English is now the national language and is widely spoken, even in remote areas. About two-thirds of the country is Christian, though many combine that with traditional animist beliefs. A lot of traditional Zambian music is heavily rhythmic, usually played on drums, whistles and thumb pianos, and nearly always to accompany dancing. One of the most popular styles, however, is an import from the Democratic Republic of the Congo - the rumba. It's typically eaten by dipping your right hand into a communal pot of porridge, rolling it into a ball and plunking it into a sauce of meat or vegetables.
Fish is a local specialty.
Popular freshwater varities include bream, lake salmon and Nile perch. In the 18th century, Portuguese explorers following the routes of Swahili-Arab slavers from the coast into the interior became the first known European visitors. Squeezed out of Zimbabwe, the Makalolo people moved into southern Zambia, pushing the Tonga out of the way and grabbing Lozi territory on the upper Zambezi River. The celebrated British explorer David Livingstone travelled up the Zambezi in the 1850s, searching for a route into the interior of Southern Africa, hoping to introduce Christianity and European civilisation to combat the horrors of the slave trade. Livingstone's efforts attracted missionaries, who in turn brought hunters and prospectors in their wake.