Arcades in Lusaka - a good thing or bad thing?

[taatsu]

When I was in Zed recently, I went to check out Arcades in Lusaka which opened in 2005. I must say I was impressed with the lay out of the place, ...the cafes, the shopping place, the internet access place, etc.

But I was also sad that the place mostly has things that are non Zambian. Although the aim of arcades is to encourage Zambian owners (compared to Manda Hill), when I walked round, I found most things in the shops (e.g. Spar), the food, etc was non- Zambian. There's literally nothing at Arcades apart fromt the Music in Sounds thats Zambian. Now if one of the nicest places in Lusaka has no Zambian things, is this a good thing?

I gather there plans for another Arcades in Kitwe.

My question for people in Lusaka is this :
Do you regard Arcades as a good for the Capital or not? Do you regularly hang out there? And why?

[Eaglesrock]

Finally someone made a similar observation to mine.
I once worked for Velos entreprises which was the major contractor for arcades construction. Believe me a good amount of materials used on its construction were procured from South africa. So its now not just the question of it having non Zambian products in shops. The problem started right from the pre-construction stage.
So the question we should be asking now is that what should we do to curb this disease. look at what is happening with shoprite, they ve made their money out of the so manyu foriegh goods they were selling and now they are living. when are we gonna rise to the occasion?

[sahani]

SHAME ON ZAMBIA.

[mubanga]

iyeee its its full of kids wearing all the western oufits u can think of,
some of them re practically naked if u ask me mwee.

[007blaze]

The idea of arcades was a good one. At least we have some nice looking places in Zambia coming up. You can't imagine having Soweto market as the only shoping place in Lusaka. Actually the city itself is dirty and it is getting dirtier every day... i think we need a venders desk at state house mwee so we can deal with the dirty city due to vending.

Now on the issue of having no Zambian things there. I think and feel it is just the begining and it is up to us the Zambians to take up the opportunities and actively play in the game. In the first place we had no means of building such a great and nice place. And currently there are very very few Zambian business entities that can run that place and keep it clean and neat the way it is. So we are just in the learning and developing process and who knows one day.... one of the shops there will be run by me and who knows still ... my business will have grown so much that I will hold the highest shares in the whole complex one day... Those re the opportunities I say we should look up for and play in the game.

I am personally happy that it exist... atleast there is a clean place in Lusaka where I can go and have nice lunch with my friends....

sorry I am just cutting short short but I will elaborate more on what i mean by what I have just said.

summarry is very hard on topics like this one...

[bessy]

SHAME ON ZAMBIA.
why pal?

[jfdutoit]

GOOD POINT I MUST SAY ZAMBIA IS FACKED BUT ITS AWN PEEPS TOO BUT ITS FACKED IN THE ASSS

[dworld]

Guys as much as you would love to talk about Zambia be careful where you express your views for they are at times demeaning.
I once worked for Velos entreprises which was the major contractor for arcades construction. Believe me a good amount of materials used on its construction were procured from South africa. So its now not just the question of it having non Zambian products in shops. The problem started right from the pre-construction stage.

We have quite a good number of companies that can supply good raw material the problem is that their supply is limited. If they source it from south africa,it doesnot mean we can not supply.
But I was also sad that the place mostly has things that are non Zambian.
I found most things in the shops (e.g. Spar), the food, etc was non- Zambian. There's literally nothing at Arcades apart fromt the Music in Sounds thats Zambian.

Cho are you telling me that you didn't see cucumber that are marked Zambian???
Is this picture really a good one for Zambia. Tell me where that Hybrid chicken in spar comes from??? The Zambeef products are they also imported???? Didn't you see any White Spoon and Kafue sugar???? Where are they imported from????You are right about apples coz we don't have orchards that can supply apples do we.

Bottom line is,lets be careful on what we say about mother Zambia.

[nandi]

There's literally nothing at Arcades apart fromt the Music in Sounds thats Zambian.

There's a curio market in the parking lot once a week .... what more do you want???? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I agree with Malandisa; I see it as a possitive element to Lusaka. However, I would also like to see a Zambian supermarket chain instead of Spar, a Zambian restaurant next to Subway, ..etc. there!

[mikestyle]

Arcades is Laka man. We have sunday market, we got Castle (which is Zambian) at the bowling alley and Times Cafe, we got internet which makes us chat on bwanji (which is Zambian) and we got Zambians employed in all them shops!!!

Now, whats bad about Arcades apart from the fact that they just stole a small piece of land from our Zoo?