Zambia Archive

If you’re visiting Zambia, you’ll probably arrive by air. In a landlocked country there aren’t many practical alternatives. I remember my first visit – collecting my luggage after landing, passing through Customs, the warm welcome. It was September and there’d been no rain for several months. The rainy season used to start

In an earlier post – Urban Safari – I wrote about my trials and tribulations photographing wildlife in Zambia. Now that my embarrassment has faded, I’m ready to talk about it again. Starting with the wildlife itself, you can expect to have a marvellous time in Zambia. Its national parks are relatively

This year the rainy season was late in Zambia. But once it started, the rain came with a vengeance. Where we live in Lusaka, the area between the blocks of flats is for car parking. Drainage is poor and the ground has been compacted by the weight of cars. Not surprisingly, the

We recently bought a new mop – the old one looked worn out. I didn’t take much notice at first. But then I saw Mary, our niece, soaking the new mop and putting it on the balcony to dry. Apparently new cotton mops have to be ‘broken-in’, by soaking them in clean

My friend Ann lives in Woodlands, on the outskirts of Lusaka. From the middle of town, it’s a good hour’s walk along Independence Avenue. Laid out by the colonial government, with two lanes for traffic each way, the road was originally called Ridgeway. Its best feature is the wide central reservation. Mature

Walt Disney’s ‘Jungle Book’ has a lot to answer for. Having watched the film as a child, I was convinced that a jungle was thick tropical forest where the animals danced to swinging jazz. The truth isn’t as entertaining. Apparently ‘jungle’ comes from the Hindi word ‘jangala’, meaning open, savannah-like terrain, uninhabited

It’s springtime in Zambia and the weather’s getting hotter. So when I can, I get up early to enjoy the cool mornings. As a bonus, the light is perfect for photography until about 8 o’clock. Last week I went out looking for charcoal carriers to photograph. For me, the sight of a

In Zambia, road junctions are multi-purpose. Of course roads meet at them – but so do people. And where people meet, why not advertise and display your goods for sale? I took this picture on the Leopards Hill Road in Lusaka. Nearby, there’s Crossroads shopping mall, which could be anywhere between Cape

Are you hungry and short of time? In Zambia, the traditional fast food is sweetcorn cooked on an open brazier. For two or three kwacha each (about 25 US cents), you can enjoy freshly roasted corn on the cob. Traders sit by the roadside with their charcoal brazier and a stock of

There’s not much wildlife in Lusaka. With a population of more than two million, the Zambian capital is crowded and built up. The mini bus drivers can be wild, but that’s a story for another day. Walking round the city, I’d seen this metal sculpture before, but hadn’t taken much notice. The