When I first arrived in Lusaka, which coincided with our neighbour/landlord’s “kitchen party” (Zambian version of a bridal shower) for their maid – and hence free food for me- I remember thinking a month is so far away and that I will probably have seen and done a lot a month from now… well yesterday marked my one month stay in Zambia, and frankly, I think I need at least another 6 months in this country to fully experience it.

Nevertheless, I am happy that during this month, Jamie and I were able to travel to (or at least pass through) Zambian borders to the East and North-West. To the East we passed through Chipata, the city dividing Zambia and Malawi. Our trip to Malawi was amazing for the following reasons: Lake Malawi is probably the most ‘laid-back’ spot in the world. Containing its indigenous charm and tranquility, the part we visited (Senga bay) has fortunately managed NOT to attract the typical beach-going tourist population. Instead, its quiet and friendly beaches are occupied by fishermen from nearby villages, local children playing joyfully in the water, Malawian city dwellers who escape the city life for the weekend, and of course foreigners who work in nearby villages or NGOs. Also, since Malawi is economically ‘less developed’ than Zambia and less influenced by Western travelers and expats, its people have different attitude towards foreigners. They are even friendlier than Zambians, not so concerned with selling you stuff, and everywhere we went, children and adults demanded that we take our pictures, whereas in Zambia it’s a huge cultural faux pas to take a picture of someone unless they consent to it. Constantly trying to compare the two countries- while reminding myself that “Zambia is more developed, Zambia is more developed”- I was surprised to find out that Malawi was much more progressive in terms of gender equality and protection of women’s rights.

One: Malawi’s vice president is a woman. Two: One of their national heroes (known to almost every Malawian) is a female social development lawyer, by the name of Seodi White [she was a distinguished visitor at the OISE Center for Women’s Studies in Education, UofT, and a gave a lecture on Women’s Rights and HIV/AIDS in Malawi and Southern Africa- which I attended in 2007 and was greatly inspired by]. Three: Malawi has passed a legislation outlawing domestic violence in 2006 (with the help of Seodi). Four: Constitution of Malawi contains provisions guaranteeing Rights of Women and the Right to Development, while Zambia has no such provisions currently.

So I’ve been trying to make sense of the link between social and economic advancement, and the peculiar role that culture plays in the mix. The truth is, the Lusaka I see now doesn’t seem to be so blatantly gender-biased. I had to remind myself that African culture does not have the same tradition of women subordination as say, some Muslim and other developing nations. A stroll in the Lusaka Sunday market is the clearest indicator of the traditional portrayal of women in Africa. In local canvas paintings of custom and tradition, women are always depicted alone or next to men, working or carrying buckets of water or bins on their head. Women are portrayed in the same size as men, almost indistinguishable expect for their headwear or ruffled skirts. Though traditionally women have consumed the domestic and thus unpaid work of taking care of the home, rearing children and making nshima (staple food of a few African countries including Zambia, made from ground maize flour), this work is not considered inferior to men’s as the more in number and the healthier children are, the more of a status a man and his family has in the community. The daily regimen of nshima and relish is considered not just food for digestion but a necessity since food without nshima is merely a snack. Moreover, cooking nshima is considered an art form with the aim of achieving the correct texture and taste.

Currently less than 40% of Zambians live in urban areas. Among this population, almost every single man (from university to middle age) makes nshima daily; women attend schools in similar number to men and they work side by side men in offices and stores. Women’s sexuality is not a dominant source of attraction and exploitation as they freely expose their breasts in public while feeding their babies. Youth and university students openly discuss HIV and sexuality issues, get tested regularly and form meaningful relationships. It is no longer (if it ever was) socially unacceptable for “good” girls and women to drink like men. [Smoking however, is still frown upon and I have been unable to spot one Zambian woman who smokes].

The social interaction that I notice here, however, is probably due to the fact that there is an emerging middle class in Zambia, and that Lusaka is home to University of Zambia, the country’s most revered post-secondary institution. I try to remain conscious of the fact that unemployment rate is a staggering 50% and that more than ½ of the population lives in rural areas, where cultural norms and traditions are not transformed with the same force and speed.

Nevertheless, even a rudimentary transformation of cultural values that can bridge societal conceptions of masculinity and femininity must be interpreted as a tool that can facilitate wider, cross-sectional reform. This reform can only be achieved through government commitment and action, by enacting legislation and policies that recognize these values at an institutional level as opposed to casting them as mere deviations from the norm. As such, I think that what makes Zambia ‘less socially progressive’ than Malawi which is in fact less socio-economically developed is not tradition or culture, but rather government inaction and lack of written law that expresses populist tendencies in a formal and sweeping manner.