Dancing at the Arts Cafe

Actually there are many experiences in Livingstone which can never be captured on film. These are the day to day  happenings which sometimes defy the imagination.  For this blog, I think describing just one day might paint a pretty interesting picture.

Saturday September 04, 2010

On Saturdays we run our afternoon handicraft workshops followed by dinner and a live band. Meanwhile, Marilyn gets on the bus with our staff to perform at the resort. Normally they leave the Arts Cafe at 2pm and go to the resort to do set up and marketing for the 8pm show.  Today they had another engagement to perform at Taonga bar along side a group from Botswana so they stopped there on the way. The Botswana group showed up late (a common occurrence) so our group did their thing and headed out. All sounds pretty uneventful but……..

First thing this morning Tiika called the Livingstone Sewage and Water Department. Yesterday the drains in our restaurant got clogged and I was unable to free them up. We also wanted these guys to look at a pipe on the property next door which was gushing water and creating a swamp with lots of tadpoles and mosquitoes. On the way to the Arts Cafe they got stopped in one of the regular police road checks and nearly had their truck impounded for faulty registration papers. They did arrive eventually but quite late (did I mention being late is a common feature of African life?)

These guys inspected the property next door and agreed to tap this flowing pipe on Monday. Then they started on our clogged drain with a plumber’s snake. They hauled out tree roots, rocks, and even two spoons from the time when our building was a restaurant years ago. They got the water draining away slowly and we decided we have to replace the pipe. Unfortunately it runs under a building next door, goes past the holding tank and then comes back into the tank. There’s nothing like an installation of a pipe that goes one direction and then doubles back to the tank for a smooth flow of water. ha ha…

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So that is on my list. They use a lot of cement in Zambia and busting up a floor of a building is commonplace as it can always be re cemented.

By now it is 1:59 and the gang is arriving to gather up their costumes, props and drums. Of course, the bus which is suppose to leave at 2pm is already waiting and since they have come at the last minute there is a big rush to get on board for the 2:30 performance at Taonga. They finally pull out at 2:15. Two hours later, Marilyn calls to say they forgot this and that and wonders how we can get it out to the Sun. I suggested I can call a taxi but those who forgot the items will have to pay for it. Marilyn talks to them and they decide they can get by somehow…not to worry. Problems often get solved better when money is at stake.

Thomas who is the manager of Thompson Tours comes over from the building beside ours and says the power is out in their bus shed and thinks somehow we might have done something since the building joins ours.  I don’t think it is a problem in our building but we check all the circuits (one never knows where wires are connected). That’s when I discover that we too have a problem but only in part of our building. Now it’s starting to get dark and we have no lights in our bar area or outdoors. Both Thomas and I call Zesco (the local utility company) because we both have three phase wiring and conclude we are probably only getting single phase. Yep, that’s the problem but Zesco  doesn’t commit to doing anything about it since it is Saturday afternoon.

Fortunately, I bought four solar spot lights while we were in Canada and they are charged. We place them around the restaurant and at the entrance to the bar. That did the trick because just as we got the last one stuck in the ground the power was restored….either that or Zesco really did fix it. Who knows.

Marilyn calls again from the resort to say the place where we connect the lighting has been riveted shut. Now you must understand we have been using the same 3 phase cable for 18 months at the resort. It has a four pin connector on the end which attaches to the dimmer pack but loose wires on the other end. These are inserted by the resort’s electrician into the panel. Loose wire ends are another very very very common sight here in Zambia and I’ve even know people to cut off the plug of a new electrialc tool because that way the wires can be used more easily if the type of socket isn’t the same as the plug. (They have British/SA plugs which are big and round and three prong, Zambian plugs which are big and square and three prong, two pronged tiny round plugs,  three pronged American plugs, and two pronged American so having just wires is, in some ways, more manageable.

However, the resort has decided this is dangerous and riveted the supply box shut. Unfortunately, they haven’t informed us of the new policy (or the old policy which just wasn’t followed by their electricians). Even the company which usually does their big event lighting has these open ended wires. In fact, it is their wire we are using and which they gave us to set up the lights in the first place.

So there is no way to connect the lights and we are trying to get ready for the show. I try calling the manager but he’s away for the weekend. The assistant manager doesn’t answer his cell phone. Marilyn calls the Maintenance manager who says he had no idea they were inserting loose wires or he would have stopped the practice long ago. Finally, she gets hold of an electrician who comes 30 minutes past the time the show is supposed to start and connects the wires.

