Zambia culture: ethnic groups, religion, ceremonies and etiquette

Zambia nominally counts approximately 73 ethnic groups¹, although in practice there are fewer distinct groups, and English is the official language for business, education and law. Greetings always start with a handshake², adults address each other by surname, and a visitor is expected to be patient.

Ethnic groups and languages

Zambia’s 2022 census puts the Bemba as the largest group at 25.4% of the population, followed by the Tonga at 14.9%, the Chewa at 8.9%, the Lozi at 6.5%, the Tumbuka at 4.2%, the Nsenga at 4.0%, the Ngoni at 3.2% and the Kaonde at 3.1%. English is the official language, used for official business, education and law, but Bemba is the most widely spoken language at 34.0%, ahead of Tonga at 12.8% and Nyanja at 11.4%. Most Zambians usually speak more than one language¹: English and the most spoken language of the town or area they live in.

Religion

Zambia is the only African nation to designate Christianity as a state religion¹, and by the 2022 census 98.0% of Zambians are Christian: 74.5% Protestant, 17.9% Catholic and 5.6% Jehovah’s Witnesses. At a family meal, a prayer may be said² once everyone has washed their hands and before anyone starts to eat.

Festivals and ceremonies

The Kuomboka is a ceremony of the Lozi people held at the end of the rain season, when the upper Zambezi floods the plains of Western Province. It celebrates the move of the Litunga, the Lozi king, from his compound at Lealui in the Barotse Floodplain to Limulunga on higher ground; the return trip, the Kufuluhela, is usually held in August. The Litunga travels aboard the Nalikwanda, a barge painted black and white like Zambia’s coat of arms that carries his attendants, his musicians and around 100 paddlers³, and the ceremony is attended by hundreds of people each year.

In Zambia’s northwest and west, the Makishi masquerade is performed at the end of the mukanda, an initiation ritual in which boys aged eight to twelve live for one to three months in an isolated bush camp⁴, learning practical survival skills and the social values of the community. The practice belongs to the Luvale, Chokwe, Luchazi and Mbunda peoples and was inscribed by UNESCO in 2008. A Makishi dancer represents the spirit of a deceased ancestor, and the entire village attends the dance until the graduates re-emerge from the camp as adult men.

Greetings and etiquette

Greetings always start with a handshake and “How are you?”, and when you visit a home the hosts will take time to find a chair, clear a couch or send a child for a stool; the source advises you to be as patient as you can and wait to be directed to a seat before the proper greeting. Kissing or hugging a Zambian in public as a greeting, especially as a total stranger, creates obvious embarrassment. Adults always address each other by surname, as in Mr. Banda or Mrs. Musonda, and addressing an adult aloud by their first name is considered disrespectful. It is considered normal for guest and host to sit quietly for a while without conversation, and Zambians will joke about politics with you but expect a guest to discuss the President with respect².

Dining and gifts

Nshima, cooked from maize meal and served with a relish, is eaten with the right hand only: the hand moulds a lump into a ball and dips it into the relish. Before a meal, water is poured over each diner’s hands, guests and elders first, and it is considered rude for a young person to wash first. A gift is handed over after you have sat down with your hosts and talked for a while, and something the whole family can share, such as food, kitchen utensils or children’s books, is better than a gift meant for one person. The same source advises against² fresh flowers and greeting cards for lower class, poor and rural families.

Public affection and photography

Couples in Zambia rarely kiss or hold hands in public², and such displays are frowned on because they embarrass others. Taking pictures of sensitive sites such as army barracks or government buildings is illegal⁵ and you could be arrested; the UK advice is not to take pictures if in doubt.

Practical tips

• Wait to be directed to a chair² when you visit a home, and let the greeting run its course.
• Eat nshima with your right hand only; the source says both hands are never used².
• Traditionally the Kuomboka date was based on the height of the water and the moon’s phase³.
• Do not photograph army barracks or government buildings; if in doubt, do not take pictures⁵.
• Bring a gift the whole household can share², and offer it after you have talked for a while.

What to check before you go

• The current year’s Kuomboka date, if you want to plan a trip to Western Province around it.
• Whether a trip to Luvale, Chokwe, Luchazi or Mbunda areas of the northwest coincides with a mukanda graduation and Makishi performance.
• The safety guide for the legal risks that sit alongside these everyday customs.
• The visa guide for entry rules before you travel.