Zambia Honours Its Fallen Heroes at an Empty Tomb Every Year

Every year, Zambia joins other Commonwealth nations in remembering the men and women who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars.

On Sunday, November 8, President Hakainde Hichilema was reported to have laid a wreath at a cenotaph as part of Remembrance Day commemorations.

But what exactly is a cenotaph, and why does Zambia continue to honour those who died more than 80 years ago?

The word cenotaph comes from ancient Greek and means “empty tomb.” Unlike an ordinary grave, a cenotaph is a monument built to honour people whose remains are buried elsewhere or were never recovered.

It provides a place where families, communities and nations can remember those who died far from home, often without a known burial place.

The tradition became particularly significant after the First World War, when countless families had no graves to visit.

Zambia has its own deeply connected history with the world wars.

During the First World War, the country was known as Northern Rhodesia, and thousands of Africans served as soldiers, carriers and support workers in the British war effort.

Many died from fighting, disease and exhaustion, often without their names being properly recorded. The East African campaign also came to an end on Zambian soil, near present-day Mbala, where German forces surrendered in November 1918.

Memorials in Mbala and Livingstone continue to preserve parts of this often-overlooked history.

Remembrance Day is therefore more than a military ceremony inherited from Britain’s colonial past.

It is also an opportunity for Zambians to remember their own ancestors, many of whose sacrifices received little recognition.

When leaders and veterans stand in silence and lay wreaths before a cenotaph, the message is simple: those who died must not be forgotten, even when their names, remains and individual stories have been lost to history.