The Parks That Time Forgot: Lusaka’s Green Spaces
Jacaranda Trees In bloom in Lusaka
Cities remember differently than people. In Lusaka, memory clings to rusted swings, concrete boats, and small parks that once held entire weekends of laughter. They are places of imagination, of scraped knees and chasing shadows, quietly marking the city’s passage of time.
At the corner of Ntoyo and Mushanshela Road in Woodlands, a park still bears the bones of play. Swings remain for those who remember, and children from Chilenje once crossed town just to kick footballs on its open field. A concrete boat sits stubbornly, a monument to the kind of creativity that thrives when space is given to roam. Today, it is quieter, but the echoes of laughter linger in memory.
On Lagos Road, the park known as Alymer May Park preserves another fragment of Lusaka’s past. The concrete ship, built by Conor McIntyre, rests beside a pond once adorned with Peter Pan and Wendy statues. Privately owned, the park requires contacting the caretakers to visit, yet it stands as proof that stewardship can preserve history and joy alike.
Northmead’s park on Kalungu Road once thrived under the care of a private company. For a time, it was clean, safe, and alive with children’s laughter—proof that even city-owned spaces can flourish when entrusted to those willing to invest effort and imagination. Today it sits derelict, fenced and silent, a quiet reminder that parks need both attention and guardianship to survive.
Cherise Children’s Park, created by Cherise Makubale, Zambia’s first Big Brother Africa winner, occupies a neat square along Great East Road. Its green corners are often overlooked by commuters who pass by, yet it was designed as a haven for children, families, and community programs. Visibility and public support are key to maintaining spaces like this.
Not all parks have fallen silent. Wonder World Amusement Parks, on Nchenja Road off Paseli, creaks and spins with the laughter of children, a family’s dedication keeping joy in motion. Haviallah Park & Gardens, a few gates down from Popular Onoma, remains open. Families picnic, schools organize trips, and the nursery sells plants that color the city—but many pass by without realizing this quiet oasis exists.
Munda Wanga Zoo & Gardens is perhaps the most familiar of Lusaka’s green spaces, yet many avoid it due to maintenance issues. Still, can one imagine living in Lusaka and never having gone to Munda Wanga? It provides shaded walks, wildlife, and educational programs, reminding the city of how green spaces can educate, entertain, and preserve natural heritage simultaneously.
Lusaka’s parks are not relics to be admired only in memory; they are the lungs and playgrounds of the city. They encourage children to explore, neighbors to meet, and citizens to imagine a life threaded with green. When communities speak up, when private partners invest, and when attention is constant, even neglected parks can be reborn.
So visit, advocate, and notice. Speak to your local council or even your uncle in government. Let them know these spaces matter. The city listens when its people care—and when they do, Lusaka’s parks, once forgotten, can bloom again.
