Welcome to the Great North Road

Home | Directory | Articles | Board | About | Help

Categories: Nkana-Kitwe | After Livingstone | Photograph Albums

Nkana in the Thirties and Forties

From Great North Road

The following account has been graciously provided by Robert Retamal, native of Nkana and one of the earlier residents of the European settlement there. Our deepest thanks to Robert for sharing and preserving these memories and images that might otherwise have faded forever. Today Robert lives in Los Angeles, USA. His worldly experiences didn't stop with Nkana -- he went on to live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile before settling in the United States.

---

At the turn of the 19th century, a treaty of protection was signed by Chief Lewanika, ruler of the Lozi and a representative of the British South Africa Company. In 1897 a regular British resident, titled Agent in Charge, was sent to Lewanika and three years later, the British government assumed jurisdiction over the territory which was called Northern Rhodesia.

Copper was discovered in Northern Rhodesia in the late 1920s. This led to the extension of the railway. Mines became operational and smelting and refinery plants were established. The area where the expansion of the mines occurred became known as the Copperbelt.

The depression was in full bloom when my father, Robert Retamal senior, was recruited by a representative of the Rhokana Corporation. An offer for employment was made and accepted. He was employed by the refinery.

In 1934, my father started his journey from New York to Cape Town via England. By a series of railway connections from South Africa, Bechuanaland and Southern Rhodesia he arrived at Nkana, Northern Rhodesia.

At the start of World War Two, in 1939, Northern Rhodesia was a major producer of copper. Industrialisation and mining brought an influx of European technicians and administrators to the various mining towns. The Copperbelt became urbanised.

The following exposé of photographs captures a little of life at Nkana-Kitwe during the 1930s and 1940s.

---

The Nkana sign at the railway station greeted travellers in 1937. Left to right: myself on a bicycle, a friend standing, my sister on the other bicycle, and my father standing. The railway station had a building for passengers and the ticket agent. There was a freight building as well. Mr. Pemberthy had a kiosk to serve passengers refreshments. There was no platform for passengers to board the trains -- it was truly a rural train station.

---

A train departing for Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia. There was great anticipation and excitement surrounding the arrival and departure of trains for Bulawayo, especially when the journey was for a southern holiday destination. The train stopped at Broken Hill, Lusaka, and the Victoria Falls, picking up passengers journeying south. At the Falls there was a customs inspection before the train crossed the bridge over the Zambesi into Southern Rhodesia. The bridge was built in 1909 and afforded a fantastic view of the Falls.

At Bulawayo, passengers changed trains for further southerly destinations. The trip to Cape Town took four nights and five days. The separate compartments could accommodate four people and there was a dining car. As a child, the journey by train was the best part of the holiday.

---

This was the only petrol station at Nkana in the late 1930s. Besides commercial lorries, there were a few passenger cars. Most of the streets were unpaved, as shown in this photograph. Our neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Cash, had a 1939 Packard sedan which was the pride of the town!

My family lived on Third Avenue, and it remained unpaved until the 1940s. A storm ditch ran between the avenues and the property lines. By the 1940s, most of Nkana's streets were macadamised.

---

This photograph of the chemist's, really shows how rural architecture was in the 1930. Nevertheless, we did have a chemist to dispense our medicines. Notice the unpaved streets. The young person in the photograph is myself.

---

From my mother's notes, this is a beauty salon that served the ladies during the 1930s. There were tea parties, galas, and sun downers to attend, and the ladies were always well dressed and coiffured. Eventually a modern facility was located in the Kitwe Township.

---

Prior to the 1940s, there were few shops at Nkana. Kitwe Township was founded in 1936 as a European copper mining centre, and it grew rapidly after World War Two. At the beginning there were three general stores; Diamond's, Kuhlenberg's, and the Economy Store. This photograph is probably of the Economy Store on Regent Avenue.

