Concert

As if not tired from the Nc’wala Ceremony, I managed to still move out in the evening to watch a live concert of Zakala Brothers, Angela Nyirenda and another performer but I can’t remember his name. They are popular performers in Zambia. For ZK20,000 or roughly PhP200.00 I was able to watch a live concert. I realized that in Zambia, concert is not so much commercialized since the songs were unlimited. They performed without counting how many songs or how many sets. The performers enjoyed entertaining the people. The audience was dancing to the music which was mostly upbeat. I would say that I enjoyed the concert so much; nothing fancy but the music and dance were enough to entertain the people. The concert was really a great fun. I was with five priests and two other volunteers. One of my friends back home said to me in one of his emails that I am a BI for priests in my diocese and in Chipata I am also the same. I deny it but I hang out with them because I feel comfortable with priests and easily get along well with them because I am used to their company even in the Philippines. And here in Zambia, I assume that they also enjoy hanging around with me. One of them jokingly told me that they would evaluate my performance based on how well and bad I have influenced the priests. I am glad and happy to be friends with them since I feel safer in their company and I am grateful to their friendship.

Another bonus I would say during the concert was the presence of the Paramount Chief. I would say I was also looking forward to seeing him up close out of curiosity since he is an honored personality in Zambia or specifically for the Eastern Province. With the assistance of a priest who escorted me to where he was seated in the open ground concert venue, I was able to see him. The Paramount Chief joined the audience in dancing. The audience was very happy with the participation of the Paramount Chief on the dance floor. People of all ages were on the dance floor. Generally, Zambians enjoy dancing so much. I once joked with one of the priests that Zambians before they were born are already gifted with dancing skills because even during pregnancy, their mother dances. No wonder you would see as young as one year old, babies already dancing whenever music is heard. I admire most the way Zambians shake their hips without moving other parts of the body. It is a trick that needs inborn skills and constant practice because I tried but I failed. I also admire men who dances gracefully sometimes much better than women. Life indeed of Zambians is full of happiness when dancing just like Filipinos when it comes to singing. Both Zambia and my country share the same sentiments that despite the difficulty in life and living, having fun is always there which I think keep people moving.