Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The good old days

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Dear Friends,

Do you remember how much fun we had growing up? Remember how…

1. We ate fritters at the market and do you remember buying cooking oil from some fat woman in the market who had a big drum of it connected to a tap or hand pump (‘CI DUMBO MALIKETI KA POMPA SALADI’)

2. We went hunting in the bush with our dogs and did not fear snakes, deep holes and even quick sand.

3. We went into the compounds looking for a fight from the compound boys and quite often came back badly bruised and beaten.

4.We only watched English Soccer on Fridays and it was always sponsored by Barclays. Liverpool and Everton were the best teams in England and not Manchester United and Arsenal.

5. You could name the starting line up of Green Buffaloes, Mufulira Wanderers and Kabwe Warriors. When we played football we called ourselves Simutowe, Ucar, Tools, Chola, or one of the local stars and not some foreigner we only saw on TV.

6.We always put stones in the Coca Cola to make it fizz.

7. We always harassed soldiers for canned beef.

8. Remember the days when we would line up from 08 00 hrs -16 00 hrs waiting for Kaunda to pass in the streets just to wave at him.

9. We thought only KK was President. My cousin once asked me if I knew the Kaunda of Kenya.

10. Chloroquine worked as a treatment for Malaria. You knew because when you went to the village (every 2 or 3 years) you came back with it.

11. When you always came back from the village all your friends wanted some of the peanuts, maize, intoyo, millet, pumpkins, finkubala and all the village produce you came back with. You could keep the playground entertained for weeks afterwards with your stories from the village.

12. Remember when we would go to the streams to swim and we never used to get sick because of the bad water.

13. Remember when we used to glimpse through the neighbours windows, just to have a glimpse of a TV and remember how they used to make us sit on the floor when watching TV by the neighbours.

14.Remember how we used to go for school assembly every Monday and had a parade for exercise (up, sideways, forward and down, clap! clap!) the shortest person being in front and the tallest at the back.

15.Remember how we used to watch video shows on civilian day sitting on the floor in rows and how we used to cheer at kung-fu (uuuuwaaaaaaaaa! uuuuwaaaaaaaaa!)

16. We always tried to switch off the escalator (the only ones in Zambia) at Mwaiseni .

17. We wore pink shirts with big collars, platform shoes, crimplene trousers and shirts, bell bottom jeans with massive cowboy belts with brass buckles.

18. Remember DPB’s milk chocolate biscuits

19.We didn’t have Play stations, Nintendo 64, X boxes, video games, DSTV, VCR’s, surround sound, cellular phones, computers, online chartrooms, instead we would have tons of FRIENDS and played CHIDUNUUUH, GEMU & TOUCH… utubambo (slapping your friend with fingers then after that licking them), it was always zero kunja, one, two….

20. Four of us would share a drink, we would all drink from the same bottle and that wasn’t disgusting nor would anyone get sick.

21.- We would eat cake, bread and butter, drink sugary drinks, and we weren’t overweight nor worry about cholesterol or diets because we were always outside playing .

22.Riding on the back of a vanette was an adventure that we still remember!

256 COMMENTS

  1. Yes, I remember those days, growing in Kabwata, behind the houses was a bush on the way to Chawama and John Lengi. We even had a field there. Now the former bush is full of houses. I remember watching movies at Kabwata Communinity Hall with the courtesy of Lusaka City Council.
    Chimwene chafilmu (the main star). We had guys who were good at narrating films from Plaza 1, 3 and 20th century. And also guys who were good at mafulinga.

  2. 23. And the days when as kids you’d chase inswa, snap them up and fry them, greedily eating them without trepidation!

    24. Remember the days when as kids you’d dread the death of a communist leader or pope as this meant tv programmes would be limited to grainy re-run films of the communists or church for at least a month.

    25. What about the days when butter was in short supply and when your mother’s back was turned, you and your friends would use the one last tablet to make a sugary butter laden toffee.

  3. My cousin once prayed ‘kaunda usani paya’ when blessing the food. KK was dreaded big time.

    23. Holding money up inorder to see the watermark was a crime.
    24. we had the mayusi (UNIP youths) in the compounds.
    more on the moro

  4. And do you remember the days when we used to wear 007 james bond underpants and watch movies with actors like kilinti? clint eastwood chato’s land

  5. And now we insist that our children stay indoors coz they will get bitten by snakes, etc. I have seen some young parents picking up 5 year old boys who fall down when playing soccer. Are we building a better generation or a world of sissies???

  6. 23. From mid november, the ITT supersonic II band radios would be melodiously playing “tell your father heppy xmas, tell you mother heppy new year..ihepi, tindinini, ihepi tindinini, hepiiiiiiiiiiii…”

    24. days of of the tasty “superloaf”

  7. Back then, a cab was a 404 peugeot station wagon with 3 rows of seats. On independece day, at school, we had free soft drinks , local buns and apples.I remember watching marine boy on TV, those were real good old days. We had it good.

  8. What about “fulama” where u kick ur friend’s butt if you find him in that position. Pretty scary huh?

  9. I’ve always wondered what language is this song that we used to sing – “amina amina kadala,small weya,amina dunshesparkaliba eloyi eloyi……can’t remember the rest!

  10. Amina, amina kadala, small wear, amina dushe pa kaliba eloyi eloyi bamulya mulunsonga PO Box Chapatwa telephone mulembwe maleleka maleleka umpempe umpempe amina dushi!

    What about tambalale lyolyolyo, kankunyu nkunyu kalala pamwela pamwela wa mainsa fungeni ukulu eee!!

    Zambe zambe amuna ali ku chelumbe ku chelumbe…

    Piki piki napikitolo nakasanga napikitolo 1,2,3,4,5, a 11, 12!

