When the last of the nine shots was fired at Ernesto Che Guevara in that ramshackle building, his executioner thought that he had silenced the romantic revolutionary once and for all. But what happened was the opposite, obviously to the dismay of the Bolivian government and the CIA, which masterminded the manhunt. Instead of being killed, as it were, Che was immortalised and turned into a timeless icon, thanks to a snap shot that was taken by Alberto Korda in 1960. This article looks at this resilient revolutionary from the perspective of a 21st century citizen.
Nerva Dzikanyanga Post
"An educative, historical, social and entertainment avenue"
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
ERNESTO 'CHE' GUEVARA: THE RESILIENT REVOLUTIONARY
Thursday, 29 August 2013
PASHA DZIKANYANGA CLOCKS ONE YEAR AS NERVA AND STELLA CELEBRATE THEIR SECOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
It was all joy in our happy
family in the blessed month of August. First it was me and my wife Stella
celebrating our second wedding anniversary on the sixth of August. Then on the
12th it was Pasha’s turn. The little girl clocked one year. What
else could we have done than engage ourselves in celebrations?
And indeed we celebrated
like nobody’s business. The celebrations began on the 6th with a
visit to new opened Hapuwani Lodge in Mulanje as seen in the pictures below:
Pasha Dzikanyanga by the swimming pool side at Hapuwani Lodge |
Nerva, Pasha and Stella Dzikanyanga posing for a photographer at Hapuwani Lodge |
The celebrations came to a
climax six days later on Pasha’s birthday, the 12th of August. A
double anniversary and birthday party was arranged at home. Several activities
were lined up at the party. But the most memorable event of the day came when
Pasha with the assistance of her mother cut our wedding cake for the entire
guest to partake of this treasure.
The cake which was
prepared for our wedding on 6th August 2011 was specially preserved
for this occasion. I and my wife had agreed that our first born child should
also taste our wedding cake on her/his first birthday. We were delighted to see
Pasha enjoying the wedding cake and asking for more. The cake tasted fresh
although it had stayed in the refrigerator for two years. The video clip below
shows Pasha preparing to cut the wedding cake.
Pasha received gifts from
her cousins: Gloria and Agnes and uncles Enerst, Paska and Gladson beside
other numerous gifts from her parents and several well-wishers who patronized
the wedding anniversary-cum-birthday party. The party ended with a dance as
seen from the picture below.
Patrons dancing and giving Pasha some gifts during the party |
Monday, 5 November 2012
Pasha Dzikanyanga does it again
More ‘firsts’ for Pasha Dzikanyanga
Pasha has done it again. The amazing
little girl has added another first on the list of her feats so far. Yesterday, Sunday, 4th November
2012, she became the first child to be baptized during the English service at
Chitakale CCAP in Mulanje. As if that was not enough, Pasha became the first
child at Chitakale CCAP Church to undergo a lone baptism ceremony. She was the only
child to be baptized on the holy Sunday; Stella and I felt extremely honoured during the historic ceremony.
Pasha was baptized at exactly 8:45
am on the cool Sunday morning. The entire Chitakale CCAP Congregation held its
breath as the little Pasha was baptized. The little girl smiled broadly as the
Minister recited the baptismal script. Her smile was spasmodically interrupted
by the shouts of “ah!” from the little Pasha, to the amazement of the entire
English-speaking Chitakale congregation. At two months and three weeks, the
little has already started building her vocabulary full of the usual child
gobbledygook.
The minister blessed the little
girl and wished her a long, healthy, prosperous and blessed life. He also went
on to congratulate her for making history by becoming the first child to be
baptized during the English service. It was amazing, how I wish you were there!
Pasha availed her
record-shattering tendency and competitive spirit on the 12th August
when she became the first child to be born through the cesarean section on
that day at Mulanje Mission Hospital. A record five babies were born through cesarean section and the marvelous Pasha led the way. So don't be surprised when I tell you that Pasha has broken another
record, it’s her nature.
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Thoughts of my late Mom, on Mother’s Day
My
late mother, Chrissy Nasilina
Dzikanyanga, nee Mphamba will
always occupy a special place in my life come rain or sunshine. I am what I am
today because of her. I have crossed deep oceans but found none as deep as my
love for her.
This
courageous woman carried me in her womb for nine months to preserve my life. As
if that was not enough she braved a cesarean section on 11th June
at Likuni Hospital in Lilongwe to bring me into this world. When I think about
how other women abort innocent fetuses like nobody’s business and go scot free,
I consider myself privileged and my mother a virtuous woman.
My mother was the best teacher, counselor,
guide, guardian, friend, nurse, lawyer and judge that I have had in my life.
She could forgo food just to make sure that I had enough to eat. She never
forgot to tell me how I was feeling every morning and every evening. Whenever I
was happy she was happy too and when I was sad she was sad as well but was
always ready to give me soul soothing words.
I
had always been a child to my mother. She was never afraid of me even when I
grew taller than her, started a body building programme, add some muscles and
put a six pad on my stomach. She would shout at me like a baby and I wouldn’t
dare challenge her. I always liked my mother for that. She demonstrated that
she cared much about me and my siblings. Even after the passing on of our
magnificent father, she remained in control of the family affairs.
My
mother also taught me the power of prayer. It will be unbecoming of me if I
don’t disclose today that it was a biblical verse she wrote in her letter to me
and a soul touching prayer she gave over me that opened the doors to prosperity
for me.
It
was that verse and prayer that gave me the courage and strength to move on when
I had almost given up on acquiring some sound tertiary education. I always tell
my friends that my journey to prosperity began with a verse and prayer. It’s
sad that my mother died while I was still in college, before she could see the
fruits of her hard labour.