Around this time, I’m standing in the parking lot of the Arts Cafe dealing with another situation. Last week I bought a bass guitar from one of our band members. Another man has come into the Arts Cafe and is heading away with it when I am called outside. The man holding the guitar explains that he actually owns it and there is every indication he is telling the truth. He’s a nice young musician and singer we know quite well. However, I tell him he should have come to see me first since the ownership will have to be determined and I do have a receipt for the purchase. Just then a mini van pulls up to the gate leading into the restaurant (which is supposed to be locked) …………

A group of guys pile out and into the restaurant. Suddenly they are all up banging on our instruments so I have to leave the situation regarding ownership of the guitar and see what the heck is happening. Turns out  they are a band from the Copperbelt which was playing in Livingstone last night and decided to check out the Arts Cafe. I get them to stop mucking around and play three songs. They all head out because they are driving back tonight to Lusaka. That’s when Chipo (our food and beverage manager) notices her phone has been stolen. It wasn’t one of the band members but rather a guy who was tagging along with them who lives in Livingstone. (He actually answered the phone when we called Chipo’s number – not the brightest thief in the world)

We don’t have many guests for dinner and music tonight but a big overlander truck pulls up. These are the vehicles used to bring tourists and I’m hoping it might be full. No such luck but it does have three people in the cab. One is an overlander driver, named Albert, and the other two work at local resorts and I know them. They tell me they are bringing the driver to see our place so he can start bringing groups. The two women come in for dinner and Albert promises he’ll be right back.

Now this might all sound like a pretty bad day but let’s move on. Jay, the real owner of the bass guitar hasn’t run off with it. Instead he comes to me and says he has called the program manager from Zambezi FM radio to verify the ownership and hands me the guitar. “You can use it” he says, “for tonight if you want.”  I promise him I will lock it in my office after the band finishes and thank him for handling the situation as he is.

Svetin ( I think that’s how it is spelled) does come to the Arts Cafe. He’s the program manager at the most popular FM radio station in Livingstone and it turns out we met once last year. He’s passionate about helping young musicians, we hit it off right away, and he loves what we are doing at the Arts Cafe. We meet with the young guys disputing ownership of the guitar and since both Svetin and I are close in age we joke about these young guys being “our children” and how they need guidance and support. Svetin agrees to pay me back my K1,200,000 and work it out with the guys later. THEN he says he is giving us three free ads per day on the radio to help advertise the Arts Cafe. (this is going to be soooo helpful as we have wanted to use the radio but the rates are quite expensive.)

With calm restored, I grab a beer ( a big advantage in owning your own bar and restaurant)  and join the two ladies who are having dinner. They are very impressed with the restaurant and love the band and promise me they will be sending groups to us starting with the next big arrivals in two weeks since the groups coming now already have booking at other places. Another very positive development. Albert doesn’t come back except to pick up the two women at the end of the night because he got tied up with his clients. He does look around, likes what he sees and says he can bring a group of 12 for dinner and show tomorrow. Right on.

Unfortunately Marilyn’s day isn’t going quite as well. We get only two clients for the show who have come from a different resort which makes me wonder why we pay for travel to a different location when our show isn’t marketed there. The electrical fiasco has resulted in the show starting late and therefore ending later than usual. She is dealing with a lot of very tired staff who have now worked a long day. On the way from the convention centre to the LiPAF storage container (which is quite a distance) she finds the road blocked by a chain which is locked. It is suppose to be opened every Saturday for us but rarely is. Until recently it was not really secure and could be taken down by pulling out the one pole. They have fixed this and so our staff have to carry everything off the bus and down the road causing a further delay of 30 minutes. The bus doesn’t get back to the Arts Cafe until close to 11pm. Most of the staff take taxis home which we pay for because it is not safe to be out this late at night. By the time we drive the six staff home whom we deliver safely it is close to midnight.

This may not be a ‘typical’ day but it is not so uncommon either. However, there have been some  silver linings behind all those dark clouds. Now I think I have to learn a bit more about operating Marilyn’s camera so I can continue to capture the beautiful images of Africa. It’s too big to carry around on my belt so I won’t always have it with me and will obviously miss some of the wonderful sights which still amaze me and remind me why I like being in Zambia.

Getting vegetables ready

I think a lot more about the weather in Zambia then I ever did in Canada. Keeping the flowers and vegetables watered at home is a major chore. Dust gets into everything. Hot days become cool nights. The sun sets by 6:30pm.

