Unexpected Gift
A few weeks ago, my aunt sent me a website link to check out. I quickly clicked on it with much interest because it had our family name (Mutwale) in it. It referenced an interview, so I wondered if my recent interview with Zambia National Broadcasting Cooperation had been uploaded for me to view.
To my surprise, the piece was about my late grand father, Mr Enos Mutwale! I figure out quickly that it was an audio recording of an interview he had done decades ago. Within minutes I could hear my beloved grandfather’s voice, loud and clear. I was overcome with emotion!
My grandfather passed on to heaven in 1989, so all my family and I have are precious memories. Hearing his voice so clearly felt like a dream. A curious dream teasing me of his absence. But it wasn’t a dream. It was an unexpected gift!
North Western Province (NWP) Zambia
I grew up in Kasempa, a small town ( in North Western Province ) located about 800 Km from Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. My grand parents retired there after many years of service in the medical field. Thereafter, they established a farm and built a large home where they raised many children and grand children. I was blessed to be in that number. Kasempa, with its scrolling hills and sleepy streams is what I day-dream about when I remember my childhood. Kasempa is where I spent many hot afternoons catching fish and gathering all kinds of delicious wild fruit. I’ve also had the pleasure of visiting several other districts in NWP province, but Kasempa will always be home.
Kasempa is where I had the pleasure of listening to my grandfather’s stories since I was a toddler. My grandpa, Mr Mutwale was an incredible story-teller. I remember many a starry night, sitting with other kids in our family home’s enclosed veranda. We would listen for hours, mesmerized by grandpa’s adventures. He would passionately tell us about his determination to get an education in colonial Zambia and how it took him weeks of walking to get to his school. He would recount vivid memories of his long service as a medical worker among lepers and of his outstanding skills with the microscope in diagnosing leprosy.
Dr David Wilkin (PhD)
And so here I was, decades later, listening to my grandpa again, this time in my home, thousands of mile away from Zambia. Once I listened enough to allow my soul to awaken to grandpa’s voice again, I took some time to see whose website was housing my grandpa’s voice. In enters Dr David Wilkin. That’s the man of the hour. He is the champion behind, not only Mr Mutwale’s recording, but also many other interviews, photos, scholarly pieces and special documents about North Western Province Zambia.
His work is so well-organized I was able to find David’s contact information very quickly. I sent him an email right away, to express my gratitude for this incredible gift. To my pleasant surprise, he replied to my email within hours.
Our Visit
In the next few days and weeks, I took some time to learn more about Dr David Wilkin. My family and I were also privileged to visit him in NYC, where he is now based. He was a very gracious host! The man embodies a life of gratitude that’s infectious and hard to miss. The highlight of our visit was a walk through the American museum of natural History in Manhattan where we saw exhibits on Southern Africa.
David Wilkin is a retired teacher and scholar from Ohio, USA. After teaching in Newark Ohio, David applied for a Fulbright teaching scholarship to teach for a year in Northern Rhodesia. ( Present day Zambia). The one year turned into a 15 years of adventure! David and worked in Zambia from 1963 to 1979. During that time David resided in Mwinilunga, Zambezi and Solwezi.
A life of gratitude is always
life-giving, uplifting and Infectious
The Website
A few years ago, David asked himself what he wanted to do with the freedom of his retirement. With encouragement from friends and colleagues, he decided to launch the website as a personal birthday present to himself, his family and friends and especially the NWP and Zambia.
The website’s main purpose is to make information about North Western Province more available worldwide. The non academic section is where David narrates the story of his personal life. The other section has Academic Writings and Sources including David’s new e-book and in addition to that, a link to David’s old dissertation.
The interview page includes actual audio recordings of now largely deceased participants. These amazing interviews “allow them to speak from beyond the grave to their descendants and scholars”, as David so aptly put it.
I believe Dr Wilkins recordings are a digital preservation
of some of our valuable oral traditions
It Took A Village
Dr. Wilkin is is quick to mention that since “no man is an island,” the story also includes many friends connected to the NWP. They include: Patrick Sapallo, who was very instrumental in the making of and is still involved in updating the website. Mr Sapallo has a long history with NWP. He has lived in most of the districts in the province and can speak all the languages spoken in NWP. Dr Wilkin and Mr Sapallo have been friends for decades. Their collaboration brings a beautiful balance to the information they present.
Other most noteworthy friends who gave valuable advice to David in the making of the website include Thomas Samungole, James Kanga, Stanley Kamboyi and Pascal Bwalya Ndakala.
Enjoy The Adventure
The recorded interviews have allowed my grandpa to continue to speak to me and my family. I am grateful for this gift of such a rare compilation of delicate audio recordings, beautiful pictures , handwritten notes and brilliant scholarly work, that without a doubt, will stand the test of time.
With all that said, may I now invite you to draw close and indulge in this decadent journey of one man’s adventure with Zambia, North Western Province. The information that comes as a result of this journey is both educational and historical. Further more, David regularly updates this website, so come back often. For more information click on the this link below.
davidwilkinnwpzambia.com
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