Trip to Zambia to attend two major traditional ceremonies
A 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 find celebrations and ceremonies with dozens and dozens of impressive masks and vibrant dances.
Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony
The Likumbi Lya Mize ceremony is a series of ceremonies of the Luvale people of northern Zambia in honour of King Ndungu, the chief traditional authority, marking the end of the ‘mukanda’ (initiation of children).
The Likumbi Lya Mize showcases the impressive, very special and artistic makishi masks that make the ceremonies of the Luvale people so visually interesting and 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. In traditional mukanda (still common in Zambia and DR Congo), the makishi are known to occupy a central place in the ritual, playing specific roles throughout all stages of the ritual.
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 circumcision of the initiates, giving proof of courage, and lessons on their future role as men and husbands.
Each initiate is assigned a particular masked character, who accompanies him or her throughout the initiatory process.
To know 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.
- Monday will start with the Kulyachisa: The ceremony will begin with the Kulyachisa Tundaji ritual, where the initiated children will be taken for their first bath from Mukanda Camp to the Zambezi River and back. This ritual will take place in the early hours of the day.
- Wednesday, the first Chilende, the big ceremony begins. This extraordinary event will start at 09:00 with the resurrection of Makishi at the Zambezi cemetery, followed by a procession through the township, where different rituals will take place. This will be followed by the first Chilende on the plains near the Zambezi River, continuing across the Zambezi River, where the Shombe night will be celebrated right on the beach.
- Thursday, Chilende Chahausekeseke: this is the day of the big rave, when the sandy beach on the Zambezi River will be turned into a big food and alcohol based celebration. The event will start at around 10am and continue throughout the day until around 4pm, when the procession will travel the 3km from the beach to the royal capital of Mize, the official residence of His Royal Highness Paramount Chief Ndungu, where the celebrations will continue throughout the night.
- Friday, Chilende Chamu Nganda
- Saturday, Official Likumbi Lya Mize: This is the big day for all Luvale and Likumbi Lya Mize spectators, as it is the day when His Royal Highness, Senior Chief Ndungu, will lead the numerous guests in observing the 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, right at the Main Arena inside 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, which takes 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 Heritage by UNESCO since 2008.
The Gule Wamkulu was both a secret cult and a ritual dance practised by the Chewa people. It was danced only by members of the Nyau brotherhood, a secret society of male initiates.
Members of the Nyau secret society are still responsible for the initiation of young men into adulthood, and for the performance of the Gule Wamkulu dance at the end of the initiation process, celebrating the integration of young men into adult society.
We will spend two days at the Kulamba attending different ceremonies. To know more about the Kulamba Ceremony visit our post
Kafue National Park
Kafue is Zambia’s oldest and largest national park. The park was proclaimed in 1950, making it one of the world’s most important natural heritages. Kafue is also one of the last great expanses of the iconic Zambezi ecoregion and home to elephants, large predators, the highest 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 on the river and a safari of several hours in search of predators.
