Zambian Independence Day

Independence day was the 24th of the month and the school organized a huge celebration for the village to attend. I arrived at 9 am just in time to see some drama skits the schoolkids had made up. The next event was a drinking competition (which I competed in) where contestants drank a mysteriously colored liquid out of broken liquor bottles in front of several hundred people. I came in a close second and nearly vomited after slamming the litre of the dull yellow sugar water. The next activity was a nshima and goat eating competition which seemed a bit ironic in a malnourished country, but it was a huge hit. And years of malnourishment, a lack of food and large families make these people very accomplished speed eaters. A heaping bowl of nshima and goat was eaten under 2 minutes. And no, I did not compete.
The diesel generator was fired up and a dance competition took place in the blazing heat (100+ deg.) where 15 yr old kids were dancing to congolese rhumba. Although Zambia is a somewhat conservative country the dancing speaks otherwise. 14 yr old guys and girls grinding on each other, gyrating their hips in ways that are just a touch suggestive in front of hundreds of people. I guess not so different than middle school dances back in the states though. After the modern dance finished and a 12 year old kid was crowned the winner the traditional dancers took the field. Wrapped head to toe in maize sacks and masks they danced for well over a half hour as the crowd went crazy. Even the 65 year old chief went out and danced with them.
The PTA invited me to eat goat for lunch, which I reluctantly accepted. I ate what I determined to be kidney and intestines. Slurping down an intestine like a spaghetti noodle is not my idea of an Independence day lunch. But eating meat is a big deal so I obliged to eat the goat with a smile on my face. Whatever happened to hotdogs and hamburgers?
After lunch the drinking started and people were feeding me booze like it was my 21st birthday. Except that the booze was honey beer and maize beer (Kosolo and Monkoyo). Everybody was drinking beer, getting wasted in the blazing sun and listening to gospel music.... yes not everything makes sense here.
I was invited to play football and ran on the field barefoot and with a churning gut. I stumbled around until halftime when my feet were bloody from the thorns and my head was pounding from the sun. I went directly home for some rest and immediately broke out into hives from some type of allergic reaction. Probably some combination of everything I had ingested during the day. After two benadryl I passed out in my hammock by 7 pm. Meanwhile, others partied until the late hours. I guess I'm losing my edge...