Travel to Zambia to attend two major traditional ceremonies
Trip to Zambia where we will attend two different major traditional ceremonies, those of the Luvale people and those of the Chewa people, one at each end of the country. A cultural expedition in southern Africa where we will encounter celebrations and ceremonies with dozens and dozens of impressive masks and vibrant dances.
We can safely say that these two traditional ceremonies, which take place every August in Zambia, are undoubtedly two of the most important cultural events on the African continent. Hundreds of masks and thousands of attendees participate in both Likumbi Lya Mize and Kulamba. These are very important mass gatherings attended by heads of state, ministers, and tribal leaders.
Likumbi Lya Mize Ceremonie
The Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony is a series of ceremonies performed by the Luvale people of northern Zambia in honour of King Ndungu, the principal traditional authority, marking the end of the mukanda (initiation of children).
The Likumbi Lya Mize displays the impressive makishi masks, which are very special and artistic, making the ceremonies of the Luvale people so interesting and visually powerful.
The Makishi ‘masquerade’
The masked makishi originate from male circumcision rituals (mukanda) and are considered by the Luvale people to be ancestors who manifest themselves in the form of masked dancers. It is known that in traditional mukanda (still common in Zambia and DR Congo), the makishi occupy a central place in the ritual, performing specific functions throughout all its stages.
Usually at the beginning of the dry season, children leave their homes to spend a period of one to three months in an isolated jungle camp. This separation from the outside world marks their symbolic death as children.
The mukanda includes the circumcision of the initiates, tests of courage, and lessons about their future roles as men and husbands. Each initiate is assigned a particular masked character, who accompanies him throughout the initiation process.
To learn more about the ceremony, read our post: Likumbi Lya Mize
Approximate Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony schedule
We will spend four days at Likumbi Lya Mize on our trip to Zambia. In our opinion, the main days are Thursday and Saturday.
- Monday will begin with Kulyachisa: The ceremony will commence with the Kulyachisa Tundaji ritual, where the initiated children will be taken on their first bath from the Mukanda camp to the Zambezi River and back. This ritual will take place in the early hours of that day.
- On Wednesday, the first Chilende, the grand ceremony begins. This extraordinary event will start at 9:00 a.m. with the resurrection of Makishi in the Zambezi cemetery, followed by a procession through the municipality, where various rituals will be performed. Next, the first Chilende will be celebrated on the plains near the Zambezi River, continuing across the Zambezi River, where Shombe night will be celebrated, right on the beach.
- Thursday, Chilende Chahausekeseke: this is the day of the big botellón/rave, when the sandy beach of the Zambezi River will become a huge stage for a celebration based on food and alcohol. The event will begin at around 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day until around 4 p.m., when the procession will travel the 3 km from the beach to the royal capital of Mize, the official residence of His Royal Highness Chief Ndungu, where the celebration will continue throughout the night.
- Friday, Chilende Chamu Nganda
- Saturday, Likumbi Lya Mize Oficial: This is a big day for all Luvale people and spectators of Likumbi Lya Mize, as it is the day when His Royal Highness the Senior Chief Ndungu will lead the numerous guests in observing Likumbi Lya Mize. It is the day when the people will see their Chief proudly and majestically greet his subjects. Various dances and other rituals will be performed in the Main Arena within the Royal Capital of Mize.
Traditional Kulamba Ceremony of the Chewa people
The Traditional Kulamba Ceremony is one of the most important cultural events of the Chewa people of Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, taking place annually on the last Saturday of August.
To get an idea of the scale of this traditional event, the Kulamba ceremony attracts traditional rulers from 137 chiefdoms in Malawi, 33 in Mozambique and 42 in Zambia, as well as hundreds of thousands of people from all three countries. Chewa culture has been recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO since 2008.
El Gule Wamkulu era a la vez un culto secreto y una danza ritual practicada por el pueblo chewa. Era bailado unicamente por los miembros de la cofradía Nyau, una sociedad secreta de hombres iniciados.
Members of the Nyau secret society remain responsible for initiating young men into adulthood and performing the Gule Wamkulu dance at the end of the initiation process, celebrating the integration of young men into adult society.
We will spend three days at Kulamba attending the various ceremonies that take place during the week. Para saber más sobre la ceremonia Kulamba visita nuestro post
Kafue National Park
Kafue is Zambia’s largest and oldest national park. It is also one of the last remaining large areas of the iconic Zambezi ecoregion and home to elephants, large predators, the greatest diversity of antelope species in Africa and 515 species of birds.
As we move from one part of the country to the other on this trip to Zambia, we will visit Kafue and camp by the river of the same name, in a remote corner of the national park.
In this absolutely wonderful and WILD place, we will live together with lions, leopards, hippos and elephants…
We will take a boat trip along the river and go on a safari lasting several hours in search of predators.
