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By TROY MUKUPA

ORGANISERS of the highly-publicised ‘Mr. Mandevu 2023’ bodybuilding and fitness contest which is scheduled to take place this coming, Saturday, the 14th of October, 2023, at the renowned Cockpit Lodges/Club, in Garden Compound of Lusaka, have assured bodybuilding and fitness lovers of a memorable event. The contest which has attracted about 25 muscle men from Mandevu Gymnasium’s top bodybuilders who will battle it out with various poses to display every inch of their muscular physiques is scheduled to start at exactly 16:00hrs under the theme “Empowering Youths Through Sports”

According to one of the organisers, Mandevu Body-Building Association (MBBA) Chairman and Zambia Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (ZBBFF) treasure in Paul Tembo, preparations for the upcoming contest have reached advanced levels. He said the event will have two categories; open bodybuilding and men’s physique. He commended sponsors who have come on board to assist the executive towards the hosting of this year’s event.

“This is the fourth contest we will be having under Mandevu Constituency. The first one was in 2018 as Mr. Garden. In 2019 we changed the name to Mr. Mandevu, though in 2020 we never held the event due to COVID-19 pandemic. We only resumed 2021 and 2022 were David ‘CENA’ Mwamba was declared winner. He is the reigning Champion and he will be defending the title this Saturday”

Notables on the list of sponsors include, Young Phiroz General Dealers, BigTree Beverages LTD, Power Tools Coach Services, PDK Auto Wheels, Mutale Steel, Young C Hardware, Sign Wave, Dambo Steels, Divine Decor, Farm-Feed Limited, Levy Moyo, Green-Pack Supermarket, EMS General Dealers, Peacema Lodges, Steak and Beers, Shabco Milling and Something Automotive, just to mention but a few.

Chargers for the event are paged at K50 ordinary and K100 for VIP with entertainment performances by renowned artists in Daliso – Mwana Wamukomboni, supported by VIN Wampitikisano. Expected special guests are UPND Lusaka Province Youth Chairman Anderson Banda, who donated a K10,000 cash towards the hosting of the event, renowned PDK Auto Wheels proprietor and the Mandevu Constituency lawmaker in Christopher Shakafuswa.

By TROY MUKUPA

“My favorite thing about being a fashion designer is seeing a piece of clothing coming to life. From just an idea, illustration, cutting and putting together the pieces to form a beautiful dress,” said, Mundia Siisi, third born in a family of 5, self taught fashion designer, runway model, an accountant by professional, CEO and creative proprietor for one of the most anticipated flirty self-titled fashion brand called “Mun’s Design”. Mundia, brings to the fashion tables her diversity of fashion standout styles, ideas and creative art that has proven to take a centre stage at some of Zambia’s fashion shows.

“Growing up fashion was not something I ever thought I would be interested in worse off be a fashion designer myself. My journey in fashion started first on a personal level. I would make clothes for myself from scratch and sometimes I would get already made from salaula and then make them into what I would like and I would get compliments .
One day I visited a friend who asked me to make for her a skirt like one I had made for myself. She was welling to pay. At first I was really skeptical and I didn’t know whether to do it or not. She insisted, and that request birthed my interest in fashion and designing. I ended up making also for her 3 sisters and 2 of her friends. From there, orders started coming in, and thats how I made it official”

She said the source of inspiration to fully venture into the fashion industry came from the fulfilment she got when she first showcased at the Ndola, Lusaka fashion and at the Tiyende Pamodzi fashion shows. She said the achievements boosted her confidence and encouraged her to pursue her dream to be a designer. “That to me was the inspiration I needed to affirm that I was getting into the right industry and that I had the potential to grow in it. It affirmed that my work was original and trendy enough to participate at such renowned fashion platforms. Also just been on the sewing machine makes me feel so close to my late daddy. He was a tailor at some point when I was still young”

As Mundia continued establishing herself as a fashion designer, the industry opened up opportunities for runway modeling, which she grabbed without hesitation. She said joining modeling helped boost her confidence and public speaking skills. Her biggest modeling accomplishment come when she walked at the 2016 Zambia Fashion week. She was quick to say balancing time between her accountancy job and her fashion business was a challenge. “Yes, having to balance a full time job and running a business means late nights and early mornings. Sometimes I would have clients that would want to come in for measurements or just to see my work during the week when I am at my accounting job, and that’s almost impossible on my part and you will find I end up losing that client. And the other challenge is finding a trusted tailor, you find someone and as soon as you leave, they start to do their own personal things, so client work ends up suffering”

By TROY MUKUPA

STRAIGHT-OUTTA Kapwepwe Ward 29’s Paradise compound which made headlines for the suspected ritual killings and the mushrooming of hardcore junkies, comes to the big screen what is now the most anticipated local film tagged, Paradise: A Junkie is Born, a tear-jerking film about the causes and effects of junkies – and how broken homes have contributed to the rising number of junkies.

