that will help Zambians create quality video footage of Zambia. The launch blog is here. The Lusaka Markets video is the first in a series. So far the campaign has raised ZMW 1,912 / $345 / £215  from four backers. We have 16 days to go and ZMW 15,491 / $ 2,786 / £1,735 left to raise. You can help in two ways:

1. Share this project with your network. The more people hear about this, the more likley we are to hit the target.
2. Back the project, by donating anything, no matter how small, or how big! Everything helps towards achieving this goal.

Ngosa Chungu is involved in the project. Here’s more about Ngosa and why you should support this project.

Ngosa Chungu of Purple Tembo (Photo credit: Pencil Case Studios)

What do you currently do?
I am the founder and Producer at Purple Tembo Media. I am currently overseeing two projects: a documentary film on the Zambian National Team, the Chipolopolo’s football history, endorsed by the Football Association of Zambia, and producing and presenting this docuseries on Zambia that we are campaigning for. I am also a managing partner at Digital Cascade, a multimedia creative collaboration. I media consult for events and conferences as well.

How did you get involved in the Lusaka Markets Video project?
Purple Tembo sponsors Startup Hour, a monthly happy hour networking event for entrepreneurs hosted by Startup Junction at Smugglers Inn. I was there representing the company when I met Joe and Julia Brown, founders of the Best of Zambia. One thing led to another and we figured out that we could collaborate on this project. They had the idea of crowdfunding for the first video so we can then set ourselves up to make a whole docuseries. I have the production and presenting skills to help actualise this vision.

Why did you agree to be involved in this video project?
I had been involved in something similar, but did not have the creative freedom to be able to do what I really wanted to document our beautiful country, its people, culture, natural beauty and business environment. I also was not satisfied by the way it was packaged. My work aired on local TV channels and though I asked for it to be available online, as people in the diaspora expressed interest, my request was denied. Video is such a powerful way of telling stories, and giving people a clear idea of what something is like, and Zambia desperately needs more content about it that is easily accessible online.

How have you contributed to the project so far?
My company has coordinated production: found the production crew to film and edit the fundraising video, written the script used and coordinated Barefeet’s involvement. I myself presented in the fundraising video. You can view the video here:

My company and I are now researching for and creating the script for the Lusaka Markets video and planning the shooting schedule.

Why do you think we need to take action and create quality videos of Zambian people and places?
There is not much online. If like me you are a digger, you will find outdated video on Zambia of poor quality. This is not representative of who we are and how far we have come. Zambia is one of the most blessed nations in Africa and possibly the world: we have an abundance of wildlife, natural resources, we are a peaceful nation and we have great cultural diversity. All this should be shared with the world. We have many interesting stories to document and to share. We need to take our place online and fill in that blank space with the Best of Zambia! I created my media content production company Purple Tembo to do just that: create proudly Zambian, positively African audiovisual content for on and offlline platforms. That is why I am taking action.

What is your dream for this project?
To be able to take this project to the next level. After raising money for the first video in order to showcase what we can do, I am hoping that organisations and people will come on board to help fund future videos so that my company can deliver a cohesive web docuseries for Zambia via the Best of Zambia platform. I would love for Zambians around the world to be able to experience home through these videos and also be able to share with others where they are from. I am hoping that Zambians here at home will help us financially to make more videos, and will come up with great ideas for what can be documented, and assist us when we visit where they are from to ensure we tell the best stories.

What is your dream for Zambia?
That we continue to move forward, that we embrace the affordances modern communication technology has to offer to be able to show what we are capable of, and to show how proudly Zambian we are. We need to stop being negative and worried about collaborating and being swindled. We need to band together for a better future, and we need to collaborate, especially creatively, to start telling our own stories, rather than leaving it to outsiders.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Please share our project with others, and we appreciate whatever you can give to help us reach our goal. Let’s document and expose the best of Zambia together! Mphamvu!

Please back the project here.