    Kamwananshila eeee, uuuuuu, iseniyeeeeee

  11. Ama bungo, inkofwa (suppose that’s were the name of Mikomfwa came from) I used to enjoy these exotic fruits!!

  12. prety cool.i’m in reverse mode right now.All my child hood freinds are in my mind now.That was realy good life.i was a dedicated kampenga (ABC).very religious.What happend ?i wish time could be rewinded.

  13. remember buying` hot ifitumbuwa at the roadside without feeling embarrassed..what about malubeni ku ma yadi?awe we enjoyed
    Remember sitting and waitig TILL THE WEE HOURS OF MORNING for muhammed Ali’s fights,cramped in the house of the only neighbour who had a small black and white TV

  14. Back in the day. I remember Tv shows Hawii Five O, Maya , Mission impossible, Conan, roots, and many more, would be the talk of the day the next day.

    More importantly there was a sense of pride in one passing Grade seven to go to form One.

    Seven ngwee biscuit!

    Liwewe was the man like a knife thru melting butter!!

  15. Kankuluwele x 2 oh eya eh.Remember that? How many of you probably in your mid to late twenties remember ‘good day’ cereal.And that polony advert..Malama!!We use to watch ‘he-man’ on znbc and I used to like that song on’the beam’,can anyone remember the artist and the title?The lyrics went something like this..I love you daddy,you are my hero, coz you always…I love you daddy oh daddy, you are my superstar.Anyone?

  16. #18 you got crazy jokes! Yes, I remember those good old days like it was only yesterday. Most of us learnt how to make love at very tender ages because entertainment was limited. I remember doing it up a guava tree with a neighbouring girl called Nelly Banda. No disrespect wherever she may be.

  17. Good Old days! Listening to Shebeen Queen by Rikki Ililonga, ama Tinkles, The Witch, Jeff Mulenga – journey to Kasama and Paul Ngozi – Day of Judgement. Remember Dancing to Chikokoshi!!

    The Witch hit:

    Na Nana, early in the morning, I said wake up, you think you can live on the make up yeah yeah, don’t tell me you can climb the mountain while sleeping while sleeping (whatever that meant)…

    • 1. I remember sharing ma sweetie by cracking it with your teeth in pieces and sharing small small bits with everyone around.

      2. I remember putting ka pin ku patapata.

      3. And listening very sadly to ‘The Witch – Motherless Child’ Oh the boy was born, born in the world of crime and poverty, his step mother is a widow, stuck to the windo tell me what’s all about…….

  18. I played a lot of game. I was a game expert. I would tuck my dress in my nika and dodge the chimpombwa running from side to side while filling an empty container of salad with sand.

    In the mean-time, friends would be cheering!!!

    Once it was full, i would start emptying it as i continued to empty the container. Once completely empty, then my team would win. Nale butuluka!!!!!!

    I used to live in Miliki Tembo police camp in Kabwe.

  19. Nokuya ku park kuchishelemuko muku shelela! Am a girl but most of the boys had the bums showing because the shorts had gone through wear and tear pachi Shelemuko and no one cared at looking at boys bums aya butuluka! Because ichi Shelemuko chalilya insalu ya kaputula!

  20. MOst houses like ours only had nshima with meat twice a month when your dad got paid at the month end. Nga twalila inama ukwabula ukusamba bwino kuminwe so your friends can smell the meat or chicken scent off your hands and envy you ati:

    Iye mwachilya ubwali ne nama olo inkoko!! and you would nod proundly! Just that once or twice a month otherwise ni Repu olo Chibwabwa for the rest of 28 days till your dads next pay day!

    or you would deliberately ask your friends to smell your hands just for show off!

  21. #35 what has diaspora gotta to do with good old days. Just contribute positively and stop the bum talk you bum cleaner.

  22. #36. Joder coño. Quiene caramba cree que eres. Call me whatever you may, truth is that I personally feels touched given that I am not at home to see some of these things, which I admit, are still in existence. Respeto Cabron!!!!!

  23. I had chicken for lunch and it does not taste any thing closer to the ones in Zambia.Reading the article as made me home sick.I remember play soccer in back yard in woodlands with no shoes call myself Pele and sing James Brown’s song sex machine in front of mom – I did not know the mean then

  24. Ku chi fyoko, mukuinyokola, the girls would go to the bush in a group to fight the next group, usually behind Konkola Stadium “ku deep” with beach sand there.I usually would be the ring leader not the fighter.Singing songs in the street till midnite. Nga Have some more biscuit.

  25. elo abakulu ngabamisanga mu fight,ku mikapa bonse elo mwapasangana-katende mpela ulubilo.those were days.
    Hey do u remember choc milk in a pyramid like pack by dpb

  26. I remember chasing anything from a cameleon to a praying mantis(ichikokonte)until we killed them or throw stones at beehive…
    I remember stealing sugar to make zikolo or powdered milk only for it to stick on the roof of the mouth so I couldn’t answer back…oh yeah and chidunu.

  27. I read that and i’m like where the f*ck did you grow up man? the Congo? Huslting soldiers for canned beef, that’s original. Definitely not the Zambia I know

  28. During mobilization, I bugged soldiers for canned beef, boy did that changed my diet at Kafue National Service camp for a week.

  29. #32 Chibale – nika is a word I have heard in more 20 years . Girl,you made my day . I played the some game. I don’t remember what we called the game in Lusaka ,but my kid over here calls it dodgeball.

  30. #28 We were both in underwear when we did it. The only noise you made was hasie hasie hasie. Then fell from the tree when you climated

  31. #31.I burst out luaghing when I read the Witch Lyrics. The song was lazy bones.

