In many respects, Zambia is an African success story. From a territory
whose borders were drawn with minimal attention either to the ethnic
geography of the day or to natural features that combined (and sometimes
divided) dozens of distinct ethnic groups, rose a nation with a long
record of peace that has enjoyed decades of constitutional rule, and
even, in recent years, an increasingly competitive democracy. Perhaps
most improbably, the country has forged a national identity.
Unfortunately, peace, constitutionalism, democracy, and nationhood
constantly face challenges, such as in the elections of 2006 when the
ugly language of ethnic confrontation found renewed currency. Moreover,
Zambia's economic record and prospects have been on the decline. After
over four decades, per capita incomes are lower than they were at the
dawn of independence, and 95 percent of its people live on less that $2
per day. Despite repeated efforts to diversify the economy, copper
exports and foreign assistance are the main sources of the vast majority
of Zambia's foreign exchange earnings. And most devastating at all, the
AIDS pandemic has already lowered the average life expectancy below 40.
For a country one might regard as "heading in the right direction,"
Zambia has a long way to go.
The third edition of Historical Dictionary of Zambia, through its
chronology, introductory essay, appendixes, map, bibliography, and
hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons,
places, events, and institutions and significant political, economic,
social, and cultural aspects, provides an important reference on this
African country.
