Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 18: Southern Africa: Zambia to South Africa
I felt like Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz' when her house crash landed in Munchkin
LandandassheopenedthedoorthefilmmovedfromblackandwhiteintoTechnicolor.Not
that the Zambians were Munchkins or I saw a crushed witch as soon as I entered Zambia,
but I immediately noticed a stark difference between the two nations.
Let me start by stating that the people on both sides of the border came from the
same indigenous culture. It was during the Conference of Berlin (1884-5) that the borders
of Africa were arbitrarily drawn with no consideration to the one thousand African cultures.
Consideration wasonlygiventothefourteenmostlyEuropeancountriesthatwantedapiece
ofthecontinent.TheZaïrian-ZambianborderwassettledbetweentheBelgiansandtheBrit-
ish. At stake were the richest copper deposits in the world.
OntheZambian sideoftheborder,thepeople'sdemeanour wasnoticeably different.
Their smiles seemed brighter; the way they walked seemed, for the lack of a better word,
lighter: they stood taller and with their shoulders back; they seemed freer. I saw couples
hand-in-hand strolling along the pavement looking at clothing displayed in the village's
boutiques; and there was an air of order and peacefulness.
I was thrilled to begin cycling in Zambia. The adventure began with the very first
vehicle that approached me. As I cycled away from the border, a truck came toward me on
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