Dávid from Zambia – XXII. Blog Post

A Worn Face. Empty Gaze. Hopelessness. What 20 Years in Prison Does to a Person in Zambia?

The man in the picture, whose real name, face, and parts of his story I cannot disclose – this was Mr. John's only request regarding my writing about him – is someone I recently met. And I want to respect his wishes.

For the sake of brevity, I'll refer to him as Mr. John, and I'll leave the rest to everyone's imagination when it comes to his face. I'm not entirely sure if what we discussed a few days ago really happened in the exact way he described it, though.

This is not a matter of prejudice, confidentiality, or questioning the truth, but rather "a small experience" – because we've met many people who've shared touching or sometimes excessively morbid stories with the hidden agenda of gaining our sympathy and then asking for money based on those stories.

But if my ability to read people doesn't fail me, Mr. John was most likely telling the truth about his story... and the fact that he didn't ask for any money only further reinforced my feeling that what I heard was indeed the truth.

That being said, I ask everyone to approach the story with the understanding that some parts or details could be entirely fabricated.

Why am I writing about such a story in connection with volunteering?

It's quite simple. My goal with these "short posts" is to show the truth, the reality, based on MY experiences, which I gained, saw, and lived through as a volunteer.

I believe that when you travel around the world, whether as a volunteer or a tourist, in Africa, Europe, or anywhere else... in my opinion, one of the best ways to get a clear and honest picture of a given (country, city, society, or culture) is to travel with open eyes, observe everything, ask questions, then reflect on them and draw conclusions from it.

I think this is a good thought because, based on our own experiences and what we've witnessed, we can form our own opinions and perspectives on certain things in the world, rather than relying on social media or TV. The reality, however, is that this is exactly what happens now, so my statement might seem somewhat contradictory: after all, I'm the only one who spoke to Mr. John, I'm the only one who heard what he said, so the truth cannot be proven. However, that's not the point of this post. Let everyone decide for themselves about my credibility.

The second thought I have about this:

Not only as a volunteer and not only in Africa, but such stories can be found anywhere in the world, even as a civilian.

This might be a "negative" or "harder and more challenging" part of volunteering. The situation, however, is that this is the harsh reality, and it's worth taking a look at it as well.

Mr. John: He was 20 years old when he went to prison; now he's 42. He was released two years ago, after spending exactly 20 years in a Zambian prison. In his opinion, he was imprisoned for something that deserved a shorter sentence, although he did admit that the punishment was justified: however, he often mentioned that he shouldn't have been locked up for such a long time for something like that. I don't know the exact details, and I cannot even mention what I do know.

John has been living on the streets for the past two years. He sleeps at bus stations, if he's not kicked out from there, along with others in his situation. He hasn't been able to find work for two years because not only society but also his own family has rejected him, although he added that one of his cousins occasionally helps him financially or with food, which is enough for him to survive for a few days – though this is already a great help!

He described life in prison as one of constant fights, stabbings, and occasional deaths. They get food once a day, just enough to stay alive. I didn't press him for details about the conditions after I saw how uncomfortable he became and how his eyes welled up as he started to answer. However, I was able to learn from reliable online sources that in the prison where Mr. John was held, they pack 15-20 people into a cell that's no larger than 30-35 square meters.

Most of the water in the cells is contaminated and undrinkable… though most of the prisoners don't care about this at all. Sometimes, the guards give them clean drinking water, but due to the prison's financial situation, this only happens rarely. He also mentioned that most of the guards are extremely corrupt: with cigarettes, money, and other valuables, they can easily be bribed, which can bring certain advantages in prison life, such as more time in the yard, physical protection, or extra food.

In prison, however, he had the opportunity to learn welding. He tried working in that profession for two years, but so far, he hasn't had much success. When we met, he told me that a good job is now on the horizon, and he has high hopes for it.

Mr. John (no matter what he did, no matter what the truth is) said he deeply regrets it – and this is evident from his hollow, dark gaze.

Mr. John wants nothing more than to live in safe and somewhat more comfortable living conditions for a while longer.

Photos:
The first photo is my own | The following images: Africa News