Bamboosero Locations - Zambia
LINKS to Builder's Sites:
Zambikes | Zambia Page
Zambia has one of the lowest populations to land ratio's in Africa. Only about 10 million people in a country half the size of Europe. The employment opportunities in mining and associated industries have caused Zambia to be one of the most urbanized countries in Africa. About one-fifth of the population lives on the Copperbelt and an estimated 2 million plus people live in Lusaka - the capital. This has resulted in massive tracts of uninhabited land across the country.
CULTURE
Zambia's contemporary culture is a blend of values, norms, material and spiritual traditions of more than 70 ethnically diverse people. During the colonial period, the process of industrialization and urbanization saw ethnically different people brought together by economic interests, This, as well as the very definite influence of western standards, generated a new culture without conscious effort of politically determined guidelines. Many of the rural inhabitants however, have retained their indigenous and traditional customs and values. After Independence in 1964, the government recognized the role culture was to play in the overall development of a new nation and began to explore the question of a National Identity. As a result, Private and Public museums and cultural villages were established to promote the expression of artistic talents.
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Zambia's diverse cultures bring with them a wide variety of traditional skills. Crafts can be found in great variety if not in abundance and among them is some of the finest basketry in Africa. The economy of most of the crafts people is based on fishing, cattle or the cultivation of crops. Craft work is often done seasonally to supplement the income of many families. It was originally intended for barter and made according to the needs of other villagers. To many, especially the subsistence farmers, craft work is their only means of earning cash.
URBAN LIFE
The principle urban centres, Lusaka, Livingstone and the towns on the Copperbelt are where most of the people head when they make the decision to go and look for employment. Those who are unable to find employment, end up living in settlements called shanty towns dotted around cities and towns. But the "shanties" are filled with people who have made a fine art out of surviving with very little. Home industries spring up everywhere from tailors, cobblers, vegetable sellers, money exchangers, to "walking salesmen" selling anything from frying pans, electric plugs and batteries to fruit, vegetables and nuts. For many young people, the countryside may be more open and free but, due to lack of formal employment there, it is a monotonous place to live in compared with the action and energy of the big city.
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