Lusaka - Post Report Question and Answers
Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Not really, not after you've hit the local markets a few times. You'll see pretty quickly that everything being sold is pretty much identical, but we've sure bought a lot of it! - Mar 2022
Lots of handicrafts, although many are from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Kenya. Chitenge is beautiful too (all from outside of Zambia - mostly DRC, Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania). - Dec 2021
Not a ton of shopping but there are nice handicrafts including baskets, masks, etc. Also great for buying "chitenge" fabric. - Feb 2018
It really depends on your preferences: some women here really like the local, chitenge fabric (very colorful but a bit busy for me), lots of carved wood animals, etc... Not really my kind of stuff, but art is always subjective. - Nov 2017
There are some general African crafts available, but unfortunately many are imported from DRC, Tanzania, and Zim. Local artists, however, have reformed some of these products - like colorful chitenge cloth - into fun new styles and are worth supporting. Masks are everywhere, but of dubious provenance. Cool if you like them, but don't expect anything unique or old.
You must bargain for some things, but don't be too stingy! - Jan 2017
Some crafts at the market are nice, but if you've seen one you've seen them all. - Jun 2016
Mud cloths, baskets, "chitenge" fabric, and other local curios. - May 2016
African handicrafts of all types, although I believe much of it actually isn't local at all but instead brought in from several other countries. - Mar 2015
Purses made from plastic bags. - Aug 2014
Same African stuff you get all over the continent. There's good wood patio furniture (bush style) and nice wood/charcoal bbq's or braii's. - Jan 2014
I'm so-so about local handicrafts. What I see seems very much like what is everywhere else in the region. Prices seem much higher, too, than in Zimbabwe or South Africa. I don't get a sense that distinct Zambian handicrafts have developed. - Apr 2013
Nothing really jumps out - but you can get nice congolese fabrics. - Jul 2010
Typical African tchokas. - Mar 2009
Typical African items. - Mar 2009
Wood products. - Oct 2008
Not much really - not the craft culture that West Africa was. You can get some things from Congo at the monthly craft fair, but there's really not much that's unique. You might spend it on locally made artisan cheese from one dairy though! - Aug 2008
Zambia doesn't appear to have much indigenous crafts -- most of the crafts on sale here are actually made in Zimbabwe. - May 2008
