The best museums Zambia

This museum, one of the few in the region and even in the country, is a real treasure trove of precious stones. In addition to the samples of minerals extracted in the region that made its fortune, first and foremost copper, very beautiful precious and semi-precious stones are displayed here. You can learn a lot about gemology. In this museum you will find explanations on the mining industry and its history in Ndola, copper objects dating from the Stone Age, but also traditional crafts. Also worth seeing is a beautiful collection of butterflies.

This museum, opened in 1974, displays pieces collected in the 1940s by a Canadian missionary, Father Corbell. It is the best place in the country to discover the Bemba culture. There are four sections: ethnography, prehistory, history and natural history, plus an art gallery. One can contemplate an impressive collection of tools, weapons, musical instruments, utensils of daily life, costumes, masks... The Natural History section exhibits the different types of snakes of the region.

This modest museum was opened in the 1980s. It is located in Downtown, in the middle of an unsafe area (take a cab there). The first floor, dedicated to modern and contemporary art, presents paintings, sculptures and ceramics by artists who have marked the national creation since independence in 1964 until today.
On the first floor, the ethnographic section is the most interesting. It provides explanations on the different aspects of Zambian culture by ethnic group for a more detailed analysis at the regional level: music and dance, crafts, witchcraft and initiation ceremonies, everything is detailed and broken down by tribe. A small archaeological section tells the story of "the Broken Hill Man", one of the ancestors of humanity whose skull was discovered in Kabwe, 140 km north of Lusaka, a Homo rhodesiensis, which would be a human subspecies, common ancestor ofHomo neanderthalensis and Homo erectus.
Finally, a gallery dedicated to history and politics traces the major events of the country since Independence and the lives of the country's leaders. This is the most interesting part of the museum, well supplied with detailed didactic and explanatory panels. Unfortunately, the museum is poorly maintained and its contents are rarely updated. If the visit remains instructive, it does not have the scale of the main museum of a capital, it is a pity. One appreciates in addition its small store of craft industry.

Enthusiasts will appreciate this small museum that exhibits a motley collection of steam locomotives and vintage railcars (three Beyer Garretts for the connoisseurs), objects associated with railroad life, old photographs of the city, an exhibition on the history of the railroad... A collection that belonged to the British artist David Shepherd. Small Jewish museum on the site also about the historic community of the city. The museum being private, the entrance fee is nevertheless high for the modest collection offered.

This museum dedicated to the culture of the Tonga people is housed in one of the country's few surviving buildings from the colonial era, a former school from the 1920s. The museum traces the history of the ethnic group, whose most significant event was its sad displacement during the construction of the Kariba Dam, and exhibits many objects emblematic of Tonga traditions: musical instruments, spears, jewelry, statuettes, baskets, objects of daily life ... There is also contemporary art and a small store of crafts.

In the east of the city, this is the largest and most fascinating market in Livingstone. It is a colorful, bustling place with hundreds of stalls. You can find everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to live chickens, clothes, mattresses, copper toys and mechanical parts... It is a very good place to buy chitengue (local loincloths), to repair your bike, to sew your backpack or your shoes. Discretion in dress is required and you must ask permission before taking pictures.

A focal point of the city in the historic heart of Livingstone, it is the largest and oldest museum in Zambia. It was built in the 1930s and expanded and renovated for the city's centenary in 2005. It is also probably the most extensive in terms of historical artifacts, history, traditions and cultures in Zambia, more so than the modest museum in Lusaka. The site is divided into five sections. The first is dedicated to archaeology: early man, human evolution, cultural development in Zambia from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, while the second, one of the most exciting, is devoted to art and ethnography: presentation of the different ethnic groups and cultures of the country. This section includes a fascinating focus on the place of witchcraft. The third part of the collection focuses on the history of the Tonga people, from the development of British colonial rule to independence. Another section focuses on the natural history of Zambia's incredible flora and fauna, with a presentation of various animals and their habitats. The museum also exhibits a large number of personal objects that belonged to the British missionary and explorer David Livingstone, after whom the city is named. The bookstore offers a wide selection of books, while a small store sells paintings and sculptures by Zambian artists. A must-see when you come to Livingstone to learn more about Zambia.