My Culture Shock in Zambia as a Ghanaian

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Hey, so as a lot of you know, I've just spent three weeks in Zambia.

[00:00:09]>> [music] [music] [music] >> I spent three weeks touring Zambia, experiencing Zambia, and I had the time of my life. Oh my god, I want to go back like yesterday.

[00:00:44]But I'm not going to lie. I was shocked by a lot of things that I experienced in Zambia.

[00:00:49]And not shocked in a bad way, but like shocked in a oh my goodness, what kind of way. So in this video, I'm going to be talking about my culture shocks in Zambia.

[00:01:01]Visiting Zambia for the first time as a Ghanaian.

[00:01:06]So let's talk about it.

[00:01:08]If you're coming across this face for the first time, my name is Nat I'm a travel vlogger. I'm from Ghana. I'm a travel curator as well, and I love love love to travel and experience culture and destinations. And so I document my journey traveling around the world. And so if this is your kind of vibe, I would say just subscribe to the channel so we can be travel buddies. Now just a little bit of context. Originally, I was supposed to spend three weeks across three countries. That is Zambia, [music] Zimbabwe, and Malawi. But guess what?

[00:01:44]One country hijacked me. And you and I know what country that is. Zambia. So I ended up spending, you know, a lot of time. I'll say all three weeks in Zambia. I was just in Zimbabwe for a couple of days and then I came back.

[00:02:00]Totally off plan, you know, just because I was missing Zambia. Now, here are my culture shocks visiting Zambia for the first time as a Ghanaian. Number uno, number one. Listen, this one shocked me, okay? This is a kind of shock where I could open my mouth like this.

[00:02:19]Huh? Let me tell you. So, Zambians cannot differentiate between a Ghanaian and a Nigerian. I mean, how? I was like, and not really in terms of look, I would say in terms of accent. So, Zambians could not tell the difference between a Nigerian accent and a Ghanaian accent.

[00:02:45]And constantly, these people were telling me, these cousins of mine were telling me that, "You sound like a Nigerian. You sound like a Nigerian. You know, there's no difference between how a Nigerian sounds from a Ghanaian how a Ghanaian sounds. You all sound the same." No, we don't.

[00:03:04]No, we don't. Let's stop.

[00:03:08]Listen, I'm not even going to lie. This did shock me. It shocked me so much to the point I was almost offended at a point because somebody telling me to my face, I'm saying, "We sound different from Nigerians." "No, you sound the same." "No, you sound the same." "You speak like a Nigerian." "No, I don't."

[00:03:23]"No, I don't." Yeah, Nigerians are our cousins, really nice neighbors.

[00:03:30]But, are we really neighbors?

[00:03:33]Nigerians are young brothers, you know.

[00:03:34]When I say that, I'm saying that to mean that, you know, Ghana gained independence 1957 and they did 1960.

[00:03:43]Anyway, my point is that the difference is huge. When you speak with a Nigerian and you speak with a Ghanaian, you should be able to tell that these people are two different people. So, for example, one group says church, the other one says chuch. One says pastor, the other one says pasto. What You know, I could go on and on and on. Like, we are totally different with accents, but these people said, "No, you all sound the same." I was like, this was like one of my arguments I kept having with Zambians.

[00:04:15]But, I'm also going to say that this is in two ways. I also met a Zambian one time who said that Actually, maybe more than one time. But, there's one particular young driver who said to me that Ghanaians don't have a distinct accent. No. He said, "Ghanaians don't have an indigenous accent." I was like, "Interesting." You know, so I would say that there there two different kinds of Zambians that I met. One, the majority, were that you all sound the same.

[00:04:50]You Nigerians, you Ghanaians, you all sound the same to us.

[00:04:54]And then, another sector that I found, which were like really tiny bits, says that Ghanaians don't really have an indigenous accent. I I found that really interesting, and then I started to think about it. Now, if I hear Ghanaian speaking, I can tell that's a Ghanaian.

[00:05:10]I I know what he meant. I know what he meant because there's this accent when it comes to if a South African is speaking, if a Zimbabwean is speaking, if a Zambian is speaking, if a Kenyan is speaking. So, I think I get where he's trying to go. He's not hearing that kind of accent from us. So, I think that's where the the problem lies for him. But, honestly, generally, most of the Zambians that I spoke with, they could not tell the difference between Ghanaian accent and and and and Nigerian accent. And I think it would take a Zambian who has been in close contact with people from Nigeria and people from Ghana to be able to make the difference because for them we all sound the same, which we don't, you know, but yeah. This was one of my biggest shock in Zambia. I I was shocked.

