Land of Many Languages

August 2, 2017

Although the official national language of Zambia is English, there are over 72 known languages spoken, only 7 of which are nationally recognized. For this reason, every person you meet in Zambia may be speaking a different language. Language varies by region. The major language spoken in Lusaka is Nyanja, the most popular language in Zambia. In the Copper-belt, most people speak Bemba. Some of the University of Zambia students from different parts and tribes of the country speak multiple of the 7 nationally recognized tribal languages as well as English. Since English is not spoken in most Zambian homes, kids who do not attend school (of which there are many) are unable to speak it. For all of these reasons, it is easy to feel lost in translation among all the different dialects. However, English being the national language made it a lot easier for us to communicate with local people. The girls at Appleseed have stated that, since I teach them English every day, it is only fair that they teach me Nyanja. We started with basic phrases like “Thank you” (zicomo), and “Good morning, how are you?” (Mocabuanji), but the girls get confused when I can’t memorize long phrases. I guess I now understand what it feels like to have a foreigner try to teach you their language, and being on the other end of it made me much more conscious about how I approach teaching English. I have learned through my studies that language is a huge access barrier for some Zambians in terms of news media and important political events in the country. All broadcasts and government publications are in English, as well as local newspapers, so the many Zambians who do not speak English are unable to be informed about important issues. As more time passes, I am sure English will become more readily spoken, but a consequence of that may be the withering away of the various Zambian languages which make Zambian regions so unique and diverse.

Written By

Maegan Cross

My name is Maegan, and I couldn't possibly be more excited to be embarking on this once-in-a-lifetime journey to Zambia with my peers and some truly incredible faculty members. I am a second year Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major with a minor in Human Services. My program on this DOC is Driving Social Change. Although I someday hope to work domestically in the fields of economic policy, income inequality, and human rights law, I know that this is going to be an invaluable experience for me because I will get hands-on experience in third-party intervention strategies. I, like so many other Northeastern students, want to work for the federal government so I can incite positive social change that will benefit the least-advantaged, oppressed, underrepresented members of our society. However, a huge factor in my ability to accomplish my goals is that I, as I am not myself a member of many of the populations I will be working to serve, am limited in my understanding of the needs of these people. This is why learning foreign intervention strategies is so important to me. My work developing programs for youths in a Zambian nonprofit will teach me best practice for understanding the needs of a community and implementing programs that will fulfill what the people need, not just what I, or any other person coming from a place of privilege, think they need. The skills I learn in Zambia will fuel my ability to advance the social and economic well-being of minority communities in my own country, and allow me to be the most positive ally I can possibly be.