Livingstone or Maramba is a historic colonial
city and present capital of the Southern Province of Zambia,
a tourism
centre for the Victoria Falls
lying 10km (6.2 mi) north of the Zambezi River,
and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe
on the other side of the Falls. Its population was estimated at 136,897
inhabitants at the 2010 census. It is named after David Livingstone,
the British explorer who was the first white man to explore the area.
In 1999, the streets of Livingstone
today are modern, clean and complete with shopping malls, theatres and
restaurants. At independence, Livingstone had the benefit of some spending by
the new government on development. This included a vehicle assembly plant, as
well as the benefit of tourism by the army of expatriates hired to assist those
projects, as well as by Zambians experiencing for the first time the pride and
freedom of their own country. However, from the late 1960s, when the Rhodesian UDI
crisis forced Zambia to close the border at Livingstone the town suffered
economic decline due to a fall in tourism and the loss of trade to the south.
The timber industry ended as the forests around Mulobezi
were used up, and the manufacturing industry suffered from the inefficiencies
of state-run enterprises. In the 1970s and 80s this was exacerbated by national
economic woes brought on by low copper prices and the failure of the
government's economic management, so that when trade to the south re-started
with Zimbabwean independence in 1980, Livingstone could not take advantage of
it. The town seemed stuck in a time warp and was unable to afford new
development or maintain the existing infrastructure. Although this meant that
historic colonial buildings were not replaced by new development, it also meant
the town could not afford to adequately preserve those that it had.
In
the 1981 movie The Grass is Singing (based on the Doris Lessing
novel of that name) and starring Karen Black,
John Thaw
and John Kani,
Livingstone was used as the location for a Southern Rhodesian town around 1950,
for which year some of the streets in Livingstone could pass without
modification.
In
the last ten years, although manufacturing industry has continued to decline
with the closure of textile businesses unable to compete with Asian imports with
the demise of Zimbabwe, Livingstone has experienced resurgence in tourism and
has firmly become the destination of choice when visiting the Victoria Falls.
Livingstone has enjoyed an influx of investment in the industry from modern and
sophisticated hotel chains like Sun International, to modern shopping centers
and restaurants.
Apart
from tourism, the other hope on Livingstone's horizon is development stimulated
by the Walvis Bay Corridor with the opening of the Katima Mulilo Bridge and completion of the Trans–Caprivi Highway 200km (120 mi) east, which funnels more trade through
the town.
The
name Maramba predates Livingstone as the name of the river flowing on
the eastern outskirts and the large township next to it. The name is used for a
number of places and features in Livingstone and has been proposed as a new or
alternative name for the city as a whole. Livingstone is the only non-African
name for a town or city town in Zambia not changed since independence, largely
due to the influence of first president Kenneth Kaunda,
whose father was educated by Scottish missionaries who followed in David
Livingstone's footsteps. However several websites (including some United
Nations ones) and some maps jumped the gun on any decision, and wrongly report
that it is now called Maramba. The town's recent tourism success may mean that
any change is less likely as businesses are likely to resist anything which
would affect recognition of the town as an international tourist destination.
Livingstone's transport links
Livingstone Maramba Airport: domestic connections via Lusaka and a year-round
international connection to Johannesburg, as well as a regular summer charter
to Jamestown, Saint Helena. Rail (freight only) to Zimbabwe via Victoria Falls
Bridge (weight restrictions apply). Zambia Railways
passenger and freight services to Lusaka
and the Copperbelt.
Mulobezi Railway Road
to Zimbabwe via Victoria Falls Bridge (weight restrictions apply). Lusaka-Livingstone road recently rehabilitated road to the Kazungula Ferry
to link to Botswana,
and to Sesheke to connect with the Katima Mulilo Bridge/Transcaprivi Highway as
part of the Walvis Bay Corridor.
Features and attractions of Livingstone
Livingstone's
main places of interest are:
·
Victoria Falls
(Mosi-oa-Tunya) which is protected and served by the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the city's south-western edge.
·
Zambezi River above the Falls
including river cruises, sports fishing, kayaking.
·
Flights over the Falls including
helicopter and microlight flights.
·
Livingstone Museum
is devoted to archaeology, ethnography and history and contains a magnificent
collection of memorabilia relating to David Livingstone.
In front of the museum there is a statue to him, as well as to Czech
ethnographer Emil Holub,
erected in 2005.
·
Mukuni Village with its annual
Lwiindi Ceremony in July.
·
Victoria Falls Bridge
·
Saint Andrews Church — built 1910-11
in memory of David Livingstone and still in use.
·
The High Court, Livingstone — built
in 1910 (awaiting restoration).