Chipo -our new Restaurant Manager

I’ve already started to think about the rains coming even though they won’t start until late November. That’s mainly because we have started our restaurant in the patio/garden area of the Arts Cafe and I must plan how we will cook under the lean-to and move food indoors to our waiting patrons. I also think about the leaks we know are in the roof and have been trying to find someone who can repair them. Some roads we drive on as we take staff home become almost impassible in the rainy season and will present another challenge.

Some kids we met in Linda

But lets not talk about that so much just now. The big news is that we opened our restaurant yesterday serving traditional Zambian food cooked on an open braii. The place looks lovely and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of people who turned up for our opening. You can click the menu page on the top bar to see our menu. Yesterday Marilyn and I were served the first meal and it was absolutely delicious.

Our cooking and serving area

Daisy worked so hard all week and yet kept so calm about it all (typically Zambian). Meanwhile I just didn’t believe it was going to be ready. We hired Chipo as our Bar and Restaurant Manager, Felix as our bar tender and three others to work as cooks and waiters. What can I say ….they did it. Maybe you’d like to drop in for some Vinkubala or Nyama Ya Mbuma?

Auditioning for some new performers

We also did a lot of auditioning and interviewing this past week and have given some more people full time jobs.

the place looks great

We did take a bit of a break last Monday when our staff suited up and played a game of football against the team we sponsored in Linda last year. It was a great game and the cast did very well considering they have never played together before. They lost 3-1.

Our cast before the game

the very first meal at the Arts Cafe

I took this picture below because I’m always thinking about how many keys I have to carry and joke that I could be a jail guard. Almost all of these are for the Arts Cafe.

Okay, gotta go…dinner is being served.

In Zambia, I carry my camera with me all the time. It hangs off my belt and I’m forever thinking about posting pictures on my blog. There has never been a shortage of sights to capture and I always enjoy sharing our experiences with those who read the blog. During the past week, it has been great to visit people who are up to date with what we are doing in Livingstone. Others who are ‘too busy’ to read my weekly ‘letter’ want an update which is impossible to give. Way too much has transpired since we settled in Livingstone in January 2009.

My camera is still on my belt but for some reason I just haven’t been taking very many pictures. I usually think of it as an after-thought. I didn’t take any pictures at the Kitchener Blues Festival or at the performance of Cheryl Crow at Casino Rama or even at my impromptu birthday gathering which Liz Doll arranged for us. It has been a busy ‘holiday’ with lots of miles put on the car but I have almost no pictures to show for all our travels, and visiting, and events.On the other hand we have a lot of great memories.

My long time friend Paul and his dog Zane

The weather has been great during our visit and I definitely got more sun tan in Canada than I had when I arrived. Of course, I also got to sit around a bit which is not something I do in Zambia. I must say though that the humidity has been hard to take sometimes.

Tiika and Daisy have sent along reports about the Arts Cafe and it sounds as though things have managed to go on without us. The patrons are gradually increasing and the ‘to do’ list is shorter. Still we have a lot of work ahead of us and I also will start teaching again in September.

We did get some photos sent over from Livingstone as some of the work was proceeding on the Arts Cafe. We now have a water tower to supply the bathrooms when the city shuts off the water each and every evening for load sharing. Hendrix finished painting two signs for us. He is an amazing artist and very quick. He does a mural in the time it takes others to just roll paint onto a wall. We have two large plastered walls at the Arts Cafe and I want to commission an artist to paint an African village scene on one.

New sign on Mosi-ao-Tunya Road

The sign at the road in front of the Arts Cafe is now finished and should really heighten our visibility. There were two cement block pillars to start with and Lewis filled in the middle up to the height of the lower pillar and plastered the whole thing to give us this great painting surface. Hendrix did the art work in a day.

Marilyn had a great visit with her family and friends in Saskatchewan. One very interesting aspect to her visit was the discussion about Section 10. This is a piece of land Marilyn’s parents still own after selling off the rest of their farm. It is the original homestead where Ed (Marilyn’s Dad) was born. We are quite interested in saving the original old log home and expanding it to accommodate a house where we might like to live for a while when we return from Zambia (if we return). Some of her cousins are also interested in perhaps developing some kind of co-operative where they too build a cabin as a retreat.

The rest of these pictures are from Marilyn. Enjoy.

