Really good Karate Black Belt holders are some of the best, toughest, and hardest leaders and trend-setters I know. They are often ambitious to the core, with incredibly high levels of stamina, and the ability to endure the most extreme of physical, mental, and emotional pressures. By the 1^st Degree Black Belt level after 3-5 years of regular training, the new expert will have overcome a myriad of challenges at all levels; from total intellectual and emotional confusion to physical injuries of various kinds and varying degrees of seriousness.

Øyvind Ask, 4 Dan Shihan; Simon Chilembo, 6 Dan Shihan

The romance and the mystic of the Karate Black Belt lies in the legend that one who wears it has defied death; he/ she will live forever because they have mastered, or are working towards mastering, the art of life protection, as well as extension. They have theoretically been taught how to kill with bare hands almost instantly, but sworn to loving life and the living.

Through the game of death encountered every training session, active Karate Black Belt holders over time become superlative teachers and mentors. They become acutely sensitive to conditions of the less fortunate, the vulnerable and the weak. Many senior Karate Black Belt holders are renowned philanthropists, freedom and social justice fighters and propagators. They are also most likely to be well-read and highly educated. Depending on age and life experience, many will also be found at some of the highest echelons in their careers and/ or professions.

To a non-oriental mind and body type, learning Karate from scratch can be an all-round daunting experience. From the word go, Karate training goes against everything one previously knew or understood of movement, rhythm, balance, and coordination; from the unusual stances to punching and kicking techniques through to kata (choreographed fighting sequence) and kumite (free fighting/ sparring). Then there is the terminology, and the attendant initially seemingly outlandish Oriental Philosophy dogmas with the strangest metaphorical imagery. Bring in the martial discipline and the corresponding hierarchical structure often lacking in democratic processes familiar to a Western mind, and then total confusion is guaranteed.

In modern Karate practice in the Western world and culture, it’s the hard discipline and the tough training methods, which form the metaphorical representations of death. In practice, Karate training can break down the ego of the strongest man or woman, making the person confront his or her darkest sides, as well as his or her greatest fears.

The various gradings (belt change tests) from the novice White Belt to expert Black Belt level are designed to give the student a chance to demonstrate the degree to which he or she has mastered the theory and practice of the metaphorical game of death. The higher the grade or belt level the more the quantitative and qualitative challenges, with the highest demands and most intense pressures from the 1^st Degree Black Belt test. I have over the years seen the latter test being conducted so hard that many a testing candidate simply collapsed, cried, and withdrew. Those who persevere and pass the test and receive their first Black Belts have therefore defied the symbolic death threat represented by and through the test there and then. But essentially the death threat looms all the time in an active practitioner’s life, becoming more and more complex the higher the Black Belt grade. It’s in the Black Belt grades the real fun begins; and the mystical, as well as the legendary become more profound.

Simon Chilembo
6 Dan Black Belt Karate Master, Independent
Oslo, Norway
August 24, 2011

I started teaching Karate in Zambia in 1977/ 78, working closely with children and youths almost immediately. So, like many other children and youths, there was a time I strongly believed my parents were the lousiest a guy could have:

• My father was a loser; never became a millionaire, and never owned an aeroplane. How come such a Big Brain, as he used to brag about himself, never became President of the ANC of South Africa, or, later, of Zambia?
• My mother was a bitch, too beautiful for her own good. I never understood how she could end up with a guy like Pappa when I knew very well that many other more powerful and richer men were crazy about her?
• These two led miserable lives of lies and deceit, I used to think; and this went out on my younger brother, my younger sister, and I. Loving and caring for the latter as much as I always have, I hated my parents for the hard emotional traumas I felt they caused us. There were times I wished something could wipe them off the face of the earth for they were such an embarrassment in my then immature inexperienced eyes of a child/ youth.

Mr & Mrs ELW Chilembo; Lucy Chilembo (late)

You’d expect then that when my father passed on 13 years ago I danced with joy. No, I didn’t. Soon after my mother called me in Oslo to break the news I stood erect, kept my cool, and walked tall; went to South Africa and buried my father with honour and dignity befitting a King. For in my adult years, I came to understand that Pappa ruled actually; he indeed was a Big Brain. His strong mind and resilience, his style, his tolerance and patience, his love for and devotion to his family, his extreme all round generosity and compassion, loyalty, as well as sense of fairness and justness far outweighed the fact that he died on the verge of personal pauperism and all that it implies. Aghhh, who needs private jets?

