JACQUES NELL recently took a

break from the city’s rat race and

visited the mystical Victoria Falls of

Zambezi; a humbling, awe-inspiring

and spiritual experience which only

the African bush can provide. For this

adventurous adrenalin junkie, it was

also a time to take a ‘leap of faith’ in

death-defying stunts.

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Zam biaZ am biaHOME OF THE SEVENTH

HOME OF THE SEVENTH

WONDER OF THE WORLD

WONDER OF THE WORLD

Ph

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the afropolitan • Issue 10 www.afropolitan.co.za90

I received a surprise call from Kaya

FM, offering me the opportunity

to be the photographer on one of

their frequent weekend escapes,

this time to the famous Victo-

ria Falls, an adrenaline junkie’s

paradise. Of course, how could I decline

an offer like this? I immediately made

preparations for what later transpired

to be an idyllic experience in one of the

continent’s wildlife havens.

My mission would be to attempt to

capture the beauty and diversity of one of

Africa’s beautiful destinations. Bordered

by no less than seven African neigh-

bours – Zimbabwe in the south, Angola

in the west, Mozambique in the east and

Tanzania in the north – Zambia’s most

famous geological wonder, The Victoria

Falls, has captured the world’s attention

from the colonial days when famous Brit-

ish explorer, Dr David Livingstone, wrote

about this Seventh Natural Wonder of

the World.

In 1855 Livingstone shared his African

adventures with his Victorian society back

home in England in a series of missives

which indicate that he was clearly awe-

struck by the majestic waterfalls which

he described as “The Divine Highway”.

“The whole scene was extremely beauti-

ful; the banks and islands dotted over the

river are adorned with sylvan vegetation

of great variety of colour and form. No one

can imagine the beauty of the view from

anything witnessed in England”.

“It had never been seen before by

European eyes; but scenes so lovely

must have been gazed upon by angels

in their fl ight. I believe that no one could

perceive where the vast body of water

went; it seemed to lose itself in the

earth, the opposite tip of the fi ssure into

which it disappeared being only eighty

feet distant”. Once upon a time a home

of great empires, Zambia fell victim to

the Scramble for Africa of the late nine-

teenth century when the West took a

keen interest in the continent’s vast and

rich natural resources for her Industrial

Revolution.

As Northern Rhodesia, she became

one of Britain’s key colonies as a copper-

rich territory. When Nelson Mandela

was sentenced to life imprisonment in

1964, Zambia eventually shook her colo-

nial yoke and became an independent

country under former school teacher, Dr

Kenneth Kaunda. Her capital, Lusaka,

became home of the liberation move-

ment in exile, particularly the ANC. After

twenty-seven years in power, Kaunda ini-

tiated multi-party elections in 1991 and

lost to trade unionist, Frederick Chiluba.

While Chiluba was eventually arrested

for graft, nepotism and other corrupt

practices, his successor, the late Levy

Mwanawasa, proved that not all African

leaders are corrupt. He preached and

practised a clean administration until

his death in August last year. And while

Zambia continues to emulate the legacy

of their beloved president – who was also

known for his outspokenness against the

tyranny of his southern neighbour – she

has also proven to be a relatively stable

democracy; fertile ground for a thriving

tourism industry and therefore a stable

economy.

And of course, the great Victoria Falls

– named by Livingstone after his illus-

trious queen and known to the locals

as “Mosi-Oa-Tunya” (The Smoke That

Thunders) – is the jewel in the crown of

Zambian tourism. The waterfalls roar

on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia,

the mighty Zambezi River. During the

rainy season (May-June) the enormous

clouds of smoky spray, can be seen up

to 30km away and the area around the

falls is engulfed in a gentle drizzle with

a powerful sound of crashing masses of

fresh water.

The Victoria Falls is also the widest

curtain of falling water in the world,

making it one of the seven natural won-

ders of the world. Our team boarded a

Zambian Airways plane at OR Tambo Air-

port, bound for the quaint colonial-style

town of Livingstone, named after its

founder, explorer and missionary, David

Livingstone. The trip was an enjoyable

two-hour fl ight, made even more pleas-

ant by the warm hospitality of beautiful

Zambian hostesses and crew.