Thank you for sharing this and donating! Ngosa

Related blogs

Help promote Zambia’s untold story by donating to the Lusaka Markets Video project
Chosa Mweemba on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign

The post Ngosa Chungu on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

We are running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds so a group of Zambians can make quality footage of Zambia. Read more on the launch blog.

The Lusaka Markets video is the first in a series. So far the campaign has raised
ZMW 1,912 / $345 / £215 from four backers. We have 16 days to go and ZMW 15,491 / $ 2,786 / £1,735 left to raise. You can help in two ways:

1. Share this project with your network. The more people hear about this, the more likley we are to hit the target.

2. Back the project, by donating anything, no matter how small, or how big! Everything helps towards achieving this goal.

Chosa Mweemba is involved in the project. Here’s more about Chosa and why you should support this project.

Chosa Mweemba

What do you currently do?
I am a freelance commercial photographer and DoP (Director of Photography)

How did you get involved in the Lusaka Markets Video project?
Through the presenter Ngosa Chungu whom I had previously worked with. She sold the idea and concept to me and I loved it.

Why did you agree to be involved in this video project?
It sounded like something I have been wanting to do as a personal project for a while now but never got around to turning the idea into a reality. So this was the best way to realise a dream, to make beautiful content that showcases the best that my country has to offer. Indeed Zambia has so much to offer the world.

How have you contributed to the project so far?
I have helped in shooting the Kickstarter promo and providing the filming equipment used to film it. View the video here:

Why do you think we need to take action and create quality videos of Zambian people and places?
Our country is blessed with so much beauty I can’t help but want to show it off and share it with the rest of the world because I love making beautiful imagery. It’s part of my duty as a Zambian to do my best, to show the best to the rest. Oooooh that rhymes, maybe I should consider a career in hip-hop. LOL!

What is your dream for this project?
To make it the ultimate guide of where, what, when and why anybody HAS to visit Zambia.

What is your dream for Zambia?
To see it be recognised as the number one tourist destination in Southern Africa and Africa as a whole.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Let’s get more support behind this campaign and make it a reality.

Please back the project here.

Thank you for sharing this and donating, Chosa

Related blogs

Help promote Zambia’s untold story by donating to the Lusaka Markets Video project
Ngosa Chungu on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign

The post Chosa Mweemba on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

Zambia Fashion Week may be long over but the inspiring fashion pieces show cased during the show have remained engraved in our hearts. This picture blog shares some of the highlights from the night of the grand finale. Get a full review of what happened on the night from Benny Blow’s article here.

Fashion Highlights – memorable pieces of the night

The Zambian Fashion Week grand finale had an exciting collection of designs from both Zambian and non-Zambian designers. These are some of the pieces we loved!

The newly introduced children’s catwalk inspired a lot of “awww’s” from the audience. These little fashion babies worked the red carpet! We spot some future stars.

THE FASHIONABLE CROWD

We spotted some lovely ladies in the crowd and had to take a picture! These ladies were dressed for the event and we give them full marks!

The post Zambia Fashion Week 2013 in pictures appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

We are running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds so a group of Zambians can make quality footage of Zambia. Read more on the launch blog.

The Lusaka Markets video is the first in a series. So far the campaign has raised
ZMW 3,720 / $669 / £415 from four backers. We have 11 days to go and ZMW 13,761 / $ 2,475 / £1,535 left to raise. You can help in two ways:

1. Share this project with your network. The more people hear about this, the more likley we are to hit the target.

2. Back the project, by donating anything, no matter how small, or how big! Everything helps towards achieving this goal.

Jacqueline Hunter is involved in the project. Here’s more about Jacqueline and why you should support this project.

Jacqueline Hunter

What do you currently do?
I’m a videography and software development intern at Bongohive, a technology innovation hub in Lusaka Zambia.

How did you get involved in the Lusaka Markets Video project?
Through an enthusiastic young lady that told me about the project, Ngosa.

