Zambia - a nation built on pan-African principles faces questions about racism

Several black Zambians tell the BBC they sometimes feel like they are second-class citizens in their own country.

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Although it is rarely overt, they say that subtle everyday discrimination can make it feel like they are second-class citizens in their own country.

They give accounts of black people being passed over for certain jobs, snubbed at restaurants and disregarded by landlords. But there was also an element of optimism, with some Zambians pleased that conversations about race were slowly becoming more common. Zambia's government denies that racism is a problem in the country.

Alexander Bwalya, a black Zambian who asked us not to use his real name, says he finds it "very strange" that people can "live in an African country and be racist to black people".

He recounts visiting a wine bar with his friends in the capital, Lusaka, where they attempted to order relatively expensive bottles of wine. However, the waiters at the bar explained that they were out of stock, he recalls.