The Report of the Mthunzi Boys Visit

Mthunzi Culture Group Scotland 2008
About us

The Mthunzi and Lilanda Initiative was granted charitable status in 2007 by OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator). We had been operating less formally since the start of the new millennium to support two projects on the western fringe of Lusaka, the Zambian capital. Each of these projects was founded by a Comboni missionary in response to local needs: the Mthunzi Centre by Fr Renato Kizito Sesana; and St Joseph’s School in Lilanda parish by Fr Dario Chaves. The Mthunzi Centre is situated on a 100 acre plot of land gifted to Fr Kizito some years ago. In the early part of this century he set up a residential centre there for children who had been living on the streets as a result of the social and economic problems in Zambia. Fr Dario’s initiative also responded to these problems. Today there are around 65 boys living at Mthunzi, with a greater number of boys and girls supported with food and school fees in the wider community. St Joseph’s has grown from educating 25 vulnerable children to teaching over 300.

Each of these projects relies on outside funding, and the Mthunzi and Lilanda Initiative has undertaken to pay school fees, buy text books and, at Mthunzi, set up a library of African literature.

Culture groups thrive in both projects, and at Mthunzi, drumming, dancing, music and drama have brought accolades in major Zambian competitions.

The Mid Argyll Connection

Marian Pallister, a parishioner at St Margaret’s Catholic Church in Lochgilphead, Mid Argyll, made the first contact with these two projects while working as a journalist. She became involved in a voluntary capacity and raised awareness of the projects in her home area of Mid Argyll. A number of visits have been made by a mix of people from Mid Argyll and elsewhere to the projects in Zambia, and in 2006, we hosted the first Mthunzi Culture Group visit. Support has grown, and includes members of all churches, the Rotary, women’s organisations, local schools and colleges, and the wider community. We now have ‘outposts’ of support in Troon, Ayrshire, and in the island of Barra in the Western Isles..

Mthunzi & Lilanda Initiative Our aims and objectives are to support in the widest sense the education of the young people in the care of the two Zambian projects.

We also intend to facilitate shared educational experiences for those young Zambians and young Scots; to raise awareness in Scotland of the situation experienced by young people in indebted countries such as Zambia; and to create a forum for justice and peace in the two communities.

This means that as well as raising funds for school and further education fees, providing text books and other educational materials, and expanding the library of African literature, we will facilitate themed exchanges to encourage cultural integration and international understanding.

The Mthunzi Culture Group Visit to Scotland, 2008

The planning The experience of 2006 had laid a good foundation for a second visit by the Mthunzi Culture Group. This was to be the first part of a two-way exchange, sharing with young Scottish musicians the theme of music related to traditional industries such as fishing, farming, weaving, mining, etc. ‘Our Work -Our Music’ was the directive given to the Mthunzi Culture Group, and to young musicians in Mid Argyll, Barra and Troon..

In June 2008, John Joe MacNeil, a 25-year-old bank employee, musician and community radio worker from Barra,, travelled to Zambia with Marian Pallister. In ten days, John Joe had taught members of the culture group several Gaelic songs and some liturgical music in English and even Latin. His task was made difficult by the fact that more than half the Mthunzi boys are now at secondary schools scattered around the country. Two very hectic days were spent traveling to the schools. A 4am start was compensated by the sight of monkeys cavorting on the road. A core group at the Mthunzi Centre -Chakwe, the two Josephs and Chishala ­was charged with remembering all the music, and a tape was left behind to do the rest. The boys were already working on their own traditional agriculture-related songs and dances.

The funding We received funding (see Appendix A) from The Scottish Arts Council, the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council, the Jolomo Trust,, the Scottish Episcopal Church, the youth group of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Meddan’s Catholic Church in Troon, Western Isles Council, and CalMac.. Fr William Maclean, Phil Connor and Stephen Doogan raised cash through sponsored events. We raised money as a committee through numerous events and individuals donated generously.

Visas Mid Argyll MP Alan Reid once again backed our applications for visas for the boys, as well as our funding applications.

Hospitality The Mthunzi and Lilanda Initiative committee identified host families in Mid Argyll; John Joe MacNeil organised host families in Barra; and Philippa Whitford, youth leader in Troon, found families for the weekend visit there (See Appendix C)..

