Culture in Zambia

Kenneth Kaunda, the first Zambian president, once said "a country without culture is a body without a head". During his reign this focus on culture saw various communities of Zambia re-discovering cultural traditions and festivals.

Nowadays there are several major cultural festivals, but these are all seldom experienced by visitors and are largely performed for the benefit of the locals. If, by chance, you do manage to find yourself in the right place at the right time you will be privy to some of Africa's most authentic festivities.

Like most foreign festivals, the best way to experience the party is to have a local guide show you the balloon strings; someone to explain the rituals, dances and their significance, and also to save you from making too many cultural blunders.

Taking photographs can be a sensitive issue. It's appropriate to ask before taking someone's picture, but this might not be the kind of posed image you're looking for when documenting an African adventure. The best approach is to be polite, take time to interact with locals and you will probably find that they will relax and be receptive to your clicking camera.

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