Today Zambia officially has 72 ethnic kin groups, as recognized by the government. Several of these speak the same language. According to Wycliffe, Zambians speak 38 distinct Bantu languages, not including dialects (see www.ethnologue.com).

 

Wycliffe's 38 Zambian Bantu Languages

 

Aushi                  Mbukushu

Bemba                Mbunda

Bwile                    Nkoya

Chokwe               Nsenga

Ila                         Nyamwanga

Kaonde                Nyanja

Khwe                    Nyiha

Kunda                  Sala

Lala-Bisa              Settla

Lamba                  Shona

Lenje                     Simaa

Lozi                       Soli

Luchazi                 Subiya

Lunda                    Taabwa

Luvale                    Tonga

Luyana                   Totela

Mambwe-Lungu     Tumbuka

Mashi                      Yao

Mbowe                    Yauma

 

In addition, there are numerous speakers of Afrikaans, Gujarati, Fanagalo, and English. English is the official language of the nation, though six Bantu languages are also used for official purposes, such as radio and television broadcasts. These are: Bemba, Kaonde, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, and Tonga.

 

Information on some of these peoples will be placed here later. For now, you might want to see John's doctoral project on the “Resources” tab. It contains information on leadership development among the Goba, Bemba, Ngoni, and Luapula peoples.

 

Further Information:

 

http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/dc/

This is a U.K. based site largely concerning economic issues. It will give you a good feel for what life is like for most Zambians today.

 

http://www.zamnet.zm/

A local internet server. Their home page has current headlines from local newspapers.

 

http://allafrica.com/zambia/

This site has stories about Zambia from both local and international sources. It is updated almost every day.