By:Gbenga Teejay Okunlola and Clara Mpheza Manda

A-CHOICES: Hi Milton, first of all, I’d like to thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your educational background.

MILTON: My name is  Milton  Obote Mwila, I am 33 years of age and I hold a degree in civil engineering. 

A-CHOICES: After featuring on the popular reality TV show “Date My Family”, you were called Zambia’s Most Eligible Bachelor. Would you say that the show has opened many doors for you?

MILTON: I do believe it has opened up many doors and opportunities for me. One of them has to be invited as a celebrity guest judge on a show called master cook Zambia. It has more positive impacts than negative ones. 

A-CHOICES: How would you describe yourself?

MILTON: I’d definitely describe myself as hardworking, social, self-driven, and very open-minded. 

A-CHOICES: Date My Family is about South Africans who seek love by meeting the families of their potential dates. When they explained the show, were you excited to be part of the participants?

MILTON: To be honest, I was more nervous than excited because I hadn’t been on tv before so after doing enough consulting, I got comfortable and exit to meet different people, and different cultures and to also indulge in our delicious variety of Zambian food 

A-CHOICES: Since your appearance on the show, you have had multiple marriage proposals on his social media pages, Tell us about Life after “Date My Family”?

MILTON: Date my family opened a lot of doors for me I must say. People began to recognize and notice me because of being on the show.

I was getting massive attention, and friend requests on social media, and definitely women were coming through with marriage proposals in numbers.

A-CHOICES: You were the former Mr. International University of East Africa (IUEA) and also doubled as the University’s Scrabble captain. What are some of your proudest accomplishments so far?

MILTON:  My proudest accomplishments are to have been able to finance my degree program. I won $10,000 which helped me accomplish my civil engineering degree. It also brought me a lot of business ventures for instance being on the world cup adverts, appearing in a movie, being on billboards, and being scouted as a model which helped me do commercial modeling.

A-CHOICES: You run a travel and tour company, tell me more about it. Would you say Zambia is a safe tourist destination? 

MILTON: My company promotes Zambians to Zambian tourism and also to the whole world. I believe there are some Zambians that have not seen what Zambia has to offer in the world of tourism hence we start with home and also extend our services to the world at large. I believe it is very safe. We are a democratic country, very peaceful hence we want to extend the world at large to visit Zambia.

A-CHOICES: How would describe the mood in the tourism sector across Southern Africa right now?

MILTON: The mood I believe is growing and accessible and so far so good, a sign that tourism has improved in southern Africa. We have great and beautiful destinations Breathtaking views, historical sites, and waterfalls.

A-CHOICES: What are the five most interesting things people do not know about Zambia?

MILTON: You will find one of Africa’s largest wetlands called Victoria Falls which is also known as mosi oa tunya(the smoke that thunders)

We have over 70 languages and 72 tribes. 

It is home to the big 5 of wildlife.

It relies on copper as one of its biggest exports. 

It shares borders with 8 countries  and these are 

Angola, Malawi, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia, and Mozambique

A-CHOICES: You also run an NGO for children in Kafue, what’s the inspiration behind it?

MILTON: Well I could say just being around and observing how most children, women and youth are so vulnerable hence we promote income-generating skills, and positive change projects like community awareness where we involve experts to help through sensation as well.

A-CHOICES: What challenges have you encountered while pursuing your dream? 

MILTON: I have definitely encountered fear of failure because at some point I never imagined I’d be where I am and doing what I do.

Finances and lack of sponsorship have taken it’s toll on me which is still a challenge but I believe when you want to achieve something, you fight till you get there. Also, negativity almost brought me down but because I do not give up or back down easily, I have gotten here and I am still pursuing my dream.

A-CHOICES: For what in your life do you feel most grateful? 

MILTON: The gift of life definitely. I am grateful for the battles I have come to surpass which have brought me this far for I would not have been the man I am today. I am grateful for my family, my sisters, and close relatives and friends who have been there supporting me and lifting me up when I was down with so much doubt I would not get back on my feet. I am grateful for my team, without them, there is no me

A-CHOICES: Who are your top 5 favourite physiques of all time?

MILTON: Sylvester Mwila(zambian) Adesoye Femi (Nigerian)Frank Zane,Arnold Schwarzenegger  and Sylvester Stallone

A-CHOICES: What sort of problems do you see most often when it comes to the subject of diet and nutrition? What sort of methods can someone use to get back on the right track again?

MILTON: Most problems I see when it comes to the subject of diet and nutrition are probably having bad eating habits and eating disorders which could lead to obesity, high blood pressure, heart complications, and so forth and so I’d encourage people to first of, work out(exercise)Eat a balanced meal Drink lots of water, always stay hydrated and get enough sleep. 

A-CHOICES: Is supplementation more important as you get older?

MILTON: yes I do believe so because there are vitamins and minerals that are essential for health but as we get older, our bodies deplete more nutrients and retain less hence supplements are available in health stores, pharmacies, etc. We could still get them from our food though.

A-CHOICES: Veganism is really becoming a popular movement. What is your view on veganism? Have you tried any vegan foods?

MILTON: well I feel veganism is a lifestyle health choice and it does wonders for many but I worry that they don’t realize that they need meat to be healthy too. I feel it’s great for those who can live without meat and I also feel it’s an animal welfare advantage. I have tried the food and it actually tasted good.

A-CHOICES: What does your own diet look like now? How many calories do you consume approximately?

MILTON: My diet is mostly balanced and home-cooked, I rarely eat junk or fast foods. It’s vegetable-heavy too. I don’t have a specific measure of how many calories I consume on a daily basis (perhaps I should start taking note)

A-CHOICES: Do you do any cardio?

MILTON: Yes I do cardio-every workout session begins with a treadmill workout. I work out 4/5 days a week I do enjoy, especially push-ups when I do not go to the gym.

A-CHOICES: Do you enjoy any bodyweight exercises such as push-ups or sit-ups?

MILTON: My fav health n fitness a being able to build my body in a desired shape and this is so because of the nature of my business and jobs(commercial model/aspiring actor/and tv personality)

A-CHOICES: What does a typical day look like for you now?

MILTON: I spend most of my morning writing social media posts and also checking and responding to social media messages and emails. I find that I am most creative in the morning, which is why I like to do my brainstorming and writing right away. The rest of the day is not particularly well defined as I do not have a day job but depends on meetings that I may have scheduled etc 

A-CHOICES: Can you tell us one geeky thing about yourself that people don’t know about you?

MILTON: One geeky thing about me is that I read Scrabble word lists daily and I am always anagramming words in my head.for example, the word RETAINS can be anagrammed into 10 other 7letter words.

A-CHOICES: What are some of your hobbies?

MILTON: My hobbies are, working out, travelling, playing Scrabble, reading 

A-CHOICES: Your favourite music, and movies?

MILTON: I don’t have a favourite genre of music I enjoy all kinds of good music and it changes with time. Currently, I am enjoying Zambian songs by Yo Maps’ new album. I like real-life-related movies, one of my all-time favourites is Wolf of Wall Street and 3idiots

A-CHOICES: What are your goals for the future?

MILTON: My short-term goal is to build a Social media presence that allows me to communicate my message of promoting Zambia kuchalo (Zambia to the world).Fb Milton mwila,TikTok Lagullez,Insta Obote1.My long-term goals involve growing my travel and tour company Lagullez where I can continue to bring more people to visit the best touristy destinations in Zambia and also build KYC Kafue youth club into a non-profit organization that will empower more youth and women not only in Zambia alone but Africa at large through Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Tourism, and technological development.