Marilyn's family in Saskatchewan

At the homestead

Section 10

Where Ed was born

Julian loved the swing as high as it could go

With friends at Amy's cottage on Bear Lake

The next generation Sean, Ryan and Julian

Marilyn and Julian enjoying a good laugh

We did some shopping for a few items needed in Livingstone. I think we will not be taking our clothes back with us. We bought some mics for the bands at the Arts Cafe and a few other small items including a few solar lights. We are only allowed one bag on the plane from SA to Zambia.

It was interesting to take pictures of the inside of the Canadian Tire store and at the Hawkestone market. It is quite different from what exists in Livingstone. Fortunately, I can walk around the Canadian Tire store and see a lot of things “I don’t need”.

Why we call them super stores

At the Hawkestone Farmer’s Market we  got to meet a lot of friends over a short period. The market has lots of arts and crafts, home baking, and is starting to have more and more fresh vegetables. This is only the second year for the Hawkestone Market and it is quite a success.

New Hawkestone Farmer's Market

We took Julian to the beach for the whole day last Thursday while Sean worked on his papers which were due on Friday for his Linguistics Degree course he is taking. Once he completes it, he’ll be able to teach English at the University level in Japan. Julian loved swimming, playing in the sand, swinging on the playground, and kicking the beach ball. It was a great day and we all had a lot of fun. Michele packed us an incredible lunch we really enjoyed.

At the beach

Marilyn flew out to Saskatchewan to visit with her family and I went up to Kitchener to a Blues Festival on Saturday. It was fun and they had a lot of great musicians and big crowds for all the tented area stages throughout the town. On Sunday, I drove to Stratford and had a nice visit with my Aunt Dorothy as well as cousins Patti and Michael.

Kitchener Blues Festival

I’m already thinking a lot about finishing up a few more tasks in Canada and heading back ‘home’ to Zambia. We have much to accomplish in Livingstone and the next few months will be exciting as we develop and market the Arts Cafe. When we come back to Canada at Christmas we will have a new grandson (Ryan and Sally’s baby) and Julian will be another 5 months older.

Tossing the rope

The picture above was taken as Ryan and I tried to toss a rope around a branch high on the tree in order to snap off a branch which is causing interference with his satellite tv. The one below is a look at the traffic we faced around Toronto even at 2 in the afternoon. Aah…… I long for the slow pace and lack of conjestion of Livingstone rush hour.

Canadian traffic

Julian at play

The trip from Livingstone to Ontario, Canada takes about 30 hours but we soon caught up on our sleep and joined in on a camping trip to a cottage on Bear Lake in the Muskokas. Our friend Amy has a cottage on the lake. It is rustic and located in the most beautiful setting. It is quality time with friends as we spend the day swimming, eating meals together, and ending the day with a late night sing-a-long around a campfire.

Dave (l) and Rob playing our favourite songs

This picture below was taken in the early morning where the mist rises from the water as the sun warms the air. It is a picture I have taken many time over the years and it always captures my imagination – so serene, so peaceful, so beautifully expressing the wonder of nature….

Early morning lake

Amy is one of our dearest friends and lived beside us in Hawkestone for many years before we moved to Zambia. She has raised her three children following the death of her husband, and our dear friend, Jamie a few years ago. It is so great to see the confidence she has built in herself as she carried on. We love her dearly and have so many great memories together (especially at her cabin on Bear Lake)(Below) Catching a nap while waiting for the next leg of our journey.

A short nap between flights

We got to fly on the new A380 with Air France from JB to Paris which was a real treat. A very smooth ride. Still, I don’t sleep on planes so each leg of the journey takes a little more out of me until we finally arrive at Ryan and Sally’s. Sally is pregnant and we will have our second grandchild in October. All very exciting and such a wonderful stage of the journey of life for all involved, including me. I turn 61 in a few days and still feel life is moving along at just the right pace.

Sean, Ryan and Julian (our boys)

Ryan and I set up tents in his back yard and we lit a fire to cook hotdogs. This is Julian’s first exposure to camping and cooking on an open fire.

As we share this time with family and friends we can’t help but talk a lot about Zambia and our new life in Africa. The Arts Cafe is an exciting project and one we hope will help a lot of artists, artisans, musicians, and performers in Livingstone. It is still in its infancy but has come a long way. Here’s a picture of Victoria Falls as we were leaving Livingstone. Quite a natural marvel.

Vic Falls from the Air