Musonda Mukuka

Walk into any Zambian bookstore, and you'll find shelves groaning with memoirs and self-help guides. But fiction? That's rare as rain in August. Mulenga Kapwepwe's Perfect Marriage breaks that drought with a story that does something remarkable: it captures the tension between modern desires and traditional expectations without choosing sides.

Scrolling through the same apps, watching other people live their weekends—sound familiar? While Lusaka's digital world never sleeps, something remarkable is happening beyond the screens. Ready to actually touch grass this weekend?

Before smartphones and streaming services, Zambia's greatest stories travelled from grandmother to grandchild, whispered around crackling fires under star-filled skies. From a man's perilous journey to reclaim his wife from the underworld to the masked ancestors who still dance among the living, Zambia's folklore pulses with magic, morality, and timeless wisdom.

In Zambia, a funeral is a community event, not a private affair. Tradition roots in collective labour and support, seen vividly in villages, a modern shift in urban areas, where this open-door policy is sometimes exploited by individuals more focused on personal gain than genuine mourning.

What started as friendly wagers under shady trees has exploded into a digital epidemic. As betting apps sweep through Zambia, promising instant wealth with a single tap, experts warn of a generation quietly gambling away their futures.

Every nation's independence story has a face—but rarely just one. While Kenneth Kaunda's image adorns Zambian currency and monuments, the fight for freedom was waged by a coalition of brilliant, conflicted, and courageous individuals whose stories deserve equal recognition.

Zambia's most infamous bank heists aren't the Hollywood thrillers you'd expect. There are no elaborate tunnel systems or synchronised watches. Instead, these are stories of breathtaking audacity, inside knowledge, and in one case, a distraction involving cold meat.

On September 18, 1961, a DC-6 aircraft carrying UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld crashed in the forests near Ndola, killing one of the most influential diplomats of the Cold War era. The official verdict: pilot error.

The Lusaka Playhouse is more than a decaying building; it's the heart of Zambian theatre. But can passion alone save it? Let's go behind the scenes of the iconic landmark, moving beyond the public debates to uncover the real financial struggles threatening its future.

In 1979, Hollywood stars landed in Lusaka to make cinema history with local actors. The result was brilliant, terrible, and Zambian all at once. This ambitious international collaboration became a beloved local cinema staple while flopping abroad.

Africa's second-largest wildebeest migration, a 200-year-old royal ceremony that transforms rivers into highways, and waterfalls that nearly claimed the name "Victoria Falls."

Driven by poverty and hope, thousands of Zambians are engaging in illegal, small-scale gold mining. This modern-day gold rush presents an opportunity for individual fortune but carries significant risks

What was once whispered about in shame-buying second-hand clothes from "salaula" has exploded into Zambia's hottest cultural movement.

Through intimate encounters with punk skating culture, earth-centred spirituality, and alternative music communities, this exploration reveals how Zambia's youth are creating spaces of belonging where difference is not just tolerated—it's celebrated.

And education offers no immunity. University degrees and professional titles don't shield you from short-term contracts, consultancy gigs, or underpaid government positions.

From October to December, ten million fruit bats darken the skies, their black silhouettes enhancing the pinks and oranges of sunrise and sunset as they set out and return from their daily foraging.