Ten minutes before landing we caught

our fi rst glimpse of the mighty Victoria

Falls. so many things went through my

mind as I dazed at this wonder. From

the skies they look like a great white

cloud perched on earth. After years of

tales, pictures and documentaries, there

was no word to describe the immense

power and raw energy of this exhilarat-

ing encounter. I fi nely observed the falls

with my own eyes, totally repainting my

previous dull mental picture, reminding

me of the power of different perspectives

and how they can alter your overall per-

ception of life. The experience cannot be

put in words, personal experiences like

these cannot be communicated, it has to

be personally understood and personally

experienced.

The airport gets lost in between all the

vegetations and is truly camoufl age in

this beautiful African habitat. Customs

took longer than usual, but that’s what

I love about Africa, thinks like these

should be expected and appreciated, if

you want fi rst class service go to Paris,

this is Africa, The One and Holy!!

We then left the terminal and were

awaited by three vans, ready to take us

TRAVEL

received a surprise call from Kaya

FM, offering me the opportunity

to be the photographer on one of

their frequent weekend escapes,

this time to the famous Victo-

ria Falls, an adrenaline junkie’s

paradise. Of course, how could I decline

an offer like this? I immediately made

preparations for what later transpired

to be an idyllic experience in one of the

continent’s wildlife havens.

My mission would be to attempt to

capture the beauty and diversity of one of

Africa’s beautiful destinations. Bordered

by no less than seven African neigh-

bours – Zimbabwe in the south, Angola

in the west, Mozambique in the east and

Tanzania in the north – Zambia’s most

famous geological wonder, The Victoria

Falls, has captured the world’s attention

from the colonial days when famous Brit-

ish explorer, Dr David Livingstone, wrote

about this Seventh Natural Wonder of

the World.

In 1855 Livingstone shared his African

adventures with his Victorian society back

home in England in a series of missives

which indicate that he was clearly awe-

struck by the majestic waterfalls which

he described as “The Divine Highway”.

“The whole scene was extremely beauti-

ful; the banks and islands dotted over the

river are adorned with sylvan vegetation

of great variety of colour and form. No one

can imagine the beauty of the view from

anything witnessed in England”.

“It had never been seen before by

European eyes; but scenes so lovely

must have been gazed upon by angels

in their fl ight. I believe that no one could

perceive where the vast body of water

went; it seemed to lose itself in the

earth, the opposite tip of the fi ssure into

which it disappeared being only eighty

feet distant”. Once upon a time a home

of great empires, Zambia fell victim to

the Scramble for Africa of the late nine-

teenth century when the West took a

keen interest in the continent’s vast and

rich natural resources for her Industrial

Revolution.

As Northern Rhodesia, she became

one of Britain’s key colonies as a copper-

rich territory. When Nelson Mandela

was sentenced to life imprisonment in

1964, Zambia eventually shook her colo-

nial yoke and became an independent

country under former school teacher, Dr

Kenneth Kaunda. Her capital, Lusaka,

became home of the liberation move-

ment in exile, particularly the ANC. After

twenty-seven years in power, Kaunda ini-

tiated multi-party elections in 1991 and

lost to trade unionist, Frederick Chiluba.

While Chiluba was eventually arrested

for graft, nepotism and other corrupt

practices, his successor, the late Levy

Mwanawasa, proved that not all African

leaders are corrupt. He preached and

practised a clean administration until

his death in August last year. And while

Zambia continues to emulate the legacy

of their beloved president – who was also

known for his outspokenness against the

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Zam biaHOME OF THE SEVENTH

WONDER OF THE WORLD

Issue 10 • the afropolitanwww.afropolitan.co.za 91

on our fi rst journey through Zambia, with

our destination the Zambezi Sun. As we

began our trek through this enchanting

environment, I slowly began to feel alive

and whole again, my natural curios-

ity and creative spark steadily returned,

along with enthusiasm and energy for

living, peace came over me and a smile

of joy!