    The other one I recall is Mashed Potato ” over there wanna do the shinga ling and do the bugaloo one time, I got it, shingaliga a witch mash potato”. This so funnny to hear the lyrics now!!

  32. The story made me laugh. How I wished he also explained what those people who were in the village were doing. Any way, it was a true reflection of our old days.It is good that you have not forgotten your history.Keep it up man.

  33. Awe you all have made my day! Do the guys remember how we used to break the day in the bush for ULIMBO(to trap birds), making mamotoka wamawiya(wire cars), what about a game called “Touchi!” better still singing/dancing to Mbombola with girls under a street light and soon after dancing go straight into hide and seek.

  34. Remember those cream doughnuts from supaloaf?And Jollie juice from schweppes?
    Remember when all coca cola/fanta disappeared from Zambia and we were forced to drink the rotten tip top?

  35. #16 etiquette oh girl you made my day! now I remember the songs! even Piki piki napikitolo nakasanga napikitolo 1,2,3,4,5, a 11, 12! I used to sing that to my baby and wondered why I was jumping from 5 to eleven twelvoo.lol that I had missed a line.
    I remember how we used to steal powdered milk from the pantry and get caught when it stuck to the roof of your mouth!

  36. i can tell you where born in the 60S OR 70S if you where born in the 80s please do not leave a comment coz you have no idea about this life style please thanx

  37. #50 It was great fun Ulimbo,cars,touch and mbombola… Do you recall how adults woud trick us by saying ‘if you want to be intelligent always go for the head of a fish’, so you run for head while they are enjoying the rest. If you are eating maize(the whole corb boilled maize)you are sure that your big brother or Uncle will be on hand to catch the first bite by pretending to be making a route(njila)to your village or something.

  38. Remember those days when you could not sing the National Anthem properly (though some of you bloggers here still do not know the words lol).
    ‘…we wo freedom fight
    o wa strong humphrey…’

  39. Imwe bantu do you remember how we used to cheer our school teams during games, especially soccer. Remember how the girls would run in the pitch and flip their dresses to expose their nikas!

  40. Remember riding pa fibhala.
    Wars using gun yafipendo.
    Playing ‘sojo’.
    Waiting for Joseph Kabwe and crew in ifyabukaya at 21:00hrs every Wednesday.
    Sliding on Banana tree trunks on the anthill(icishelemuko).
    In winter making fire in the streets to keep ourselves warm and insist on ‘ukuteba inkuni’ for new comers.
    Those fights at school on the last day of the term.
    No go areas because waba pa ‘ wanted for murder’
    OOOH I MISS THOSE WONDERFUL DAYS

  41. mwaibukisha ukupatana imwe sure iye u pipo have made me remember so much number 41 i pity u, u really missed on the old gud days

  42. I also remember those days we used to eat meat, Chicken etc on pay day only………. really looked foward to the next pay day..

  43. pipo do u remember a game where you oways had to say yes boss whenever someone called your name if you forget you risk being slapped or where you had to dance before you sit down …hahahahaha

  44. hey,i remember,damn i remember those days.Wen after playing game,we wud go in the bathroom and just apply water on our legs and hands,so that our folks wud think that we had bathed.Bathing then was such a big issue then.
    Bathing was interesting only on christmas holidays because we wud have new clothes.
    i miss those days.

  45. This is really Cool, I remember i could go with boys in the bush mukwikata uoni. We would make ubulimbo with Nchima nolunsonga, Remember Ulunsonga? Ngalwaingila in your eyes any breast feeding mother would put milk and you’d be okey. And Girl remember Bible in the Bush and razor razor. HHHAaaaaaaaaaaa this has reallt made my day.

  46. am luvin this…….. I also remember playin House (Ukubuta) and I used to be the dad …. I miss those days

  47. Ku chambishi mine kumakobo….haaaa…kwenapatali…twafuma.when we used to chase tumangelo mupanga ngatwaya mukupatika….pulling ka clitolis..using ka stick./
    how we used to go in mine dams eating wild fruits like ichenja kupili, utusongole, isafwa, utungome, ifungo, amabungo,ukuvunika ifyumbu…ati chapyambopo and rubbing fi bush onion kubwamba ati bukuleko..awemwe natukule…

  48. ….all this brought TEARS to my eyes. Those days could have been hard, but I was the happiest and never heard people complaining about money or not having anything to eat in the house. These days ask children how they are doing and you hear “Panono panono”….maybe its because i was just a kid then. But one thing is for sure-those days where the happiest times of my life!

  49. We have to thank God for the good time we had those days. Not everyone in Africa had a good time like us the Zambian kids. Our friends in other countries we busy running away from the war and other country conflicts. Growing up in Zambia is a blessing to me I think.

  50. This just makes me believe that there is no more childhood. Children are just born and before they know it they are adults without having passed through an enjoyable childhood. I thank God I was once a child.

  51. #57 obviously you grew up in Chifubu like me..IFIBALA, CHIDUNU OH YESS. But please these stories are for those who were born in 60s and 70s like me na #57. Imwe ba mu ma 80s and there after please leave us ife bakulu we analyse the past . LT U VE MADE MY DAY. Iam missing my mother in pamodzi NDOLA and Zambia the land of my birth. gud day LT.

  52. What of Pate Pate Changala weka weka. woooooo!!!
    Even Kamusikalilalila, i want to see my jane. Those were good old days. Someone write a book.
    At sch, we would even take ifiboboli and amataba. You were a don. you even buy a tobo umutwe, japat and selemani.
    In the evening we would play, tata tungwe, mango, kankuluwele, ubunga bwamale and so on. It was great. i love this guys.

  53. We even used to eat utusepo and when colgate finishes in the house, you even fight for the tube.
    sometimes you sit by the roadside watching vehicles and when a car passes you go Donki.