Why did you agree to be involved in this video project?
I agreed because I saw it as an opportunity to have my country’s beautiful environment (for lack of a better word) shown to the world, as we see it.

How have you contributed to the project so far?
I helped in the production of the video, and shared it after editing it of course. View the video here:

Why do you think we need to take action and create quality videos of Zambian people and places?
Tricky question. I say we need this country to be publicised in a different light from that of the media – being news during only catastrophes and the like. Its a beautiful country and it’s people are too, so we should show it to the world as such.

What is your dream for this project?
That it becomes a massive success and both local and international people benefit from it.

What is your dream for Zambia?
My dream for Zambia is to have a mind set change, so its people may be more open minded, especially to things relating to technology.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Well, only that we should forge ahead and support each other to make this project go the places it deserves.

Please back the project here.

Thank you for sharing this and donating, Jacqueline

Related blogs

Help promote Zambia’s untold story by donating to the Lusaka Markets Video project
Ngosa Chungu on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign
Chosa Mweemba on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign

The post Jacqueline Hunter on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

We are running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds so a group of Zambians can make quality footage of Zambia. Read more on the launch blog.

The Lusaka Markets video is the first in a series of the #ZedVideo Project. So far the campaign has raised ZMW5,174 / $941 / £578 from eight backers. We have 9 days to go and ZMW12,134 / $ 2,207 / £1,372 left to raise. You can help in two ways:

1. Share this project with your network. The more people hear about this, the more likley we are to hit the target.

2. Back the project, by donating anything, no matter how small, or how big! Everything helps towards achieving this goal.

Sara Drawwater is involved in the project. Here’s more about Sara and why you should support this project.

Sara Drawwater

What do you currently do?
I’m the marketing and communications director of two sister companies, thebestofzambia.com and Something Beckons in the UK. I have a great job. We have tonnes to do with excruciatingly limited resources. But we get there anyway and heading in the right direction. One step at a time.

How did you get involved in the Lusaka Markets Video project?
Julia Brown, my mum and business partner told me of this amazing person called Ngosa who she had met at Startup Junction. I had been following Ngosa and her company Purple Tembo on Twitter anyway and was convinced by the two of them that they could do this! I am giving them my support all the way.

Why did you agree to be involved in this video project?
I’ve always had this dream to film what Zambia has to offer. There is no quality video on Zambia’s people, environment, cities, places… This is that start of that dream coming true. I don’t have the skill set required to make the videos. But I have a vision of what this can be. It’s great that my vision matches up with people like Ngosa and Julia.

How have you contributed to the project so far?
I’m currently UK based. But through the power of technology I work very closely with our team in Zambia. To enable us to use Kickstarter, the project is in my name. I worked on setting up the campaign and continue to help promote it across social media channels. View the campaign video here:

Why do you think we need to take action and create quality videos of Zambian people and places?
I’m tired of hoping that other people will do it. I’m tired of joining the masses and criticizing Government for what it is not doing. I strongly believe in standing up, taking ownership and doing what needs to be done. Lack of time and money is just an excuse. I really mean that and can speak from personal experience. It doesn’t matter if you start small. But start something. Start what you can.

This video project is an example of what it means to stand up, start something and give it your best shot. It’s like, we want this for Zambia, we need this for Zambia, but we have no budget. Then it’s like OK, what can we do to find the budget? We’re trying crowd funding through Kickstarter and hoping and praying it works! The people of Zambia have an opportunity to donate anything from ZMW9 to contribute to making this happen.

What is your dream for this project?
That it shows off Zambia in its true and authentic light. That it’s the start of a long and ongoing series of videos that reintroduces Zambians to Zambia (I stole that line from @Kuwaha because it sums things up perfectly), and inform an international audience what Zambia really has to offer.

