Article

Culture

According to the constitution of 1996 zambia is officially a Christian nation. A majority of 87% of the Zambian people are Christian. A respectively 1% is Muslim or Hindustani. Because of the fact that most of the Zambians are Christians, most of their national holidays are related to Christianity.

Nowadays, constructing houses is only done by man. Due to the of the high amount of HIV/Aids victims, there are many women households. The fact that the construction work is normally done by man makes these women a vulnerable group. That’s why PPHPZ wants to involve women in the building process so that are able to maintain and renew their houses.

Do’s

Greet by giving a handshake.
When meeting new people, ask the ‘how are you’ questions.
Be patience.
Eat with your right hand.
When food is offered, always eat a little, even if you are not hungry.
Drink bottled/safe water.
When giving a gift, first sit down have a little chatter and after a while give the gift with a short introduction, if possible let one of the children pass the gift to the parents.

Don’ts

Greet by hugging or kissing
Don’t try to break a silence, for Zambian people this isn’t awkward
Ask what the ingredients are of a meal, this may offend the cook.
Eat the whole platter, leave a little bit nshima as a sign of being satisfied.
Talk disrespectfull about the government our President.
Address older people by their first name, this is considered disrespectful.