ABSTRACT
Avenue 21 had first been settled in 1930, two years prior to the establishment of the centres extra-coutumier. Conditions of daily life in Avenue 21 were such that most residents, even if of only a few weeks standing, were able to identify numbers of persons in the immediate locality. At one point in time the 23 compounds in Avenue 21 accommodated 43 households, which was a slightly higher proportion than for the neighbourhood as a whole. The growth in the number of people in the area and the rising ratio of households per compound were accompanied by an increase in tribal heterogeneity. Lusaka's compound was, of course, not the only one on which there was a continuous exchange of news and gossip but it is one of particular interest on account of Lusaka's influential position in the avenue. Lusaka's conversations with other people frequently produced references to 'civilization', to 'civilized' behaviour, and to 'civilized' people.
