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The article
entitled “The White Tribesmen Of The West” in your March 2004
edition by Yuyi K Libakeni attracted my attention and enthusiasm to
read on. However, the more I read, the more disappointed I became.
Yuyi’s article is about the vernacular nicknames given by local
people of Barotseland to District officers corps, traders, teachers
and missionaries in colonial Zambia.
My disappointment
arose out of the fact that Yuyi makes no mention of one Arthur
Harrington, popularly known as Matepeta, a name he acquired
because of the manner in which he stooped and swayed his arms when
walking. Whilst the younger generation may not know, Matepeta
Harrington remains a household name in Barotseland amongst the older
generation. Arthur, my late grandfather, came to the then Northern
Rhodesia at the turn of the 20th Century after the
Anglo-Boer War in which he fought on the British side. He was so
attracted by the beauty of Africa, he opted not to return to England
because he wanted to see more of the continent. He stayed at Kalomo,
the first capital of Northern Rhodesia, for a short while and then
traveled up the Zambezi River to Senanga from Sesheke/Katima Mulilo.
He loved the scenic beauty of Senanga so much that he decided to
settle there finally, as a trader and boat builder. He established
numerous trading posts throughout Senanga district. Arthur was a
yachtsman and boat-builder iun his younger days at Hertford,
Hertfordshire where he was born in England. He died peacefully in
his sleep from cancer of the throat in 1962 at Senanga where he now
lies buried.
Arthur married and
several children at Senanga, one of them being my late father,
Willie, who passed away in 1993 in the United Kingdom where he had
gone for cancer treatment that proved unsuccessful. Willie also
assumed the nickname Matepeta even long before his father,
Arthur, passed away. To date, male family members are popularly
referred to by that name.
Perhaps just for
the record, readers may be interested to learn that both Arthur and
Willie Harrington were proud to have contributed greatly to the rich
culture of the Lozi people through construction of the famous
Nalikwanda Royal barges used by the Litunga during the annual
Kuomboka ceremony. Being a professional boat-builder, Arthur had no
difficulty in manufacturing these barges for the Litunga and he
transferred his technology to his son, Willie, who continued with
the noble task after his death in 1962. My father, Willie, was proud
of having constructed the largest-ever Nalikwana in the early 70’s
at the cost of K 30,000 at the time. The barge was a mammoth twelve
foot in width and ninety foot in length. Today it lies as a mere
skeleton in the shallow waters at Lealui, the summer capital of the
Litunga in the Barotse Floodplains. It took about two years to
construct at Senanga, two weeks to paddle upstream to Lealui, using
over a hundred paddlers.
Arthur Harrington
also improved the traditional makolo, a canoe water transport
of the local people by introducing the sisepe which is a
small barge-like version. He also contributed to the Litunga’s
palace through manufacturing a wooden (mukwa) staircase leading up
to the upper floor.
Yuyi ends his
article by stating that he is indebted to the National Archives of
Zambia and many unnamed informers but I’m surprised that such a rich
history of our country has evaded him during his research. The
beauty about life however, is that one cannot totally ignore or
indeed wipe away the past.
I hope other
historians will benefit from my letter.
William J
Harrington, Lusaka
(Yes, I don’t know
how we missed out Arthur Harrington, who together with Francois
Coillard, must be the best known whites who settled in the Western
Province. But William has promised to get me some stories from his
mother which we will publish in due course. Ed.)
I would like to
point out that the article you have on Kupalelwa, C.D Ellis (White
Tribesmen Of The West) is not accurate. He was not named that for
the reasons you mention. The name of the wife you mention is also
wrong. He was a very successful business man in Lukona right up to
Kalabo. Please check your facts before you publish articles, with
inaccurate information
Susan
Email: onenlak@aol.com
(Sadly, and
despite being asked, Susan has not supplied us with the correct
information. Ed.)
A few months ago I
had an HIV test. Why? Simply, to know my status. A rapid test
(which takes about 15 minutes) showed “positive”. I wanted to be
100% sure. The next day I went to another clinic. Once again, the
rapid test showed “positive”.
Psychologically, I
tried my best to pass the normal stages of anger, denial,
depression, etc … to the stage of acceptance,. Constantly, I
thought I must accept the situation and live a positive lift.
“Accept and live positively with HIV” was my mantra for the
following days.
I tried to work
effectively at my job, live as normal healthy life, and allow
acceptance to take over. A doctor suggested I get my CD4 blood
count tested. This has to do with immune system fighters in your
body. My first CD4 count result was 120 (A healthy person is
800-1,300.) The doctor began talking about prescribing ARVs to me.
My new mantra? “ARVs will keep me alive.”
Something inside
me said to have more tests done. I heard of the “Western Blot” test
and the “Eliza” test, both thorough tests. Only then could the truth
be known. So, the Western Blot, Eliza and two more CD4 count tests
were done. The results? Negative. Many questions were in my mind.
What should I believe? What is the truth? Do I have HIV? Should I
begin ARV’s I was determined to get to the truth.
I went again for
more tests. After four weeks and no results I was tired of
wondering, tired of waiting, and frustrated. I went to a
well-recognised virology department and had even more tests done. I
spoke with the virologists who conducted the tests and after two
hours of hands on learning, questioning, observing, and more I found
out the truth. I am HIV negative.
There’s no
concrete reason why the rapid tests were positive, but a valuable
lesson was learned – inform yourself. Inform yourself of the tests,
the procedures, HIV/AIDS viruses, and all health related issues.
Get tested. Be ready for any answer. Be responsible. Inform yourself
and TAKE ACTION.
Name Withheld
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April 2004