Activities In Argyll, thanks go to the Mid Argyll Pipe Band, Ford Fun Day organisers, the Mid Argyll Youth Project, Includem, and especially to members of the Dalriada Junior Gaelic Choir and Inveraray Pipe Band for helping us to organise a wide range of

activities, workshops and cultural exchanges. Thanks also to Ormsary Estate for arranging a farm and fish farm visit;; the Clyde Fishermen’s Association at Tarbert for the visit to the fish processing plant. Dave Bageley of the Mid Argyll Youth Project invested much time not only in arranging a shared jam session but in recording parts of the visit for the proposed CD. Head teachers and students at Oban High, Tarbert Academy and Lochgilphead Joint Campus also became involved. Peter Chute arranged the visit to the Owl Sanctuary in Campbeltown and with Fr Mushtaq Azad, the ceilidh/pot-luck supper in Campbeltown.

In Barra, John Joe MacNeil headed the organising team which involved industrial and cultural visits, ceilidhs, football and much more.

In Troon, Philippa Whitford facilitated the weekend visit which brought young musicians together in a range of activities.

Costs The main costs for the visit were travel to and from Zambia and within the UK; visas; venues; and per diem expenses. Host families in all three Scottish centres gave their hospitality freely and generously. See Appendices A and B for a breakdown

The visit

On Wednesday, July 30, 2008, fifteen members of the Mthunzi Culture Group and two members of the Mthunzi Centre staff arrived at Glasgow airport. They had traveled via Nairobi and Heathrow on Kenya Airways and British Midland at a cost which, because of of the international fuel crisis, had escalated dramatically since flights were booked in January.

The visitors were met by Marian Pallister, and members of the Sinclair family. West Coast Motors took the party home to Lochgilphead, where a young piper from the Mid Argyll Pipe Band welcomed them at St Margaret’s Church.

Impromtu performance The piper was surprised to find himself in the middle of an improptu performance. Parish priest Fr William Maclean and a welcoming party who had prepared tea and sandwiches and cakes watched as St Margaret’s was taken over by the exuberant Mthunzi Culture Group -still singing despite 24 hours of travel. Kitted out with the first wave of warm clothes, the group was then introduced to their host families and went off to get to know each other and rest. The following day was to have been a relaxing outdoor one to continue to getting-to-know-you process and exercise limbs cramped by the long flight. The Scottish weather intervened and the Lochgilphead swimming pool staff generously came to the rescue -as they did on other rainy days.

Scottish pipes, Zambian drums

The Mid Argyll Pipe Band has issued a CD of their music this summer and older members of the band were headed for Poland in August, but they made time to spend an evening with the Mthunzi Culture Group and found that the Scottish pipes and Zambian drums make great fusion music. The two sets of drummers then swapped instruments and got to grips with playing very different styles. Invited to jam with the pipe band at Ford Fun Day (where the Mthunzi group was also to give a performance of their own traditional music) two days later, all the musicians rose to the occasion.

Getting to grips with the theme of the visit A visit to Auchindrain museum, where a farming township of the 19th century is preserved in its original setting, gave the Mthunzi boys an idea of how people lived and worked in this rural part of Scotland in bygone days. They could relate to thatched roofs and lazy beds, but not to Highland cattle and the incessant rain. Irrepressible as ever, they treated museum staff to Gaelic songs in return for warming cups of tea and chocolate biscuits. An indoor picnic at the Sinclairs’ house replaced the outdoor picnic plan.

To facilitate the Mthunzi group having possession of the visit, we built into the programme a series of times when they could hold meetings to discuss, plan and evaluate. Preparation for Ford Fun Day was only a part of the agenda for the first meeting.

More surprises Although Mid Argyll is not now a Gaelic speaking area, many people have a Gaelic background, have learned the language, sing in it, and see it every day on road signs and street names. Hearing young Zambians sing in well-accented Gaelic (albeit with a Barra accent) songs about weaving, farming and the Highland clearances gave great pleasure to audiences in Ford and Lochgilphead. Sharing religious songs in their own languages, in English and in Latin brought smiles to the faces of representatives of all denominations who attended an ecumenical service hosted by St Margaret’s in Lochgilphead

A family day

The words ‘vibrant’ and ‘energetic’ are most commonly used to describe the members of the Mthunzi Culture Group, but even they need rest days, and one was organised to start their second week. Families went to the beach, the pool, to Oban, on forest walks -all the usual things families do in this part of the world when they have free time.

