ABSTRACT
Zambian society reflects a mixture of the old and the new, indigenous and foreign cultures. In less than two generations nearly half of the people have relocated in and around the cities and towns. Urban Zambians living in multiethnic settings often try to maintain separate customs and languages in order to distinguish themselves from others, consciously or unconsciously. One feature of postindependence Zambia is the rapid stratification of people into classes. Distinctions within the African community in colonial days were masked by the fact of a common subjection to racial discrimination. Language too has undergone changes under conditions of urbanization and stratification. Unfortunately, many local languages spoken in Zambia, although derived from Bantu linguistic roots, are not mutually intelligible. The ferment in modern Zambian arts, crafts, and music is not as palpable as in language. Zambian cities are quite decentralized, with residential areas far distant from offices and stores.
