Life in Zambia

chillibreeze writer — Nagammai Murugappan

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From A to Z, 192 countries are members in the United Nations. And, Indians live in almost all of them. Zambia is no exception. The Indian Diaspora is growing by leaps and bounds every year. When one thinks of shifting to another country so many queries crop up in one’s mind. This article aims to answer those questions which come up when one has to start living in Zambia.

The earliest Indian settlers came to Zambia as early as 1904. Unlike in South Africa, where Indians came to work as laborers, here Indians, especially Gujarathis were landlords and traders. They have made Zambia theirs and have adapted themselves to this land and people. Yet, at the same time they have in no way compromised with their religion, culture, customs, traditions and food.

There is a myth which goes around in this country – if you don’t like Zambia and you want to leave Zambia, you will leave within the first 3 months of your arrival here. If you cross that three month mark, you will not even want to leave Zambia for 3 years or 13 years or 30 years! I am here for the past 13 years. I can tell you, Zambia has grown on me and it is said Africa spoils you for good. I am proud to say I have been spoilt by Africa. I say this because, life here is very easy. There are many who live here for generations together. For us, India is nice for a holiday, to live, Zambia is better.

For Westerners and Indians, Africa means desert and famine. Not all African countries are like that. I myself came to Zambia with my husband and a two year old daughter in 1996 with that opinion. I realized after coming to Zambia, how wrong I was. It is a very beautiful and naturally rich country. It boasts of one of the seven natural wonders of the world – The Victoria Falls in Livingstone and the rich wildlife at the Luangwa valley.

English is the official language and everybody speaks it here fluently. (Of course, there are some locals who cannot speak that.) So, it is quite easy to mingle with all here. The people are extremely friendly and docile. Above all, there is a stable government in Zambia unlike in other African countries where one comes across only banana republics. Since Zambia is a Christian country, one finds a freedom here that is missing in the restrictive Muslim countries of either Gulf or Africa.

To an Indian who is hoping to come to Zambia for work there is no difficulty at all. The Gujarathis are very well established here. There are Hindu temples and associations in all the major towns of Zambia. At Lusaka, the capital city, one can find temples, churches, mosques and Gurudwara. There is also Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, a Bahai temple (a little away from the city), Sai Baba temple. About 40 kilometers away from Lusaka a beautiful South Indian Ambal temple has been built recently. There are also many Indian associations for the Muslims, Tamilians, Malayalees and the Punjabis.

Elderly parents will love to come down and stay with you here, provided their health is okay. It is a most peaceful place for retirement.

All Indian vegetables and groceries are available. Communication system is also quite good. Internet facilities are also easily accessible. For schooling, though Indian schools many not be there, international schools with international syllabus is available. IB, A level, IGCSE, O level programs are available. School level education is fine. For higher studies, only accountancy is possible. Colleges and universities are there, but they are not up to Indian standards. Medical facilities are poor here. For small complications, it is not a big problem. But, for bigger ones, one has to either go to nearby South Africa or to India. HIV/AIDS is a great hurdle for the locals here. However, due to great awareness, it is under control now.

The Kwacha – US Dollar exchange rate, is quite volatile depending upon the world copper prices as Zambia’s main foreign exchange earner is copper exports. So, the cost of living also depends on these ups and downs. Zambia is a landlocked country. Most of the things are imported. Zambians have now realized that relying on copper alone will not help in the long run. Hence, they have started diversifying into agriculture and other industries. Imported goods from India, China and South Africa, especially are cheaper and better than locally made ones. All electronic items are available in plenty.

With regard to safety and security, Zambia is like any other country. In India too there are increasing safety problems, but it gets dissolved in the huge population. Whereas, since Zambia is sparsely populated (10 million), it seems more prominent. The crime rate is high in Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa. One will not find such a high rate of crime in Zambia. Still, it cannot be said categorically that Zambia is a safe country. It is relatively safer. There are thefts.

From an expatriate’s perspective, Zambia is a heaven as the entire money you earn here can be transferred to our home country unlike in some countries where some portion of it has to be spent there itself. The inducement package differs from one employer to another. The taxation is pretty steep here, but most of the time the employer takes care of it.

In a nutshell, even though this place may not be advanced like the Western or Gulf countries, it has a charm of its own. If you are smitten (as I have been) by that charm, then there is nothing like it. Herein you find the confluence of the West and the East. I would like to borrow the words of the inscription found at Diwan-i-Khas, Red Fort in New Delhi, “If there is a heaven on earth it is this, it is this.”

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—About our writer:

The writer of the article is an English Teacher in Zambia since 1996. Her interests are travelling, reading and writing.

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