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Showtime
First published
in 1979, and recently updated, this book takes the history of the
Agricultural and Commercial Society of Zambia, from its very
beginning to the show in 2006.
The first
edition, written by Dick Hobson, was done in collaboration with
Margaret Dodgson, who did much of the research. This updated
edition has been written by Margaret, with Gabriel Ellison
assisting with the research.
The book is more
than a history of the Society, it is a history of the commercial
agricultural industry in Zambia; a history of the start of
agricultural research; of how the tsetse fly hampered the
development of agriculture, of how the red locust plagues caused
further hardships and how the discovery and mining of copper had a
positive effect on agriculture.
 The
most interesting part for me are the amusing anecdotes and personal
stories of the people, the characters, that arrived in this country
and set about developing it , cutting their farms out of virgin
bush, planting their crops without the benefit of the equipment and
machinery that we have today. And what characters these people
were.
The updated
section, covering the years 1976 to 2000, tell of the further
development of the society and the showgrounds, the success of the
Commonwealth Show in 1979 and the continued financial ups and downs
of the society. Also covered are the other dimensions of the Show
Society and the activities that go on within the confines of the
Showgrounds : the Gymkhana Club, the Polo Club, the Kennel and
Garden Clubs and Motorocross. In this section there are also
numerous full colour photos.
It was in 1979
that I read the first edition of this book, written in an
easy-to-read style (the mark of Dick Hobson) and I believe it was
this book, with the familiar names and places that got me
interested in Zambia rich history. Over the years, I have often
referred back to this book, as the names of many of the people
mentioned crop up in other historical books on Zambia.
Showtime is
available from the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Zambia
offices at the Showgrounds.
Truly Scumptious
Another book, not
available from mainstream book shops is Truly Scrumptious, recently
published and being sold to raise funds for the Lusaka Animal
Welfare Society.
This is not a
glossy, full-of-colour-photos recipe book, but rather a book of
tried and tested recipes, from people who are not trained chefs
preparing their meals in professional type kitchens with the perfect
piece of equipment for each job. They are tried and tested by
ordinary people like us.
And some of them
are rather intriguing, such as Impossible Pie, where all the
ingredients are mixed together and once baked, everything is in the
right place : the crust at the bottom, custard in the middle and
coconut on top. It really does work (I tried) and it is tasty as
well.
Truly Scrumptious
is available form
Mary’s Book Shop and Sisi’s Veggie Shop (next to Gerritz
Restaurant).
Remember the proceeds
from the sale go towards the upkeep of all Lusaka’s stray animals
and the maintenance of the LAWS kennels |
July
2007