Planning and rehearsing

Some of the Gaelic songs which John Joe taught the Mthunzi group came from Sarah Cairns in Mid Argyll. Sarah led a group of young women from the Dalriada Junior Gaelic Choir, and piper Laura Macmillan from Inveraray Pipe Band.

The Cairns family generously gave over their house and garden for a planning and rehearsal day, and the musicians impressed each other with their serious approach to creating a programme of music and drama which included elements from each culture. Although the focus of the visit was music related to traditional industries, the Mthunzi group wanted to share the work they do to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in their own country through music and drama workshops. They imaginatively incorporated into their own poem about man’s inhumanity to man Sarah and Rosie Cairns reciting Robert Burns’ ‘To a Mouse’, which also reflects on the human condition. It was interesting to watch the dynamics of the group changing. The Mthunzi Culture Group had a strong sense of performance and presentation and by the end of the day had enthused the Scottish musicians to move in a more relaxed way. Perhaps handsome young men teaching pretty young women to dance guaranteed success.

Mid Argyll Youth Project Or perhaps the Mthunzi charisma affects everyone. The day after sharing with the Gaelic choir, the boys had a very different musical experience with members of the Mid Argyll Youth Project, enabled by Dave Bageley, who also recorded much of the music of the visit.

This was a jam session during which the Zambians were introduced to punk protest songs -something which they explained could cause political problems in their own country. Nonetheless, they learned the words, screamed the lyrics, taught the MAYP youngsters Zambian drumming in exchange for some lessons on keyboard and drum kit. They also taught the MAYP delegates some Zambian dancing -clubbing in Mid Argyll may never be the same.

This session lasted from 10am to 3pm and there was a sense of enjoyment and achievement, and new friendships were made. Each group admired the other’s skills on instruments which were strange to them; each was determined to learn something new. The MAYP boys’ familiarity with downloading lyrics from the computer obviously impressed the Mthunzi musicians, and these were skills they would also take home with them.

Of necessity,, we had to organise a quiet night to prepare for the following day’s early start for the island of Barra. Sea, ferries, and islands were unknown quantities for young men raised in a landlocked country. The word ‘Titanic’ was repeated frequently and for some it obviously wasn’t a joke.

Those who had been to Oban before felt they had the upper hand: they had seen the size of the ferries and were more prepared for the journey ahead.

Barra

West Coast Motors took us by coach to the ferry terminal in Oban. We had learned just the day before that Caledonian MacBrayne, the ferry company, were very generously giving us 10 free tickets, but this meant a detour to the ticket office to sort out the paperwork.

Once on board (‘Is this another aeroplane, Mama?’) the boys were fortunately distracted by Italian supporters of Mthunzi who had secretly booked on the same boat to spend some time with their friends. The word ‘Titanic’ was heard less often. It almost disappeared after a visit to the bridge, where the safety improvements of the past century were explained.

It was a seven-hour sail via Coll and Tiree to Castlebay, the ‘capital’ of Barra. The journey was spent in many different ways -singing, brushing up on geographic terms, watching basking sharks and sleeping.

Once landed in Barra, John Joe MacNeil was a familar figure and he took over to meet, greet and introduce to host families.

The evening was spent swapping music, eating pasta (cooked by visiting Italians -it isn’t the traditional food of Barra) and ice-cream -a treat organised by Fr Michael Hutson, parish priest in Castlebay, who arranged for the ice-cream van, complete with chimes, to make a surprise visit. Boys who had claimed to be over-fed on pasta and fruit crumble suddenly found room for double cones with chocolate flakes. Thanks Fr Michael.

Perhaps even more than in Mid Argyll, Barra, weather dictates plans. The constant on the Friday was Hector MacNeil in his bus, who enabled the tour of the island, the visit to the castle in the bay, the Heritage Centre in Castlebay for lunch and to learn about crofting and fishing in times gone by, and a trip to one of Barra’s beautiful white sandy beaches before a meal at the Isle of Barra hotel provided by the South African proprietor.