You’d expect that ‘Ma herself would then rock & roll with her long-time rich and powerful admirers when she became a widow. She didn’t. Three years after Pappa left us, my siblings and I confronted ‘Ma and encouraged her to allow herself to fall in love with a new man and live happily ever after. She resolutely dismissed our crazy modern ideas, telling us the love for her late husband was just too great, and that what she then (and now!) wanted to do was to alone enjoy her children in peace. Guess my state of shock! Ahhh, so this is love?

I carry with me reflections on my life with my parents as a demanding, above average smart, stor i kjeften/ big-mouthed, sensitive, big-ego child when I today start the new 2011/ 12 Karate training season with my students in Norway. This is the 24^th season Norwegian parents will once again humble me with their confidence and trust as they send their children to come and train with me. All sorts of children will come and go. Many fall out, some will stay, enduring this strange form of training with this strange man speaking strange Norwegian, English, French, and several other strange foreign languages that come to his head depending on how strange his dårlig humør/ bad mood on any strange training day is.

Maître Chilembo and Amroun Super Kids.

When I do not have any children of my own yet, I am in a situation where I easily come to love other people’s children very much. I’m ever grateful to all the parents who allow me to be friends with and be reserve Pappa for their children, regardless of circumstances there and then/ here and now.  It goes without saying, therefore, that the upbringing and the welfare of children are matters very close to my heart.

From my own experience as told above, I now know that children can be difficult and impossible. Due to mental and emotional immaturity, as well as ignorance, they can come out with the most outrageous demands to, and expectations of their parents. I am eternally indebted to my parents, as well as many other adults around me for never having lost it with me even at my wildest and meanest behaviour as a child and youth. Now as an adult myself I have a much more profound understanding of the great work my parents have done for my siblings and I. Taking into consideration their own respective rough origins and tough upbringings from two totally different parts of Africa, I can argue that the odds were against us coming out so well in the end, carrying Pappa’s Big Brain and ‘Ma’s entrepreneurial flair in our heads and hearts. I know of several other families in more or less similar situation as mine who never made it, both in South Africa and Zambia.

In the light of the July 22, 2011 tragedy in Oslo and Utøya, I implore all parents to always be there for their children, no matter how hard for whatever reason. If I knew of an easy way, I would tell the children on the other hand that no matter how stupid and mean their parents might seem to be, the parents and many other responsible adults around them love them very much and only want the best in life for them. Parents/ adults and children/ youths must continually work at cultivating trust and confidence in one another.

But then again I acknowledge that not all are born Mahatma Gandhi or Baby Jesus unfortunately; nothing and nobody is perfect in nature. And so, much like an occasional tsunami will strike in a most unprecedented brutal way in Japan; or an old warlord will deny defeat even if it is abundantly clear that his fall is imminent, some people will be lost causes much like the perpetrator of the aforementioned abominable act of 22-7.

Good and supportive parents and all responsible adults can only be judged to be that way to the extent that their children manage to grow out of that hell called childhood, and the at times schizophrenic nightmare called adolescence into decent, responsible, value-adding members of society. This is my constant goal in my work and play with children and youth any time. BRING THEM ON!!!

Simon Chilembo
6 Dan Black Belt Karate Master, Independent.
Oslo, Norway
August 23, 2011

Great leadership is not only about delivering expected/ demanded extra-ordinary things; it’s about tackling unexpected extra-ordinary crises in extra-ordinary times in extra-ordinary ways. My view is that it’s not sympathy, but admiration and respect for Arbeiderparti’s leadership, which will probably last extra-ordinarily long.

Responding to Siv Jensen’s hope that (post Oslo-Utøya terror acts) sympathy for the ruling Arbeiderparti soon comes to an end.

