ZAMBIA LETTERS, 15

16/06/2025

Time has moved on since we were in Livingstone. By now we have to return to it apprehensively, like thieves. Every word invites a sentry, a challenge, and everyone is an authority. Let's blend in, pretend to be anyone.

You are at LoCA. A venue founded in Livingstone by Anawana Haloba, who also happens to be based in Oslo. She is not with us, for the moment. Imagine, instead, a gallery space. A library, not unlike Saint Gall but of course quite different (yet to be filled with volumes). A small cinema and a workshop where you can explore craft. At the workshop, a piece of Art. It is a microscope, assembled over the years with bits and pieces of junk. And when you lean over and look into it, something, what is it? 

”Wings from a mosquito.”

On to the gallery space. 

”This canvas is made from a local plant, the fibers have been stretched and treated in order to make them softer and then weaved to produce the canvas.”

We notice that the ceiling is covered in baskets, hanging upside down, covering the whole extent.

”Let me show you these sculptures.” He is clearly proud of the works, or excited about them, aware of their quality. ”The artist spends time with trees. Examines patterns in their bark, or formations in the trunks. Listening to them. He is telling their stories.”

This clearly connects to Hanna’s work, there is so much they have in common, but his work is of course quite distinct. Very inspiring. You feel inspired. Let’s move on. 

Luyando takes us to another location. This time we find ourselves in the Forest of faces. Let’s not talk about that. A man comes along. His name is Kapalu Dani and he has been accused of kidnappning children. Yes, this gets our attention. We will listen to him.  

When he is done, we hurry across the street and try to find some restrooms before the landrover departs. Luyando is hungry so we share a meal of fruits, cereals and a local root which is marinated in a spicy sauce. 

First stop is at a hall where a Zambian dance company perform. They showcase dances from all over Zambia. The ensemble is contracted by the government and tours internationally. We are invited up on the floor together with them. The drums are insisting. Their rhythms engulf the whole space. We remember him now.

Kapalu Dani is Rastafari and Levalu. He explains the ritual of the Mukunda in great detail. A very passionate, knowledgable, man. He gives us many terms which are specific for the different parts of the ritual and for the positions in the hierarchy of the Mukunda. Each specific term opens up a new universe of understanding but instead of doing everything the justice it deserves, we put the details together in one long monologue. It goes something like this: 

(Probably full of misspellings)

”Nganya Makunda sets up the camp. Chichimkundas makes sure the boys heal well. Chirimbola looks after the kids. Nienga is the term for the older, post menopause women, helping out at the camp. The Luvalemen are happy to invite children, also from other tribes. This can create many problems with parents from those tribes. We will return to this later (that part is mine). Before you arrive at the Mukunda you will have been sustained on a restricted diet. For example: no brown beans. They slow down the healing process. No fiery food. No eggs. The person who makes the circumcision is called Chikeshi. Sure. He uses a special knife, the Poko ambele. It is only cleansed once, when the boys bath after the Mukunda. As the boys arrive they will immediately smear themselves with ash in order to protect themselves against cold. During the whole Mukunda they may not use any clothes to stave it off. The reason they use ash is because it closes the pores. Also, they mustn’t use any blankets, only ash. The point where they are introduced to the masks is called Nikumbikila makishi and it takes place after three weeks. Also, the mothers of the children sent to the camp are called Njakandangi. They are present at the Nikumbikila makishi. The mask in charge of all the other masks is called Katakula. He is the first mask to come forth. He carries two staves and he never speaks. The staves are called Mingoni. Efter him comes Mupala, he is the grandfather of all the masks and they must all pay homage to him. And the women cannot see this, only hear it from a distance. Shimba is a special day. This is when all the children has healed and they bath in the river. The ones who need to go to school are now free to do so. At this point they have not bathed for three months.”

Pause.

”There are always children who wishes to come despite the wishes of their parents. If you come to the camp without being circumcised you will spoil the sacredness of the site. It becomes impure. So you may not leave until you have been circumcised. It would soil all the other children, regardless of what your parents say. So we keep them in the Mukunda. If they sneak into it. And we talk to the parents and explain. Sometimes they get angry, and don’t send any food. Some will say we kidnap the kids.”

Pause. 

”Every morning when the sun rises you will sing to honor the sun. At the evening you sing as the sun sets. So you escort it. Tomorrow you will come with nutrition and warmth. This is also something taught at the Mukunda, to live according to the rhythms of nature, and to sing melodically.”

And then he sings to us, most beautifully. It is that song, the one that is being sung at the Mukunda as the sun rises. And we listen, entranced, before taking our leave.

Mukuni village showcases real village life, as it is lived, in Zambia. We are being toured around the village by a lady and a man, who are villagers themselves. The settlement is huge, with over 8000 residents, and covers a large physical area. They have no electricity. We are allowed to visit a typical house and you realize that it looks very neat, more neat perhaps, than many of the other houses. Nevertheless: 

1. If you have a fence, it means you are married. 

2. The parents live in one house, the sons live in another one and the daughters in a third one. If you only have two houses, it means you only have either sns or daughter. 

3. There is a house where you cook and a fenced off area for showering. 

4. They grown vegetables and keep chicken in their yards. 

”This is the chiefs house. Next to it you see the old hut where he used to live in the old days. Nowadays it is only used for storage, and for killing him. If the elders are unhappy with him they will kill him. So he never knows, when he goes there to see them, if they want to discuss something, or kill him.”

There is also a female chief, not from his family, supposedly more powerful.

”The chief is succeeded by a son or a nephew. They must be born while he is alive or the throne passes along to another family. When he is to die he will throw up the stone. Every chief swallows it when they are enthroned, and they must give it up as they die. So the stone has been inside the belly of one of our chiefs for 18 generations.”