Kalingalinga

Kalingalinga is probably my favorite neighborhood in Lusaka. Well, not really my favorite at all, but the most fun to say. Say it, Kalingalinga. My theory about why it’s called that:

Kalingalinga is the place to go if you need a large metal gate for the wall around your house, a wooden bed frame, an overstuffed couch or a pile of rocks. That’s right, apparently the entire gravel industry of Lusaka centers around the rock hammerers of Kalingalinga. Drive through at any time of the day, and for blocks and blocks, people sit by the side of the road, under the hot sun, making the sound, “Kaling! Kaling!” as they monotonously hammer rocks into gravel. Old and young alike, they sit on the ground and hammer. Sometimes they even have the little babies wrapped around them while they hammer, perhaps to accustom them to that “kaling” that will be the rhythm of their lives. The children who are old enough to sit and hold a hammer can break rocks too. Imagine being born into a rock hammering family.

It’s actually not a very nice place at all. It’s busy, it’s dusty, it’s hot, it’s dangerous at night. One of my fellow interns has a good Zambian friend she works with who lives in Kalingalinga. She was recently staying there at night. Even though there were bars on the windows of the house, they can’t keep the windows open at night for safety reasons. And the power was out, so there were no fans. So she lay awake all night, sweltering in the Kalingalinga heat. Recently though, I have found its saving grace.

In the past few weeks, the Jacaranda trees have been in bloom. Tall, branching trees alive with a rich purple flower, a sort of opposite of an autumn maple alive with reds and oranges. The Jacarandas, which cover the trees like the leaves, are a beginning instead of an end. They are the kind of flower that you just want to look at in awe and appreciate. That you wait all year to see. All around me, people say, “Look, the Jacarandas are in bloom.” And people who are not here, but who have been here in the past will write to me and say, “I imagine the Jacarandas must be in bloom.”

These beautiful trees grace even the dustiest, hottest and most unappealing neighborhoods. Under the Jacarandas, even Kalingalinga looks inviting. Almost. But do let me know if you need some of the finest gravel in Lusaka.