Banda, 100, shares tips on long life
IF it was in Japan where there are thousands of centenarians, the mass that took place at Lusaka's Mtendere Catholic Church last week to celebrate the life of John Mafuta Banda may not have been a significant event.
In any case, when our ancestors said 'the mouth of an old person may be smelly but what comes out of it is like gold', they gave critical advice on life and living.
As the life expectancy of an average Zambian keeps falling, John Mafuta Banda has still managed to reach 100 and he has a bit of energy left in him.
Banda was born on March 10, 1914 in a family of seven in Malawi's Mchinji area, particularly Jasi village, to Mwazilinga Phiri and Mafuta Banda.
When he was born, King Lubosi Lewanika of Barotseland was still on the throne and the First World War was about to begin.
Banda feels he has nothing to do with his long life but believes it is the will of God for him to have lived this long.
He notes that he has outlived all his brothers and sisters, which leaves him with questions of why God is still keeping him.
Banda had 9 children and 52 grandchildren many of whom have passed on and the number of great grandchildren is unknown.
He never had any formal education but was only taught to read Nyanja by his grandfather, a literary skill he still possesses much to his wife Tisimbenji Sakala's amazement.
He recalls that in his youth, he worked on a rice farm for an Indian farmer in Malawi.
Banda later migrated to Zambia and sustained his livelihood through bricklaying and fish mongering.
He says it is during one of the trips that he had undertaken to Kafue that he received a calling to start teaching in the Catholic Church, which he did.
Asked what his secret to his long life is, Banda says, "...Kuzisunga Thupi wekha osati anthu ena yai... kuopa zinthu zimene sizifunika, pamenepo muzaona kuti thupi lanu lioneka fresh fresh ... Taking care of your body and not depending on other people to do that for you ... be afraid of doing things that are not according and then you will notice your body looking fresh...."
In terms of diet, Banda is different from other old people who abandon meat for the sake of living longer. However, he loves vegetables and he eats more of them than he does meat.
He further adds that his height and body size also had a role to play; he is of medium height and small-bodied.
Banda is a staunch Catholic who facilitated the building of Kalingalinga Catholic Church before building Mtendere Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Lusaka.
Other than building the two churches, Banda was also involved in voluntary work of distributing medication to the needy during his youth and taught catechetical students in the church way before he was baptised himself.
"...Mkazi modzi, mwamuna modzi. Mukatelo muzakalamba..." "One woman, one man; if you do that you will grow old," Banda says.
In his closing remarks, Banda says there is need for today's young people to respect their bodies and partners.
"If you are married, stick to your partner but if you are not, respect your body. It is better to be called a fool than to be promiscuous like it is today," says Banda.
In any case, when our ancestors said 'the mouth of an old person may be smelly but what comes out of it is like gold', they gave critical advice on life and living.
As the life expectancy of an average Zambian keeps falling, John Mafuta Banda has still managed to reach 100 and he has a bit of energy left in him.
Banda was born on March 10, 1914 in a family of seven in Malawi's Mchinji area, particularly Jasi village, to Mwazilinga Phiri and Mafuta Banda.
When he was born, King Lubosi Lewanika of Barotseland was still on the throne and the First World War was about to begin.
Banda feels he has nothing to do with his long life but believes it is the will of God for him to have lived this long.
He notes that he has outlived all his brothers and sisters, which leaves him with questions of why God is still keeping him.
Banda had 9 children and 52 grandchildren many of whom have passed on and the number of great grandchildren is unknown.
He never had any formal education but was only taught to read Nyanja by his grandfather, a literary skill he still possesses much to his wife Tisimbenji Sakala's amazement.
He recalls that in his youth, he worked on a rice farm for an Indian farmer in Malawi.
Banda later migrated to Zambia and sustained his livelihood through bricklaying and fish mongering.
He says it is during one of the trips that he had undertaken to Kafue that he received a calling to start teaching in the Catholic Church, which he did.
Asked what his secret to his long life is, Banda says, "...Kuzisunga Thupi wekha osati anthu ena yai... kuopa zinthu zimene sizifunika, pamenepo muzaona kuti thupi lanu lioneka fresh fresh ... Taking care of your body and not depending on other people to do that for you ... be afraid of doing things that are not according and then you will notice your body looking fresh...."
In terms of diet, Banda is different from other old people who abandon meat for the sake of living longer. However, he loves vegetables and he eats more of them than he does meat.
He further adds that his height and body size also had a role to play; he is of medium height and small-bodied.
Banda is a staunch Catholic who facilitated the building of Kalingalinga Catholic Church before building Mtendere Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Lusaka.
Other than building the two churches, Banda was also involved in voluntary work of distributing medication to the needy during his youth and taught catechetical students in the church way before he was baptised himself.
"...Mkazi modzi, mwamuna modzi. Mukatelo muzakalamba..." "One woman, one man; if you do that you will grow old," Banda says.
In his closing remarks, Banda says there is need for today's young people to respect their bodies and partners.
"If you are married, stick to your partner but if you are not, respect your body. It is better to be called a fool than to be promiscuous like it is today," says Banda.