The Making Of An Insaka, Preliminaries

Insaka is a Bemba word for a "place to gather". It is derived from the verb isa " to come together". A typical insaka, similiar to a gazebo, becomes a center for cooking and socializing. For some time now we have wanted to build an insaka so Tracy has a place to gather with pastors as well as with visitors. The cooking I intend to do in my kitchen!

It took a little over three days for this to be built and we thought you would like to see the process. Mr. Sibanda was recommended to us by fellow teammates who had several insakas built at
Chiyanjano, AZ's ministry center.

Mr. Sibanda arrived in a truck which delivered the thatching, beams, and poles. After carefully measuring the insaka's diameter he began digging six holes for the poles with a machete. He then mixed concrete on the ground using a bag of Mphamvu (meaning "strength"), sand, and water. To keep the concrete from cracking we watered the pads several times during the next 24 hours. They cracked anyway. That night Tracy and I pressed our hands and carved our initials in the wet 'crete on the back two pads~something I've always wanted to do! Tomorrow, Day 1 and 2!