5 festivals where you can experience Zambian culture
As Zambia’s safari operators increasingly delve into cultural tourism, both travellers and the country’s many Indigenous communities are feeling the benefit…
Across the world, greetings demonstrate friendliness and mutual respect. In many African cultures, however, they’re considered so crucial that it would be unthinkable to launch into any kind of conversation without them, and taking the time to learn a few greetings during your travels on the continent will almost certainly pay off. But what if you’re exploring a country like Zambia, which has more than 70 distinct languages and dialects? Where do you even start?
While English is Zambia’s official language, you’re likely to hear several others, including Bemba, Kaonde, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja and Tonga. Of these, Nyanja is widely used in Lusaka and Livingstone, and is effectively a lingua franca. Begin with ‘Muli bwanji’ (Hello), followed by ‘Muli shani?’ (How are you?), and you’ll be on the right track.
When on safari, try asking your guide about the language they speak; it may lead naturally to a deeper conversation about their background and home life. Zambian culture is very open; to learn more, consider requesting a visit to a local community. Not all Zambian safari companies include cultural activities in their standard daily itineraries; however, village visits can usually be arranged on request.
South Luangwa National Park is especially good for community-based travel. It’s close to the village of Mfuwe, which is home to a variety of community crafts, conservation and development projects, as well as schools that receive support from safari operators and their visitors. The Bushcamp Company, for example, co-created the Luangwa Conservation and Community Fund in 2009; since then, it has launched an initiative to provide more than 2,500 schoolchildren with nutritious daily meals, and has drilled over 150 boreholes to supply 36,000 villagers with safe drinking water. Its guided tours allow you to visit Mfuwe to chat to community members about everyday issues and solutions.
Read next: The changing face of safari: Why community-led experiences are infinitely better
It’s also possible to visit the nearby Kawaza Village, a settlement with strong links to Robin Pope Safaris. Here, the local Kunda community invites visitors to experience aspects of their culture: you can meet the village chief, visit a clinic and traditional healer, and spend time with local women on their terms, as they go about collecting water, grinding maize and cooking.
For your best chance of an insightful and authentic cultural experience, however, you’ll need to step away from the safari circuit. By timing your trip to coincide with a cultural festival or celebration, you’ll add an unforgettable dimension to your experience. While most festivals are intended for the benefit of the community, respectful guests are welcome. To appreciate and understand the occasion, visit with a local guide who can interpret the event as it unfolds.
5 festivals where you can experience Zambian culture
1. N’cwala
In late February, the Ngoni people of Eastern Province, who trace their origins to the Zulu Nation, converge on the village of Mtenguleni, near Chipata. Here they praise God for the harvest, pay their respects to their ancestral spirits and offer their Paramount Chief gifts of various foods.
The chief, his attendants and the many local dance troupes that take part dress for the occasion in traditional-style capes, kilts and head bands. These were typically made from leopard skins in generations past; however, in a bid to be more wildlife-friendly, most men now opt for fabrics that have been created using man-made fur.
2. Kuomboka
When the long rains taper off and the flood waters of the Upper Zambezi are rising (typically in March or April), the Lozi people of Mongu in Zambia’s Western Province come together for a famously spectacular festival to mark the change in the seasons. Kuomboka, which roughly translates as ‘Get out of the water’, is a one-day event in which the Litunga (the Lozi king) and his entourage relocate from their summer palace on the floodplains of Lealui to their winter palace in Limulunga, which sits on much higher, less sodden ground.
Expect an impressive flotilla of canoes with dozens of polers bedecked in scarlet hats, plus plenty of music, ceremony and celebration.
3. Ukusefya Pa Ng’wena
The Bashilubemba, the royal family of the Bemba people, Zambia’s largest ethnic group, host an impressive festival in Ng’wena, near Kasama, during either August or September. This event celebrates their history and heritage, as well as their past victories. The highlight is the re-enactment of the Bemba people’s journey from Kola (in modern-day Angola) to Lubemba (in Zambia).
When they reached the banks of the River Milando, they came across a crocodile, and since Bemba rulers belong to the Crocodile Clan, they took this as a sign that they should claim the land as theirs. To commemorate this, the Paramount Chief, or Chitimukulu, is paraded through the crowds on a sedan chair shaped like a crocodile.
4. Mutomboko
The Lunda people celebrate their historic migration across the Luapula River and into Zambia with a two-day festival in July that is held in Mwansabombwe. When the festival reaches its peak, the Mwata (or Paramount Chief), dressed in a voluminous skirt called a mukonso and holding a ritual sword known as a mpoko, performs a victory dance.
During his performance, the Mwata points his sword south, north, east and west, then directs it downwards and flings it up so as to indicate that only God is above him.
5. Likumbi Lya Mize
The Luvale people celebrate Likumbi Lya Mize towards the end of August. Held on both sides of the Zambezi River in North Western Province, this festival features drumming, singing and frenetic dancing by those wearing huge, hand-painted masks of Makishi, ancestral spirits that have returned to the living to assist young boys (aged eight to 12) in their journey to adulthood. Some of their dance moves act out the life skills that every boy is expected to learn.
The masquerade forms the final part of the boys’ mukanda initiation, a rite of passage that can last months, and it is recognised by UNESCO for its importance to Zambia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