What is your dream for Zambia?
My dream for Zambia is that Zambians stop talking and take action. I follow lots of Zambians who are taking action. But we need more. We need more working in partnership and more trust in each other. We need to be humble enough to listen and learn from others. We need to embrace technology more. We need to use it to our advantage. We need to shake off inherited limiting beliefs and cultures that don’t work for us anymore.

We need to move forward. Do simple things like answer your emails! That’s a massive issue for me. thebestofzambia.com sends our members tonnes of enquiries. Our systems show we have a long way to go in terms of our members responding to those enquiries effectively. That’s an example of Zambians shooting themselves in the foot. Why do we do this? I think it’s a lack of belief in ourselves, a lack of self worth that leads to self destruct mode. My dream for Zambia is that we do what it we need to do to take our country to the level it and its people deserve.

Anything else you’d like to add?
This video project is for Zambians by Zambians. We need Zambians to believe it and back it as their project. Zambians need to own it. We’ve had eight fantastic backers from people outside of Zambia. These are people connected to Zambians or Zambians in the diaspora. That’s great. Long  may these donations continue!

But this campaign has also had many Zambians support it by sharing it on social media channels and saying it’s a great project. OK people, if it’s a great project then back it!

So today I started the #100ProudZambians campaign

We need #100ProudZambians to donate ZMW122.55 by the deadline of 30th November 2013. If you are Zambian, connected to a Zambian, in Zambia or abroad then we ask you to donate ZMW122.55.

I know we have lots of proud Zambians in and out of Zambia. I know some proud Zambians don’t have ZMW122.55. That is fine because I believe there are more than #100ProudZambians out there who have a VISA card or a Mastercard or any major credit or debit card, who can afford ZMW122.55, and more. If you are one of those #100ProudZambians all you have to do is back this project and type in £13.85 which is ZMW122.55 (or more if you can). Do it. Because Zambians need to take action.

Please back the project here.

Thank you for sharing this and donating, Sara

Related blogs

Help promote Zambia’s untold story by donating to the Lusaka Markets Video project
Ngosa Chungu on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign
Chosa Mweemba on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign

The post Sara Drawwater on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

This month’s Fitness Friday blog was submitted by Food Lover’s Market.

What is diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a condition characterised by raised blood glucose due to the body’s inability to use blood glucose for energy. There are two known types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.

In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer makes insulin and therefore glucose from the blood vessels cannot enter the cells.  Glucose is used for energy by the cells in the body. In Type 2 diabetes, either the pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body is unable to use insulin correctly.

What causes diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is caused by “genes” (you are born with the chance of developing diabetes and unknown factors trigger the onset of the disease).

Type 2 diabetes is caused by “genes” + lifestyle factors (overweight and inactivity).  Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks has diabetes, he revealed on a US talk show.  “My doctor said, ‘Look, if you can weigh as much as you weighed in high school, you’ll essentially be completely healthy. You will not have Type 2 diabetes,’” Hanks said.

Type 2 diabetes is progressive.  After being diagnosed, many people with type 2 diabetes can keep their blood glucose at a healthy level with tablets.  However over time, the body gradually produces less and less insulin, and eventually tablets may not be enough to keep blood glucose levels under control. Changing to insulin injections to get blood glucose levels down is the right thing to do.  This does not mean that you are doing something wrong or that your diabetes is “bad”.  It only means that your body is not making enough insulin anymore.

Managing diabetes properly can prevent and/or delay diabetes complications. Uncontrolled diabetes and diabetes complications causes more deaths a year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.

Symptoms of diabetes
The following symptoms of diabetes are typical. However, some people with type 2 diabetes have symptoms so mild that they go unnoticed.

Common symptoms of diabetes are: frequent urinating, feeling very thirsty and hungry, extremely tired, blurry vision and slow healing of cuts and bruises. Other symptoms include weight loss even though you are eating more (type 1), and tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2).

How to manage diabetes
A healthy eating plan for people with diabetes is generally similar to a healthy eating plan for anyone else – low in fat, with whole grain foods, vegetables and fruit, and moderate salt and sugar.  Diabetic and “dietetic” foods generally do not offer any special benefits and may still raise blood glucose levels. They are also usually more expensive.

