The Greek community of Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

comprises about 800 people (235 families) today, roughly half of whom hail from Cyprus. Most are concentrated in the capital Lusaka

Lusaka

Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...

, while there are smaller enclaves in Luansia and Kitue.

Migration history

The Greek presence in Zambia is dated to the early 20th century when many Greeks settled in nearby Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

. In particular there was a community in the trading center of Luapula. By the 1920's Greek traders and fishermen had established a center in Katanga

Katanga Province

Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...

 and from there plied the river trade of the Congo

Congo River

The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...

 to Zambia where many settled.

Present situation

Today the Greek Community owns a building complex in Lusaka where the St. Alexander holy temple is housed along with a hall, a nursery, and boarding house for the second Greek teacher for the community's afternoon school. The Greek Orthodox community in Zambia is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and has begun the construction of a mission center in the capital. In September 2008 a new school was founded by the Greek community that will also serve the needs of the wider Zambian community, in particular children from areas not served by other schools.

Community organisations

The community is represented by the Hellenic Association of Zambia (HAZ) which, together with the SAE - World Council of Hellenes Abroad

SAE - World Council of Hellenes Abroad

The World Council of Greeks Abroad is the main body representing people of Greek ethnic descent, the Greek Diaspora living outside the boundaries of the Greek state.-History:...

play an important role in supporting the country's cultural activities, in particular the Zambian Independence Mini Olympics (ZIMO). HAZ sponsors underprivileged and street-children in order to allow them to participate in the games.