If my family were Zambian...

If my entire family were Zambian I’d have a total of 10 siblings! The nuclear family, inclusive only of parents and children is an alien concept to Zambians. Here, as in much of Africa the extended family including aunts and uncles, cousins and mother-in laws all form part of your immediate family.

My Zambian family looks something like this: Mum, Dad, and brother Matthew. My Mum’s sister, Nadine would also be my Mother. Her children Jessica and Lucy would be called my sisters, and be treated as such. My Dad’s brothers; Stephen, Gary and Chris would all be my fathers, and their children, seven in total, would also be my brothers and sisters. So, if we were a Zambian family I’d have two mothers and four fathers and ten siblings!

If I was to marry Henry (only as an example – don’t be getting too panicked or excited!) I would inherit three mother-in-laws; Henry’s Mum and her two sisters and so on and so on.

Although it sounds complicated, in a country with so many children being orphaned and so many parents being lost to HIV & AIDS it is a small comfort that tradition dictates that the responsibilities of the extended family be taken seriously. Unfortunately, growing western influence, families being broken up by the growing migration to urban centres and extreme levels of poverty are eroding these traditional structures and many orphans are being left with little or no support.