[00:06:12]Shock number two. Listen, Zambians love their nshima, okay?

[00:06:20]Zambians love their nshima.

[00:06:22]Everything revolves around nshima. When you go to Zambia, meal is nshima. Food is nshima. Nshima is life, okay?

[00:06:32]And actually, nshima is very similar to what we have in Ghana that's called akple. It's very, very similar to that.

[00:06:40]So, that was like, "Oh my god, this is like a you know, a Ghanaian dish." But anyway, I This is what I noticed. In Zambia, there is one national dish. There is one main staple, which is nshima. It's made from Is it akondo? Maize? Yes, I think it's made from maize. If you're a Zambian, please put in the comments. Let me know in the comment section if I'm saying the right thing.

[00:07:06]So, Zambians have one main dish, one national staple. And [music] everywhere from the north to the south to the east to the west to the central to everywhere is nshima. They don't joke with their nshima. Like, every event, every buffet, every Like, you will find nshima everywhere you go. And I was shocked by that. You know, so you would have the nshima with usually with vegetables and then with fish or I've seen chicken as well.

[00:07:41]So, yeah, that is the main dish in Zambia and they don't joke with that.

[00:07:47]Like, don't if a Zambian does not eat nshima in what, a day or two or a couple of days, they are not okay. They are not okay because nshima is life. Nshima is everything in Zambia and yeah, I found that really interesting. I kept meeting Zambians who would ask me in conversations, "What is the What is the staple in Ghana? What's your national dish in Ghana? What's your What's your national staple in Ghana?"

[00:08:16]And I was like, we have so many. That's the difference between us. We have so many. So, in Ghana, we don't have like that one staple.

[00:08:27]So, for everybody that kept asking me that, I just kept saying we have so many. This many. And then kenkey is my favorite. We have um banku, we have aprapransa, we have fufu, we have kenkey, we have kokonte, we have omotuo. We have so many staples.

[00:08:47]We don't have like that one where everybody eats that and you know, every food revolves around that. We don't have that in Ghana. There's just so many to choose from.

[00:09:01]And I just found that really, really interesting that there's that one thing that everybody loves, that their soups or stews or whatever is around that one meal. Shocker to me. Number three, shock. This was a shocker to me.

[00:09:20]Zambians don't like spicy food.

[00:09:25]Zambians don't like shito. They don't like pepper. They don't like like, their food is not spicy. You You if you if you're coming from West Africa, Ghana, especially Accra, pepe Pepe is like Pepe is nothing. We don't joke with shito. We don't joke with wakye shito Wakye shito You don't So So to go to Zambia and see that or experience that Yo, it was hard. Food was hard for me in Zambia. I'm not even going to lie. Like I don't joke with my pepe. I don't joke with my pepe at all. I love spicy food.

[00:10:13]>> [laughter] >> You can't blame me.

[00:10:16]I love [music] spicy food.

[00:10:19]So, I had a hard time adjusting with that. I think if I if I'm ever going to relocate to Zambia or maybe want to stay in Zambia for a long period of time, I have to prepare well in terms of food. I need to go with my, you know, shito and everything just so I could be okay.

[00:10:41]Because I do love the country. I'm not even going to lie. I do love the country. But I struggled in terms of food.

[00:10:47]It was a big shocker to me. Zambians are not big on spicy food.

[00:10:52]And they I I actually found it very similar to my experience in Kenya because Kenyans don't like spicy food as well. And I was like, "Okay, feels like the experience I had in Kenya."

[00:11:08]But yeah, it was definitely a shocker to me. So, usually when I go to like a restaurant, I will say I want this extra spicy. Like I kept asking extra spicy, extra spicy. Because what they even have as spicy to me was not spicy. If in Ghana I'm having like level 10, in Zambia when they say spicy, it was still like level three to me. You know what I'm saying? So, I really want spicy spicy spicy. And I felt that that was something I did not expect going to Zambia. That was something that was like, "Oh, wow. This is It's different here." You know? So, yeah.

[00:11:48]That was definitely something that shocked me. Zambians don't like spicy food at all. My shock number three was that Zambia is a Christian nation, period. I don't think I've been to a country where it was so obvious that this country is sold out to the church.

[00:12:10]>> [laughter] >> You know, if I could say that. At some point, I was really curious.

[00:12:14]So, I had to Google it.

[00:12:16]And then I found out that 95% to 98% of the population are Christians.

[00:12:24]Wow. It was like very obvious. You know, I'm coming from from Ghana. In Ghana, you have about 70% of Ghanaians being Christian. About over 20% something around that being Muslims.

