I USED TO MOVE FROM ONE HOUSE TO THE NEXT JUST TO EAT AFTER MY MOTHER DIED SAID YO MAPS ON LOSING PARENTS AND HIS ADOPTION
After his mother’s death, Yo Maps and his only sister where at a crossroads as family members scrambled for the sister who would relocate back in Kasama with an uncle leaving Yo Maps rejected as the relatives felt they had enough boys and couldn’t take one more.
Yo Maps would become a nomad, moving from one house to another just to eat. The singer would not see his sister until 19 years later further revealing that at the request of his adopting parents when he started making money, he took her to study nursing at Lusaka Apex Medical University and is currently working.
The singer would later find himself in Chiyuni at his cousin’s in-laws’ place. At this point, Yo Maps had started a mini business of putting songs in memory cards. He further added that it was during this period that he started making beats on a computer outside the family shop in the village.
The singer’s troubles were far from over as the farm he was staying at was part of a property dispute as the owner had died. Hence, they were, from time to time, told to vacate the premises.
“That’s how he took me from Chiyuni. Took me to Chibombo, and I started living with them. He introduced me to his wife, right now, she’s my mom(laughs). That’s how we started living together, from that time until today,” recounted Yo Maps on being saved from family wrangles by a stranger. “His name is Muyunda Mundia, I’m Elton Mulenga. He’s Lozi, I’m Bemba,” added the singer.
A man who would occasionally visit the shop Yo Maps Yo was recording songs from a computer and a microphone while charging to put music in people’s memory cards would get acquainted to the young Elton Mulenga hence seeing it befitting to rescue him from the family troubles in Chiyuni and moved to Chibombo allowing Yo Maps to have a family.
The singer was easily accepted and integrated into the family –