I’ve been out and about in Chipata inflicting my attempts at the local language upon some very confused locals who assume that I’m Zambian through my dark appearance and who appear even more confused when I try to say ‘zikomo kwambili’ (thank you very much) in a strong British accent.
Yesterday I took a visit to Michini (a small township west of the main town of Chipata) to meet Mr Phiri, a local Zambian tailor who has become somewhat of a cult figure among local residents through his unique and eccentric designs. Since being paralysed from the waist down, he has developed a skill in tailoring and can be seen most days sitting with his old traditional sewing machine producing some of the most beautiful African garments I’ve ever seen. Rosie, another VSO volunteer from the UK wanted me to meet him so that I could introduce him to new market opportunities in town, so off we went in search of him along the long dusty roads of Chipata.
We eventually came across his market, which was surrounded by children all curious to see what interesting things were about to happen during the next half hour that we were there. Mr Phiri proudly showed us the 10 bags and 2 shirts he had made using traditional colourful Chitenge material – (an African material that many Zambian women wear over their long skirts). The items he had produced were more interesting than anything I had ever seen during London Fashion week. He explained that he’s also training local women to use the sewing machines, so that they can also make the materials and sell them to locals and tourists to earn money.
It was great to meet him and his neighbours and as we went, we joked about our very poor attempts at trying to speak his language of Nyanja. I hope to be back again soon, so that I can see the progress he is making with his next order….
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