Ladies
and gentlemen, it even pains me to realize that Pasha my daughter will never
see her virtuous grandmother in fresh. She will only see her in photographs and
reconstruct her life in the moving stories that she will be told about her
marvelous granny. A woman full of advice and funny folk tales.
Honestly,
I envy all of you guys who had the opportunity to share some wonderful moments
with your mothers and give something as a token of appreciation for their
priceless effort in preserving your lives today. As for me, I can only visit
her tomb and thank her immortal soul.
Ladies
and gentlemen, boys and girls, join me in paying homage to the most wonderful
mother in the world, Chrissy Nasilina
Dzikanyanga, nee Mphamba. May God
bless her immortal soul!
Friday, 12 October 2012
For Pasha Dzikanyanga
Little Pasha |
Today, marks exactly two months since Pasha, my beautiful
daughter was born. She arrived into the world by way of a cesarean section,
just like me, on Sunday, 12th August 2012. The little Pasha was born six days after my wife
and I had celebrated our first wedding anniversary. What else can make a couple
more grateful to God than this?
Weighing 3.5kgs at birth, Pasha is indeed a Leo. She looks
strong, intelligent, focused, composed and relaxed. She doesn’t feel
intimidated by her new environment but she is always busy figuring out reality
and developing a bigger picture of the world in the process. Honestly speaking,
the girl is my carbon copy; she has my hair, mouth, nose, and chin. My wife
even argues that her feet resemble mine. But for your information, I am a
Gemini.
Honestly, I will never forget the moment my sister in-law
handed her over to me straight from the theater; it was the happiest moment in
my life. A day never passes by without me reliving that occasion. It was that
moment that made me realize that indeed I have grown up for I became not only a
husband to my wife Stella, but also
a father to my daughter Pasha.
Why the Name Pasha?
Some friends have been asking me why I gave my daughter the
name Pasha. Honestly speaking the name just dropped into my mind like a
thunderbolt on a rock and I fell for it. It is an Indian name, which means
bond. Pasha is therefore a bond
between me and Stella, my family and Stella’s family, and between the two
tribes to which we belong: Ngoni and Chewa. It is my hope that as Pasha grows,
this bond will become stronger and stronger. May the Lord be praised for Pasha! May the good Lord bless Pasha so that she may lead a fulfilling
life in this world!
Sunday, 17 June 2012
For Hector Pieterson and the 16 June Children of Soweto
The entire continent of Africa celebrates the International Day of the African Child
on June 16, every year. This day has been celebrated since 1991, when it was
first initiated by the then Organization of African Unity (now the African
Union). The Day was established in honour of all those who participated in the
Soweto Uprising of June 16, 1976. It also raises awareness of the continuing
need for improvement of the education provided to African Children. But 36
years after the Soweto Uprising and 21 years after the International Day of the
African Child was first celebrated we Africans need to ask our leaders some
pertinent and radical questions because it appears that the force that the
children of Soweto fought against is still alive and kicking today.
On the fateful June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black
children peacefully marched in a column more than half a mile long in
protesting against the poor quality of their education and demanding their right
to be taught in their own language. But the apartheid South African Government
forces opened gunfire on these innocent souls, killing some and injuring many
in the process. Hundreds more were killed and more than a thousand injured in
the two-week protests that followed this brutal June 16 police action. Hector
Pieterson (see image), who was the first to be killed, remains the most famous
of these courageous African children.
First victim: Lifeless Hector Pieterson is carried by a sympathetic teenager |
But if Hector Pieterson rose from the dead today, would he be
contented that his blood has yielded the intended fruits? The honest answer
remains a loud no, just like it was in 1991 when the day was first celebrated.
Today the standard of education remains poor in most African countries and the
majority of African children are still alienated in institutions of learning which are
meant to serve them. African schools have never been friendly to the child and
our education continues to serve the interests of political leaders and not the
children for whom it is designed. In this 21st Century, our children
continue to have a cosmetic representation in curriculum development forums
even though they have a direct interest in education. The concept of inclusive education is very strange to Africa and there are very few
schools on the continent, which offer the child friendly Montessori type of education.
Take me to a country where education services are offered in
the best interest of the child and I will take you to African schools where
learners are forced to converse in English or French only, although these are
not their mother languages. Learners get punished for seeking clarification of
a scholarly point in their own mother language. This means that learners will
have to fight a two-front war in order to acquire knowledge; they have to
grapple with the second language all the time before wrestling with the concept
at hand. Believe you me, they will always come second class to those who are
taught in their mother language. Isn’t this the very thing the children of
Soweto fought against?
I am not saying that our education should be in vernacular,
but our teachers should ensure that the learners are able to understand the
concepts well. They can communicate in vernacular if they want to drive a point
home. Remember, teaching and learning just like any communication process has
to be dynamic and complete. Today I pay a belated homage to Pieterson and all
the 16 June Children of Soweto, but my heart grieves upon realizing that their
rebellion and eventual deaths have been taken for granted. May the souls of
these courageous children of the African soil rest in eternal peace.
Below I have published my poem which I recited as a student
at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi, during the fourth celebration of the
International Day of the African Child. You will find out that the issues
addressed in the poem are as fresh as they were in 1994.
African Child
Wake up
African Child.
The sun
is peeping
through
the window
of your
dark cubbyhole.
Wake up
African Child.
For how
long will you sleep in a coma
with
dreams of better days
hidden
inside your pillow?
Wake up African
Child.
Bask in
the warm glow of education
to arm
yourself with confidence
as the
going gets tough.
Wake up African
Child.
Let your
wings grow
and fly
so high
to the
heights of the skies.
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