Winnie Miti

Forget what you know about Zambia's well-trodden paths. Journey to Mbala, the nation's oldest district, where the echoes of history are still palpable. This is where the final surrender of World War I took place, where colonial ambition met African resilience, and where a quiet town today guards secrets of a dramatic past. From weapons lost at the bottom of a lake to the stoic elegance of century-old architecture, discover the untold stories of Mbala—a place where history isn't just remembered; it's felt.

That initial motivation for our 2025 goals can wane as the year progresses. But the calendar is just a guide, not a deadline. This article offers a compassionate and practical guide to rescuing your year, helping you sit with what went wrong, redefine success on your own terms, and rebuild momentum with small, sustainable steps.

There’s a constant communicator within you: your body. It doesn't use words, but instead whispers, flares, sighs, or glows to get your attention. If you want to truly know yourself, start by listening to what it’s been saying all along.

There was a time when Zambia not only imported cars, but also built them. In the glow of post-independence ambition, factories in Livingstone and the Copperbelt hummed with the sounds of assembly lines piecing together Peugeots, Toyota Hilux pickups, and Scania trucks.

Long before mobile money and microfinance became buzzwords, Zambian communities were already revolutionising how money moves. Through chillimba, village banking, and grocery pools, everyday people—especially women—are buying land, funding education, and launching businesses without ever stepping into a formal bank.

The Copperbelt region has long been the engine of Zambia's economy, with copper mining providing over 70% of the nation's export earnings. Yet this prosperity comes with environmental challenges that affect local communities.

Every year, the national budget is announced, and most of us scroll past, thinking it's only for politicians and economists. However, the reality is that the budget affects everything.

Picture this: A young professional woman in Lusaka earns K12,000 monthly but watches her salary vanish into two invisible taxes that no government ever imposed.

When the first rains hit Zambian soil, something magical happens. Children run with basins held high, catching protein-rich insects that seem to fall from the sky.

Phiri would later establish Kwacha Photo Studio in 1983, creating an extensive archive of black-and-white portraits that captured the everyday realities and dignity of Lusaka's residents during Zambia's post-independence era.

This is the story of the Valley Tonga, nearly 60,000 people displaced when the Kariba Dam promised to bring light to a continent. It is also the story of Nyami Nyami, the serpent-river spirit whose legend refuses to be drowned.

Long before the world embraced "organic living" and "natural remedies," Zambian grandmothers were quietly practising holistic healing in their kitchens. More than health hacks, these remedies represent a continuous thread of communal wisdom and female agency.

Forget everything you think you know about safari. In Zambia's vast Kafue National Park, there are no guarantees, no scripts, and no crowds—just 22,400 square kilometres of untamed wilderness waiting to rewrite your understanding of what a true African adventure should be.

Nobody knew how she made it, but everyone knew it was alive in a way that was curious and somewhat eerie. One year, the container looked as if it was breathing, swirling inside like it was thinking about its great escape.

To accompany the Tente, the rains also usher in Inswa, flying ants that descend in coordinated clouds after the first storms. Their arrival is definitely a symbolic commencement of the rainy season.

“Have you heard of this? It’s called Nsunko.” she said. The name rang a bell; I’d heard of it before from some of my patients at the hospital, many of whom had mentioned it casually when I’d asked about any habits they’d like me to know.