My Life in Zambia

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Zambia Most Zambians are of Bantu origin, the descendants of earlier migrants. As the Bantus driving southward moved into the area from early in the 1st millennium A.D. to about 1200, they pushed before them the Pygmies and San whom they found there. Nilotic groups from East Africa arrived early in the 2d millennium. Later other African groups moved into the area from the south. Today Zambia has more than 70 ethnic groups classified into eight major societies, speaking some 30 different dialects. English is the official language. Seven other languages are recognized for administrative and educational purposes: Bemba, Kaonde, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, and Tonga. Many groups are spread across the borders of one or more of Zambia's eight neighbors. Major Groups. Among the major ethnic groups are the Barotse in the southwest, ruled over by the Lozi people. For several hundred years they have occupied an area on the plains of the Zambezi northwest of Victoria Falls. The river is still their main artery of transportation. The Barotse are fine fishers. They also own cattle (the area is free of the tsetse fly), plant crops in the dry season, and mine some potash and salt. Thus Barotseland has an almost self-sufficient economy. Each year the river floods, and those living at the regular Barotse capital of Mongu move to the "flood capital" of Limulunga. The paramount chief leads the way in a state barge with his drummers setting the pace, and the rest follow in canoes piled high with household goods. Barotseland was treated as a special administrative entity before Zambia's independence. It then became a Zambian province. The Bemba people, who live in the north along the Democratic Republic of the Congo border, also are a major group. Their language is the lingua franca in the Copperbelt because they constitute the bulk of its labor force. They have a highly organized society with centralized rule. Because of the tsetse fly, the Bemba do not raise cattle but engage in farming. But owing to the poor soil, they practice a slash-and-burn agriculture in which they first cut, pile, and then burn the brush. The resulting ash enriches the soil, permitting crops—mostly maize—to grow. After a few years the soil is depleted, and the Bemba move on and repeat the process. It requires about 300 acres (120 ha) to support a subsistence farm household in this manner. Consequently, the average population density is low—less than 6 persons per square mile (15.5 per sq km). The Bemba fish in the swamps south of Lake Bangweulu. They grow cassava on the high, drier ground. They sell the fish in the Copperbelt or else trade it for maize with other Bemba people. Members of the Chewa group, who live along the eastern border, engage primarily in subsistence agriculture. Parts of their area are not bothered by the tsetse fly, and some Chewa keep cattle. Zambia has small but economically important European and Asian minorities. These groups reside mostly in the cities. Population Distribution. Zambia as a whole is sparsely populated. The land is capable of supporting only a limited population over most of its area. The country nevertheless has maintained a high birthrate. Cities have tended to develop only in the limited areas containing rich mineral and agricultural resources. Over 35% of the people live in the Copperbelt, where most of the larger urban centers are found. These include Kitwe, Ndola, Chingola, Mufulira, and Luanshya. To the south is Lusaka, the largest city in the country and the national capital. About 35% of the population of Zambia is urban. Education and Religion. Before independence, primary school cost $30 per pupil annually and secondary school $50—sums beyond the means of most Africans. With independence the nation declared free education for all, and school enrollment greatly increased thereafter. (Revoked in the 1990s, free primary education was restored in 2002.) However, illiteracy (nearly 20%) remains a major problem. A modern university opened in Lusaka in 1965, followed by Copperbelt University in Kitwe in 1987. About half of the people are Christians, either Roman Catholic or Protestant. Most other Zambians adhere to their traditional religions, whose practices are observed by many Christians as well.