Travel Guide Lusaka
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The capital of Zambia is an African metropolis, typical in its diversity, contradictions and exuberant life. If some boulevards, lined with jacarandes, flamboyant or frangipani, can be pleasant outside hours of chaotic traffic, other streets, with garbage, do not lend themselves to the walk. The architecture of the city is characterized by tall buildings, often built in haste and without fantasy, and by the absence of a colonial centre. In the absence of interesting monuments, the dusty markets in Lusaka are plunging the visitor into a genuine and traditional Africa that makes it possible to appreciate Zambia's ethnic wealth. On the other hand, brand new shopping malls such as Manda Hill or Levy Junction favour the most affluent and expatriates. Finally, a dynamic artistic scene and a lively nightlife over the weekend add to the amenities of a stay in the Zambian capital.HistoryThe history of Lusaka is fairly recent, but the city has undergone an extremely rapid development, passing, in a mere century, status as a small provincial village to that of a sprawling metropolis housing nearly 2 million inhabitants. In 1905 British engineers, employed in the construction of the railway to connect Livingstone to Broken Hill (present Kabwe), settled near the small village of Lenje commanded by Chief Lusaakas. To live more comfortably, they build a post office, a police station, a school, shops, a hotel and a sports club, which transform the camp into a peaceful small colonial town in a few years. In 1935, Lusaka, due to its position in the centre of the country and its pleasant climate, was chosen as the capital of Northern Rhodesia at the Plaza Square, and retains this status for the independence of the country in 1964. Thanks to a flourishing economy due to high copper prices, the city is changing: dusty roads cover pavés while modern buildings are built. Thousands of Zambians are in the capital hoping to find a job there. However, in the mid s, living conditions in the metropolis were deteriorating, unemployment and poverty were emerging, and then the AIDS virus and children were being reduced to living on the streets. Despite the efforts undertaken over the last few years to improve the image of the city (clean up of the streets, rehabilitation of paintings, redevelopment of green spaces), problems related to overcrowding and misery have unfortunately not disappeared.
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