Written and directed by the multi-gifted, Patrick Mwamba Salubusa, the current Kapwepwe Ward councilor, whose name is no stranger to the media arts industry and well known in the entertainment cycles as Saulos – The Komboni Ambassador, “Paradise: A Junkie is Born” was birthed-out of a script produced under the Komboni Talent Hub – KTH umbrella in association with the ZED TV Zambia.

In the film which highlights love, betrayal and crime, a young boy who had a promising future in a well to do community (Ku Mayadi), played by reformed junkie turned actor, the talented and fast-rising, Amos Tizma Katebe (as Junior, the main character) finds himself in Paradise, a shanty compound, where experiencing hardship has forced many young minds lose their brilliance to rampant challenges of drug abuse, criminality, illiteracy, early marriages, and other negative vices forcing him to become a junkie before graduating into a full time criminal.

Meanwhile, Danzo Mukuka, best known for his community humanitarian services as CEO Wapa Chunga, has urged the people of Chunga community and surrounding areas to support the film premiere.

“We should appreciate local films in order to give them morale to make even more better productions. If the film has a greater public response, returns will immediately be considerably increase and this may give the producers a platform to produce even more artistic productions. So let us go in numbers and support this local production”

The film premier which has so far attracted heavy anticipation on social media platforms is scheduled for the Nu Metro Cinema on Friday, October 20th, 2023 and set to start at exactly 18:00 hours.

A manager at artificial intelligence firm OpenAI caused consternation recently by writing that she just had “a quite emotional, personal conversation” with her firm’s viral chatbot ChatGPT.

By TROY MUKUPA

The practice of making detailed graphite pencil drawings goes back to the 17th and 18th centuries when drawings were popular for portraits. A few hundred years later, contemporary artists in Zambia and across the globe are creating mesmerising portraits and drawings. One such artist who has mastered the art of pencil drawing, and has achieved a photographic level of realism in his drawings is Chingola born and raised, Benny Muma.

Benny, is a young hyperrealistic artist and Levy Mwanawasa Medical University (LMMU) student studying ‘Dental Therapy’, whose creativity-realistic art drawings have proven to be stunning masterpieces in the world of Artistry there by gaining him the attention of some renowned entertainment players, business owners and politicians. He is today among the most in-demand young Zambian portrait artists as he is known for his vibrant, expressive drawings that capture the human condition in all its complexity. One notable artwork that has earned him stripes is a drawing of an od woman holding a piece of glass where her younger image is reflected. The drawing tells of the importance of time.

He has also done portrait drawings for Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Mporokoso Member of Parliament in Brian Mundubile, Matero lawmaker in Miles Sampa and award winning heavyweight hip-hop artist in Marky 2. He recently did another stunning portrait drawing for opposition Socialist Party President in Fred M’membe, which he says is yet to be collected.

He acknowledged some challenges faced since he started using his art-drawing talent to help earn a living at the university, “It’s a struggle just to find clients/people who would want portraits of themselves done. Sometimes you do an artwork then it doesn’t get collected meaning it’s a loss on my part. But despite challenges, I still love doing it. I love drawing. Lastly I would really want to encourage fellow artist out there and other people to utilize there God given talent because you might never know where your talent might take you or what it can do to your life,” said Benny.

By Lifestyle Reporter

SEASONED Artiste Matias Daka musically known as DMT is set to collaborate with UK-based artiste Forest.

DMT also called Number 1 is pleased to announce that Forest arrives in Zambia this Wednesday for music collaborations.

He said Forest is pleased with the initial song he did with DMT called ‘ Welcome to the Hood’ and as such, he is looking forward to more connections whilst he will be in the country.

” I did a song with him titled Welcome to the Hood, which will be out soon , and we are planing to do more songs and more videos whilst he is here. I can say his visit to Zambia is also to allow him know more about Zambian music,” said DMT who admits that he has been on a musical break to redefine his new path in the industry. He says he is now out to offload new songs that he has been working on silently.

By Lifestyle Reporter

Founders of popular events such as the Safari Picnic, Lusaka July and the Penthouse Fashion Brunch successfully hosted an exciting edition of the 7th annual Beerville themed Dancehall on Saturday, 30th September 2023 at the Chita Lodge Gardens in Lusaka.

PR Girl Media started the year 2023 with the premiere of the Penthouse Fashion Brunch in Kinshasa which was followed by the stunning Safari Picnic 2023 at Lusaka’s Foxdale Forest. The sister-duo of PR Girl Media took an interesting twist with the 8th edition of the Lusaka July in September – dubbing it as “Africa’s Biggest Day of Fashion” with the participation of over 10 African countries.

It is certainly a triumphant year of successful editions of the signature events by PR Girl Media; a demonstration of growth, consistency and a dedication to showcasing African creativity, art and tourism. Founded in May 2016 by sisters Monde and Chishimba Nyambe, PR Girl Media is a Pan-African PR agency specialized in Lifestyle branding, entertainment and Corporate PR – bringing brands to life through experiential events.