Making Healthy Food Choices
Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety.

• Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
• Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
• Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
• Choose lean meats and remove visible fat.
• Choose water, unsweetened tea, coffee and artificially sweetened drinks, instead of regular soda, fruit juice, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Cook without oil or fat, or choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats.
• Watch your portion sizes. Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain.
• Avoid snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream high in kilojoules.

References:
1. American Diabetes Association - Diabetes – Basics
2. American Diabetes Association – Diabetes myths
3. American Diabetes Association - Diabetes basics symptoms
4. American Diabetes Association - Making healthy food choices

This Fitness Friday blog was submitted by Food Lover’s Market. You can visit their webpage, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

If you missed previous Fitness Friday blogs, you can view them here.

The post Fitness Friday: Diabetes – Disease or chronic condition? appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

We’ve had a number of people ask if it’s possible to donate to the Kickstarter campaign without a debit or credit card. We’ve found a solution. We’ve now got three locations across Lusaka where you can donate cash. Then, in order to qualify, a nominated card holder from the video project team will donate the equivalent amount via a bank card through Kickstarter.

We have 7 days to go people! The deadline is 30th November 2013. If we don’t hit target, we will lose all the funds raised so far.

So, any amount, no matter how small, can amount to what we need, if we just work together. Please read about the #100ProudZambians campaign. We only need 100 Zambians to donate ZMW125 to make this happen. If you can donate more, great. If you can donate less, great! It all help and is all appreciated.

Please donate at the following places:

BongoHive
25 Mpulungu Road (off Chateluka Road just after Chita Lodge)
Manda Hill
Lusaka
Contacts: Lukonga Lindunda, George Mutale, Charles Mwanza

Galaxy Driving School
Freedom Way, North End (Yellow Building opposite side of AutoWorld)
Town Centre
Lusaka
Contact: Royce Kunda

The Best of Zambia
Plot No. 27362
Chitemwiko Road
Kabulonga
Lusaka
Contacts: Nambeye Katebe, Julia Brown, Joseph Brown

The post A call for cash donations to the #ZedVideoProject appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

#TopZedBrands Judges – Matthew of StartUp Junction, Patience of Hot FM’s Consumer Feedback show, Luchi of Radio Phoenix, Cathy of Oemph Media and Joseph of the Best of Zambia

To set things off we would like to thank all the good people that made nominations on both our Twitter and Facebook accounts. We are still overwhelmed with the level of support we received form everyone! We would also like to especially thank our Judges, Matthew, Patience, Luchi, Cathy and Joseph.

21st November was our nomination compilation D-day. Our team (spread across the globe in US, the UK and Zambia) had to sort out all the nominations ready for the 22nd of November, when our Judges would meet to finalise the top 10 #TopZedBrands list 2013.

#TopZedBrands Judging is a serious business!

The grueling days work of sorting out the nominations started with a spreadsheet (bearing in mind all organisers of #TopZedBrands are volunteers in full time work or education)! Let’s just say it was a late night!

We compiled all the names of brands that the public so eagerly put forward, filling it with all the nominations from our Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as entries from the November 10th Insaka Chat on Twitter which was dedicated to getting the public more involved in the nomination process). Some people clearly did not look at either our launch blog or guiding principles. Rules are important but we forgive them and hope that they eagerly vote when the time comes  At this point the final version was an impressive list of 119 nominations.