The evening was spent at a ceilidh in Northbay, where the young dancers and musicians from Barra shared heir talents with the Mthunzi group. And while the traditional agricultural dances from Zambia were much admired, it was the Mthunzi group singing Gaelic songs which caused the sensation.

Saturday’s weather wasn’t kind, but the Barra boys hosted a fierce five-aside football contest in the Castlebay school sports centre which was eventually won by the Zambians. Lunch at Barra’s airport before greeting the plane which lands on the beach was followed by more shared music and yet another ceilidh -this time at a farm. This was also the site of the local slaughterhouse, and the Mthunzi group was given a tour. Western Isles MP Angus Brendan MacNeil arrived with his family to hear the Mthunzi boys in full Gaelic voice -and as a native Gaelic speaker he seemed impressed.

Sunday included sharing church music, a very rainy football match , a barbecue moved rapidly indoors and yet another ceilidh (see Appendices for details of organisers and donors)..

This may have been a short visit, but it was an intense one and there was an immediate chemistry between the islanders and the Mthunzi group. This led to emotional scenes on the pier on the Monday morning, many requests for a longer return visit from the Zambians and offers of support from the people of Barra.

The Barra experience

Despite the shortness of the visit (from Thursday late afternoon to Monday morning), host families managed to cram in all sorts of different experiences. Some boys put our lobster creels, others lifted potatoes, still others shared music with their ‘families’. Violins, keyboards, guitars, even a clarsach, were all sampled (and some were gifted, causing ‘Mama Marian’ to have kittens at the airport as luggage was weighed on August 25). Ricky Mwiinga said that the visit to Barratlantic, the fish processing plant in Barra, and other industrial visits on the mainland were a highlight of the exchange and valuable to all the group.

Sailor’s hornpipe, bagpipes -and Katy

The Mthunzi Culture Group will try anything, and a sailor’s hornpipe performed by young Barra dancers captured their imaginations. It was copied for days afterwards. Bagpipes and Zambians drums are a great fusion and the young Barra pipers learned this quickly. Katy? She was the star at the Saturday night supper at Annag’s, where the boys sang Gaelic songs for the Member of Parliament. When they got up to dance, little Katy joined in, and she learned all the steps and some of the words. At church in Castlebay the next morning, she asked to join them again -and almost upstaged them.

The future The backdrop to the Mthunzi visit was intense discussion about the possibility of schlarships with the University of the Highlands and islands -a distance learning

university with degrees in topics such as rural development. Approaches have been made; we can only wait for decisions.

Discussions also took place in Lochgilphead with Jane Nichols of Argyll College and Mary Mitchell of UHI about tourism degrees. These are the kind of qualifications which would be good for the Mthunzi young men and good for Zambia. M.A.L.I. needs help to fund those who would like to follow these paths. As in Mid Argyll, an army of people helped to make the Barra leg of the Mthunzi Culture Group visit a success, and the leadership of John Joe MacNeil inspired young Barra musicians not only to become involved for this ‘Barrafrica’ weekend but to consider taking part in the exchange visit to Zambia in 2009.

Sailing home The long journey back to Oban gave the group time for reflection. Making new friendships, particularly in the intense atmosphere generated by the non-stop activity in Barra, can sometimes be painful. Parting is inevitable: will the links be maintained? The young people from each group felt there was a seriousness and commitment. Families and young musicians from Barra have since confirmed that commitment to maintain the new relationships; and all reports from the Mthunzi group placed the Barra visit high in their ratings. Personal achievement, emotional development, cultural exchange, educational development were all positive elements of this part of the exchange.

A joint effort There was a quiet recovery day after the journey back to Mid Argyll, but the Tuesday evening saw the first of the joint concerts developed by the musicians from Mid Argyll and Mthunzi. This was held in Lochgilphead Community Hall, where the capacity is 60. There was a capacity audience and the collaboration set in motion the previous week during the day of planning and rehearsal was a great success. The fusion of music, drama and dance reflecting two cultures was well received. The sense of achievement from all who participated was palpable. The sense of responsibility was also strongly evident: developing a joint programme which would appeal to a particular audience; which would fairly display the talents of all involved; and which would both inform and entertain was something in which the members of the junior Gaelic choir, piper Laura Macmillan and the Mthunzi group placed much investment.

The reaction from all participants indicated that personal development, making a contribution to the success of the exchange, developing self confidence and self worth were all very positive outcomes of this collaboration.