    Hahahahahahahahahahhaha. Goooooood days indeed.

    • Ututsepo- I have now learnt that these fruits are the seed of the toxic Invasive plant Lantana Camara and the utusepo poisons the liver of both children and livestock and leads to death!

  54. Yes, I do remember those sweet old days when my brothers would be making wire cars and playing with them and making bola with plastics,while us the girls would be making ifidoli with black soil and also playing ichiyenga.We used to play roundas like no man’s business.we were so active then.Remember also eating sweet gomora,ect.Ohh,I trully miss those days.

  55. days pamene tenzo sampa nsima not becoz food wasnt enaf but for the fun of it as u wud be eating in a group with cousins and the like during holidays. not bamanje aba who grow up without knowing the extended family…oh wat fun we used 2 have

  56. Remember when you used to use Daily Mail mu chimbuzi … But careful,these days, don’t use The Post … it will dig deeper.

  57. Nothing like the old school. I wonder if they still have prefects and nise makers lists today? I was always on the top ten. Na ma “fooling”, some boys would throw them like missiles and keep everybody rocking with laughter.

  58. I remember silly things like yapa-dress, playing va bana and kalambe. My favorite game was walya ndimu which we always played whenever we wanted to beat up our cousins from the village.

  59. Indeed the old days were good,remember in the streets of Hilcrest Ndola,where we were playing touch,when the rain season is about to start,and the “nakapelele”are flying.How great were the old days.

  60. Has anyone mentioned ‘pomo ndimba’? Those of us who played football,we’d a game called ‘pomo ndimba’ (nutmeg in english), if you allowed the ball to go between your legs whilst playing, who received a beating.

  61. aha etiquette aleangala sana u even remember lyrics? i like that. i remember my mother baletocha imishishi with a stretching comb icakubika pa sove nangu pambabula…hello girls????

  62. #82, Nine Chale … remember “ma fooling” when all jokes started with “That’s why” example:

    That’s why nyumba yanu kuseni ichoka mantongo muma corner!That’s why ba tateh bako bana siliza soap pa tako imozi.
    That’s why ba mbuye wako banafa na manoni yapa chi giligili
    That’s why ba mbuye bako balibe meno koma niba numba 1 kuvi waya

  63. nsale nsale chinkamba ulesala kawama….. girls would stand and wait for the boys to choose them as partners….geeee my sweet past life….english was for some of us….girls would play with clay made babies and boys would play with malegeni. Eating nshima with vegetables only was normal…

  64. #87 YOU ARE CRAZY I THINK U USED TO BE BAD NEWS NAMA FOOLING.
    THE GOOD OLD DAYS MWE BANTU SURE.I WISH I CUD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME.

  65. #87 Struggling Comedian you’re ripping my lungs…manoni yapa chigiligili ka? Ati una lowa wheelbarrow, ku sanduka njinga. Mutu monga popcorn… uka vala bamba mutu ubaba.

  66. I remember when people you to say Epilogue on ZNBC is a good film. Tonight on TV, Sunday Interview, I remember in Lusaka, we did not want to miss the Lusaka Show in August, because the whole school will be talking about it, I remember CHIPS on TV, Maya the elephant, Skip the bush Kangaroo, The A Team, six million dollar man, Mcgaver. In Lusaka we had fruits masau, which people from CB did not know. UBZ, NICE, Mwaiseni.

  67. #75….Ok, nangu tatuli bakale sana, we have eaten ubunga bwa yellow maize and ubunga ubwamakuponi. Finshi mwingatweba?????

  68. and remember how we could go watch video shows in mek shift halls. with famous movies like’ Rambo, Chuck norris and vandem. we could pay k20 per movie.after that we cud gather and start discusing the movie we watched. hey!those were great days, wish they cud be redeemed bak.

  69. This reminds me, Ukubuta kwalitutwala ku Hospital. The Husband went to look for food and brought umuti waba koswe, tulya utwaleunfika kwati nimbalala. Then we ate and later landed in Hospital. Ya old days.

  70. #98 And Time For Music with late Timmy Mvula (RIP). That’s where I lost my heart to reggae. A little later in the mid 80s Franco and co. took Zambia by storm with Zairean Rhumba playing on every mini bus. I still recall listening to “Mario” while tightly squeezed on a mini bus from Libala to Town via Chilimbulu Road…oh guys, I wish I could get on the next plane to Zed!

  71. #98 Ba shidada,awe thats boring.the real playing didnt involve television sets.mwati muli bapa zed.awe namu luba kumwenu nikwisa pliz.ati “CHIPS” Ndiye vichani ivo.ok the A Team yes manje makangaroo ayo.pliz imwe you missed out if u are really a zambian.

  72. And do you recall some stories and myths which used to send shivers down the spine as kids??

    The days of Mushala and strangler
    The time when it was reported that the sky lab would crash us to death(praise God it crashed in the Indian ocean)
    The days of the Mary the ghost
    The myths that if a lizard bites you, the remedy is to have sex with your sister
    the myth that when a cricket stings you, you need jump over the Zambezi river.

