LULU HAANGALA – MY PREGNANCY WAS MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE

LULU

 As I write this article, I have never physically met Lulu Haangala. Infact I will only be meeting her for the very first time this evening when we meet to discuss a TV project that we plan to launch. 

However, thanks to social networking sites, I have known Lulu for almost two years now. Unlike most media personalities that I know, she actually strikes me as an intelligent, well educated and humble person. She has it all and can easily flaunt it, but Lulu believes otherwise and prefers to be the ordinary, grounded girl

I had a question and answer session with her on BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and for some reason I freakishly deleted the chat. When I told her what happened, she was more than willing to do the interview again and nonchalantly went out of her way to give it to me. 

 Luyando Haangala, popularly known as Lulu, is the first born daughter in a family of four. She is a well known TV personality and is currently working as a consultant for a bank in Lusaka.

“I come from a closely knit family of four and I am the first born. My siblings are really my friends and the whole family support and encourage me. My young brother, David, is my financial adviser”, says Lulu.

She attributes her grounded lifestyle to the norms and values inculcated into her by her parents.

“My mum and dad are a great inspiration to me and have done a lot to shape me into the person I am today”.

She says she is a woman with a goal to make a difference on the Zambian media scene.

“I come alive in front of the camera. I call TV my playground; it’s where I have fun”.

Lulu did two years of her primary education in Zambia the rest of it, including secondary education, was done in Zimbabwe.

“I have a BA Communications/Business degree from Heidelberg in Cape Town”

She also has a certificate in diplomatic practice, protocol and international relations from the Zambian Institute of Diplomacy.

Lulu was mainly raised in neighboring Zimbabwe. She was a bit adventurous and had a stint at Baraton University in Kenya where she did her first year of University. This, however, did not work well and she instead relocated to Cape Town, South Africa, where she studied for 4 years.

One would think Lulu had it all rosy as she lived outside Zambia most of the time but that’s not true. It would shock many but her first job was being a maid for some white missionaries at Mwami Hospital in Chipata.

“As the first born my parents instilled the working rule quite early for me. My first job I worked as a cleaner for pocket money for some missionaries at Mwami Hospital. They later promoted me to work in the A.D.R.A (Adventist disaster Relief Agency) office at the hospital. I did so well that they sponsored my first year of high school”.

Lulu also tried a number of income generating projects whilst at school. She ran a hair Salon in her university room, worked as a student librarian, student English tutor and was also a production assistant for the Hope channel.

It’s only after her graduation that she heard MUVI TV was looking for a team to start Zed kids News. She made an application and subsequently got the job.

Her family, to a very large extent, inspired her to pursue a career in the communications field. Most of her family members are in the Zambian media industry and some of them are notable politicians and musicians. More still, her father holds a Masters degree in Media.

“My family greatly inspired my love for the media field. My grandfathers, Mainza Chona and Mark Chona, were in politics, DJ Luchi (cousin) is on Radio phoenix , the late Flava FM DJ Brian Haangala and late musician, Smokey Haangala, was my uncles. My other uncle, Swithin Haangala owns Zambezi Radio station in Livingstone”.

Lulu says she always thought she would end up in front of the camera inspite of the fact that she can be quite shy.

“One of my lecturers in the fourth year told me I was made to be in front of a camera and so I tried it and never looked back . Once I knew where I was headed I did an internship with Hope channel and that gave me a great jumpstart into the industry”

Her biggest challenge was falling pregnant outside wedlock. It impacted her career and family lifestyle. She credits her family for being supportive and helping her pull through this turbulent period.

“My family did not reject me at all, they were very supportive. It was just the backlash. Dads a pastor so of course church members were talking. With my career and being in the limelight, people thought I was a teenager because of the kid shows I presented so you would find someone stopping me I public to give me a lecture. At that time my family lived out of town and I lived on my own. My mom moved to Lusaka to live with me and that gave me the confidence to venture out of the house”.

She says her employers, MUVI TV, were also very supportive and contrary to many rumors, she was not dismissed but made a personal decision to step aside from the cameras and the limelight until she gave birth.

“I was with MUVI for a whole year after I gave birth. I felt I needed to grow more in my field which is media and corporate communication, an opportunity came my way and I grabbed it. I left MUVI on good terms and that’s why they can call me back to do work for them. I have big dreams and I had to keep on moving”.

Lulu believes to be an exemplary success you need to be focused and have a well articulated plan for your life. She strongly believes that you need to know where you are going and not settle for mediocrity.

“ You need to stay principled because when you start to compromise you end up making wrong choices like I did. Now for those that end up in my shoes, it’s not the end of the road. God is amazing, he picks you up and turns what others may see as a curse into a blessing”.

She has learnt to surround herself with only people that truly matter and add value to her life.

“I hang around those that have my best interests at heart like my friends, my family, and Nzwisisa my man. He brings out the best in me”.

She says she is never bothered by rumors that usually do the rounds. She instead opts to lead a low profile lifestyle which revolves around her daughter, Asante, her man, family, few close friends and church.

Lulu doing a sound check at the Royal Livingstone

Currently she is a communications consultant for a bank in Lusaka and has just signed a deal with MUVI TV and AFRICA UNITE. 

She will be back on air in February.

Something that most people don’t know is Lulu is a very gifted singer.

“I plan to do a lot of singing this year (yes I sing), I did a gig at Royal Livingstone over Christmas with Blessington Malenga. I am also considering a radio gig so watch out”.

I have come across a number of young Zambians in the limelight and I can confidently state that Lulu definitely stands out from the crowd. She gives credence to the fact that we can all make mistakes but we certainly do have the opportunity to rectify our errors and lead an inspirational lifestyle. She defies the belief that life in the media is all about booze and partying. 

There is no reason that will definitely hinder lulu Haangala from riding the waves of success.