The PR Girl Media 2024 calendar of events is as follows:
2nd March 2024 – 2nd Edition of Penthouse Fashion Brunch (Kinshasa)
31st March 2024 – 6th Edition of Safari Picnic (Lusaka)
1st September 2024 – 9th Edition of Lusaka July in September
28th September 2024 – 8th Edition of Beerville 2024
7th December 2024 – 1st Edition of Penthouse Fashion Brunch (Harare)

“We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our beloved community, corporate partners, colleagues in media/entertainment and other stakeholders for their tireless support in our journey so far. We look forward to an exciting 2024 and prosperous partnerships in our joint efforts to propel the industry to greater heights” said Managing Partners of PR Girl Media, Monde and Chishimba Nyambe.

This year’s Elephant Charge was not for the faint-hearted! With a course set deep into the Zambian miombo valley of the Funswe river, slopes were steep, and gullies were rocky.

The unique event is a 4×4 off-road challenge with teams of six traversing a course of ten checkpoints in the Zambian wild. Each year a new course is set by the voluntary committee and this year’s course was a real highlight. The area chosen was in the Shamilonga community under Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya close to the Kafue Gorge, west of the Chiawa Game Management Area. This part of Zambia holds completely untouched, breathtaking views with intact Miombo woodland perfect for shady campsites.

On Saturday 30 September as the sun rose over the peaks of the mountains, 27 teams revved their engines on the start line. The course was, as always, an intense challenge for experienced 4×4 drivers with the checkpoints placed precariously on the top of steep climbs or at the bottom of rocky riverbeds and gorges. However, 17 teams finished the race within the qualifying time of 8 hours with many teams achieving some impressively short distances across the terrain. The winning Team Popcorn 1 in their White Land Rover Defender 90 completed the course in 34.21km, with only a few metres separating the podium positions, Green Mambas came in a close 2nd and Sausage Tree 3rd place. The Bombshells won the shortest distance by an all-female team with 37.56km. The most important prize went to Autoworld for the most funds raised and shortest net distance (distance travelled minus funds raised) who raised an incredible K524,745 ($25,350)! This year’s newly added activity the Elephant Charge Trail Run was a great success with six teams completing the course and winning the Spirit of the Charge trophy! Two motorbike teams also entered with the Biking Baboons completing the course in the shortest distance of 28.84km.

In total, the Fuchs Elephant Charge 2023 has raised an amazing ZMW 3,500,000 for conservation in Zambia this year. These funds will support several conservation projects in Zambia including the WECSZ “Chongololo” Conservation School Clubs. Local communities in the area also received a large donation from the event. Over the years the Elephant Charge has supported 25 grassroots causes, and provided vital, flexible funding to help small organizations doing important conservation work across the country particularly focusing on conservation education.

Thank you as always to all of our supporters, too many to be named, but a few here: Fuchs, Geotab, Pre Secure Security, CC Systems, Autoworld (TJM), Lilayi Lodge, UAG Zambia, Rapid Aluminium, Big Tree, Country Choice Chicken, National Milling, Kal Tire, Omnia, Turaco, Leopards Hill Memorial Park, Sun Sweet, Hippo Charge Mozambique, Signs of the Times, Rooney’s, Kept Cool, Honda, Ishop Zambia, Duncan Quinn and SATIB Insurance.

And finally thank you to all our service providers including Jean Dollery, Skytrails, MARS Ambulance service, Bright Future Project, Stars and Legends, Peaberry Coffee Roasters, Afro Red and Mezza.

Want to know more about how to get involved in the next adventure? Visit:
www.elephantcharge.org or join us at Zambean, Leopards Hill Road, Lusaka for Results Night, 1830, 14 October.

By MICHAEL MIYOBA

ZAMBIA Under-20 national women’s team quest to qualify for its maiden appearance at the World Cup will face its first hurdle today when the Charles Haalubono-drilled side face host Congo DR in today’s second round first leg fixture of the 2024 Under-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier.

And coach Haalubono says the girls are ready to face Congo at Nkoloma Stadium after a week of intensive preparations.

Haalubono, who had called a 35-member provisional squad said he was happy with the progress made by the girls who are determined to beat Congo DR when the two sides face off.

Asked how he was managing the pressure of trying to replicate the historical achievement by the Copper Queens who competed at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Haalubono said; “The pressure is positive pressure and like it because it motivates me and it also motivates our players as that is what everyone is now thinking of, qualifying for the World Cup. If our seniors can achieve that, we can also do it.”

And captain Chitete Munsaka said the girls would win the game against Congo to qualify for the World Cup.

“We promise our fans that we shall do our level best and we will make them proud,” Munsaka said.

Meanwhile, Congo DR coach Sandra Makombele Malezi promised to give the Copper Queens a tough match as the two sides begin their journey to qualify for the World Cup.

Congo DR captain Brigitte Ngamita said her team was not intimidated playing the Young Copper Queens who will have the advantage of playing in front of the home fans at Nkoloma Stadium.

After hosting Congo DR today, the Young Copper Queens will fly to Kinshasa for the return leg slated for October 14.

By GRACE CHAILE

THE Constitutional Court has dismissed a request by former KCM provisional liquidator, Milingo Lungu, to have the panel to hear his application reconstituted, by removing presiding Judge, Margaret Munalula and other Judges.