What I’ve loved most about Zambia is going out to meet people in the villages. Rural Zambia is a lot simpler than the kind of city life I’m used to. There aren’t many houses with electricity. Torches are solar powered and people cook on coals. The kitchen is a separate building from the main house and in the early evening light, you can see the smoke seeping out the tops of the thatch roofs.
Most of the houses are built using red clay bricks and mud. I love seeing how people take such care of their homes, surrounding them with beautifully green plants that contrast with the bricks. Some have built awnings over the front doors and the doors and windows are often painted a cornflower blue.
But my passion is photographing people so the red brick houses and green plants just offer a wonderful backdrop to the people that live there. When I first arrived I was a little cautious about taking photos, not wanting to offend or annoy anyone but I soon learnt that most people are more than happy for me to take a photo of them. The children follow me and stare with open curiosity and love when I try speak Bemba to them. One lot found my attempt to pronounce ‘shade’ in Bemba hilarious and laughed all the way from the fields to the house. But laughter brings people together, even when we can’t communicate that well.
It was so hard to narrow down to just a few photos. These are some of my favourite photos from my whole trip! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