Oslo 27/ 07-2011. Simon Chilembo

Beautiful
Calm
Smell of Peace everywhere
Mind clearer than ever
Back In Business
On every face I hear Bob Marley: ONE LOVE, ONE HEART…
True Super People town

Oslo 27/ 07-2011. Simon Chilembo

Got it all wrong
About Super Heroes
mr terrorist
Before you gouge out your own eyes
Come I sit you on my shoulders
I fly with you over the city
I show you something very, very special

Nowhere can you set your foot
On Oslo soil now
See those Roses
By the hundreds of thousands down below
They have thorns!!!
And their tentacles spread across the land
The whole world gazes in wonder
They’ve also turned their backs on you
Poor man
You have nowhere to go
So alone now
As I shake you off my shoulders
I want to partake of the beauty of my town
Together with other
Super People of “One love, One heart…”

Oslo 27/ 07-2011. Simon Chilembo

There is a bed of Roses
Upon which we
The People of Love shall
Forever march to and from Utøya
To find more solace
To cleans our hearts of hate with our tears

My Oslo today is

Peace
Beautiful

END

Simon Chilembo, 27/07- 2011
(For Oslo 22-7 tragedy)

Mr E L Waloba Chilembo, Simon Chilembo

In memory of my father, Mr Elias Lazarus Waloba Chilembo, I have , under the auspices of my Chilembo Warrior Moves, introduced a special award to recognize outstanding men who in their own unique ways contribute to making this a better world to live for all. Most importantly, these men will be a direct part of my life in things I do and stand for. These men will be sources of inspiration and strength who in their own special ways help me  be a better person today than I was yesterday; they will be my teachers, my mentors, my guardian angels, my advisors, my guides, my motivators, my coaches, my brothers, my friends, my family. This is a very personal award, a very personal journey. The recipients will receive a signed diploma, accompanied by a cash donation to charity. The cash amount will vary from time to time according to my financial state there and then.

The first recipient of the award ( Saturday, May 14, 2011; Oslo, Norway) is my Karate teacher, Professor Stephen Chan, 9 Dan, OBE, for his exemplary Service to Humanity.

Since he came into my life in Lusaka, Zambia, 1981 he has contributed in more than words can say to my growth and development as a an all-round free-spirited, independent, and self-reliant man of the world at the service of others. I have never had a more dedicated, more tolerant, more generous, more loyal teacher.

Chinto Kata performance dedication:

Simon Chilembo
Founder/ President
Chilembo Warrior Moves Karate – Development 

Kenneth Kaunda acknowledged defeat before the final count was announced.: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-11-03/news/1991307093_1_zambia-kaunda-multi-party-democracy . Despite everything else Zambia is thriving: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/113725/20110217/zambia-economy-seen-growing-6-5-pct-in-2011.htm

Thabo Mbeki was ungraciously recalled from South African state presidency: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Politics/Mbeki-recalled-by-ANC-20080920 , and Jacob Zuma continues to live happily ever after: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/5194815/Jacob-Zuma-South-Africas-most-popular-politician-despite-the-controversy.html .  I’m glad I chose the parents I got.

Stopped crying for Zimbabwe years ago. Laurent Gbagbo loses elections, refuses to let go. The free world condemns him; he sets the country on fire. Blame it on the imperialists again. Jesus! And what’s there to negotiate really? And Libya, looks like even God almighty is confused here too. Er det mulig??? Jo, TIA! But then again this is not the Africa I can identify with.

AFRAID NO MORE 

I have crossed
The threshold of fear
My head is cold
So is my heart
Nothing hurts

No pain no more

On my Freedom march
I do see ahead
Your weapons of mass destruction
I am treading on
The carnage you’ve already caused
My eyes see only one thing beyond you
Beneath the corpses of my slain compatriots

Freedom!!!

I notice the inferno around me
Yet I walk through the fire like Jesus walked on water
I am on a Freedom-yearning high
I am in a Cry Freedom trance
Shoot me down
Annihilate me
I won’t feel a thing
You just disappear
Leave me my Freedom
I want it now
I have blood to drain off the land
I have bodies to bury
Their resting places life-long symbols
Reminders that

Freedom does not come cheap!

