Mzungu Prices

Here in Zambia, us foreigners like to joke about what we call mzungu prices. Mzungu literally refers to a foreigner, but is almost exclusively used for Americans and Europeans (even Asians are usually put into a different category.) While the term itself is mostly used to refer to our race, it is become associated with a class difference as well. All mzungu are assumed to be rich and therefore, local Zambians often see us as a money-making opportunity. When going to a market or hiring a taxi, you may find that the price quoted to a mzungu is much higher than the price for a local. Of course this system is extremely frustrating for those of us who live in Zambia, especially if you are a volunteer living off a meager salary. When one knows the system and learns the fair price for items, it is much easier to haggle and get the local price instead of the mzungu price, but you must always be vigilant or you will be taken advantage of. As soon as you speak in the local language and mention that you know the normal price, you will usually be offered the fair deal, but the original price is almost always ridiculously high. In order to illustrate this concept, I must use an example that was recently shared with me by a friend. This friend of mine is half Asian and half African. Her husband is half African and half European. When the two of them applied for their marriage permit here in Zambia, they encountered an issue. The government office actually has two different official prices for marriage permits, one for Mzungu and one for black Zambians. The officials had no idea which price to charge for two people that were half in each category. Each official went to their supervisor until my friend was finally sent to the most senior official in the entire office. After much discussion, she even offered to pay the mzungu price, which was significantly higher, 300 kwacha instead of 50. The official refused the higher price saying it was not possible to charge a non-mzungu the 300 kwacha, but also refused the lower price as neither of them were 100% black Zambians despite having resident status and everything. Finally, the officials determined an innovative solution of splitting the difference at 175 kwacha which was quickly agreed upon by my friend in an effort to save time. Still this presented an issue of writing the official receipt for a non-standard price. The moral of this story is that mzungu prices are real and they exist on multiple different levels. And as a foreigner, especially a white foreigner, living or travelling in Zambia, you must always be cautious in order to avoid paying double or triple the normal price.