Zambia is one of the most urbanised

countries on the African continent. A

great many Zambians show a strong

liking for living in the cities, 35% of her

people live in settlements with more

than 20,000 inhabitants – three times

the proportion in most African countries

with the principal urban centres, Lusaka,

Livingstone and the towns on the Cop-

perbelt.

Livingstone is the main tourism centre

for Zambia, because of the renowned Vic-

toria Falls. Livingstone is blessed with a

rich British heritage and is also home of

a famous museum, which houses a large

collection of historical and metallurgical

exhibits, including relics of David Living-

stone himself. Livingstone was the capi-

tal of Zambia (then Northern Rhodesia)

before Lusaka.

We arrived at the Zambezi Sun and

were welcomed by African drummers,

beautiful smiles and amazing hospitality

by the truly humble people of Zambia.

The Zambezi Sun’s architectural splen-

dour is a combination of the unassuming

Zambian traditional styles and a touch of

Arabic architecture.

After check in, we were all escorted

to our rooms and started to prepare

ourselves for our fi rst true expedition

–A sunset booze cruise on the great

Zambezi River. We all got together at the

entrance of the hotel, snugly dressed and

prepared for the cool Zambezi night and

then set on our expedition, to introduce

ourselves to the mother of the Victoria

Falls. We were welcomed by the lovely

Lady Livingstone and boarded our vessel

with great joy and excitement. We then

set “sail” on a journey of rediscovering

this majestic wonder of unmistakable

immense power.

Along the way we spotted hippos,

crocodiles, and a variety of bird species

including the African Fish Eagle and just

relaxed – savouring everything around

us as we cruised on; just to think that

four hours ago one was stuck in Jozi traf-

fi c. I then sat back, a part of the audience

watching the last rays of the African sun

slowly being swallowed by the golden

horizon. As we ventured deeper into the

depths of this magical place, my mind

began to alter... realizing, you should live

for today, because there will never be

another one quite like it.

It was as if the only thing that mattered

to me, was what I was doing at that very

moment, everything else, the worries,

bills and work didn’t count.

We seem to spend most of our days,

worrying over past events that we have

no power to change or tormenting our-

selves about things to come, which never

do arrive. We should stop spending so

much time chasing life’s big pleasures,

while we neglect the little ones! Start

appreciating the small things in live

that we take for granted every day, like

the beauties of nature. You can’t change

the norm; you can only come to realize

and accept it and not be tormented or

harassed by it.

There’s a saying “yesterday is history,

tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift and

that’s way it’s called the present” Today

is the day to live fully, not when you win

In 1855 Livingstone shared his African adventures

with his Victorian society back home in England

in a series of missives which indicate that he

was clearly awestruck by the majestic waterfalls

which he described as “The Divine Highway”

TRAVEL ZAMBIA – HOME OF THE SEVENTH WONDER OF THE WORLDTRAVEL

Ph

oto

ta

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n b

y J

ac

qu

es N

el

the afropolitan • Issue 10 www.afropolitan.co.za92

the lotto or when you retire!

The time is NOW, never put off the gift

of living or the right of happiness, for the

sake of achievement

After an amazing sunset we set back

to shore, with a great earned respect for

this source of life and then sadly headed

back to the hotel for our banquet. As

we entered the dining pavilion we were

presented with joy and laughter and an

amazing feast of a decorative buffet fi t

for a king! The pavilion has a beautiful

open plan design with a truly unforget-

table ambience. We all dined and chatted

into the night, connecting with our travel

comrades and sharing our experiences

and similar paths we all walk so proud

through life every day.

We talked about our childhoods,

brushes with sickness and how it helps

you to connect to the simpler, yet com-

monly neglected things in life. We also

laughed at some of our insights, such

as “the only thing you can expect in life

is the unexpected” and “if you want to

make God laugh, tell him your plans” and

that our morning prayer should involve

the request: “God, please help me to

become the person my dog thinks I am”

We later gathered in the entertain-

ment hall and was entertained with live

music from the Kaya FM DJ’s and danced

the night away... It was a great night, but

as life, all good things come to an end.