  73. # 106, you forgot the NINJAS that where reported cutting people’s heads and taking out hearts in Ndola

  74. nanga kuyimba gunyu masaka, oh singing and following police men riding horses and singing ama horse, what about making you friend sing tananana per saka, wiso alalapi? then you answer per saka 🙂 what about watching sunday movie or the rat patrol, Joe Ninty, oh abena sunday poor, what about telematch, what about watching the rising stars at the show or at woodpekers inn by chakas disco on christmas day, having fights with guys across your so called hood eg kalewa and across was kwasenya bamuma yadi vs bamu komboni that was the real test if you where in the fighting line up you leader would be the last to fight

  75. imwe do u remember UTUZAPO twale chayana nama guyz..NOTUMISHI by our grandmothers ubushiku around the fire…

  76. Even for those who played football..do you remember “ama league” our min local world cup between komboni teams..pakupwa paka mwaiponona abamaka eba senda cash..lol

  77. remember that advert saying Is shower ready? yes I had a bath, oh you smell wonderful,yes I use Johnsons baby lotion keps me feeling smooth and fresh….oh I can’t remember

  78. yes indeed,those where the days, of chidunu, kalambe, kites; and remember our parents never bought toys for us. we made them ourselves; wire cars; oh how creativc we were; now we know what it feels to lose and mourn a president

  79. those days of lishiki mwana yenda! those who grew up in livingsone, remember chuku chuku muzauli, munego and the likes? even defilements were unheard of coz we were always away from home from sunrise to sunset and our uncles had no chance.we were not even called street kid yet we spent nearly the whole day on the streets.

  80. Those days when colgate palmolive would check our teeth at school and later hand out colgate toothpaste and brushes to all pupils. We would reach home with empty tined toothpaste tubes… all sucked on the way.
    And, the big pencils!! Do they still manufacture those??

  81. and we used to have to ma pants written sunday, monday, tuesday etc. you guys didnt have any such things. did you even used to wear bambas? i dont remember

  82. #55 standa singo zambia ploud anfli landofweka njoyi unip.vistas singo strugle for the right we wo freedoms fight all one strong amphrey.
    when we sang these words we felt proud and thought we could sing really well
    twalepanga umuline kusukulu and the teacher checked our nails and shoes.elo inshi tausubile bwino vaseline from BP and it you brushed your teeth

  83. #103 ukutemwa ukubuta. How aabout the Nation Anthem :

    Stand nsingo Zambia
    ploud humprey
    lando worker joy unity
    visitor in the struggle for the la
    we wo freedom fight
    ooh wa strong humprey…..

  84. I mwe guys do you remember bakanyangu (mine police)we would sing like kanyangu aibe inyangu.
    Ukufola kampompo nefyashala. At Cinema halls we would watch charlie chaplin, Billy burster and Buster crebbar and Pyathias and Damond by Zambia information services.
    I feel Great to have been there. That was life. You guys made my day.

  85. #123 that was really funny for sure we were not called street kids.twalepula pawindow if you given time out in the house. ngawasamba you only wash the front face and legs then when your mother inspects naubutuluka kufikondo and the thighs,the kids nowadays dont know how to have a good time.i remember the times we would pikilila we would contribute (zonke zonke)from home ukulaiba mu garden and my friends mother sold kapenta so twalelya everyday twaiba no bunga cook shima then finally play game before dispersing pachilight.i still have a scar from ukwipa mufikopo

  86. I also recall when my mother used to share one bottle of cocacola between six of her children. And Xmas was a big day – new clothes, rice and chicken and how we used to go around people’s houses and they would share their xmas food!!

    What about playing “Dice” where you spin your 2 ngwees and cover with the palm of your hand and your friend does the same but pushes their 2ngwee under your palm – you then lift and heads or tails should much for your opponent to win. If different you win.

    After we go and buy “tukamulya weka” scones.

    Elyo umusungu ngaisa ku komboni twalamutaba for hours!! Tulepunda “umusungu, umusungu” when the musungu waves or smiles at you, you would be happy!

  87. Where can I find Imfungo in Zambia? I remember picking up some from a tree near Kansenshi Shopping Centre in Ndola. Is the tree still there?

  88. wat abt that tym wen we used to listen to PK’S song,lelo ni weekend, even playing mango tailapia, ba teacher amenso yabili yimbilile belenga yimbi elafwa lula eya mwapola eya mwapola ba ticha, aba kalamba teba kulya nabo x2 bashinka umunani babepesha umwaiche. even akantunse kaikele n’gefi. do u remeber all these

  89. even those days wen we used to play efwa mayanda,ninebo bamayo na umbi ninebo batataa, even making empty boxes of boom as handbags,

  90. As not all were priveledged to have a bicycle at home, let alone kids’s bikes like today; some of us would take advantage of a visitor’s bicycle, ukufyusha icinga ya beni, of course a scolding at the end.

  91. You *****s from the past. Am told you used to apply onion daula pachinena. What was this for. Any ***** with an answer.

  92. 138 my friend refrain from insults as this is a mourning period. I shall personally avoid insults from today until next tuesday

  93. #139- U called us *****s and used a vulgar word. Grow up if you have nothing to contribute keep quite.!! Ubututu pa Zed even in diaspora!

  94. Plezi be tu God, plezi akwe zambia, zambia. Ha! those were the days. Remember how we went to school without shoes, and put books in plastics.

  95. Some people are miserable and have no life or anything to show for. So they try to make other people feel miserable like them. People like conman # 139, plz let people enjoy this time, if you are unhappy just your bad negative self else were.

    My sister and brothers keep on with the good old times, they have made my day. And it seems that most us have really hard a good laugh at this.

    God Bless

  96. remember how our houses had no burglar bars and our aunties and uncles would sneak out and in thru windows to go for discos or meet thier boy/girlfriends.
    do the ladies remember the stretch combs and the zesco cables that were used to ‘perm’ our hair.

    we even used to have teen times, discos for under 18s, during the day.

    • And variety shows. I wonder if they are still there. If we had camcorders back then, we would have captured those moments that have gone for good.

  97. oh do you even remember that having lice in one’s hair was so common. we were so playful we only bathed at night before sleeping and in most cases under threat of a good whiping from the parents. these days lice have even become extinct.

