During the 20th century, the coastal cities attracted large Indian, European, and mixed-race populations, creating a melting pot of customs, languages, and cuisine. Many foreigners and people with foreign connections fled the nation during the civil war, but the mix of cultures slowly revived in the late 1990s. The civil war also forced a large number of refugees from the nationside into the cities. South of the Zambezi, migrant laborers returning from South Africa have brought home Western goods and ideas, while north of the Zambezi, cultural traditions are typically more conservative. Patrilineal societies, that is, those that trace their heritage and descent through the father’s line, dominate south of the Zambezi River.