Lusaka National Museum
Statue at Lusaka National Museum
On our last full day in Zambia we paid a visit to Lusaka National Museum.
At the entrance was the imposing statue of AntiRetroviral Man which stands 8m tall and weighs 2000kg.
The ARM statue is made out of old hospice beds on which thousands of people have died of AIDS. It is modelled after Winstone Zulu, Zambia’s late AIDs activist. The statue was unveiled by the widow of Mr. Zulu on World Aids Day 2011 during a 2-week exhibition in the Lusaka National Museum. The exhibition attracted more than 1500 visitors.
HIV remains a major problem in Zambia with 1.2million people living with HIV in 2016.
- The HIV prevalence rate among adults in Zambia has changed little over the last decade despite decreasing infection rates Zambia.
- Despite the county’s high prevalence rate, there are significantly low rates of HIV knowledge among the general population.
- Life expectancy among people living with HIV in Zambia has improved significantly as a result of scaled up treatment programmes.
- Among adults who have been able to access ART in Zambia, over half are now virally suppressed.
History of Zambia
Upstairs were displays of archaeology and history, none of which refelct well on Britain. The prime exhibit of early Homo, a skull of Broken Hill or Kabwe man, was a replica- the original being in the British Museum!
There were exhibits reflecting the slave trade and the struggle of Zambia for independence, plus political changes up to the present day.
Zambian village life was illustrated with models and we have seen most of it for real in our trips to remote schools.