  98. remember we used to keep “john whites” and dwidwis (those rats without tails)for pets? we played koyo with finished batteries instead of bowling. there was waida mostly for girls, and dansi kilio kilio…

  99. “i wish they all could be caledonian”, or this one “hallo mr vaseline” or this “if farming is your game messiah ferguson is your name see your season back with that the power equipment. these tuma adverts were really great. what about “zambia airways, we are getting better everyday getting better in every way”

    • How about “wherever you go you find the colors you know, go with yellow and green ……” BP, we are working in Zambia. And ….. doctor! I have a feeling … I know what you need you need BP viscose 2000.

  100. #49 for me my parents being teachers in both city and rural areas ,i hva lots to tell.in the village at nite boys and gals cld meet twaleita ati somba like salesale cikamba u chose the guy u wan dance with oh gosh it was nice

    i did ukusenga catching fish with baskets not even thinking of snakes in the river ala it was fun.
    ukukola inswa,itekute u make fire under the tree thn its falling from the tree.viilage life so interesting

  101. wht about watching bascope pacibumba,it was magic,talk of magic bamagicishani ilicomes out someones down thr,making sweets out stones.
    maliposa those plastic shoes sunday special
    TUOTO put amalasha in the empty tin ukosha imishisi
    ZAZU TO perm hair
    for guys stone wash latest and for upper class guy

  102. #136 are u the conman who normally contributes or u are just an impersonator. Have respect mwaiche. we are ur uncles and aunties OK. May the President’s soul rest in peace.

  103. “TOBA UMUTWE”, I was actually beaten for stealing 20ngwee to go buy this deadly “HEAD BREAKING” item….ala kwena ubwaiche nabo!

  104. I remember the days we used to have ‘ifiboboli’and ‘tobomutwe’ at school, with ice block as Juice. Those were nice days huh!

  105. nice days. just say what you have remember about those days but to say they were nice is debatable. no period is better than the other. beleive me your kids after twenty years will start romancing about this very period you are soiling your keyboards with dirty fingers about the wonderful past. they will start talking about the beautiful manda hill, arcades and so on. so do not be extastic about your early childhood days. its all the same after all life goes on. i would rather talk about the current scenario and make the best out of it. so my fellow mourners forget about your early formative years as you were just naughty little *****s who enjoyed what was perceived relevant at that time.

  106. I remember how we used to play akabwambe, stati, cibonga and rounders… i really miss the good old days. I also miss my childhood friends.

  107. Where r you my friends…Gibson and Gregory Tokwa, Prince Munchanga, Elias Shike, Kennedy and Aubrey Maila, Twaambo Bwali, Bernard Sililo, Godfrey and Tile (Tresphord) Musungu, Dennis Milambo, Terry Nzunga, Busiku Apuleni, Kapili Sikasukwe, Henry and ‘Sido’ Simwiinga,Alphonsious Mpande, Humphrey Zulu, Richard Hichilema Mweemba, Abel Masika, Humphrey Himuunza, David Chileshe, Felix Kayula, Lyamba Sinonge, Kapili, and Nchimunya Sikasukwe and those i may have forgotten on this list?.Yes we used to flight after loosing a game but those were the good old days!!!!!!!!!

  108. Let’s not forget to thank the Almighty God who has brought all of us this far because most of our beloved friends, including our president are no longer with us to reminisce about the good old days.

  109. i remember the stretching comb ‘perm’ days, and you’d apply cooking oil to the hair to make it shine and it would smell! After that you’d comb it into a ‘pank’…and get dressed in a ‘ten figure’ dress and scooner.God ‘ol days indeed!

  110. Such a good feeling when you reminisce. The days when every tooth paste was colgate. You only ate apples when someone brought them from outside Zed and you would shine to the neighbours. The days of Vikadoli va maizu, when you couldn’t waste for the rainy season to make objects out of daka and no smiling as they would crack! Phew! If only we could go back just one more time.

  111. I REMEBER WEN ME AND MY COUSIN WERE CAUGHT PLAYING VABANA WITH A BOY IN THE NEIBOURHOOD AS HUSBAND TO BOTH OF US. WE EVEN DEMACATED THE THE HOUSE. ONE WAS LEAVING HEHIND THE SOFA AND WE WOULD EXCHANGE THE HUBBY. WEN IT WAS MY TURN, THE BOY WAS BOUT TO MAKE LOVE THEN I SAW THE DOOR OPENING. IT WAS MUM, WE ALL RUN AWAY BUT FAN ENOUGH, WE WENT TO HIDE IN TOILET ALL OF US.NICE ARTICLE

  112. #115 yes its a very sadtime. But you know what, reminiscing about why we love this place should remind us that Zambian’s can be united even if its over experiences from the olden days. And those fond memories should motivate us to make our country an even better place.

  113. decorating the empty tins of coke,
    if during launch u had chicken or meat coming out with bones for all your friends to see that u had nice meal
    whn u abt to leave the village after the vist the all village wld be with u till UBZ bus ikese even if its two day coz transport walishupile

  114. #174 Sly, maybe you need a new PC or change your mouse pad (joke). Imwe, did any one go to Woodlands “A” Primary School from 1980-84? I wud love to share experiences with them, those days were so good that I still dream of my old classroom set up, surrounded by old friends!

  115. somebody on here said those of us born in the 80s shouldnt comment cos we dont know what life was like in the old days. i beg to differ. i was born in the very late 80s but i remember and have lived through most of the stuff mentioned here. in ngoni we say “ukulu upezana” which basically means that it doesnt take very long for people of different ages to have similar experiences.

    that said, i have used K50 as lunch allowance before (kugula chitumbuwa na aizibloko), used K10 and K5 coins. in G1, i once bought a toba for K20. yeve gemu, touch na cidumu, osanena. i even watched ma video a bene bruce lee ku olofeya. we used to take a coke or mosi bottle per movie or pay K50.

