I went to Bwalya-Mponda and I saw.....

At this time and age, technology has evolved and so have modes of transportation and communication. To find a town that is completely secluded from these advanced services is not only shocking, but also heartbreaking. Yet this is the reality that people of Bwalya-Mponda have been living with since time immemorial.

The town is located 87 kilometers away from Samfya district in Luapula province. It is one of the few swamps found around Lake Bangweulu. The people who live there are Unga by tribe.

As the town is waterlogged, the main mode of transportation used is water transport. Dugout canoes are the commonest vessels used.

I first went there with my mother, Mary Mutoni, in 2004. She hails from that swamp. I had jitters when it was time to get into the canoe. I was actually the last to get into it. It was a hair- raising experience. I slowly put my legs into the dugout canoe and sat very close to my mother like I could suddenly drown if I sat far from her. There were nine passengers on board including me: six men and three women. I attentively watched the three men as they vigorously paddled the canoe from the shore onto the water and off we went. Two of them were clad in muscle shirts which put their arm muscles on display. They had huge biceps; mine could probably go into theirs thrice.

I tried my hardest to be calm but at the back of my mind were crazy scary imaginations. I thought about the most talked about deadly crocodiles, vicious water snakes and Hippopotamus. I imagined that the canoe had capsized and I had drowned because I could not swim which made me give my loudest scream ever. “Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!” I screamed with all my strength, I could actually feel my throat ache. All the other passengers were alarmed, they thought I had been bitten by something but when they learned it was a mare expression of my water phobia, they were overly irritated. I overhead the other woman whisper into her husband’s ear “foolish pretentious town girl!” I felt bad but I could not tell her anything. Nevertheless, I kicked her four times only it was in my imagination. Mother later held me close to her body, I felt so safe in her arms.

 I have a weird habit of becoming pressed whenever I see water and so it happened the minute I had gotten to the shore. I had tried to ignore the burning feeling but after moving on water for what seemed like eternity, I could not tighten my bladder anymore.

“Just sit on the edge of the canoe, cover yourself with a wrapper and do your business,” mother responded after I told her I wanted to relieve myself.

“Mum, there are men around and what if I fart afterwards because I normally do so after urinating?” I asked.

“Baby girl, all normal human beings do that. It is a continuation of the breathing process. Besides you are still a baby. We are five hours away from reaching our destination, this is an eight hour trip my dear. You will end up causing damage to your bladder. Just feel free,” she said before politely asking the men to look away. When they did, I quickly covered myself with a wrapper and positioned my bottom on the edge of the canoe. I firmly held onto the canoe. I relieved myself as the paddlers carried on their work. I saw my own urine disappear into the seemingly blue water. It was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever done, but I had to do it anyway.

Bwalya-Mponda is headed by a chief, Chief Bwalya-Mponda the sixth; Erastus Mutoni. He has bodyguards that protect him. He also moves with a wooden staff which is his symbol of power. It helps people recognise him. When they see him from a distance, they humble themselves by folding their arms, reducing the pace of their steps and bend their necks like a bride on her wedding day. When they come close to him, they stand and wait for him and his bodyguards to pass first before continuing their movements. As he bypasses them, they bow down to show respect to their ruler.

The people of Bwalya-Mponda have so much respect and never before seen admiration for the royals. My mother happens to be the first born child of Chief Mutoni, that makes me part of the royal clan.

 During my stay in that town, I barely passed without somebody cornering me to inquire if I was in any way related to “Zambia”. Mother was born on 24^th October, 1964, the day the country Zambia got independent. As a result, most people call her Zambia. I look exactly like my mother hence the questioning. When I told them that I was her daughter, they would marvel at me and greet me with so much respect. Most of them would later offer me basins full of ripe mangoes as a way of compensating me for the inconvenience. God knows I would have come back with over 90 kilograms of mangoes if I had the capacity to carry them all. My presence commanded so much attention among the people, young and old alike. For the two weeks that I stayed in Bwalya-Mponda, I was a princess Diana of some sort, the only thing that was missing was the paparazzi.