Kitwe Township also boasted a petrol station, chemist, butcher, jeweler, post office and beauty salon. By the end of the 1940s, Nkana-Kitwe had all the conveniences of a modern town. In 1961, Nkana was annexed by Kitwe. Today, Kitwe is Zambia's second largest urban centre.

---

Wash day at the Retamal household in the 1930s. In the photograph is the domestic help, my playmate Marlene, and myself.

If my memory serves me correctly, the Schmeldt family had the only electric washing machine in town. The mine houses weren't equipped with electrical appliances. Our pantry had an ice box. Ice was delivered on a regular schedule. The kitchen had a wood-burning stove which was fired up each morning by the help. Although no washing machine, the houses did have electricity.

---

The police force on parade in Kitwe. I don't recall the size of the force, but I remember that the police station was located on Boma Street. The police force always paraded on official occasions and were accompanied by the Police Force Band. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance at these affairs.

---

The Rhokana Club was provided by the mine for employees. The Club was one of the main centres for socialising and recreation. There were playing fields for cricket, bowls, rugby, soccer, tennis, and field hockey. On Sundays, sports were played. Teams from the neighbouring mining towns would complete with the Nkana teams.

The Club had a formal lounge, a bar for men only, a ballroom and a small kitchen that served snacks, particularly meat pies. Every Sunday there would be a sun downer. It was a time for everyone to socialise. There would be a band, and ballroom dancing was very popular. All the Christmas parties for the children were held there. It was a great entertainment centre.

---

This was the mine's swimming pool. There was a nominal charge for use. There were dressing rooms for men and women, and a refreshment kiosk. Besides public use, there was fierce competition among other mining towns during the swimming meets. Both my sister and myself were competitors. This facility was a pure luxury for its time.

---

The children's pool.

---

This is a photograph of the Nkana Cinema or bioscope. This was later called the Rhokana Cinema. A Garbo film was being featured at the time. The cinema was opened on Wednesdays for matinées and evening shows. You could book your tickets in advance for evening shows. The Saturday matinée was the only allowable time for pre-teens to see a film.

Apart from the radio and local newspaper, the cinema was the only contact with the sophisticated world à la Hollywood. I can remember we used to howl during the Tarzan features. Depending on which film we saw, we were always going to visit Hollywood. It's ironic that I now live in the "Hollywood community".

---

During scheduled holiday time, there were some families that enjoyed hunting in the bush. This photograph shows a hunter with his trophy, a leopard. Wild animals didn't come into the town. As a child, I did hear stories of leopards coming for livestock such as chickens and pets. But they were just stories. I'm quite sure the stories were repeated to keep the young ones indoors at night. Those that hunted buck would distribute the meat amongst friends. Strips of salted venison would hang for months in the various houses until they cured and became biltong.

---

A tribal Chief visits Nkana and is escorted by members of the police force with all the pomp and ceremony that his positioned demanded. There were many tribes in Northern Rhodesia. The Lozi being the most dominant. As legend goes, Nkana received its name from a tribal chieftain. I've not been able to verify that fact.

---

Tribal ladies with their children visit town to sell their cultivated produce door-to-door.

---

The rapids on the Kafue River was a great place to swim. We were forbidden to go to the Kafue unescorted by an adult. However, there were some of us who couldn't resist the temptation of diving into the rapids. We'd grab onto a log strung between rocks to prevent from being carried into the main stream of the river.

---

The Boy and Cub Scout troops of Nkana. The year is 1941. Mr. Reeves, in the centre, was the Scoutmaster. In the bottom row, I'm fifth from the left. All of the Cub Scouts were my classmates. The Boy Scouts were in higher forms at school, or attended boarding schools in Southern Rhodesia or in the Cape.

---

The photographs presented here are only a glimpse of life in Nkana-Kitwe in the 1930s and 1940s. I was fortunate to have an adventure-filled childhood. In all honesty, I didn't want to leave my home. But then, I was afforded travel to Latin America, Europe and the United States of America. My formal education was completed at Bryant College, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. I still have a yearning to return to Nkana.

Robert Retamal
Los Angeles, USA
December 1996