At this stage, these were not organised in any particular order. After the entries were made in our master spreadsheet, additional information was added. This was brand website, Facebook and Twitter account links – key information that would help our Judges find out more about the companies and brands. We all agreed that a company and brand that was nominated by the public needed to meet our guiding principles and the following criteria :

• Offered service
• Have strong brand partly defined by an online presence (website, Facebook or Twitter)
• This was about companies and brands, so personalities from the music industry, T.V and Radio, and personal blogs did not qualify

Nominations that were made and did not meet this criteria had to be removed from the nomination list. This proved to be a heart wrenching decision. Some popular brands, with no online presence, such as Kasama Coffee, and Zambia’s Pride, did not make the final cut. The final cut was a lit of 84 nominations. We strongly believed that we want to use #TopZedBrands to educate businesses and brands of the importance of service and an online presence that allows or strives for customers to interact with the brand.

Now on to the next phase. Voting starts on Monday the 2nd of December. The top 10 brands you can vote for will be announced Monday! All you’ve got to do is vote your favourite brands into the top slots!

This blog was written by Jacqueline Mubanga who you can follow on Twitter.

The post #TopZedBrands judging process appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

Earlier this month, I was invited by the Cutting Edge team to be part of the press at the launch of the FNB Zambia and Visa Card Security briefing. This briefing was an initiative aimed at creating greater awareness amongst consumers to adopt cards as a safe and convenient way to make their daily purchases.

As a regular user of the FNB Visa card, I was interested to hear what this briefing would cover. I expected the normal obligatory warnings of how we should not share our pins or how we should be careful with online shopping, and of course these points were raised. But I was alarmed at the number of card fraud practices that seem to have evolved over the years.

Cards have become an increasingly popular way of paying for goods and services in Zambia and FNB predicts that the value of card transactions will, in coming years, exceed the value of cash purchases amongst the Zambian population. In view of this, it is extremely important that people are aware of the risks involved and what they can do to avoid becoming victims of card fraud.

Salome Makau, Country Manager for Visa in Zambia says: “Card fraud is a reality; however, we are continuously monitoring transactions as well as card fraudsters around the world to ensure we are up to date with their methods of obtaining customer information.”

Common types of card fraud

Skimming and cloning
From FNB’s perspective, skimming and cloning remain the biggest card fraud threat to customers.

Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in an otherwise legitimate transaction. The thief can procure a victim’s credit card number using basic methods such as photocopying receipts or more advanced methods such as using a small electronic device ( known as a skimmer) to swipe and store a victim’s credit card numbers. Common scenarios for skimming are restaurants or bars where the skimmer has possession of the credit card when it is out of the cardholder’s immediate view. Skimming can also occur at an ATM. The fraudster uses a ploy to obtain the payment card, copies the information and then observes the victim entering a Pin number.

Cloning occurs when the fraudster uses the information obtained to produce a cloned card. Access to the victim’s account is then possible.

Don’t let your card out of your sight. Remain vigilant at an ATM and do not allow yourself to be distracted from your transaction; and cover the key pad when entering your pin.

FNB Zambia CEO Sarel Van Zyl

FNB Card Specialist Henk Veumulen offers VISA Card safety tips

Phishing
On the Internet, “phishing” refers to criminal activity that attempts to fraudulently obtain sensitive information. There are several ways a scam artist will try to obtain sensitive information such as your social security number, driver’s license, credit card information, or bank account information. Sometimes a scam artist will first send you a benign email (think of this as the bait) to lure you into a conversation and then follow that up with a phishing email. At other times, the scam artist will just send one phishing email. Do not give away your confidential banking information.

Smishing
Similar to phishing, smishing uses cell phone text messages to lure consumers in. Often the text will contain an URL or phone number. The phone number often has an automated voice response system. And again just like phishing, the smishing message usually asks for your immediate attention.

In many cases, the smishing message will come from a “5000″ number instead of displaying an actual phone number. This usually indicates the SMS message was sent via email to the cell phone, and not sent from another cell phone. Do not respond to smishing messages.

