Africa is were I want to spend the rest of my life.
But I feel so blessed that I was born and raised in my country.
Sweden has such a good developed system in society.
Good schools and free education..good health care..good job opportunities...everything!
Sweden gave me the opportunity to live my life however I want.
I feel blessed that I was not born in Africa.
To grow up here is very difficult.
To get education, to get a job, to build up your life is very difficult.
Lucky me am able to build up my life before I settle here.
The development of this country is going very slowly.
Actually I think right now it is going down, not up.
Cause at the moment they have a very crapy President (Rupiah Banda).
Total corrupted.
The Zambian people calls him "the tourist", since he is always out of the country,
traveling for the governments money.
And many believe (including me) that the president and the government is just putting the countries money in their pockets.
The government is giving out very little support.
And to stand up against the government is very risky!
Evan Rupiah continues to make the same mistake as the presidents before him.
He borrows money.
The loans is what really put Zambia in trouble.
They started many years ago when the oil price went up and the copper price down.
The copper mines was and still is, something that Zambia depend on.
Zambias economy went down bigtime, and as a result the current president started borrowing a lot of money.
The country is now drowning in debts.
Corruption is everywhere, it has an effect on the whole society.
If you don't know the right people or have money, you are dead meat!
Education here is expensive and they have fees for so many things!
Did you know that you can end up spending a month salarie only applying for an education?
When you completed you also have to pay to get your result.
All the time it seams to me as if the government is trying to squeeze out the money of the already poor people...
Then, to pass in the subjects can be difficult, for several reasons.
One of them is crappy teachers.
Though, girls often has a great opportunity to get the best grade without studying at all!
By giving the teachers some sexual favors.
Money talks too. As always.
Because of that, Zambia ends up having a lot of unqualified people working.
The most common way for people to make money is business, farming and prostitution.
In bussiness the problem is that everything is imported. Usually either from South Africa or China. That is making Zambia to loose a lot of money.
The chines people has pretty much taking over!
Prostitution is very common, almost everywhere.
Espacially in the compounds (Owned by the Chief, not the government. A big area splitted into small plots for people to stay. To buy a plot there is very cheap.).
A lot of men goes there for beer drinking and prostitutes.
To buy sex there is very cheap, usually the girls are taking sveral costumers per night to earn enough money.
There it is just a part of life.
In daytime the compounds are looking quit nice, but at night it is changing.
The place becomes dangerous, the compounds never sleeps.
The consequence is of course a fast spread of HIV and the percentage is growing.
It will take a long time to stop the spread.
Many are talking about that the reason is a lack of knowledge.
It is also true , but the main reason is culture.
At least 50 % can by know tell you the the way to spread HIV, the symptoms and and how to protect themselves in their sleep!
But the culture stops them from following it.
It is all very complicated, I don't even know were I can start explaining...
There is still many things I don't know, I am still learning.
Basically sex is a tabu but is practiced a lot hidden.
Cheating is common.
Guys cheat to get sex and status.
Girls cheat to get money from many different men.
Girls often give sex fast after proposal cause they are fearing that the guy will leave them for someone else. .
Girls are also often fearing to say NO.
And, in most peoples eyes sex is for mens pleasure. Not womens.
Condoms are here a big problem.
There are so many strange believes and incorrect facts spread.
Though, they are available.
But people do fear to go and get them.
If one part suggest the use of a condom, the other part will get upset.
Feeling accused of having HIV, of not being trustful.
And will question the other part if he\she is really loved.
If a girl is seen walking around with condoms in her pocket (being prepared) people will think she is a prostitute.
One reason for people disliking the condom is also because it makes it easy to buy prostitudes without risking to get HIV.
Girls are supposed to stay a virgin until marriage in tradition.
And it is shameful if she don't, though areas are becoming more modern.
In school it is not aloud to talk about sex or condoms before the students have reached the age of 15 years.
Before they only promote abstinence.
Basically in schools they teach that if you have sex you will get pregnant, be kicked out of school and die from HIV.
Trying to make the students fear, and they often do.
Though that is not a good way to teach.
If you encourage condoms, in their eyes you are promoting sex.
In prisons, the corruption is in control.
You can easily buy your way out, or pay for someone to be put to prison.
If you get arrested you can be put to prison, being tortured, without having gone to court.
You may have to wait for the court up to a year!
And then if your innocents is proven, you are released.
But the time you were there you can never get back.
And you get no money or apologize for keeping you.
The list of problems goes on...
But this is what I wanted to tell you about.
It is what I have seen, that is to me important to say.
Zambian Love
