Northern Rhodesia-then and now (Zambia).

Almost no one knows about Northern Rhodesia. It wasn’t in existence for very long, and it didn go through a civil war or independence struggle, so it never really made it onto international news.

Northern Rhodesia came into existence when Cecil John Rhodes explored the area north of the Limpopo River which set the northern border of the Transvaal Republic before it was annexed into South Africa. First he claimed Matabeleland and Mashaland for Britain, and it was called Southern Rhodesia. After that he crossed the Zambezi River at the northwestern border of Southern Rhodesia, into Barotseland, and went all the way north up to Katanga province of the Belgium Congo. All that land he claimed for Britain and it was called Northern Rhodesia. At first a little village called Livingston ( missionary and explorer David Livingstone was the first European to see Victoria Falls in November 1855, naming them after Queen Victoria. While the falls were known to the local African people for centuries under names like Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders"), Livingstone documented their existence and provided the first accurate information about the area to the outside world.) was the capital of Northern Rhodesia before it was moved to Lusaka.

In 1955 Norther Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland ( another British colony) joined together into the Central African Federation with Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia as the federal Capital.

There was coal being mined near Livingston, and copper being mined north of Lusaka in the area which became known as the Copperbelt. It was accessed by railroad run by the Rhodesian railroad company, and my father worked for the railways.Because of that, we relocated to Broken Hill (Kabwe) in the Copperbelt, in 1960, from Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia, where I was born in 1959.

‘In 1939 WW2 broke out, and the Rhodesian settlers and the indigenous natives gave Britain their full support, and it was to be rewarded with full independence for the British settlers From British rule. Just like South Africa had after WW1. But in 1964, Britain turned their back on their colony, and instead gave into pressure from the nationalists and turned over Northern Rhodesia to them. Northern Thodesia became Zambia, and Nyasaland became Malawi. Southern Rhodesia was scheduled to be turned over and named Zimbabwe, but instead the settlers voted for a declaration of unilateral independence (UDI)in 1965 with Ian Douglas Smith as prime minister. A civil war broke out, which lasted 15 years. Sanctions were brought against the newly independent country now called Rhodesia, and full animosity by the world. Which was why Rhodesia is well known, but Zambia is not.

even with a war raging, and world condemnation and sanctions, Rhodesia thrived, whereas Zambia did not. There were several well known tourist destinations in Zambia, Victoria Falls, and Lake Kariba, which was developed by Rhodesia, but Zambia stood to gain. When Rhodesia damned the Zambezi River at Kariba, it divided the Batonga tribe, who lived on both sides of the river. And once war broke out, the tribe was separated by the largest man made damn in the world and by politics. Also a big game reserve in Zambia is the Kafue National Park, outside of Lusaka, with the largest Chimpanzee orphanage refuge center in Africa and the world. A famous author was born in Northern Rhodesia, Wilbur Smith, probably my most popular writer of African drama thrillers and culture. Northern Rhodesia will always be Rhodesia, just as Southern Rhodesia will also always be Rhodesia. The Great North Road in former Northern Rhodesia was the northern half of the proposed "Cape to Cairo Road" and later became known as the T2 road in modern-day Zambia. It stretched from the railhead at Kapiri Mposhi and continued north to the Tanzanian border at Nakonde, forming part of the larger Tanzam Highway. The road was a significant strategic and economic route, envisioned by Cecil Rhodes as a pathway for British expansion and later important for connecting East and Southern Africa.

Because Zimbabwe is doing so bad economically under Mugabe’s presidency, and now under the crocodile- Zambia is starting to flourish. They have welcomed the white farmers that were forced out of Zimbabwe, and tourism is flourishing. I plan on going there in 2028.