A detailed update from Zambia

Now that I have a bit of free time as a volunteer I figure I should get around to that detailed entry. I'm going to break this down three ways: my writing itself, my swear-in, and some aspects of life in Zambia.

From this point forward I will basically break down my writing into two sections, depending on context. My activities and cultural observations will be labelled as Adventures in Lunda Land. This is sort-of an outlet for my anthropological musings and notes, which I hope could be of use for Americans trying to get an idea of life in the African Interior. My own philosophical statements which have been germinating in the US and are now sprouting here in Zambia will be labelled as An All-Consuming Fire. This is going to be a collection of my own created philosophy, a Conquering Philosophy, of both new and refined creations for those who walk the warrior's path amongst the ruins of the so-called modern world.

Adventures in Lunda Land


Swearing-In Ceremony

For the first time in Peace Corps Zambia history, our intake's swear-in was hosted by the President of Zambia at the State House. It was positively, absolutely surreal. Living in the Suse village for three months of training and suddenly being in what is the White House of Zambia, surrounded by a host of ambassadorial big-wigs and being able to eat professionally catered food was a huge shock for the mind to behold. The gravity of the situation has yet to truly sink in. I myself had the pleasure of being referred to as an "orthodox bishop" by President Sata, who has quite the sense of humor. After swearing-in within the sanctum sanctorum of Zambia we were honored with a luncheon and a few short speeches by some of the ambassadors. It was quite a unique and memorable day that no volunteer will forget soon (despite the raw amount of liquor consumed later in the night). 


What is Juju?


Simply put, juju refers to the traditional belief system (and its practices) that still exists side-by-side with the Christianity implanted in Zambia by the missionaries. While this may seem confusing at first, it is actually fairly easy to understand. When the missionaries came in and "saved" the Zambians from their traditional deities, Christianity merely acted as a veneer over the traditional life ways without actually altering them in any substantial way. The gods may have changed but the traditions did not, and these traditions live on under the veil of juju.

Examples of Juju

Sex Beads: these are beads, basically of any sort, used by a witch to harm someone. A witch enchants these beads and then tosses them at a targeted individual, causing illness and misfortune. If you get hit by these beads you must trick a person into taking their clothes off, usually by attempting to have sex with them, and then toss the beads at their naked bodies. As this person is lacking their protective clothing, the misfortune is transferred to him\her and you become safe once more.

Makishi: this refers to two separate entities. There are the traditional masked dancers and the magical servitors of the same name. The latter is essentially a servitor bound (using blood) to a mask or a masked statue carved by a witch. This servitor then becomes animated by the witch and moves as a cold wind in the night, attacking and injuring people targeted by the witch. If you somehow can see the servitor and you look into its eyes, you will be killed by it. These servitors cannot be killed. The former, however, is no magical entity but a person who dances at ceremonies under a prescribed (mask-based) persona. These dancers are also known to chase and beat people on certain occasions. They tend to wear tight clothing with noise-producing items affixed to them.

Floating Coffins: natural death does not occur in the African Interior. If a person dies, it must be due to juju and nothing else. Therefore it is important to locate and punish the witch who has killed your loved one. To do this a witch doctor will implant charms in the nostrils of the dead person and then have the coffin hoisted onto the shoulders of the deceased's friends and family. The witch doctor can then whip the coffin (to reanimate the corpse), which causes breathing noises to be heard within the coffin and then forces the coffin to locate the witch who killed the person within it. It may even take you to the place where the killing-charm was hidden initially. The witch is generally hit with the coffin and may even be beat to death with it (or by the family of the deceased).

An All-Consuming Fire


I will attempt to discuss some of the following themes in future updates, such as: luck and self-development, political theory for direct democracy in modern times, how to properly judge others, the positive uses of stress, the virtue of hatred, and other matters in the same vein.

This is not a philosophy for everyone. This is not geared towards the masses. This is not even meant for the average warrior. This is meant for the berserkers and the would-be conquerors of the world. This is meant for those who change themselves and thus change the world. This is meant for those who would rather stand and fight instead of comprising to this world of weakness and meaninglessness.

This is the fire that burns on all fronts and spares nothing in its way.


More to come soon.