party started

Summertime is coming and travelling will start so soon now, today I said goodbye to colleagues and friends in Choma with a farewell braai in our garden. My Tonga name, Lweendo = Journey will finally become a reality!

spatial dimensions

“Cat, you know that the map (a satellite photo) is not right? ... think think and hanged it on the opposite wall, You think the map is right now? Sure, now the map is correct!" (Work anecdote on reading maps)

The drawing companies are generally motivated and I have had several interesting discussions with these autodidact architects on architecture and urban design.

notes from a fieldtrip

Usually we make a salad or pasta at home, however when you are on a fieldtrip the local women will always offer you a plate of nsima with some relish. Nsima is made from mealie-meal (maize), the common staple food.

countryside

This is the farm of Bert & Nchimunya in Harmony, 10 km east of Choma. The fellow guest (a musician who, amongst others, records Zambian music, check http://www.swp-records.com/) and myself were impressed to see how they grow heaps of onions, vegetables and fruits on 9 ha of sandy, savannah land. With the tred the water is pumped from the well to irrigate the growing fruit trees. The place really feels like a holiday hangout!

welcome to my crib!

Building your own house is not only very normal in Zambia it is an investment for the future in a country without social security systems. 2 young collegueas started building some time ago as most work is done in weekends and when they have money and are very proud

blossom

Spring is in the air! it is so nice to see the blossoms in the trees my winter has been too long this year.... I love this painting that I have put on my desktop. It is made by *piou* via http://www.helloneest.com/

landmarks

Now that the end is getting closer I started taking photos of the daily Choma life, the market and vendors with their pyramides of tomatoes and oranges that I pass by every day. The narrow lanes with sellers calling Madam, madam! chitenge material?

street scene

Last weeks we have had quite some guests, amongst others my sister, staying in Choma. Apart from showing them the busy market we walked through Mwapona, the oldest settlement in Choma. The name means “hello, how are you”; the children are always excited to see their photo's on the little screen.

Postmen

The designer outfits from the Dutch mail company must be very strong and warm as they prove very popular amongst the Zambian man.

girlpower

So many strong women: cooking, gardening and tailoring these women work hard and than I haven't mention yet what they can carry over such a long distances.

residents development committee

All the informal settlements have a Residents Development Committee (RDC). The RDC is the eyes and hands of the council in this area. They keep up with all new structures, status of roads, waste, water, but also allocation of new plots what makes their work interesting and responsible! With the RDC of Kamunza we were checking the settlement boundaries and instructed them to respect the neighboring land owners. All their input will also be used for the upgrading of this area that will (hopefully) commence soon. Pictures are taken by kennedy our driver

living together in the community

In the peri urban areas most of the households can not afford a connection to the waterline. In this settlement a "waterbar" is constructed on a central spot were residents can buy water per liter. The community pre school is in the community shelter and uses chalk on the wall.

container projects

They are a permanent feature of the modern city. In Macha they are refurbished into computerrooms and serve to link rural communities to the internet http://link.net.zm/ In the Netherlands the container projects are abound in the creative industry examples from an office at NDSM and F.A.S.T. (Free Architecture Surf Terrain), made by Refunc. The 24 containers of the Puma store currently sail around the world.

Biofuel powered Zambia

6000 Jatropha trees are recently planted in Macha covering a field of 500 ha. As the price of diesel is very high in Zambia this might become a great alternative.

Macha works

Macha is one of the 5 chiefdoms in Choma district. We visited the area and saw a lot of inspiring projects done in a rural area where ICT is the leitmotif. It is difficult to comprehend all the projects; schools and training centres, housing, biofuel, airport, eco tourism, craftshop, medical research and clinics, radio&tv station, cafe, bank and e learning pianolessons! http://www.machaworks.org/