The second and third weeks of February 2014 presented me with yet another opportunity to reflect on my life. Two accomplished figures in the country, namely, Gospel Kazako and Saulos “Mr Money” Chilima, were in the limelight. For Kazako, this was at the event where Zodiak Radio (some calls it Zodiak Broadcasting Corporation) was presenting awards to the best 2013 MSCE female students at Mary Mount in Mzuzu. President Joyce Banda, retired Chief Justice Richard Banda and Vice-President Khumbo Kachale were in attendance. And as for Chilima, his event was being unveiled as running mate for Peter Mutharika in the May 20 elections.
As I have said already, this week presented me with opportunities to reflect. Let me start with Chilima. Saulos and I went to Chancellor College in the same year in 1990. I was a Bachelor of Science student while he was a Bachelor of Social Science student. We shared the same mathematics class under JPG Ewer and not much else. Later on in second year, I dropped mathematics for purely not ticking while he continued as I understand he wanted to also do computer science with his economics. For me, as I scored 58% in the first term, 58% second term and 58% third term in mathematics, this was a clear indication that I was not going to have a bright future in such a discipline.
At the end of first year, I kissed mathematics goodbye and moved on to do philosophy instead. That was the last time I shared a class with Saulos and perhaps destiny as well.
My points about Saulos are not so much that he continued with mathematics or that we were in the same mathematics class. Many people shared with him many things, knew him well than I did, are even his close friends and know his brothers, parents, where he lives, what poison he drinks etc. What I wanted to say really was that if you came to Chanco in 1990 up to 1993, you were bound to know who Saulos Chilima was. He had something that made it that you just have to know him. For many of us, we went to Chanco and even our roommates cannot remember who we are. Inconsequential individuals!
Let me move on to Gospel Kazako. Gospel and I met at H.H.I Secondary School in Blantyre where both he and I left the institution in 1990. Everyone knew Gospel and they knew him also for things that he is known for now. Gospel wanted to teach people through stories and being funny. This was not always appreciated as he could get into problems with teachers who thought the school environment needed to be as quiet as the cemetery.
Gospel was a fearless character but not violent. Teachers liked him a lot for the educational content of his words just as sometimes they did not appreciate his wisdom. I believe our presidents listen to his wisdom just as sometimes they wished he did not say a word. People listened to Gospel more than they did the teachers!