Our Work -Our Music Ormsary

Archie McArthur and Neil Manchester introduced the Mthunzi group to farming and fish farming skills and marketing. Young men with ambitions to farm in Zambia were encouraged to think of markets, and to consider learning skills at college. Team work was at the heart of all Ormsary Home Farm manager Archie McArthur’s advice.

Tarbert Kenny MacNab of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association also advised on the need for

flexibility in the face of changing markets, conditions, and government constraints on particular industries.

Although each venue introduced the Mthunzi group to the husbandry of animals and fish alien to those they know at home, they recognised the value of the principles which were discussed and have since commented on the value of these visits.

On Friday August 15, the Mthunzi group visited the Crinan Canal, which was built to allow fishing boat easier access to the open sea from Loch Fyne. In the afternoon, Sarah Cairns and the young musicians arranged sports at a local farm and there was a further opportunity to develop relationships, manage time, and enjoy the company of people from another culture. Rounders and football took place in Tim Lister’s field at the foot of Dunadd fort.

Troon

In 2006, the visiting Mthunzi group spent a weekend in Troon. The youth group with whom they shared music and developed friendships were inspired to raise money for an HIV/AIDS project as a result of that visit; and subsequently they raised over £700 for the Mthunzi Centre. One of the Troon musicians was also inspired to join a traditional Scottish fiddlers’ group after seeing the Mthunzi group perform their traditional music with such pride

More families, more music, more friendships

Philippa Whitford, youth leader in Troon, arranged host families for the group. After a meet and greet lunch, there was a music exchange workshop followed by a visit to Troon beach. In the evening, a concert of shared music cemented relationships and gave another perspective to the Our Work -Our Music theme -Ayrshire’s fishing and farming are very different from those found in either Mid Argyll or Barra. A barbecue brought the young musicians together in a social sense and there was more opportunity to learn about lives in different parts of the world.

There was a youth Mass on Sunday, September 17, with the Troon musicians and Mthunzi musicians coming together in a mix of Scottish and Zambian music. A lunch in the hall inevitably led to more emotional partings. Interestingly, while it would be very understandable for the visitors to find it hard to part from new families and friends, the host families in all venues found it very hard to part with young people with whom they had elected to share their homes.

Next time? Both the Troon young people and the Mthunzi group have asked for a longer time together in a future visit. The outcomes of this particular visit included personal development, collaboration, shared culture, achievement (a beautiful Mass, thanks to the shared music) and an increased awareness of each other’s lives and problems.

Global awareness, cooperation, interaction and personal and emotional development were all part of this particular visit. Returning on the bus to Lochgilphead (involving a detour to Ardrishaig for chicken and chips) again provided a time for reflection.

Includem The new week brought more new experiences and more interaction with young Scots. On Monday, September 18, a number of young people supported by the not for profit organisation Includem travelled to Lochgilphead to spend time with the Mthunzi group. These young people had difficult backgrounds and Includem offers a social work scaffolding to help them turn around their lives and avoid custodial sentences. This was not an easy encounter because it involved each group sharing intimate details of their lives. Each group was willing to do this, however, and there were valuable exchanges. Broken homes, alcohol, drugs and crime were major elements in the Includem group’s lives. Poverty, the death of parents, abuse by step parents and life on the streets were shared elements of the Mthunzi group’s backgrounds. All had travelled far on their personal journeys and understood the value of sharing stories in order to understand that these are difficulties which young people face in all cultures and all countries.

Surprise

On the following day, the Mthunzi group visited the construction campus of Argyll College and spoke with young apprentices in the building trade, their tutors and college officials. They reported this was a valuable experience. In the afternoon, they were told to meet up at St Margaret’s Church. Marian Pallister had left the group early that morning and rejoined just after 3 pm -with a surprise visitor. Fr Kizito, founder of the Mthunzi Centre, had managed to get a free flight on Kenya Airways and travelled to Glasgow from Nairobi to be with the boys. The wild greeting the boys gave him made it clear this was not a wasted visit. Moira Shaw and a team of ladies from St Margaret’s had prepared a tea at the Red Cross Hall, ostensibly as a light meal before the boys’ football match against Red Star. It became a welcome celebration meal.