·
Old Government House, Livingstone —
the main government office and governor's residence 1907-1935 when Livingstone
was the capital of North-Western Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia; (awaiting
restoration).
·
Craft markets such as Mukuni
Victoria Falls Craft Village
·
Livingstone Golf Course
·
Many more activities and attractions
can be found at Livingstone Tourism Association's website.
CHALLENGES
Mixed fortunes
Zambia's
growing tourism industry is dominated by the Victoria Falls, known locally as
Mosi-oa-Tunya.
 The Victoria Falls are known as one of the seven wonders
of the world |
The
low rumble of the 100m falls can be heard for miles around, as millions of
tonnes of water from the Zambezi fall into a narrow chasm every minute. But as
Zambia's tourism industry has been developing, the fortunes of the local people
have been sliding at the expense of some of the major developers. "The
life here is a bit okay, but we don't have support," say the local people.
"Instead of going up, the market is going down. The tourists don't come
here to buy. We just sell by chance."
'Unpolished
gem'
The
pessimism of the local people is not shared by all. Official figures suggest
that the tourism industry now employs more than 20,000 people in Zambia. The
government has ambitious plans to bring in a million tourists annually by 2010
- a move which could generate more than $520m in revenue alone. Zambia also
hopes to see the number of people employed in the sector more than double in
four years time, a significant potential boost for one of the world's poorest
countries. A short walk from the dusty market where local marketers keep their
stall is the plush, five-star Livingstone Sun hotel. Based along the banks of
the Zambezi, the South African-run hotel is among Zambia's most luxurious,
where high-paying guests can encounter wild zebra, monkeys and giraffe in its
extensive grounds.
"I
think Zambia is an unpolished gem," says general manager Craig Storkey.
"Where Zambia was once - and possibly still is - a secondary type of
destination, we'd like to see it become a primary destination." Mr. Craig Storkey added "In the last five
years, we've seen a huge amount of growth and interest in Zambia as a tourist
destination, and I think as that grows, we will see more hotel
development."
Migrating
tourists
Zambia's
expansion in the tourism industry has come as many holidaymakers have been
deserting its politically unstable southern neighbour, Zimbabwe. Both countries
share a border along the Zambezi, and Zimbabwe was for some time the country
where most tourists would base themselves in order to see the Victoria Falls.
But Mr. Storkey rejects suggestions that Zambia's gains have come largely at
Zimbabwe's expense. "It's actually very sad," he says. "If it
was a case that tourists just migrated across from Zimbabwe to Zambia, we would
be running at huge occupancies, which is not the case at all. "What we've
found is that people's geography is not that good. They can't disassociate
Zambia and Zimbabwe, they just see it as one region." However, he adds the situation in Zimbabwe
"has given us the chance to establish Zambia as a destination".
Expensive
location
Unsurprisingly,
Zambia's tourism board chief is equally keen to promote Zambia as a choice
destination.
|
Zambia's tourism board chief is
bullish about the future
|
"In
Africa, there are really only two places for you to see - the pyramids in Egypt
and the Victoria Falls in Zambia," says Errol Hickey, chairman of the
Zambia National Tourist board. Although his words are calculated to raise
eyebrows among his counterparts in other African countries, Mr. Hickey admits
that tourism in Zambia faces its own challenges too. "The main problem
that we have is that Zambia is a fairly expensive destination," he says,
referring to the recent soaring value of Zambia's currency, the Kwacha.
"We only have a limited number of beds to offer the international
tourist."
In
addition, Zambia currently has no international airline of its own after a
previous government decided it could no longer afford to run it - a decision Mr.
Hickey describes as an "awesome blow". But despite the setbacks, Mr. Hickey believes
Zambia can continue to develop its tourism industry - encouraging more
companies to open new hotels and attract an increasing number of people to some
of the most beautiful natural scenery in Africa. "People have a choice
about where they want to go, and that's what the tourism challenge is all
about," he says. "There's a great future for Zambia. It's got a lot
to offer."
However,
Livingstone prospered from its position as a gateway to trade between north and
south sides of the Zambezi, as well as from farming in the Southern Province
and commercial timber production from forests to its north-west. A number of
colonial buildings were erected which still stand. Although the capital was
moved to Lusaka
in 1935 to be closer to the economic heartland of the Copperbelt,
industries based on timber, hides, tobacco, cotton (including textiles) and
other agricultural products grew. A hydroelectric plant was built taking water
from the Eastern Cataract of the fall. The town of Victoria Falls in Southern Rhodesia
had the tourist trade, but many supplies were bought from Livingstone.
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