TEDDY KUYELA, Lusaka
HALF a century ago, the school that is now Matero Boys’ Secondary School (Maboys) was opened. It has offered quality education and produced some of Zambia’s greatest minds ever since.
This year, Maboys, as it is fondly known, celebrated its golden Jubilee. Despite the celebrations starting with the Jubilee inter-block soccer competition, celebrations continued through Saturday, July 9, 2016.
The celebrations begin at 07:00 hours with a march past from Northmead to Arcades Shopping Mall where a carnival was held.
Matero Boys’ Secondary School was opened in 1966 and this year it turned 50. In celebrating the school’s Golden Jubilee, a number of activities were lined up, including the Golden Jubilee Carnival which took place on Saturday at Arcades Shopping Mall
A carnival is a Catholic festive season that occurs before the Catholic season of Lent. It involves a public celebration and/or a parade combining some elements of a circus, masks and public street party.
People wear masks and costumes during many such celebrations, allowing them to lose their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity.
In the Catholic Church in many places in the world, this kind of carnival is performed just before Lent. As a school where the teaching of art and music is pronounced, the hosting of the carnival is befitting, for it exemplified the expressive disposition of the pupils.
The philosophical definition of the masks all participants wore that Saturday is that, every child is born like any other. However, their potential is hidden from the world at large until the process of education ignites it.
It, therefore, follows that every child who wore a mask that Saturday morning was telling us that “You do not know who I am until I remove my mask,” Consequently, everyone is hidden behind the mask of culture, religion, race and geographical setting. But beyond that all are one and they are children of God.
As a Christian school, through this carnival a lesson to the pupils of the school was that if man removes the barriers of culture, religion and all other social compartmentalisation, the image of God hidden in each one of us will show. All people are just but a mask and beyond them is the image of God.
The Maboys’ carnival was flagged off by the Football Association of Zambia president, Andrew Kamanga from Lusaka’s On the Run Filling Station at Northmead, through Great East Road to Arcades Shopping Mall.
The 600 plus pupils were led by the school’s first female Head teacher, Petridah Manongo, accompanied by teachers, parents and former pupils of the school.
Wearing colourful masks and yellow golf T-shirts , one of the school colours, the pupils were led by the Zambia Police Brass Band playing joyous music. Red is other school colour.
Also in the procession were the Boys’ Brigade, Makishi dancers, cyclists and puppeteers.
Lusaka’s Great East Road came to a standstill on this memorable Saturday morning, as motorists and members of the general public were greeted by the colourful celebration of Zambia’s rich cultural heritage intermingled with colour and pomp. The monotony of ordinary days was broken by this procession.
The pupils, organised according to their houses, from House 1 to 14, carried colourful banners. The house system is one of the characteristics of Marianist education which puts Matero Boys’ Secondary School in a class of its own as it promotes a family spirit.
At Arcades Shopping Mall, shoppers and other members of the public were treated to stage performances which started with the singing of the National Anthem, played by the Police Brass Band. Entertainment was provided in form of music by the Boys’ Brigade, puppeteers and acrobatic displays by cyclists.
The Makishi dancers spiced the event with cultural performances, giving the event a cultural touch.
An Art exhibition of pupils’
art works was set up composed of paintings on canvas and a display of traditional masks from various parts of Zambia.
The art works effectively brought out the cultural diversity of Zambia’s rich heritage.
The school head teacher’s speech brought out the vision of the school, going beyond 50-years, apart from highlighting the plight of the school in its quest for quality education.
Mrs Manongo str o n g ly emphasised the need for corporate support to expand school infrastructure in form of modern science laboratories, a modern library stocked with latest books and increased classroom space.
The guest of honour, Mr Kamanga also gave a keynote speech urging the pupils to take education seriously as it is a key to success.
The Matero Boys’ Secondary School Golden Jubilee Carnival will forever remain memorable in the hearts and minds of pupils, parents and teachers.
After a week – long of celebrations, the Grand Finale of the Matero Boys’ Secondary School Golden Jubilee took place on Saturday, July 16, 2016 in the School Court yard.
The programme started with Mass celebrated by retired Mansa Catholic Diocese Emeritus Bishop Aaron Andrew Chisha.
At this occasion, Bishop Chisha also called on all political parties in the country to embrace issue-based campaigns and a spirit of tolerance, love and unity head of next month’s polls.
Emeritus Bishop said unity is a formidable weapon in the fight against the country’s number one enemy – poverty.
“Zambia will only move forward if people continue to remain united. Unity is the foundation upon which modern Zambia was born and the cornerstone on which our future depends,” Bishop Chisha said.
He said Zambians should understand that God has been very gracious to Zambia as a country because of Christians’ consistent prayers and petitions sent to Him adding that politicians whose conduct negates peace efforts should be ignored because they do not mean well for the country.
Bishop Chisha said all well-meaning Zambians want peace to prevail before, during and after the elections and that the church should continue praying for the nation to help safeguard the peace and unity that the country has been enjoying since independence.
He said the Church, as it stands in the gap for the country, should pray against electoral violence in the country and that through prayer, God will speak to the people planning to spawn violence before, during and after the elections.
After Mass, there was a stage programme at which speeches were made by the School Head teacher, Mrs Manongo, Thomson Fungwa (PTA chairperson), Carmine Annuziatta (first head teacher of Matero Boys’ Secondary School), Father Gabriel (regional superior, Marianist Brothers) and Kaweche Kaunda (representative of The First Republican President’s family).
At the same occasion, Dr Kaunda was conferred with the ‘Chaminade Memorial Award’. This award was composed particularly for him. It was Dr Kaunda who attended the inauguration of the school in 1966 and turned up for the fortieth anniversary of the school.
Kaweche Kaunda represented his father at the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Others honoured were Carmine Annuziata, (Pioneer Award), Mrs Manongo (Jubilee head teacher) and Friday Talimi (Past Master Award).
Long live Maboys, Long live Zambia, in the spirit of the school motto ‘Deeds not Words’.