Humid mine galleries, delicious Nepalese food and football in yellow and blue were among the ingredients when four Swedish house husbands from Lusaka went to the Copperbelt in northern Zambia in June.
After putting on a helmet, a white overcoat, shoes and the heavy mining torches hanging around the neck we walk towards the elevator that will take us a thousand meters down in Mopani´s Copper Mine in Kitwe. It is a heavy sulphate smell in the air and it is difficult to breathe.
The elevator is filled with miners liked packed herrings and we wind down in total darkness for a few giddy seconds. We are four Swedish house husbands living in Lusaka who have gone to the Copperbelt. The visit to Mopani´s Copper Mine in Kitwe has been arranged by Atlas Copco, which is big in mining equipment in Zambia.
Down in the mine we walk the endless mine galleries where moisture drips along the gray walls of rock. The guide shows us a place where remnants of stones filled with copper lies in piles. We put one stone each in our pockets and walk further into the mine. The mine galleries get lower and lower and the humid heat rises.
After two hours of walking a thousand meters down in the ground, it feels like a relief to take the lift up again and taking off the mining clothes. We stop at the Mukwa lodge where we slept the night and we are being served another delicious meal by the Lodge´s Nepalese chef.
After a last night in Mukwa Lodge we visit the memorial site of former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld outside Ndola. On this spot Hammarskjöld´s plane crashed during his peace mediation efforts in the conflict in the DRC.
The Memorial stone with surrounding flowers and inscriptions made by visiting dignitaries from around the world is beautifully situated by a small pine forest. A highly knowledgeable guide shows us around the small museum. He is happy when we give him the latest edition of the Swedish Embassy's "Swedish Culinary Classics - Recipes with History and Originality". The museum's current copy is yellowed by age.
A bit behind the memory site we spot some school children who play football. They have yellow and blue school uniforms, so we get a little curious and go there. It turns out that the children attend "Dag Hammarskjold Living Memorial School" which was built with support from the UN and a multinational company. The children are excited when we say we are from the same country as Hammarskjöld and some teachers show us around.
Teachers appeal for financial help to build two new buildings for teachers´ accommodations. They tell us that many teachers walk long distances every day to and from school and that the risk of assault make some choose to stay at home instead.
It is morning and time to go back to Lusaka. The excellent road, which is quite unusual in Zambia, takes us to Lusaka following two fruitful days in the Copperbelt.
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