  116. we also used to pay with buttons yapama shirt a ku skulu. my brothers’ shirts were always without buttons. id enjoy watching the movies and then be beaten at home after getting back (im a girl, just for the record) i remember too waiting up to 3 in the morning to watch mike tyson fights. i particularly remember the one against peter mcneally who he knocked out in less than a minute. those of you who claim to be as old will remember this.

  117. #179. If you go with the lead article and I suggest you read it again, you do not fit here. You should be talking about Muhammad Ali. K10 kwacha was the biggest note, there was no Video. Bruce lee was only on big screen.

    Your time will come when the lead artilce is Videos, Cds , Chiluba etc.

  118. My friends and i enjoyed playing kankuluwale and wanu ngiya. I also enjoyed ukubuta. Wish i could turn back the time.

  119. #32 we use to call that game “Stati”.Akabwambe,i always made sure i hide in the SQ with the most cute girl around and never came out,then friends would come and say “chapwa bambi tabalefuma!

  120. #37-gone are the old days , perro sin cola. ¿Qué idioma hablas? no te entiendo ni en inglés ni en español.

  121. Kuchingola kulya mu maikulile na kululamba awe caletwala. Remember tobo mutwe, mumpanga mukuvunika (uvuni ifyumbu fyabene), ichijanti, games like again again control by, icimpombwa. Ifima video ne fima dish fyaonaula abana banomba. eco notumalwele tufulile. Iyi story yanjibukishe fingi.

  122. I remember being told that if I didn’t behave, “Never” Kapenda would come and take me….Oro so, at school, do you remember being told “you’ll see at hometime”

  123. Remember the back in the days when coca cola was so strong that it gave you tears and a running nose, whatever happened to that recipe.

  124. Remember Bane , Safu= washing powder
    Colgate = tooth paste
    Honda = motor bike
    Mazoe = Juice
    Skooner = flat shoes
    All brand names were used hether it was Dynamo, pepsodent,Yahmaha etc

  125. #180…no offence but dont you think its kind of unnecessary segregating who should be here and who should not? i thought the thread was for posting memories about the times we were growing up. when we see how similar the things we have experienced are, we would realise how much we have in common despite being from different walks of life? and about muhammed ali, sorry im not that old. tyson is my era.and point of correction, i never used K10 notes but coins.

  126. #16. etiquette, you have a magnetic memory and hats off to you. Those were really nice days. I miss home now!

  127. Imwe, did any one go to Chipata Day Secondary School “Class of 12S” from 1990-92? I wud love to share experiences with them, those days were so good that I still dream of my old classroom set up, surrounded by old friends, like Danny Current, Jobizo, Tobias, Albert, Weluzani, Enock, Phuzo, William, Fabian, Gift, Emelda, Rose, Sharon, Bruno, Gibson, Pete, Elias, Yunos, Henry, Tokailadonke, Anastasia, Christopher, Fred, Robinson, Michael, Michael, Elias Mvula, Joseph Mwanza, Paul, Salimu, Timothy, and the rest!

  128. Me ‘member when we all used to share one spliff. But nowadays even me best friend a complain when me take more than 2 pulls. 5 of we used to sleep inna one room and drink from one cup. But now everyone wears a frown and some people nuh hail we again, from we grow we dreadlocks!

  129. All I remember is bad old days when we used to have very cold showers before attending classes at Boarding School, sitting in a very cold classroom and expected to really understand what the teacher says, very hungry and the School preparing lunch with boiled groundnuts as relish! WHAT WHERE THEY THINKING???? NSHIMA WITH SALT COULD HAVE DONE BETTER. Am still upset about this even though this happened almost 30 Years ago!

  130. # etiquette, those are all normal & natural milestones of childhood, our kids have there own to tell, all about the silly videogames, ipod downloadings, sms ringtones and soja boy dancing moves, visiting Dream world and Movie world in Gold Coast Aussie etc.

  131. cacine ba #195….tetintoshe na imwe bak’amba. i was just trying to put across my point with all due respect..(forgive my broken bemba)

  132. Mbuzi Eddie is it?Now you RAP is that you change with time? Akale kwafye iyapelaya kids nowdays even know where to head.Shame

  133. The other Witch song I always remember when I go down memory lane went like this:

    Started with a siren:

    n’gaaaaaaaaa

    I have been looking for you all the time
    Can’t you hear me babe am screaming so high
    Coz I know you, you hiding somewhere……

    and the beat was kind of heavy metal – anyone remember this song?

  134. #204 etiquette, you might be interested to know that The Witch played live on my birthday in the late 70s. I was just a kid then but the memories are as fresh as if it was only yesterday.
    For me this is the greatest band that Zambian music has ever produced.
    I recently came accross a top American music file which featured their album “Lazy Bones”. The critique went as follows:
    “If bands from Nigeria such as Blo and Ofege and bands from Zambia such as Rikki Ililonga and Chrissy Zebby are all traveling on the psychedelic highway at 100 mph, the Witch overtakes them with 120.”

  135. #205 i would like to buy the this witch album – also if anybody knows were I can buy a copy of Shebeen Queen kindly let me know coz I have fond memories of being a child in Luanshya and my elder sister went on a night out ku “dance” pa Kalala Club olo ku Wolofeya and us kids will follow in groups ukuya mukulengela pa mawindo.

