Introduction: Every street in Kitwe tells a story. Have you ever wondered how your street got its name? Who gave it the name and why? Why have some street names changed?

This series on Kitwe Street Names will be exploring some of the stories behind our old street names as well as the new street names. If you know the story behind your street, or any other streets in Kitwe, you can share your story here. Write your comments in the box below or send us an E-mail.

* Road – “A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way between two places, which typically has been improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motorized vehicle. Modern roads are normally smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel, although historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or maintenance.” (source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road)

* Avenue:  “A common part of street names, often for roads with lines of trees on either side. A common name for any mediumly-high capacity road.” (source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue)

From the above, it is obvious that as a town increases in size, what was once a road between two places may well become engulfed in an expanding town, thus functionally becoming a street. It’s original name may remain unchanged. In other places the distinction is blurred from the start. This makes it difficult to tell whether a road is really a road or not.

Most traditional Zambia villages were constructed without a specific street plan. Places were given descriptive names, usually of the local chief or the original family that settled in the area, the local geography, a past event that took place there, or some other name. Foot paths were usually named after the destination. 

The concept of formal street names was introduced into Northern Rhodesia by the settlers who came mainly from Great Britain. The names tended to reflect the way streets were named back in Britain and the indigenous people had no say in the decisions.

Inspiration for street names tend to include:

In Kitwe, as in other towns in Northern Rhodesia, there was segregation of living areas and shops. Some areas were designated “Whites Only” areas and others were for “Blacks Only.” The settlers therefore felt more comfortable naming the streets they lived in after the streets they had left back home. Kitwe thus had names like Oxford Street, Queen Street, Regent Street and Amazon Crescent. After independence in 1964,Kitwe saw the introduction of new street names for the old. This phenomenon is not unique to Kitwe. Towns in other parts of the world have changed street names for different reasons, including:

To see if your street had a different name in 1961, check out the table below.