Mthunzi had beaten Red Star in 2006. In 2008, they weren’t so successful, but the gift of football strips from Red Star and another local team more than made up for this. Genuine Italian lasagna made by Maria Guidi to be taken home for the boys by each family was also a highlight of the day. Fr Kizito was hosted by Alex and Lynda Emslie of Lochgilphead Rotary and then by Alan Hawkins, a St Margaret’s parishioner. Fr Kizito was invited to speak to the Rotary about his work in Zambia and Kenya.

Campbeltown

A visit to the owl sanctuary at Campbeltown was followed by a pot-luck supper hosted by St Kieran’s church at which the Mthunzi Group shared music with young musicians from a town which walks off annually with top awards for school orchestras, brass and pipe bands. A young lady who spectacularly displayed her skills

o a snare drum was immediately invited to join next year’s exchange to Zambia.

Oban

Oban High School imaginatively brought together the school’s music and drama students to spend the day with the Mthunzi group. The assembly hall was given over to the joint group, which worked hard all morning to share music and drama pieces. In the afternoon, an audience from the wider school watched this fusion of talents. Peter Mutende of the Zambian group said that the school visits were very important because of the friendships made.

Tarbert and Lochgilphead schools The final Friday was an over-busy day when drummers developed sore hands and nerves were stretched to breaking point. School visits to Tarbert Academy and Lochgilphead primary school were valued by the Mthunzi group, but it is unfortunate that the Scottish school term does not start until it is essential that the boys leave to start their own new school term. This means school visits, much appreciated by all, must all be clumped together.

Final concert The Dalriada junior Gaelic Choir, Laura Macmillan, two young pipers from the Mid Argyll Pipe Band and the Mthunzi Group staged a final concert of music and drama on Friday, September 22 at Lochgilphead joint campus, filling the 400-seater hall. This again showed the dedication of all concerned to create a production which educated and entertained. The young people worked together with great professionalism and shared the programme well.

Special guests

Eunice Sinyemu, the new chairperson of the Scotland Zambia Association, the Association’s secretary, and the chair of the African and Caribbean Network, Graham Campbell, travelled from Edinburgh and Glasgow respectively to attend this final concert. All three were impressed by the collaboration and the enthusiasm of all the young people involved.

Alan Reid MP

The Argyll and Bute MP, who has supported the Mthunzi and Lilanda Initiative in its work, also attended this final concert and enjoyed this bringing together of music about traditional industries in both countries. He has subsequently offered to help with arrangements for future exchanges.

Acrobatics and family fun Despite the hectic nature of their programme, the Mthunzi group was determined to put on a display of acrobatics on Lochgilphead front green to say ‘thank you’ to the town for all its support. It would be impossible to list all who did help -all the businesses, the charity shops (Scottish International Relief and the Red Cross were amazingly generous), and the general population seemed to open their arms to the visitors. This performance was impressive, but even the Mthunzi boys’ energy is finite, and they lost the football game they’d arranged at Ardrishaig..

The farewells It last weekend was difficult. The Sinclairs generously opened their home to all who had been involved in the Mid Argyll part of the exchange and the young people partied in a way which suggested that cultures have more in common than they have differences. On the Sunday, families tried to have a special day, but the bleakness of parting hung over us all. The rain on the morning of Monday, August 25, failed to hide the tears. The girls from the Gaelic choir had asked for time off school to say goodbye.The boys moved among them and went back and forth to their families, reluctant to say the last farewells. Theresa Sinclair and Marian Pallister travelled on the bus, meeting David Sinclair at the airport, where some of the girls from Troon turned up as the luggage was checked in. Final final hugs were painful for us all.

Conclusions Giving ownership of the exchange to the young people from each country was a success. Each group took their responsibilities very seriously and fulfilled the criteria of the visit.

The pairings of the Mthunzi group were arranged by the boys themselves but under the constraint of an uneven number. Placing an older boy with each of the two younger boys was an excellent idea. There was some friction between the three boys who stayed together. Having an even number and making sure than the chemistry is right is essential for future visits (a manipulation of the groupings in Barra brought temporary relief to this situation). The family hosting the threesome managed them with great sensitivity.

Having a pool of families who are laid back, able to deal with irregular meal times, lack of punctuality and a willingness to give the boys a degree of freedom suitable to young men is essential. We tried to get it right! Thank you to all those who opened their hearts and homes to our visitors.