After a great night’s rest, which was

punctuated by the nocturnal chirping of

crickets, laughing hyenas and the hoof

steps of zebras and giraffes grazing on

your doorstep, I got ready for a new day

in Africa and headed to the pavilion for

a morning meal. After breakfast we took

a ride to the handcraft market to admire

and buy curios as mementos. The market

is well known for its soapstone orna-

ments, wooden carvings, handcrafted

cloths, ethnic drums and copper jewel-

lery extracted from Zambian soil.

This is a place to pick up some great

bargains; the locals also have a big inter-

est in trading crafts for Western products

like clothes, hats, sunglasses, shoes and

anything not common to them. After a

great morning of admiring such exqui-

site handicraft, we all went our separate

ways to take part in some adrenalin-fi lled

activities. I had the honour to photo-

graph a couple who won a price dubbed

“Legendary Flight of Angels”.

This involved a bird’s-eye-view of the

Victoria Falls on a helicopter fl ight – a

humbling experience which reminds us

of the fact that a human life is less than

a speck in the bigger scheme of things in

this universe. The next life defying stunt

was literally a ‘leap of faith’ on a piece

of rope – bungee jumping. A favourite

pastime of adrenalin junkies, this activ-

ity is regarded as the second highest in

the world.

The setting of the jump is mind-

blowing. The jump is approximately a

distance of 300 metres off the edge

of Victoria Falls Bridge that connects

Zambia to Zimbabwe, with the falls as

the backdrop. The mental preparation

for such a challenge can be translated as

a ritual within the mind. When standing

on that edge everything goes quite, your

mind becomes still, you become alone

and your ritual becomes a ritual of soli-

tude, releasing all the inner turbulence of

day do day life. This life changing experi-

ence fuelled with the amazing view and

the sound of thunder in the background

is a defendant pit stop for the soul.

The Zimbabwean side of the bridge

is a reminder of the dire circumstances

locals have to live in, as they struggle for

survival, being constantly at the mercy

of tourist charity and compassion.

Compassion comes from realizing and

understanding suffering, if you have seen

suffering or been part of it, then only you

can plant the fi rst seed in becoming a

compassionate person, but this compas-

sion must be balanced with wisdom. The

two go hand in hand, just like a bird that

fl ies in the sky, needs two wings to fl y.

To be compassionate doesn’t mean just

to give money, but to have time, intel-

lect and good will to offer. The sad thing

is when humans suffer; nature suffers,

meaning that if there no compassion for

human life, environmental conscious-

ness is nonexistent. The livelihood of

the people depends on water, the forest,

food and the animals in their surround-

ing areas. When these resources become

limited, humans become animal once

again and the laws of nature start to

reapply - Survival of the fi ttest.

Our next surprise was an evening pre-

sented by Sun International and Kaya

FM, our VIP arrival was awaited with

banquet of food from every plant and ani-

mal you could imagine and rousing tribal

entertainment. What really disturbed me

inside was that here we were with the

most amazing mouth-watering feast and

just a kilometre from us, people were

dying of starvation.

Only a human being can step outside

himself and analyze what he is doing

right and what he is doing wrong. This

very acceptance shows a lack of self-

awareness, the very quality that sepa-

rates human from animals; fi gure out

what is right and what is wrong in your

days and in your life, then set about mak-

ing immediate improvements. The only

reason why we allow this or show a blind

eye towards it is because our “masks”

have become too heavy.

After a wonderful night of entertain-

ment and great refreshments, I retired

to my comfortable room with a sad real-

ization that this idyllic experience – an

escape from reality – has to come to an

end.

The market is well known for its soapstone ornaments,

wooden carvings, handcrafted cloths, ethnic drums

and copper jewellery extracted from Zambian soil

TRAVELZAMBIA – HOME OF THE SEVENTH WONDER OF THE WORLD

Issue 10 • the afropolitanwww.afropolitan.co.za 93