Zambia is a country in southern Africa. There are approximately 10 million people living in Zambia and 45% are between 0-14 years old.
There are seven main/official/special languages and 73 different dialects/cultural groups. The seven main languages are: Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, Lozi, Lunda, Kaonde, and Luvie. According to researchers at the University of Zambia the following provinces use these major language(s):
• Copperbelt: Bemba
• Eastern: Nyanja/Chewa
• Luapula: Bemba
• Lusaka: Nyanja/Bemba
• Southern: Tonga
• Western: Lozi
In 1977 the Ministry of Education standardized the writing systems of the 7 major languages. Prior to this, the languages were written in different ways based on inventions by different missionaries. In standardizing the languages there is a one-to-one correspondence between the sounds and letters of each of the languages. Zambian children learn to read one of the 7 Zambian languages in grade 1, and then switch to learning to read English in grade 2.
I have been listening to the languages of Zambia and have been learning how to say “how are you?” and “thankyou”
- Nyanja: muli bwanji? (how are you?), zikomo (thankyou)
- Bemba: muli shani? (how are you?), natotela (thankyou)
- Lozi: muchwani (how are you?), lwitomezi (thankyou)
- Tonga: mwapona buti? (how are you?), twalumba (thank you)
I have also been sampling Zambian food - Zambian style! So far I have enjoyed eating chikanda (root loaf) and stewed village chicken with nshima (maize) using my fingers.
• Copperbelt: Bemba
