Eastern Africa
Video Chat with People from Zambia
Zambia is a landlocked country of rivers, lakes and wide plains, and the people you meet on video chat might be in Lusaka, in the Copperbelt cities of Kitwe and Ndola, or near Livingstone, the town beside Victoria Falls, which Zambians also call Mosi-oa-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders". English is the official language and the one used in government, business and the media, so chatting in English is usually easy. At home and with friends, many people also speak Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga or Lozi, and sliding between them and English mid-sentence is completely normal.
Zambia runs on Central Africa Time, two hours ahead of GMT with no daylight saving, so evenings in Lusaka line up closely with evenings in Western Europe. Topics that travel well include nshima, the stiff maize porridge eaten with relish, kapenta (tiny dried fish), walking safaris in South Luangwa, canoeing on the Zambezi, and the national football team, nicknamed Chipolopolo, "the copper bullets". To meet people from Zambia rather than anyone worldwide, set the country filter to Zambia before you press Start.
Zambia at a glance
| Flag | 🇿🇲 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of Zambia |
| Capital | Lusaka |
| Region | Africa · Eastern Africa |
| Official language | English |
| Currency | Zambian kwacha (ZK, ZMW) |
| Calling code | +260 |
| Time zone | Central Africa Time (Africa/Lusaka) |
How to say hello
A friendly local greeting makes a great first impression.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bemba | Muli shani? | MOO-lee SHAH-nee | How are you? |
| Bemba | Ndi bwino. | ndee BWEE-noh | I'm fine. |
| Nyanja | Muli bwanji? | MOO-lee BWAHN-jee | How are you? |
| Nyanja | Zikomo! | zee-KOH-moh | Thank you! |
Tips for chatting with people from Zambia
- English works for almost every chat, but trying "Muli shani?" or "Muli bwanji?" shows real interest, and people often happily teach you the reply.
- Take a moment over greetings. A proper "How are you?" and a little small talk before the questions start comes across as friendly and respectful.
- Ask whether they're from Lusaka, the Copperbelt or somewhere like Livingstone or Mongu; each area has its own languages and favorite dishes.
- Football is an easy way in, from the Chipolopolo to whichever European club they follow on weekends.
Only meet people from Zambia
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Zambia, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Zambia and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Zambia, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Zambia are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Zambia borders 8 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: