Chiluba was the name of Kulu’s wife. I met both of them in Zambia, Africa in 1990, when I had the unusual job of video photographer on the mighty Zambezi River, just downstream of Victoria Falls near Livingston. I was young, at 30, and had the time of my life. I lost 35 lbs. in four months of the hottest weather you can imagine, eating everything I could get my teeth into in that extremely poor and desperate nation. Meeting and interacting with the locals was the best part of the experience, as they were so kind and generous, and one of my favorites was Kulu, which means grandfather. Tall, handsome, outgoing and articulate in the Queens English, he left an impression on me and everyone he met.

  I have the quirk of naming my instruments after friends and Kulu’s turn came and went. An African mahogany Baritone in his honor was sent to the San Fransisco Bay area, and when it came time to make another mahogany baritone, of course his wife Chiluba’s name was the next in line. She was a strong, handsome woman, always with a child or two in tow, and had the most lovely smile and a laugh that belied their poverty. At the time, the yearly average wage of a Zambian was $45 a year. I have never met people who impressed me as much as the Zambian people did during those four and a half months I was lucky enough to visit. Good Memories.