top of page
Search
  • Writer's pictureAllison Schultz

Power Problems

Beep, beep, beep, beep! My family and I would all groan as we heard the all too familiar high pitched sound of my dad’s computer backup battery going off, indicating that the electricity was out. AGAIN. Most people won’t understand true electricity problems until they have lived in Africa for a while and have experienced several months of 8-15 hour daily power outages.


My family and I have gone through this for as long as I can remember. Sometimes the power company would do pretty well and we’d only go off several hundred times in a year. But other times it was pretty frustrating. I remember back in 2008 and 2009 that there was a period of about 7 months where our power would go off at about 5:00 am and not return until nearly 2:00 pm. What made the situation even more frustrating was that we had a borehole pump that needed electricity in order to give us water; so, we would go without water during power outages as well. It was rough, especially on my mom because of cooking for and making sure that her four little kids were clean. It was an annoying time, but we managed and got really good at hauling buckets of water!

A Cause for Concern

I have heard (and seen) how many other African countries are also suffering from electricity problems. I can only speak for Zambia on why this is the case, but it boils down to one simple little word: corruption. The problem with Zambian electricity is that it is a monopoly. There is only one company in the entire country called Zescothat supplies power. Prices are outrageous and the quality and dependability is ridiculously unprofessional. Debt management and power sources have also been a big problem for Zesco, especially over the past few years.


Photo credits: Wikipedia

Most of Zambia’s power comes from Kariba Dam which is located in-between Zambia and Zimbabwe and holds nearly 185 cubic kilometers of water. Due to a lack of rain over the last few years, Kariba Dam hasn’t filled up like it should which has decreased the electricity output from the turbines. One other problem is that the government hasn’t maintained this dam even though it was built all the way back in 1955. Because of the lack of upkeep and the fear of it completely collapsing, several years ago the service tunnels were filled in with solid concrete and now maintenance is impossible. The original turbines were also old, so several years ago the government replaced them with cheaper ones. Although these new turbines work, they use about twice as much water as they used to in order to generate the same amount of electricity as before. The problem is simple: Zambia just doesn’t have enough electricity to go around and with prices increasing (sometimes by 200%) and more and more housing areas demanding new electricity lines, the problem is quickly escalating each year. In fact, just last month Zesco announced that outages might reach up to 15 hours a day for the rest of this year and into next year.

Passing the Time

2 1/2 x 3 foot zentangle created by me in 2016

My least favorite outages were ones that happened in the evenings. After completing a day of school and eating in a somewhat dark dining room even though my dad and mom installed kerosene lamps in each room in our house, it was easy to get bored at night. My family and I are not night owls, but with the sun going away before 7:00 pm every evening because of how close Zambia is to the equator, it was hard to find something to do in that two-hour gap before bedtime.

That’s when my mom introduced me and my sisters to Zentangle, the best entertainment in the world for nightly power outages. Just in case you’ve never heard of it before, Zentangle is a type of art that is becoming more popular and doesn’t take a lot of art supplies to complete. All you need is paper, a black marker, a little bit of light and an imagination! Click here to see examples of zentangle if you’re interested in learning more about it.


My mom and sisters and I began to practice zentangling in 2015, and it turned into a relaxing hobby for me that I still do even though I live in a country where there is always electricity. Before I left Zambia to head to college in 2017, my parents asked me to zentangle a wall so that they could see my art even after I left. I hope you enjoy the video!




29 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page