The people of Bwalya-Mponda are modest in their dressing. They wear simple clothes, not trendy but at the same time not stone age. Women mostly wear wrappers and body tops throughout the week and only wear clothes they have put aside as special ones when going to church. Men too wear their special clothes when going to church or when on a journey. Both sexes wear ‘chitenge’ tailored outfits and ‘Nakonde’ suits on such occasions. Most women have a collection of ‘Nakonde’ suits.

There is a school in Bwalya-Mponda: Bwalya-Mponda Basic School. However, the levels of illiteracy are alarming. This is because few people complete their education. Most of them drop out prior to finishing their primary education. Men join the fishing business while the womenfolk enter early marriages. The few who attain some level of education are treated with so much respect.

 Bwalya-Mponda is gifted with eye catching and jaw dropping natural resources. Apart from the mighty Lake Bangweulu which is located between 1,160 meters and 1,320 meters above sea level, Bwalya-Mponda has wildlife in its Game Management area.  Among the Game animals include the Black Lechwe, Roan Antelope, Nile crocodile, Hippopotamus, Buffalo, Elephant and Spotted Hyena.

There are also a variety of bird species such as King Fisher, Water duck, Open billed stork, Jacanas, Spurwinged goose and Shoebill. The area chief, Mr Mutoni says the shoebill is the bird that attracts so much attention from both the locals and the tourists due to its makeup. The shoebill has a beak which is shaped like a shoe, hence the name. He says it is an amazing bird.

“Few places have such birds, it is a rare specie and I am glad to have it in my chiefdom. Most people who have heard about the bird become anxious when they visit this place. It is the first thing they want to see, they just cannot wait to see the bird with a shoe shaped beak,” he says.

Fish, in normal situations is found in water bodies. But in Bwalya-Mponda, it is a different story all together. Fish is literally found in all the surroundings especially when it rains. The town has annual rainfall exceeding 1,200 millimeters. I was surprised to be greeted by the smell of fresh fish one chilly morning when I stepped out of the house.  It had rained heavily the night before. Rain water had accumulated on the surrounding. I found huge Breams freely twisting and turning their fins on my grandmother’s surrounding uniformly like they were following some rhythm. I was amazed.

 There are different species of fish. Among them include Tiger fish, Bream, ‘Imbowa’, ‘Manse’ just to mention but a few.

Fishing is actually the main occupation of the people of Bwalya-Mponda. They camp in areas of Lake Bangweulu containing big fish. They catch, dry and smoke the fish in order to preserve it. They later go to towns such as Kitwe, Ndola and Lusaka to sell it. Usually, it is men who are engaged in this practice, women remain at home taking care of their children.

As women remain at home, they never get to see the other side of life, living on dry land. They never get to see vehicles, worst of all move in one. Shockingly, some die without having that experience. Only people who cross over from that town to the other side become lucky enough to experience it.     

Nevertheless, Bwalya-Mponda natives are very content with their living conditions. I never heard anyone complain about their way of life. They do not have electricity, tarred roads, shopping malls, piped water or network for any telecommunication company like it is in the city but they are extremely in high spirits. Perhaps they are not bothered about the lack of such services because few of them actually know such things exist.

 They have such harmony and spirit of oneness. They care about each other and are always there to help their neighbours when in need. Apart from the area chief whose palace is enclosed in a wooden fence, all their yards are in the open. My grandmother Marian Kalumba says the natives all know each other as their yards are in the open.

 “When unsure about the house you are going to, you do not need to have an address; all you need to know is the name of the person you are going to and you will be directed. We have such strong bonds, we are happy people,” she says.

Bwalya-Mponda is an interesting place. The natural resources make it even more fascinating. Despite the lack of luxurious things in that town, the habitants are so satisfied with the life they live, talk about being content.