🇿🇲Facts about Zambia

Archaeological evidence places human activity in the region far before its modern name or borders. At Kalambo Falls, researchers reported interlocking worked logs dating to about 476,000 years ago. Later farming, metalworking, migration and trade shaped diverse communities. Lozi, Bemba, Lunda and other political traditions developed in different regions, with connections across today’s frontiers. David Livingstone reached the already locally known Victoria Falls in 1855 and gave them an English name; he did not discover an unknown landscape.

British South Africa Company administration preceded direct British control of Northern Rhodesia in 1924. The territory joined the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1953 to 1963. Zambia became independent on 24 October 1964, with Kenneth Kaunda as its first president. A one-party constitution took effect in 1973. Multiparty politics was restored in 1990, followed by the 1991 election in which Frederick Chiluba defeated Kaunda. Zambia also hosted southern African liberation movements, a role that brought solidarity, economic pressures and attacks from white-minority regimes.

Kuomboka marks the Lozi Litunga’s move from the flooded Barotse plain to higher ground, travelling in the Nalikwanda royal barge. Its timing follows flood conditions rather than a fixed date each year. Nc’wala is associated with Ngoni first-fruits celebrations in the east, while Mutomboko is associated with the Lunda of Mwata Kazembe in Luapula. Ceremonies express particular community histories; none stands for every Zambian household or belief.

Makishi masquerade, associated with initiation traditions of communities in northwestern Zambia, is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. So is Gule Wamkulu, shared with Chewa communities in Malawi and Mozambique. Knowledge, performance and responsibilities belong to living communities rather than only museum displays. Printed chitenge cloth serves many uses, from clothing to carrying children. Urban creativity includes Zamrock, the 1970s fusion of rock, funk and local influences associated with bands such as WITCH and musicians such as Rikki Ililonga, alongside later gospel, hip-hop and popular music.

Zambia is a presidential republic. The president leads the executive, the National Assembly makes legislation and scrutinises government, and courts exercise judicial authority. The country is divided into ten provinces, with districts and local councils beneath them. Traditional authorities also have roles in community life and customary affairs. Political institutions and customary leadership should not be treated as the same system or as identical everywhere.

Multiparty elections resumed in 1991 after the one-party period. Subsequent transfers of power included Michael Sata’s victory in 2011 and Hakainde Hichilema’s victory in the 2021 presidential election. Those are dated historical events rather than a statement about the current officeholder. Public debate includes jobs, electricity, public services, debt and accountability. Zambia belongs to the African Union, SADC, COMESA and the Commonwealth. Lusaka hosts COMESA’s secretariat, reflecting the importance of regional trade and cooperation to a landlocked state.

Nshima is a thick staple porridge, usually made from maize meal, shaped by hand and eaten with accompanying relishes. These may include beans, leafy vegetables, groundnuts, fish or meat. Chibwabwa are pumpkin leaves, often prepared with groundnuts. Cassava-based staples are important in parts of the north and northwest, so maize nshima should not be mistaken for the only staple eaten throughout Zambia. Meals vary with region, season, household preferences and income.

Dried small fish known as kapenta are important around Lake Tanganyika and Lake Kariba; the fish were introduced to Kariba. Ifinkubala are edible caterpillars, collected and prepared in some regions. Munkoyo is a fermented cereal drink traditionally made using roots containing enzymes that help break down starch. Preparation and fermentation vary, making blanket claims about alcohol content unhelpful. Street stalls, markets, restaurants and home kitchens offer many other foods, including grilled meats and snacks; there is no single barbecue meat preferred by all Zambians.

Zambia’s communities have histories that reach across today’s borders. Lusaka and the Copperbelt bring together people from many regions through education, mining, trade and migration. Rural livelihoods include farming, fishing, livestock keeping and small businesses, with strong connections to towns. Kinship traditions vary: historical descriptions of Bemba matrilineal descent, for example, do not mean that every household lives in the same way or that all political authority belongs to women.

Kenneth Kaunda, Simon Kapwepwe and campaigners such as Julia Chikamoneka were important to the independence struggle, alongside many less widely recorded organisers. Writers include Namwali Serpell, author of The Old Drift, and Ellen Banda-Aaku. Football is a major public passion: Zambia won the men’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2012, with the final in Libreville, Gabon. The 1993 crash killed 18 players and members of the national team delegation; Kalusha Bwalya was not aboard. Samuel Matete won silver in the men’s 400 metres hurdles at the 1996 Olympics, rather than the gold sometimes incorrectly attributed to him.