‘IT IS HEREBY NOTIFIED for public information that under and by virtue of the powers conferred upon him by His Excellency the High Commissioner’s Proclamation No. 6 of 1911 His Honour the Administrator has been pleased to make the subjoined Rules for the good government of Lusaka and land adjacent thereto.’ says Government Notice No. 48 dated 31 July 1913.

This was the official notice establishing a local authority, a management board, in Lusaka almost one hundred years ago.

This important fact has not gone unnoticed by a group ofLusakaresidents who have formed themselves into an organisation calledLusaka100.  Whilst most ofLusakahas been slumbering away, this group of volunteers have been quietly planning and plotting to bring to you an amazing selection of events and activities.

As with all such undertakings, there is still much that has to be done before the final programme will be available; such important things as sponsorships to be obtained, venues to be arranged and their availability confirmed, final organisers to be identified for each individual event and a myriad of other details including participants committing themselves to participation. But planning has started early as the organisers know that if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. And they do not plan to fail.  They plan to present toLusakaan extravaganza the likes of which have NEVER been seen before in our humble city and which will bring tremendous enjoyment and pleasure to all ofLusaka’s residents, young and old, rich and poor.

Included in the events will be different sporting activities, a marathon through the streets ofLusaka, a float procession where it is hoped that all ofLusaka’s clubs, associations, institutions and businesses will make the effort to be part of the procession.

On the entertainment side, there will be bands playing, actors acting and singers singing.  Although still in the planning stage,Lusaka100 hope that there will be some big names in the visiting entertainers who will not only give concerts, but will also judge the planned ‘Battleof the Bands’. Also on the list are a fireworks display, an air show and a Military Tattoo.

Planning is underway for a number of different competitions – photographic and art competitions as well as a Malasha Bike Race which is sure to be good humour and entertainment as our Malasha burners battle it out on their bicycles loaded with three bags of charcoal.  Also on the list is a Heritage Hunt which will involve participants visiting a selection of Heritage sites in Lusaka where they will not only learn more about the history of Lusaka but will also be able to win prizes. For the artists there will be a chance for them to exhibit their art depictingLusakalife and to sell their paintings to a captive audience.  A display of old photographs showing the development ofLusakaover the last one hundred years is also planned.

Beautifying Lusaka is also an important aim of this committee and Lusaka 100 are appealing to business owners in Lusaka to start thinking about giving their buildings a coat of paint and a general clean up of the area surrounding their premises. The committee itself will be working with various Government or Council bodies to clean up and beautify certain selected places. But they can’t do everything and business owners inLusakaneed to come to the party and show their pride in being part ofZambia’s capital city in its one hundredth year.

Branding with theLusaka100 logo is also available to businesses manufacturing goods inLusaka, so if you are a manufacturer, now is the time to get in contact with the committee to arrange this so that you have time to have new labels printed or to have your product redesigned.

It goes without saying thatLusaka100 are still open to suggestions of other events to be included in the programme. So if you believe that you have something to offer that is interesting and that will enhance the overall programme, please do get in touch with them.  Some readers may also have questions that they wish to ask. The committee can be contacted by email on info AT lusaka100 DOT com so please do get in touch with any suggestions, ideas or questions. Additionally, if you have friends or relatives planning to visit next year, why not suggest that they visit over the week commencing 26 July 2013 whenLusakashould be at its best and where there will be a real buzz in the city.

Watch this space and also the daily newspapers for more information as it becomes available.