Tips on how to avoid card fraud
Despite the security barriers put up by banks, the biggest responsibility in avoiding card fraud lies with the card holder. The best way to defeat card fraud is to be vigilant when using your bank card personal identification number, or PIN. Criminals are aware of the value of a PIN and will create a number of ruses to convince a customer to disclose their PIN. Therefore, awareness of a few simple precautions will go a long way in helping to keep your PIN safe:

• Memorise your PIN and keep it confidential. Once a card holder passes on their card and shares their pin, they have breached all security barriers.
• If you think your PIN is no longer secure, change to a new PIN at an ATM
• Cover the key pad with one hand when you use an ATM or when paying in a store
• Never give your PIN details to another person
• Do not allow strangers to distract you at an ATM or when paying in a store.

FNB offers its customers the latest fraud protection technology, often working behind the scenes, but always vigilant. However, the best defence is an informed and careful card user. FNB Zambia will continue to present fraud prevention tips to its customers to ensure that they enjoy the convenience and security of FNB and Visa bank cards. For more information or concerns about card fraud, please call the FNB Zambia fraud department on +260 211 366800 or visit your nearest FNB Zambia branch.

The post FNB Zambia and Visa on Card Fraud in Zambia appeared first on The Best of Zambia.

We are running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funds so a group of Zambians can make quality footage of Zambia. Read more on the launch blog.

The Lusaka Markets video is the first in a series. So far the campaign has raised
ZMW 13,085 / $2,371 / £1,451 from 25 backers. We have 45 hours to go and ZMW 4,590 / $ 832/ £509 left to raise. You can help in two ways:

1. Share this project with your network. The more people hear about this, the more likley we are to hit the target.

2. Back the project, by donating anything, no matter how small, or how big! Everything helps towards achieving this goal.

Adam McGuigan is involved in the project. Here’s more about Adam and why you should support this project.

Adam McGuigan with some of the Barefeet Theatre crew

What do you currently do?
Artistic Director (and dogsbody) at Barefeet Theatre

How did you get involved in the Lusaka Markets Video project?
We have worked with Ngosa and the Best of Zambia before and have always been inspired by them. Ngosa jumped right in to help us work on our festival this year too. When she told us about the Lusaka Markets project we thought it was a fantastic initiative and were only too happy to be involved.

Why did you agree to be involved in this video project?
Ngosa’s attitude is very mischievous and fun (just like us), and who could say no to that smile?

How have you contributed to the project so far?
We appeared in the initial film to help add some drama and spice. View the video here:

Why do you think we need to take action and create quality videos of Zambian people and places?
It’s time to grab the bull by the horns and show the beauty of what we see everyday. Portraying the vibrancy, colour and charm of what we experience everyday is important! I’m sick of my friends and family back home seeing outdated AID driven portrayals… flies and sick children. Zambia has a so many stories to share with the world! We were happy to see one of them brought to life!

What is your dream for this project?
That it can be the start of a series of quirky informative Zambian films, which can help to document our many eccentricities, hidden stories and amazing personalities…

What is your dream for Zambia?
A beautiful purpose built Children’s Arts Village! A safe space for young people with incredible facilities, open to all. A place where young people can realise their creative potential and make important work that can challenge and create change. With a beautiful theatre that people can actually use – that won’t charge unreasonable and exclusive rates. With a residential recovery facility where children can come from outside Lusaka who need to get medical attention at UTH but have nowhere for them or their families to stay. The Children’s Arts Village can be a place where artists can have residency and where we can host our annual festival! Next Kickstarter campaign anyone?

Anything else you’d like to add?
We need to see more of Ngosa’s wardrobe! That girl has Style! Thanks to all involved in this project, to the Best of Zambia and Purple Tembo for making things happen, which in turn inspires US and other creatives in the country to be better artists and initiators!

Please back the project here.

Thank you for sharing this and donating, Adam

Related blogs

Help promote Zambia’s untold story by donating to the Lusaka Markets Video project
Ngosa Chungu on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign
Chosa Mweemba on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign
Jacqueline Hunter on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign
Sara Drawwater on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign

The post Adam McGuigan on why you should donate to Zambia’s untold stories video campaign appeared first on The Best of Zambia.