Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Zambia is Burning

I'm heading to Zambia at the end of the month to meet with the NGOs and private distributors that sell our pumps. Admittedly, I know very, very little about the country besides the name of its captial city, Lusaka, and that the northern city of Mununga, as written about in Josh Swiller's Peace Corps memoir The Unheard, is frightening. I now also know, after reading about one couple's Zambian honeymoon, that the country is burning, a result of climate change that is causing drought and desertification in sub-Saharan Africa.

You won't find me on any roads at night, but during the daylight hours of my trip, I'm looking forward to learning more about the country and witnessing firsthand how our pumps are being distributed and used. I hope to return to Kenya with words other than "frightening" and "burning" to describe my visit.

2 comments:

  1. The excess brush in the country is annually set on fire by the locals in order to make it easier to clear and plow land for agriculture.

    It's not desertification... It's dry season, and the honeymooning couple who wrote the article obviously did not do any research other than a drive through the country at night.

    Zambia is an awesome country with the happiest, friendliest people you will ever meet. Especially if you get a little outside Lusaka.

    Enjoy your trip. And don't for a second be nervous. You'll have a great time.

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  2. Thanks for the comments, Ted. I'm excited to go and see things for myself. I've actually heard several good things about the country from a number of Zambian RPCVs.

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