These stories are recounted by me, about my experiences of my mother, Linda and father, Wila. If you have a story that you would like to share about Wila and Linda,
please send it to me via our "contact" page. I would love to add it to the Mung'omba legacy stories as this site evolves.
Stories about the Mung'omba's
My mother and my grandmother.
My mother adored her mother, our grandmother, known as 'mom' to us. As a married woman she never gave up her dedication to her mother and she visited her for two months in every year in New Orleones where my grandmother had settled. My mother ensured that her mother's health was taken care of and that all of her needs for the next ten months of the year were looked after. She would maintain 'mom's' house and ensure that it was hurricane proof for the next ten months. She would literally roll her sleeves up and spring clean the house from the minute she got off the plane to the minute she left. She was procative with all matters of the family. My mother gave of herself selflessly.
My mother and her work ethic.
I remember my mother working at every moment of her life. Late into the night she would look through law books and be reviewing her notes to ensure that she was prepared for all court cases and legal matters. Early in the morning she would wake up to go through her garden and tend to her plants and flowers. During the day, she would be in court or in her office. In between that she would check on other businesses. She gave her 100% to everything she put her mind to. Added to this she made three homemade meals from scratch for her family and made her family feel special. Her work ethic was truly impeccable.
My mother and her friends.
My mother had very special friends that she shared her all with them. She made sure that she entertained them and that every experience with them was memorable and special. She had the 'it factor' and 'gravitus'. She made her friends laugh, feel loved and she cherished them. I remember her laughing heartedly and drinking wine with aunty Jane and making curries and Trinidadian foods with aunty Kathy. With uncle Ronald she made jokes and told me that he was her one protector if anything ever happened to my father. With Mr. Mwanakatwe they debated lengthily and prepared with great and careful thoroughness for their cases . With uncle Alex, she talked politics and diplomacy. With uncle Paul she talked about everything from banking to law. The list goes on. Her friends loved her and she loved them.
My mother and her daughters.
Linda simply adored her two daughters Chitupa and Chomba. I had always thought she was over protective of us as children,but now having my three daughters, i see that though she erred on the side of caution rather alot, it was all out of love. Knowing how dedicated my mother was to us, i sometimes wonder how she managed when we were boarding school, but our boarding school, Downe House, in Berkshire was fantastic and very very protective so i think that this must have given her great comfort. My mother always pushed me to be MY best and not to compare myself to anyone other than to MY potential. She was a great 'coach' when that terminology did not even exist. My mother died before the era of cellphones, laptops, ipods and other technological breakthroughs, so she was always 'present' in every conversation that she had with me and my sister. As i write this i am still convinced that even if she were still here she would not be distracted by all the technology. She would still be present in all of our conversations as she always was.
My mother as a lawyer.
As a child i remember my mother working late into the night and then waking up before any of us, reading law books and profusely writing notes. Law was her passion. She could cite cases ad infinitum, read and write in latin and her clients knew that they were in the best hands. Linda was a highly respected and formidable lawyer.
Stories By:
Chitupa R. Mung'omba
My father and his two princesses.
Due to work obligations all over the world, my father travelled alot. From each trip he would always bring back exquisite presents such as dresses, clothes and dolls for my sister Chomba and i. I remember getting an exquisite long cream dress with intricate embroidery from the Phillipines, a Russian doll from the previous USSR, beautiful leather sandals from India, an ornate skirt from Malaysia etc. My father continued giving presents to myself and his granddaughters until his last trip at the age of 74 years. From Paris he brought me my favorite perfume, a beautiful blouse and faity tale dresses each handpicked for his grandaughters. From the day i was born when he bought a bikini for me (I know) and to my 2013 birthday, he never stopped making feel like the princess in his life. My father was the most beautiful gift of all.
My father and traveling.
When i was growing up, we flew to many lands with my parents for their work. We always flew first class. It was the norm for us. I even remembering flying on the concorde and wondering why our seats were so skinny. As i grew older my father told me that you teach people how to treat you and you have but one life. What i realised as i got older was that my father was certainly not a snob, but he did have standards that he would not back down from. These non negotiable standards were: zero tolerance on corruption; no economy class flying and dedicated time with his family.
My father and his staff.
My father had very dedicated staff all throughout his career. I refer to one or two of them here but they were so many more. These individuals were loyal, dedicated and protective of my father's interest. Miss Haile was one of his p.a's from Ethiopia who had an Italian mother who made my sister and i the most incredible delicious lasagne all throughout our years at boarding school in Berkshire. Miss Haile was 100% dedicated to my father's work and available to my sister and i 24/7. Another individual from Zambia is Mrs. Chifupa who is of the same ilk. She was incredibly discreet with all matters pertaining to my father and is a loyal soul who was completely dedicated to my father and his work. My father had the art of bringing out the best of his staff and i believe this is because he built a real rapport with them, where he knew their families, interests and their concerns. WDM took time to know people.
My father in the Boardroom.
Wherever my father was a board member he commanded respect and was remembered. He had the art of listening to everyone and then very precisely giving his opinion and stance on sometimes very difficult issues. He was not a man of extraneous words and so when he spoke, everyone sat up and took note. He was a great Chairman and formidable advisor to many businessmen. As an adult i have had many people remind me of my father's eloquence and demeanour as a Chairman. He listened extensively, deliberated over matters quickly and knew how to 'hold court' even in the Boardroom.
My father as Président de la Banque Africaine de Développement (President of The African Development Bank)
When my father became the President of the African Development Bank in Cote D'Ivoire we were teenagers and did not understand the magnitude of this election for my father and Southern Africa. As teenagers we met and entertained Presidents of countries, Finance Minsiters and high level dignatories of the World. When my father told us he was going to sign an agreement with President Reagan in the US, this was ordinary parlance for us. As President of the ADB my father was to make incredible changes as to the landscape of how Africa was perceived as a finance player to the rest of the world and how African projects were to be funded.
