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Elvis to celebrate 50 years of Munda Wanga:
by James Florence
“On a quiet dusky
evening, a man stood alone at the edge of a parched river in
Northern Rhodesia – and had a dream. Like most dreams, it was
indistinct; he could not have put it into words. But as he stood
there in the gathering darkness, he saw colourful gardens rising
from the cracked earth, heard the sound of bubbling water and
imagined the cries of stately peacocks and the laughter of
children.”
– Readers Digest, August 1966
This remarkable
man, Ralph Sander, started to create this dream in 1952. He had
obtained 5 acres of land along the Musombangombe River, and although
containing nothing but scrubland and a small hut, he could see its
potential. Over the next four years Mr Sander worked to create his
vision and when seen moving barrow load by barrow load of topsoil,
by passers by, he would explain “I’m building a Botanical Garden”.
In 1956 Ralph
Sander opened his Botanical Garden to the public and gave it the
name of Munda Wanga (‘my garden’ in Nyanja).
This year is the
50th anniversary for this historical date and plans are
well underway to help commemorate and celebrate the new look Munda
Wanga. A lot has happened in and around Munda Wanga during this
fifty year period, but the heart of his beloved gardens has always
remained the same. The once small saplings have become some of the
tallest trees in the area; the many terraces laid out by hand, are
now spots for visitors to have picnics and admire the many flowers
and shrubs; the once overgrown river front, is now an oasis and home
to many birds, insects and fish. The incredible feat of turning
five acres of scrubland into a Botanical Garden, is reason enough to
celebrate, but there is also the incredible transformation that has
been made during the past seven years, since Munda Wanga was taken
over by the Munda Wanga Trust. We plan to make the most of our 50th
anniversary, and hope that you will join us in celebrating this.
It all kicks off
on Saturday 4th February with the annual black tie dinner
dance ‘Wild Night Out’. The evening’s entertainment will be
highlighted by a live performance from Elvis (tribute artist from
the UK). He will be performing all the hits including Suspicious
Minds, Blue Suede Shoes, Jail House Rock and many more. As with last
year, we have an amazing charity/silent auction line up, including
signed David Shepherd prints and all inclusive breaks, with flights.
Tickets cost K175,000 which includes a welcome drink, 5 course meal,
corkage and the evening’s entertainment.
Wild Night Out
2005 raised just over K45,000,000 for carnivore conservation
projects at Munda Wanga. This year we are raising money for a Rapid
Action Response Unit, which will enable us to rescue injured and
orphaned animals from any part of Zambia.
As well as Wild
Night Out 2006, Munda Wanga will be holding an official 50th
anniversary celebration in the Botanical Gardens on 3 June. In
addition to celebrating 50 years of Munda Wanga, we will also be
re-launching the park and gardens, after eight years of
reconstruction and restoration, since the Trust took it over in
1998. We are hoping to attract many of our sponsors and supporters
from all over the world to this very important day and are already
talking to some international celebrity guests who are keen to show
their support for the work carried out by the Trust.
For further
details on Wild Night Out or the 50th anniversary
celebrations, please contact James on 01 278-456 or
biopark@zament.zm |
January
2006