Another year gone by, 2021 was a revelation to many, driving us to make unexpected discoveries. The resilience of people was revealed as not willing to be defeated by a virus. Despite coronas grip tightening around humanity, we still prevailed to enjoy and push forward our basic needs. Despite corona limiting our abilities to shop, socialise and entertain ourselves, they still rose on an unprecedented scale. Give it some thought and you’ll come to realise that Hollywood blockbusters and independent films still managed to flourish during the pandemic, not to forget online shopping, which saw a rise as a direct result of the pandemic, these feats brought joy and hope to many.
The year is now 2022 and the world is going a bit crazy with all these variants of Covid 19, Omicron being the most recent. You can only imagine how Corona has impacted all our lives, as a student I have not stepped foot into a lecture hall in in two years, but yet the virus has managed to do a world tour! We try to find the humour in it all to help us ease our concerns, despite the harsh reality that we face on a daily. If you’re familiar with the British comedy show involving puppets (Spitting Image), then you are aware of the hilarious relationship they paint between Former united states president Donald Trump and Corona, of course there is an exaggerated and fictitious twist to it, but on a more serious note Corona seems to be having the time of its life.
In Zambia we are divided, people standing on either side, one side doesn’t see or acknowledge the severity of the virus and the other side takes the virus to heart, like they themselves spend ungodly hours holed up in the ICU’s caring for the infected. We pray to God that the nightmare scenario of being unable to venture out into the world for something as simple as shopping has not come to pass in Zambia. Though it’s a scenario as such that perfectly paints the benefits of a platform such as Khutenga, and now you’re probably wondering what that name has to do with the virus, well we’ll get into that a bit later on.
SARS-CoV-2, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omicron?? Seriously who names these things. The latest variant, Omicron, has a name that that sounds like it would fit well in a sci-fi movie, quite ominous if you ask me. If you’ve ever watched Seed of Chucky, then you’re somewhat halfway to explaining what the Omicron virus is [well…not really]. In simple terms, Omicron is a strain of SARS-CoV-2 aka Corona, a mutant variant of the infamous virus. If you are up to date with the news, then you have most likely been subject to the various reports on the virus’s impact on our lives, take for instance the reports from business analysts that accurately track (with a slight margin of error of course) the destructive impact the virus has had on the world’s financial sector, and not to sound insensitive but the world has been hit really bad.
You and I both know living in this pandemic has really altered the ‘norm’, what we thought were temporary measures have now become part of our daily routine, not to mention the bountiful collection of masks that we all have to go through. Take for instance the lives of young teens, before the pandemic they were free to meet and up in parks or simply going to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster became a thing of the past, and not to the possibility of going to the mall for a fan favourite activity, yes you guessed it, shopping! You don’t have to be a teenager to understand how disgruntled they all felt. Whether sneaker head, fashionista or tech enthusiast, we all have that need to indulge in various commodities, and it’s at this moment that Khutenga comes in, yes there’s that name again, but with the safety it provides for us to ‘shop till we drop’ (or in this case till our fingers go numb with all the clicking) it really is a game changing way to indulge, all from the comfort of your home.
If anyone were to ask me how I felt about the lockdown, I would certainly quite a few things to say but what really stood out the most is my inability to go to church, oh and the zoom meetings… oh the zoom meetings. Though on the other hand there’s people like myself (the self-diagnosed hermits), what we would class as an omnivert (the introverted extrovert and yes it does sound like it could be a name for a variant). So, with that it’s safe to say I don’t have much of a problem with staying indoors, and well, not seeing people, that’s something I can definitely live with. All I need is food, electricity, internet oh and the occasional guest that shouldn’t overstay their welcome. Now with e-commerce companies making themselves useful, the need to venture outdoors is getting less and less by the day.
I like things! Yes, weird way to start a sentence but, I’m a student and we all know students all have a need to stay up with one trend or the other and I’m no different, so I’m always on the hunt for affordable deals, and it’s at this moment that Khutenga comes in! I know I already said that but hear me out, in these Corona times it’ pretty frustrating and let’s not forget the anxiety that follows with having to walk in and out and in and out of various stores hunting down a cover for your Nokia 3310 (what can I say it’s a classic). So, there I was casually browsing the internet like most students do, and I found a gem in the rough, Khutenga, a site that lets you purchase goods from their wide range of products. And by wide range I mean you can find cosmetic products, electronics, argic-goods, clothing of all sorts, even stationary! It’s safe to say I’m not walking into a stationery shop any time soon. Anyway, this does make staying at home that much easier and more convenient. So, to summarize in Khutenga in one simple sentence, “They are a shopping mall at the touch of a finger”.
I know this blog did start off as a story depicting the hardships of corona but there is light at the end of this tunnel, you can’t deny the over joyous feeling of being able to buy all you need from the comfort of your home. Khutenga is a service that is available all over Zambia, and they ensure successful deliveries regardless of your location and all for a small fee. With a simple and easy to understand website you can have all your shopping done before you get out of bed. Oh, and yes, they have an app you can use on either android or apple.
Overall, it has been quite the hectic period dealing with the virus and like most we all just want to return to the norm that we all got so used to. Though despite the return of the norm I’m still not stepping into a stationery shop, I’ll let Khutenga take care of all my shopping needs, with the touch of a button. Why let the virus dictate how we live our lives? Khutenga certainly out a smile on my face and I know this is just the beginning.
