Across the world, greetings demonstrate friendliness and mutual respect. In many African cultures, however, they're considered so crucial that it would be unthinkable to launch into any kind of conversation without them, and taking the time to learn a few greetings during your travels on the continent will almost certainly pay off. But what if you're exploring a country like Zambia, which has more than 70 distinct languages and dialects? Where do you even start?
While English is Zambia's official language, you're likely to hear several others, including Bemba, Kaonde, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja and Tonga. Of these, Nyanja is widely used in Lusaka and Livingstone, and is effectively a lingua franca. Begin with ‘Muli bwanji’ (Hello), followed by ‘Muli shani?’ (How are you?), and you'll be on the right…
