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Genny Kamanga – Glass Cutter and Recycler

We spent a Friday afternoon with Mr. Genny Kamanga in his glass-cutting workshop in Chazenga, an industrial area in Lusaka’s North-West.

Since I first met Mr. Genny in 2011, I had the idea of filming a portrait of him and after a number of talks and visits to his workshop, we both were very excited when the day finally came.

Mr. Genny, who originally worked as a Jeweller in Zambia’s Northern Province, has been working as a glass recycler, cutter, designer, producer and artist in Lusaka for almost 20 years. Creating an ever evolving assortment of glasses all made from used bottles. These normally end up in landfills, as there is currently no industrial glass recycling taking place in Lusaka. Just like us, there are a number of people who collect their empty bottles and supply them to Mr. Genny. Thus, he never runs out of his valued resource and the environment is conserved a tiny bit.

Mr. Genny sells his products that he creates together with his son, Mr. Genny Junior at the monthly Dutch Reform market in Kabulonga as well as every Sunday at Pakati Market at Arcades Mall.

Thanks to Mr. Genny for inviting us to his workshop and demonstrating his skilled craft.

Let me share with you some photos of the shoot below. Thanks to Terry Roopnaraine for taking and processing them!

Kenneth Linje – Wicker Weaver

Last month, we spent a Sunday morning with Mr. Kenneth Linje, who works as manager of a Wicker Weaver workshop in Lusaka.

We had an interesting shoot in the workshop that he runs with five partners in Kalingalinga compound of Lusaka. We learned what it involves to get hold of the raw material and about the steps necessary to craft the different furniture.

Thanks to Kenneth for sharing all these details with us.

And below are some photos from the shoot. Thanks to Marcel van Driel for taking them!

 

Chipolopolo Fans – Celebrating the Victory

I spent a very special and memorable Friday morning among the joyful Chipolopolo* fans, celebrating on the streets of Lusaka and at the Showgrounds where they awaited their heroes, after the team had won the AFCON 2012, beating Ivory Coast in a nerve recking penalty shootout.

* Zambia’s national football team, meaning “The Copper Bullets”

Tasila Banda – Housemaid and Daughter of a Chef

I spent a Tuesday morning with our housemaid Tasila Banda to go to the local market, where she bought a live chicken to prepare chicken stew for lunch. The film documents this process.

Tasila is an excellent cook, who also learned from her father who worked as a chef.

Thanks to Tasila for giving us this insight.

Warning: This film contains explicit material some viewers may find objectionable. Parental guidance is advised. 

Disclaimer: I, the filmmaker, did not in any way influence or promote the way the livestock seen in this film was handled and treated. The chicken was not utilised for the making of this film. Instead, the idea was, to authentically document & portray the reality of preparing a chicken for food in Zambia.