[00:12:39]When you walk through the city in Accra, you can see churches, you can see mosques. You see lots of churches in Ghana, no doubt. But you do see mosques.

[00:12:48]And we're really famously known for having, you know, mosques even right opposite churches and all of that. But in Zambia, you see churches churches churches. And they take their church seriously. Like Zambians don't play with church. The Zambians I experienced church is a big deal in Zambia. Church is a big deal in Zambia. And I'm going to tell you this.

[00:13:10]So, when I was coming from Livingstone to Lusaka, I got in a bus.

[00:13:16]I've forgotten the name of this bus.

[00:13:17]It's a very popular well-known well-run because I took other buses. And I can tell you this bus like this coach was really well-run. And anybody you ask the the country that you want to go somewhere, that's the one they're going to recommend to you like numero uno.

[00:13:34]So, I got on this bus coming to to Lusaka. And one of the staff from the bus said, "We're going to pray and this is our memory verse for this morning." I was like, "Wow." I was I was really impressed. Like, I was really really impressed. As a believer, I was impressed, okay? So, here's the thing.

[00:13:57]It's not strange in Ghana to see people get on buses to pray with the passengers before they take the trip. It's not strange at all. But, this is the staff of the company praying with us and giving us a memory verse before we were going to go on the journey. I was like, "Wow. Wow.

[00:14:23]Wow. Impressed." So, yeah. That's That was one of my shocks in Zambia. I didn't really think anything of it going into Zambia. Is this a Christian country? Is it a Is this like a multi- religious country? What is it? Like, it didn't even cross my mind. But, I was just shocked finding out that this is 95% to 98% population being Christians. I was like, "Oh, wow." And I did go to church twice in Zambia, which was Oh my god, it was so good. It was so good. The first church I went to What What's the name?

[00:15:01]I'm going to find it and put that in sets in this video. You guys.

[00:15:07]So, I'm all dressed up going to church here in Lusaka, Zambia. Guys, it doesn't get better than this. It doesn't get better than this.

[00:15:18]See, I was, you know, at my Airbnb and I was hearing a church nearby. So, I was like, "Maybe let's go see. It's Easter Sunday."

[00:15:28]So, let's go see what church in Zambia feels like, looks like. I wanted to wear a fugu earlier, but it's a little bit heavy. You know, I just wanted to be simple and go in.

[00:15:41]Not try to take some attention, all of that. But anyway, I'm on my way to church. I'm so excited. Let me mention it. But anyway, let's go. Let's go.

[00:15:49]Let's go. Let's go. This [music] is the church.

[00:15:52]I'm here.

[00:15:53]It was a really small church. I was in my Airbnb walking around, and then I could hear someone singing from the church.

[00:16:02]The music was so good. The music was so good. Yo, I I can't even describe it.

[00:16:07]So, I went in, got ready, dressed up, headed to the church because I was told it's just a walking distance. So, I walked to the church.

[00:16:15]And then I went there, and they said, you know, if you are new, get up, and you know, you're welcome, and all of that. I was welcomed really nicely, asked about where I'm coming from.

[00:16:24]You know, the fugu banter situation that went on, the pastor preached with that, mentioned that. You know, they were just so lovely. Even when I was leaving, cuz I had to leave earlier, cuz I needed to go to, you know, another province, the pastor's wife came out with me, prayed with me. It was just a really small church, you know, in I don't think there were more than 20 members in the in the service, but I enjoyed that church so much. The word was so good, the music was so good, the people were so nice, just amazing. Really, really amazing.

[00:16:55][music] And unfortunately, the second church that I went to, I went too late. The church was closed, but I still had a feel of the environment. I went to the bookshop. I went to the auditorium.

[00:17:05][music] And I could feel that this is a really nice church. The next time I go to Zambia, I'm going to go to that church.

[00:17:12]That's for sure. But yeah, Zambia is a Christian nation, if you would say that.

[00:17:18]Culture shock number four.

[00:17:20]Is this number four? Yeah, I think so.

[00:17:22]Guys, this one shocked me because coming from Ghana, I've heard foreigners say all the time, "Ghanaians are so soft-spoken. Ghanaians are so soft-spoken. Just speak louder when you speak. Speak louder when you speak."

[00:17:34]Have you met the Zambians?

[00:17:38]Zambians are so soft-spoken.

[00:17:41]They think we are loud. Have you met Nigerians?

[00:17:45]If you think Ghanaians are loud, have you met Nigerians?

[00:17:49]Because my Nigerian friends tell me, "Ghanaians, ah, you need to raise your voice. You [snorts] need to raise your voice." So, to have Zambians tell me that Ghanaians are loud, I was like, "Wow."

