Food & Daily life

Cities and shanty towns

More than one-third of Zambians live in urban areas, many crowded into
shanty towns which have sprung up around the cities.
Here, large markets provide a wide range of goods, services and food, though they
also act as a general meeting place.
Some sellers walk the streets with their wares (ranging from frying pans to fruit).
Others work from wooden market stalls, where tradesmen such as cobblers and
tailors can also be found.
Rural life
Daily life in rural communities revolves around agriculture, livestock and fishing
(along lakes and rivers).
Some village men head for the towns and cities to find work. Women often stay
behind to care for children and elders. Looking after the household involves many
tasks, such as fetching water from wells and collecting wood for cooking stoves.
Many women carry out subsistence farming, growing food for their own families.
They rely on local crafts, such as basket-weaving and pottery, for earning a little
money or having items to exchange.
Ground maize
For breakfast, nshima is usually served thin and sometimes with sugar. For lunch
and dinner, the consistency is thicker (like mashed potato) and it is eaten with a
tasty relish of meat, fish or vegetables.
For many Zambians, the staple food is maize/corn (known as 'sweet corn' in the
UK). The local cuisine is based on nshima, a stiff porridge made from ground
maize.
Watch one of the videos in neighbouring Malawi Our Staple Diet to see maize
being ground into flour.
Other local dishes include ifisashi (green vegetables in peanut sauce) and samp (a
crushed maize and bean dish).

Locally-brewed beers
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage. Clear beers include locally-brewed
South African brands (such as Mosi), as well as more expensive imported lagers.
Cloudy beers are popular among the less well-off. Zambias small home-brew
industry offers cloudy brands such as Dr Livingstones Lager, Safari Stout, Zikomo
Copper Ale and Baobab White, made from the fruits of baobab trees.
Chibuku (also known as 'Shake-Shake') is also popular. This beer is made from
maize/sorghum and tastes a little like a sour alcoholic milkshake.
Delicacies
Insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, cicadas and flying ants are delicacies.
During the rainy season, Zambians look forward to the once-a-year feast of fried
termites.
The rains bring vast numbers of termites out of their nests to find mates. The insects
can be caught swarming in the air and then dropped into a bowl of water.
Alternatively, once they have shed their wings, they can be collected from the
ground this avoids having to pull off the wings before cooking. The termites are
thrown into a hot frying pan with a dash of oil and then sautd until crisp and
golden brown. Theyre served in a bowl like peanuts.
Mealtime
Nshima is almost always eaten with two side dishes, known as "relishes":
a protein source, usually meat, poultry, fish or groundnuts (peanuts); and
a vegetable, often Kale, chibwabwa (pumpkin leaves) or cabbage. The sides are
known as Ndiwo or Umunani inchichewa. In Malawi, this is often accompanied
with hot peppers or condiments like home made hot pepper sauces from peri-
peri orKambuzi chili peppers or store bought commercial sauces like Nali Sauce.
Education in Zambia
Lower education in Zambia is divided into three levels; primary, junior secondary
and upper secondary. Higher education is very limited and centred on the
six universities of Zambia:University of Zambia, Copperbelt University, Zambia
Open University, Cavendish University,Zambia Adventist University and Northrise
University.
Lower education
Schooling usually falls into three levels:
Primary, grades one to seven
Junior Secondary, grades eight and nine
Upper Secondary, grades ten to twelve
So-called "basic schools" teach years one to nine, as year nine is considered to be a
decent level of schooling for the majority of children. However, schooling is only
free up to year seven and most children drop out then.
Both government and private schools exist in Zambia. The private school system
began largely as a result of Christian mission efforts during the late 19th and early
20th centuries. One of the most famous private schools is the Roman Catholic-
run St Mary's Seminary inEastern Province. Private schools operate under either
the British or American way of schooling.
Higher education
Educational opportunities beyond high school are rather limited in Zambia. There
are few schools offering higher education and most Zambians cannot afford
the fees. The University of Zambia is the primary institution of higher learning.
Several teacher training colleges offer two-year programmes beyond high school,
and there are several Christian schools which offer seminary-level training.
Economy
Zambias economy is heavily dependent on mining, in particular the mining of
copper. Reserves of copper ore at some mines are becoming depleted, costs of
production have increased, and income has fluctuated depending on the price of
copper on the world market, accentuating the need for Zambia to broaden its
economic base. Agriculture is relatively poorly developed, however, and major
investment in the manufacturing industry did not take place until after
Independence. State involvement in all aspects of the economy, an early feature of
independent Zambia, created a highly centralized and bureaucratic economic
structure.
Customs
Zambians still value traditional communal ideals such as reciprocity within a
household, the extended family, the neighbourhood, the clan, and a formal political
system of chieftainship. Changes in the modern arena have been too uneven to
reduce Zambians dependence on one another, so they often exercise umucinshi, a
Bemba term for mutual respect, when negotiating favours.
As a predominantly Christian country, Zambia marks the celebration of the
Christian holidays of Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas. Independence Day is
observed on October 24, and a variety of other holidayssuch as Youth Day,
Heroes Day, Unity Day, and Farmers Daytake place throughout the year.
Additional feasts and festivals unique to various ethnic groups are also celebrated.
Religion
Zambia is predominantly a Christian country, although few have totally abandoned
all aspects of traditional belief systems. The first Christian missions arrived before
colonial rule, and the growth of adherents was greatly assisted by the schools that
they established. The Roman Catholic Church is today the largest single
denomination, but Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, and others are well established.
The growth of fundamentalist churches has been particularly noticeable since
independence, and the government of the newly independent country soon ran into
conflict with two of these, the Jehovahs Witnesses and the Lumpa church. The
Asian community is predominantly Hindu, the rest mainly Muslim. There are
relatively few Muslims among the African population.

TRADI TI ONAL CEREMONI ES
There are more than 20 annual traditional ceremonies in Zambia, manifesting
customs, social life, rituals, oral history, material and spiritual culture and if you
have the opportunity to attend one, do. They provide a valuable insight to a
traditional culture that has been passed down from generation to generation.
The decline of traditional customs and culture has been brought about by the
infiltration of the west and western ways and the melting pot of various tribes living
in the same areas. There has recently been a realisation of the value of traditions
and a conscious effort is being made to preserve them
Most of the ceremonies have a deep meaning, in many cases designed to invoke
memories of the transformation from childhood to adulthood. Most tribes in rural
areas still practice harmless initiation ceremonies for girls which are generally
conducted after puberty. They are intended to help the girls make the transition
from childhood to womanhood and prepare them for marriage. Only a few tribes
still practice male circumcision initiation ceremonies and those that occur happen in
total secrecy.
The open ceremonies that visitors can watch are those that signify ancient times,
when new kingdoms were being founded by ancient chiefs and are usually splendid,
colourful affairs with much symbolism in their dancing and drumming.