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Page last modified on 28-10-14 . |
By KENNEDY LIMWANYA
THE Kathanga ceremony, according to a great grandson of a Nkoya chief, Kangombe,
has galvanised the Nkoyas and established them as one of the major tribal
groupings in Zambia.
Robert Litungu, grandson of Kangombe, a Nkoya chieftain, explains that the
ceremony was discontinued during colonial rule because its ethno-cultural value
was not understood.
“And yet the Nkoya, like the other African societies in East and Central
Africa, had a proud and strong belief in their traditional myths and deities
which they often associated with their pre-colonial origins,” Mr Litungu says.
The ceremony was, however, revived in 1988 and was held at the then reigning
Mwene (chief) Mutondo Muchaila’s Lukena palace in Kaoma (previously Mankoya)
and today celebrates its 13th year of “re-birth”.
Historically, the Kathanga, which has been held since the founding of the Nkoya
state, was a traditional rite performed as a thanksgiving event to God (Nyambi)
for a bumper harvest.
It was also a military occasion to honour gallant Nkoya tribesmen and warriors
who had performed heroic exploits like fighting other tribes and killing
marauding animals such as lions and leopards.
The ceremony involved a continuous beating of a special drum, drinking sweet
beer made from fresh sorghum known as muzinge which was poured into the
kabangula, a small hole dug in the ground near the Kaala-Shihanda ancestral
shrine.
In the distant past, the kabangula, a drinking cup, was made from the upper part
of a human skull, usually of a dead enemy, to emphasis sacred ritual associated
with the enemy.
At the Kaala-Shihanda shrine, Nkoya chiefs and heroes were anointed and smeared
with mpemba, a lump of white clay, to signify a blessing by the ancestral
spirits and the tribal god.
This shrine was, and still is, the place where the installation ceremony of new
chiefs was performed.
The ceremony, however, has now been demystified and is today attended by not
only Nkoyas but other tribes, Government leaders and tourists who have continued
to add colour since its revival in 1988.
Much has been done to change the face of the ceremony which is this year taking
place today and tomorrow at Shinchoncho, a place which was chosen for logistical
convenience.
It lies on the banks of the Luena river, 15 kilometres east of Kaoma which makes
it easy for visitors to find accommodation as it is near town.
With the changing times, the objectives of the ceremony have also been steadily
changing and now appear to have taken a new direction.
“The major objective now is the provision of entertainment and leisure through
music. There’s also the passing on of tradition. We also have accomplished
drummers mixing with young people hence imparting their knowledge into the
youngsters,” says Mr Litungu.
He picks upon the year 2000 as the most successful since the revival of the
ceremony as evidenced by the heavy presence of many Nkoya chiefs and traditional
leaders of other tribes.
“Last year the ceremony was attended by nearly all Nkoya chiefs. From Kabombo
came chiefs Mutinginyi and Kangombe, there was Kabulwebulwe from Mumbwa and
Moomba from Kazungula. That was besides the two Nkoya-based chiefs Mutondo and
Kahare ”
According to Mr Litungu, the Kathanga ceremony has achieved some of the
objectives that were set out in 1988 and quite creditable successes have been
recorded.
“Previously, people never knew about the Nkoya, especially the musical
repertoire like the shilimba and the munkupele which were mistaken for Lozi
music,” explains Mr Litungu who has just finished a manuscript on the ceremony
and the Nkoya traditions and customs.
He adds that the ceremony now involves not only villages but also the Nkoyas
“from the diaspora” or urban areas who go back to the village to go and
acquaint themselves with the Nkoya history.
The origins of the Nkoya, as derived from Mr Litungu’s writing, are incoherent
mainly because they came into what is now Zambia a long time ago, about 1700 AD.
But, he continues, according to Nkoya oral sources, their migration into Zambia
from what is now Zaire was led by a female ruler Lbupe, a Luba, from an area
around the Lualaba river before the rise of the Luba-Lunda kingdom of
Mwatiamvwa.
The Nkoya are today settled on the Luena river and its tributaries such as the
Luampa river together with its middle sections to the west and on the Lalafuta
river to the east.
Others are settled on the lower Kabompo river and its tributaries mainly on the
Dongwe and its tributaries.
Since the re-birth of the Kathanga, many Nkoya people have played a leading role
in ensuring that it comes to what it is today.
These are people like Messrs Robert Kakundu and John Maini of Ndola, William
Shihenya, Stanford Mayowe, Reverend Mowat Kambita, the late James Kalaluka and
Litungu himself.
But the annual holding of the ceremony has not been without its own
difficulties, particularly with the effects of the biting economy and, in Mr
Litungu’s words, the little recognition of Nkoyas in key national positions.
“Initially, our aim was to make the event self-sustaining. But the prevailing
circumstances have made it extremely difficult to raise funds for the provision
of food for invited guests and visiting dignitaries,” laments Mr Litungu.
The yearly budget, he adds, is never met in full and this year has not been an
exception although there have been well-wishers like Dar Farms International and
other transporters.
Another problem has been the relaxed stance taken by some Nkoyas outside Lusaka
although Mr Litungu observes that retrenchments and deaths of key organisers
could be another factor.
Although the Kathanga Cultural Association led by Edwin Nkhomesha has
received some support from President Chiluba as an individual and the Government
in general, much needs to be done.
Other influential members of the association have been Fredah Luhila who is the
secretary and treasurer Webster Mulubisha.
“President Chiluba has been supportive. Some time back he met our chiefs and
provided financial support. Our appeal to the Government is to continue
assisting the ceremony through the royal establishments to ensure that the Nkoya
culture is preserved for posterity.”
This year’s ceremony at which Community Development minister Jane Chikwata is
expected to officiate, should provide visitors with such traditional dances as
makwasha, ntomboke, lunhwa and kamunyelele.
Mr Litungu admits that it is not easy to promote culture especially with the
on-rush of western culture but conditions can be created for co-existence.
“It’s difficult to completely go back to the old traditions, but like in any
society, there are people who are wary. We can always co-exist. For instance,
the Masai culture in East Africa has attained international status. There’s
also the reed ceremony in Swaziland. With Government support, we can do it.”
On the performance of the Kathanga Cultural Association, Mr Litungu says much
has been done, given the harsh economic conditions.
“We’ve done very well. The tribe is not so economically empowered. Many of
our people don’t go to school and although hard-working, we are timid and
docile hence allowing ourselves to be overrun,” he explains.
Indeed, it is said a nation without culture is a dead nation.
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