[00:18:05]But, it's true. I mean, when you compare the two, they are more soft-spoken.

[00:18:10]Zambians are more soft-spoken. They are gentle I would say gentle in spirit.

[00:18:17]Yeah, Zambians are more soft-spoken.

[00:18:20]They are, you know, they're much quieter than us, really.

[00:18:24]They are. And you can tell from their demeanor, from their, you know, through so many things that these are not loud people. These are people who love their peace. Don't come around shouting. You know, bring your voice down. Why you shouting? What I would say. And this was a shock to me, especially that they found Ghanaians to be loud. Here's another thing that shocked me in Zambia, especially in Lusaka. And I'm putting this right on top of um saying Zambians are soft-spoken. I found their capital city, Lusaka, bearable. A quieter city than most cities in West Africa that I've experienced. Well, as a West African girl, Ghanaian girl, you take Accra, take Lagos, um You know, you take these cities and these are loud cities. So, going into Zambia and experiencing Lusaka, I found it quiet.

[00:19:25]And not quiet that is silent, but compared to the city I'm coming from or the other cities I've experienced, it's it's a it's a more sane city, you know, like the noise is down. It's like being in Accra and you're experiencing Alajo or Adum. You know, like before we get into home, where you know the season where there's ban on noise making for a month, it feels like a city that's that has a ban on noise making, if you know what I mean.

[00:19:59]That's what Lusaka felt to me and I really love it. I mean, I do love I do like noise sometimes because I'm I'm from Accra. Sometimes I I really I'm turned on by the noise. I'm used to noise. That's a better way to put it.

[00:20:13]Lusaka felt different. Typical day in Accra, it can be really really noisy in some parts of Accra.

[00:20:20]I just didn't get that vibe in Lusaka.

[00:20:23]Honestly, I didn't I feel like this is a much sane city, less chaotic. Definitely more selling on the streets here in Accra than you will find in Lusaka. I mean, there was just one time that I bought like grapes in traffic, but typically the number of people you find selling on the streets in Accra is not the same in Lusaka. I liked it, to be honest. I liked it.

[00:20:47]You guys, this was a major culture shock for me. Now, here's the thing. Anytime I would speak with a Zambian and I would say, "Oh, I want to go to this province or I want to go to this place.

[00:20:58]Um how long is it going to take to get there?" Guess what? Zambians give you the distance to cover. They would say, "Oh, this place is about 350 km." You know, it's going to take you about 200 km to get here. Oh, you're going there? That's just about 50 km to get there.

[00:21:18]I was like, "A what?" Listen, I was so impressed by that. I I cannot tell you how impressed I I was anytime they said that. Now, here's the thing. I'm from Ghana. When you ask a Ghanaian, for example, "Oh, I want to go to Cape Coast." we tell you the number of hours or minutes it's going to take you to get there. I'll tell you 4 hours using the nature of the road and maybe traffic to calculate for you. But no, a Zambian will give you the amount of distance you cover. I know that if I'm going to Cape Coast, that's about 180 km. But I'm not going to tell a Ghanaian that. That's not how we communicate.

[00:22:04]And I even know kilometers to several regions and cities because of tour guiding school. You know, I do tours in Ghana most of the time. Like, people come to Ghana and they want to experience the country. I, you know, I curate an amazing itinerary for them. I take them around to experience it and love it. But I know that because of tour guiding school. But I wouldn't use that knowledge, you know, communicating in Ghana. That's That's not how we communicate. So, I was really, really impressed. And listen, the average Zambian does this.

[00:22:44]Like, I will regularly call a bus driver and I say, "Oh, I want to go to this place. What's the time frame?"

[00:22:50]And they would give me the the distance we're going to cover in in kilometers.

[00:22:55]And I'm like, "Wow." Because for me, that that takes some level of, you know, knowledge to say that. I was really impressed. Not even going to lie. I was really impressed by that. All right. So, these are my culture shocks experiencing Zambia for the very first time as a Ghanaian.

[00:23:13]And let me know if you want to do a part two. I will happily bring another video talking about this. So, yeah. I had an amazing time in Zambia. Oh my god. Like Yo, I want to go back to Zambia so bad.

[00:23:27]And I hope it happens soon. Please don't forget to subscribe to the channel. I hope to bring you lots of Zambian content because you haven't seen anything yet. And if you do have some questions about my trip, just ask me in the comments and I'm going to do well to answer it in subsequent videos. I will see you in my next video. Take care.

[00:23:45]Bye-bye.