Laying down house rules about phone calls, use of the internet, bed times and meal times (the latter dependent on the programme) was helpful to families and guests.

The consensus is that we gain more from the boys than we give them.

2009 and the future The intention is that a party of young musicians who worked with the Mthunzi Culture Group this year will travel to Zambia in July 2009 to continue this exchange. The entire group will visit sugar cane plantations, an agricultural college, the Copper Belt and a rural area where grasses are grown for basket weaving. Many of the Mthunzi group will not have had the opportunity before to visit these places. The sharing of music connected with these industries will continue, as will the exchange of cultural and social ideas and concepts.

The bread and butter of the Mthunzi and Lilanda Initiative is providing school, and now college and possibly university fees, buying school text books and educational materials, and extending the library of African literature at the Mthunzi Centre. The Mthunzi Culture Group has contributed greatly to fees for next year and we hope that recordings of the fusion of music will provide a CD that will also raise funds. These young men have shown what great potential they have to be ‘the future of Zambia’ as they declare they will be. As an organisation we will seek to enable them to achieve that potential.

Appendix A The donors

Appendix A (2)

Donations were received during the exchange and specified by donors as gifts for the education of the young people cared for by the two projects supported by M.A.L.I. These donations were raised in Barra, Troon, Campbeltown and Lochgilphead. Profits from ticket money for the concert on August 22, 2008, in Lochgilphead were also designated for school and college fees.

Appendix B

The costs

Air fares (Key Travel, flights from Lusaka -Glasgow via Nairobi and Heathrow) £16,429.00 Visas £1,268.00 Travel insurance (medical and baggage -2,549,300 Zambian Kwacha

at K6,500 to GB Pound) £ 392.20 Travel within Scotland (West Coast Motors -journeys to airport, Oban,

TOTAL £21,060.54 *

Funding applied for included the cost of producing a CD from recorded music performed by the young Scottish and Zambian musicians. The recordings were made and it is proposed that at a cost of some £1,500, a CD (to be sold to raise funds for fees, books etc for the two projects supported by M.A.L.I.) will be produced in time for Christmas.

Air fares were booked in January at a cost of £14,000. The oil crisis added £2000 to this even though the fares were paid by the allotted date.

Appendix C The Host Families

Mid Argyll Fr William Maclean Theresa and David Sinclair Marian Pallister Christine and Stephen Doogan

Rowena and Alistair Ranger Helen and Bill Dick Annemarie and Pieter Kastelaine Penny and Jim Duncan Debbie and Pete Robertson Barra

Karen MacKinnon Janice and Robert Ross Poppy and Martin MacPhee Peigi and Duncan MacLean Margaret Ann and Donald Elder Troon

Lesley Mathieson Avril and John McColgan Philippa and Hans Pieper Gerry Downie Louise and Andrew Johnstone Catriona and John McHugh Ann McDaid

Kathleen and Stephen Bargh

Appendix D The Zambian Visitors

Joseph Chimasula, Moses Chimwanga, Jackson Chisenga, Chakwe Daka, Clement Kabungo, Charles Kaluba, Mathias Mukonda, Peter Mutende, Robert Mwanza, Rickon Mwiinga, Ricky Mwiinga, Sonboy Ng'andu, Joseph Nyirongo, Chiselwa Phiri, Chishala Sakala.

Members of staff accompanying the Mthunzi Culture Group: Mulenga Felix Bwalya (Mthunzi Centre director) and Malama Friday Mazaba.

The Young Scottish Group Leaders

Mid Argyll Sarah Cairns

Barra John Joe MacNeil

Troon Sean Pieper

Comments:

“It’s a very nice idea to be staying with families and I really enjoyed being with

them, especially in Troon and Barra.” Ricky Mwiinga.

“Visiting industries was good for us for the future.” Peter Mutende

“The most important thing is communication....One common thing I came to learn is

that hard work and discipline is the key to success and a better life.” Rickon Mwiinga.

“The people in Barra know how to welcome people. John Jojo is a good man. Can we

have more time in Troon next time? I am missing the love of the people in Scotland.”

Mathias Mukonda.

“Thank you for one of the best experiences of my life.” Margaret Ann Elder