We just saw Chief Mukuni getting into his car the day before. He will be doing his business in Lusaka today. We want to go there too, but not immediately.
We have hired a minibus for the onward journey through the Southern Province and slowly leave the elongated Livingstone behind us. Our tarred road leads us straight ahead through the savannah. That can be very relaxing. But it takes time. The road currently is in fairly good condition, but it is single-lane and used by a lot of trucks.
It takes us three hours to reach the next town Choma and the Choma Museum. Emmanuel Hamatwi, an educational officer who is a gifted story-teller and also has a huge network of contacts, is waiting for us. It is a great pleasure to be introduced by him to the history and traditions of the Tongas, the main ethnic group in the Southern Province. Not to mention the artistically woven baskets that are sold here in the craft store. Wonderful souvenirs!
We continue along the road for another 30 kilometres until we turn off to Mboole and travel a few more kilometers on a dust road to Jonsen Habachimba’s tree nursery. My last visit happened more than five years ago. How is the plantation doing after the hardships of the Covid pandemic?
Karin