  136. What about those we would go ku cinema mukutamba abena rambo, when the fight is on ninshi bonse mu cinema mwatampa ukupunda ati Uwan, uwan, uwan

  137. To all people born in the eighties ( who also miraculously managed to play chidunu, gemu, waida – to the contributor who said that we should not contribute!!! Its a multiparty democracy in this nation ala). Who remembers the Beam and Flashy Kids on ZNBC? And the Vaseline ad with Mr Zambia – ‘Allo Mr Vaseline, mwana apya matako, muzolekeni vaseline – thank you’

  138. left zambia very young, but I can remember some of the things.
    What about Chongololo and Zamarts on tv? Or waiting for the Icecream man?Pubblic swimming pool?Rising stars, in my personal chart, were better than J5(but can’t remeber a song!)Talking about music, do you remember the song Janet(suppose it’s the title), who sang it?

  139. Somebody rememebered Chongolo Club. This was responsible for theword chongolo being applied to anyone with a posh accent. You see the kids on Chongolo Club were from Internation School of Lusaka andhad these fancy accents.1977 Kafue National Service camp.Everybody islistening to An ITT radio playing Chongololo club onthe radio and realise that the accents of the kids on the radio are no different from those snobbish kids from ma yadi. They sounded like to Chongolo. The name stuck. To this day it is used to describe a Coconut.A black person acting white. Noted Chongolos in their time. Gary ‘Super Chong’ Nkombo and Bradford Machila.

  140. one is just a number two can be complete three can be a clown and yo u you matter, oh God gone are the days, this was ma favourite cartoon.

  141. Remember onion gaula? Some wild onion like stuff that we would crush and rub on the pubis, supposedely to help grow some pubic hair? I remember one day we were swimming in a chimbotela (laterite quarry filled with brown water) when suddenly mom appeared from nowhere and siezed all our clothes! please dont ask me our we walked back home! those were the days!

  142. sorry out of topic…is it just me or is the fact that we get our location’s flags appear next to our postings kind of creepy? with advancement in technology, there’s no privacy at all. didnt it occur to the LT crew that perhaps we would want to keep our names and whereabouts secret? some of us dont even have accounts with them at all. though its great that from here we can find out who’s where and can then link up, its still uncomfortable. it’s like being well on the way to identity fraud… forgive my paranoia

  143. Ngozi family, Keith Mlevu, theTinkles, the Crossbones, the Witch, the Sappers (Muf guys remember these guys, Airpower
    Remember this:- That’sthe way we get by Airpower 1985
    Some are eating kapenta, some are eating T-bone steak, some are making malasha some are working down the mine, yes, yes that’s the way we get buy.
    Remember no AIDS. We were the last generation to enjoy bareback sex. Condoms we called Durex (after the most commonly available brand) and cost K3 which was super espensive. To put it perspective a coke was 34n.

  144. imwe does anyone rememeber, dra dra country ,dra dra country i call upon lusaka, and everyone used to choose the best choice of the city they liked,that was fun …

  145. Who remembers using words like Chilibegemu? Halifogali, never say sorry? There were no take aways but Kiosks and we would sing songs not knowing what we saying like:
    Aringo ringo roses, a packet full of roses, atish! atish! We all fall down.
    Play games like Jucykwataye and Kamstick.

  146. I am really happy.. old days. Do you remember parading for President Kaunda with small paper Zambia Flags, at the Airport especially Ndola old timers. The green and blue uniforms with a black short inside? Drinking Daily Choc na Kamulya weka? Inkapa (Skipping). Masala Secondary School old timers, please communicate 1976/77 where are you?

  147. ah imwe guys you have some good memories. This is one of my favorite articles keep it up LT. I can vividly remember the entire list wow, lol. Thanks for this short trip to memory past!

  148. #227 Chilibegemu was the word. I think I will pick it up and start using it again. lol Jucykwataye lol lol

    Thoese were the days.

    Much love

  149. With this article, I laughed my head off…As for #26 who wanted to know who sang “I love you daddy…you are my hero…” Its Ricardo.

    Did anyone sing when the school bell rang for home time and we would sing ‘genle genle yalila nomba tulefuma tuye kumona bamayo batunayila ubwali..bwali bwali, bwali nekoko peka. And at welofeya we would sing ba kadoli pakwenda baleligana…etc
    I miss the good old days…those were our days. I hope I will live long to read what my children find interesting. Thanks to all that contributed and re-lived their childhood days.

  150. i remember Tarino and a mabuyu, my favourite! I remember how we would play until we heard mum’s hooter, then we would run (top speed) into the house and smear vaseline all over your face and change our dirty clothes before mommy got into the house. But we always forgot to clean our feet and mum always noticed and would always smack us. Kids nowadays dont even get smacked! The good old days!

  151. I have laughed my luns out. Y i remember chilibegemu pauda & jukwatea. N one remember elizabeta kamusale, nalikwebele, tukakumane, pachilaiti….we wld do this with our dresses tucked into our nickers.

  152. Oh we have come a long way pa Zedi. I remember listening to songs like Kirikiri Mabina ya sika by Dr Nico from Congo then known as Zaire. The other songs from that country were Kipushi ( with a child crying )From South Africa, we had popular songs like Nomali and I am gonna change. Those were days when there was no HIV but sex still was not safe. There were other serious STD’s like Akaswende ( gonorreah )akasele (syphillis) bola bola (?). Akaswende baleteka mu hospital. Men used to boast when they had an STD.

  153. THE WITCH
    Hello, great to see that people out there still remember THE WITCH, it was a real amazing band!
    I know that in Zambia where CD-issues where made of their old recordings like LAZY BONES.
    Can anyone help me to get original Zambian CD´s of their old music?
    I would be very very grateful!
    With best regards.
    Email: [email protected]

  154. I miss Mpatamatu Mine Township. Bamwna nshi mine… pawanu, onse kusukulu nakwata 5 ngwee
    elo pa break bonse kuya mukushita fimofine ati: three ngwee milk, two ngwee amabunzi, ninshi namutantama line yonse… yaba! elo nokuya ku cifyoko, mukulwa…

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