Someone has to die for Freedom
Someone shall die for Freedom
Before you kill me on my Freedom march
Just remember
I’m not alone
And, so you know,
The craving for Freedom is universal
My blood will spill to inspire
Other Freedom marchers all across the world
When I breathe my last
Another will inhale my soul
And my spirit shall live on
Much as the souls of my slain compatriots here
Take me higher
I am in a deeper Cry Freedom trance
That’s how we roll
You can’t stop us now

END

© Simon Chilembo, 26-30/ 03-2011

Defiance at home, FREE State Province (MHSRIP) – WARNING! Imagery may be too strong for some.

HE HAS LANDED   

Woke up with a jolt
To find
The rivers are flowing faster
All smooth
As if the river beds have become well-oiled now

The kites are flying higher and higher
Humanity mesmerized by their graceful dancing
High up in the sky
Wind singing everywhere
Strong but cool breeze
Soothing like massage over my shoulders
I swoon and get swallowed up
By Mother Earth

Night time came
And I peaked through the porous soil
The Moon
The Stars
Glowing in the sun
Insane

Woke up with a jolt
To see birds singing everywhere
All melodies
All sounds
All voices
Universal glory of song
I swoon and get swallowed up
By Mother Earth

At first
I heard it from a distance
It grew, and grew, and grew, and grew, and grew, …
And then faded, and faded, and faded, and faded, …

Woke up with a jolt
To find odours of bodies thrilling my senses
Gawd, am I in National Geographic now
So many bodies
All shapes, all sizes
All tones of skin colour
All hairs, all bald
All humming, all staccatoing
All sweating, all smelling
As one
In the name of Peace
In the name of HOPE

And The Drummers
Groaned
Se ifikile Imbube!
The Lion has arrived
OBAMA IS HERE!

Simon Chilembo^© 05/ 12-2009

EXTREME RUDENESS, PROFESSIONAL ARROGANCE, AND WORST CLIENT CARE REMINISCENT OF PRE-1994 SOUTH AFRICA DAYS EXPERIENCED TODAY!

According to Mr Steyn, LLB, of SCHOEMAN ● STEYN ATTORNEYS, Welkom, South Africa, if you are old (like my mother is at age 70), and you don’t remember things, you are hopeless against the law; you are as vulnerable and weak as can be, and legal representation for you regarding complaints against fraudsters, as well incompetent services providers is a waste of time. Then, I reckon, criminals are free to have a party cheating and robbing, as well as abusing elders in South Africa.

While a formal complaint against the above-mentioned learned gentleman shall in due course be lodged to the relevant Law Society of South Africa organ, I wish to move for a boycott of his firm if it is the firm’s policy to treat elderly citizens with such total lack of respect, extreme rudeness, and abhorrent professional arrogance as demonstrated by the learned gentleman today.

Simon Chilembo

Summer 2007 I stumbled and fell with a heavy thud. When the global finance crisis struck the following year I was at my lowest ebb, and, therefore, most vulnerable indeed. Had I been a lesser man I should have cracked, I think. But then again when my conscience is clear, my strength and will to survive are insurmountable. For that I am eternally grateful.

More grateful I am of the fact that I am blessed with such a vast and solid global network of people who love and care about me though; people who support and believe in me; people who, despite all my failings and at times self-induced personal calamities, are ever willing to fall and rise with me. Indeed, all-weather friends, Brothers & Sisters, family. My ever-loyal students, my clients and patients, as well as business associates have all in their own ways been great sources of strength and inspiration, as well as joy. I’ve heard many words of wisdom and hope here. My belief in the good of humanity is anchored in the compassion I continue to enjoy from all these people who so immensely contribute to making my world go round so smoothly.

Year 2010 has been a most fulfilling year. Thanks to all above. I shall enter year 2011 stronger than ever before; I shall live the year and beyond with greater passion than ever before, giving more of myself and my things as my way of saying “Thank you, ALL!” for the love, support, understanding, patience, generousity, kindness, faith, and care.

It is, therefore, with the greatest love, joy, and pride that I wish everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010, & HAPPY, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2011!!!

For those who are entrepreneurs, let’s all rock, let’s make the money and get wealthier; let’s change the world with opulence!

Simon Chilembo