Jim shares experiences of return visit to Africa
A new year for East Kilbride Probus Club members began with a talk from Jim Percival on his ‘African Experiences’.
Jim is an old friend of the club and has an interest in photography, stemming from his days as a science teacher and ultimately as an assistant head at Coltness Academy, North Lanarkshire.
As a probationer teacher between 1969 and 1972, it was suggested he might do a term abroad and that took him to Zambia.
He stayed in a bungalow with all the mod cons and taught in a co-educational school catering for pupils from S1 to S5 at Samfya School.
This town was near Lake Banweulu, whose water could rise and fall by as much as 14ft.
Zambia was being run then by some 70,000 ex-pats. Shopping was some 50 miles away in Manasa in a supermarket but the locals could only afford to shop at the local markets. Jim later went on to the Kenneth Kaunda Technical School for Boys. Also during this time his wife was a hospital nurse.
All of this was illustrated with slides and some video clips.
Jumping ahead some 40 years, Jim went back to Zambia and illustrated this trip with more pictures which, sadly, showed areas in need of some drastic TLC.
Visiting his old technical school, the previously wellstocked labs were now a sorry sight with their total lack of chemicals (most of what was there was old) and equipment. In his day there had been 1600 pupils but now it was down to 800.
Locals still shopped in local markets as 90 per cent still couldn’t afford supermarket prices. Farms are run down and grain has to be imported.
Jim also showed photos of his visit to Victoria Falls, discovered by David Livingstone. The local name of which is ‘the smoke that thunders.’ What was interesting to see was the difference over three seasons – the wet, the dry and the in-between.
From thundering falling waters to being able to walk across the top as it trickles over the cliff.
He also went on safari in the South Luangwa Park to see if he could see the ‘big five’ – rhino, elephant, lion, cape buffalo and leopard.
In doing this, he also saw a huge range of other animals such as zebras, alligators and baboons.
Jim also showed photos and video of Malawi where he experienced seeing subsistence farming, stand pipes and generally a very poor country but yet with picturesque, stunning scenery.
He concluded his talk with slides and information about a charity close to his heart called “500 Miles”. It has been set up to make prosthetics at a fraction of the UK costs and, sadly, the amount of limbs lost owing to landmines left over from civil war has created the need.
This is done at a training village called Landirani which means ‘please receive.’ The idea behind this African vision is to make a self-sufficient village, then town and, finally, the country.
While primary education is compulsory, only 25 per cent of kids go on to secondary school where there is very little in the way of desks and equipment as things stand.
Jim concluded by answering members’ questions before Barrie Crawford gave the vote of thanks in which he highlighted a very organised and interesting presentation.
■ If you should see a subject that might interest you, and you’re not an East Kilbride Probus Club member, please go along and enjoy that choice of talk.
You may even decide to join – but there is no obligation.