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<kawangavik@yahoo.co.uk> Osborn, Interesting observation, indeed. And it is true such does exist especially in Anglo-African. I am yet to get a comment from those of my colleagues in Franco-phone Africa. I do remember, as a young boy; learning at a school where it was punishable to speak what was termed "Vernacular" in preference to English. In a cluster of subjects (8-10) subjects (as we are known to read more subjects than those aligned to your chosen career) I had the privilege of getting distinctions (in Grade 7) in all including ChiBemba, one of the 7 major languages spoken in Zambia. Because I was classified as having scored heights by the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ), I was (without asking me) taken to a technical school (Hillcrest, in Livingstone, Southern Province of Zambia) where I found myself in a dilema. All subjects were technical ones amounting to between 8-10. My interest has always been anthropology even when I was young. At the time, I did not know of the existence of a term "Anthropology", but had an idea to learn languages, cultures, history and the resultant social, economic, cultural, environment, religious, spiritual and development struggles that people from to time go through. One day, a visiting politician at my school (in 1984) caused some technical stir and confusion in our understanding of languages when a simple question meant to find out why we cannot use our local languages in schools was answered in a manner that has left questions than answers in my mind, years later. His answer was in form of a question: "Can you translate the name 'Test Tube' in your mother tongue? Somehow, I knew a term does exist, except the question was impromptuly posed to warrant an immediate answer. What followed was laughter. Since then that episode has always been a nightmare to me! In the recent past, I had a discussion with a lecturer at the University of Zambia enquiring why Anthropology does not exist as a school or department at the institution. His answer was, during the period running to the opening of the university of Zambia, a heated debate ensured that studying anthropology is to look at primitivity in an advanced form, but since you are modern, such subjects should be left hanging as modules are appended to sociology etc.. Against the foregoing prognosis, a few colleagues (with me included) have teamed up to prepare a project whose product would be Encyclopaedia Africana where we feel such elements of development can be explained. Again, an interesting insights with confusing answers! Victor Kazembe Kawanga, New Mansa Museum, Luapula Province, Zambia
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