A Different Sort of Sunday

On our first Sunday in Zambia, both LearnServe Zambia groups were invited to the house of the Director of World Bicycle Relief in Zambia. To commemorate our safe arrival to Zambia, our hosts had prepared a delicious roasted pig, baked macaroni and cheese, bean salad, and garlic bread! Next to the pig was an array of different sauces and dips ranging from hot and spicy to mild and sweet. Our host’s home was beautiful, complete with a backyard full of tropical plants where the cook-out was held.

As an added bonus, our hosts invited dancers from the Africa Directions Theater to perform traditional Zambian dances. Africa Directions is an organization in Zambia that educates youth about reproductive health and HIV AIDS. The organization stresses the need to educate adolescents through music, singing and acting. The performance was lively, engaging and especially exiting! Nobody had warned us about the entertainment for the evening. Instead, the dancers came running out of the woods screaming, singing, and scaring us all. Throughout the evening, the performers explained to us that because Zambia is located in the center of Southern Africa, most of the traditional dancing focuses on movement of the hips and waist. After the performance, they invited guests to come up and do some dancing. The dance company leader would walk around choosing people at random. Each time the man approached me, I prayed and pleaded that he would not choose me, and thankfully, I was never forced to go up and dance in front of everyone.

As the event was coming to a close, Emma, Ms. Riley and I gathered to listen to some guitar playing. The guitarist name was Phillip. He told us that he had been playing the guitar for two years, and that his favorite genre of music was alternative music. He sang a dozen songs for us, and even took some song requests toward the end of the evening. He did a great cover of the song “Home” by Daughtry as well as several songs he had written by himself.

The entire evening was like a culmination of different cultures and customs. The fact that the event was held at the house of an American reminded me that I was still a guest in Zambia. But on the other hand, the music, dancing and singing only deepened my understanding and appreciation for the people and the country.

-Raissa