Ndola — WHAT going to the stadium to watch a long-awaited exciting soccer match is to city dwellers is what attending the annual Chisemwa Chalunda traditional ceremony is to the people of Mwinilunga district in North-Western Province.

Mwinilunga is a quiet town which seems to be in a permanent state of slumber, but the town usually becomes awake during the annual traditional ceremony which is now becoming popular in the entire province.

The natives of the town, which is situated approximately 872 kilometres north-west of Lusaka, are also known as southern Lundas, who are an offshoot of the old Lunda empire of Mwata Yamvo in the present day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Lundas are divided into several groups which are under two sub divisions.

One group is under Senior Chief Kanongesha and the other is under Senior Chief Sailunga.

Some natives of Mwinilunga boast of being proud residents of a town which perhaps was the only Zambian border town which has never had its culture and traditions adulterated by the languages and culture of both foreigners and locals who are not natives.

Many first time visitors to the town are usually amazed after noticing the ability in which foreigners and non-natives are compelled to voluntarily start speaking Lunda.

The town shares its border with Zambia's neigbhours, the DRC and Angola.

Foreigners and non-natives living in Mwinilunga have no choice but to learn Lunda, failure to which they risk sentencing themselves to solitary confinement because of language barrier.

From the manner in which the Lunda language is used in private homes and public institutions such as the council, police station and hospital, one may end up being convinced that there was a silent law declaring that Lunda was the lingua franca for Mwinilunga.

Many Lundas from all walks of life have a rare opportunity to meet during the Chisemwa Chalunda ceremony.

The Lunda royal establishment says the hosting of the annual ceremony was important because it plays a unifying role among the Lundas.

The ceremony plays the vital role of preserving the culture and traditions of the Lunda people of Mwinilunga.

The Kanongesha royal establishment says over the years, the ceremony has proved that it was a vehicle through which the people were constantly reminding themselves about the importance of respecting and preserving the beliefs and values handed over to the Lunda people by their ancestors.

Kanongesha royal establishment representative, Wandi Mukanda, says the Chisemwa Chalunda was a vanguard of the future of Lundas, protecting both the young and the old from the effects of foreign culture invasion resulting into a situation in which people lose their culture and identity.

She says the ceremony also plays an important role in promoting and preserving the mighty Zambezi river source, which is a natural heritage site and tourist attraction.

"The ceremony has over the years been providing a forum at which HIV/AIDS sensitisation has over the years been conducted enmasse to the locals. The promotion of future development prospects of Mwinilunga is also being spearheaded with the creation of the Chisemwa Youth Project, which is a product of the Chisemwa Chalunda traditional ceremony. This gives us hope for a bright future although we are fully aware that our land is prone to experiencing natural disasters such as floods," Ms Mukanda said.

This year's ceremony, which took place from September 14 -15, attracted a total of 30 chiefs, among them, chiefs from Angola and the DRC as guests.

The ceremony usually starts on a Friday at the Chikota Chalunda, the Senior Chief Kanongesha's palace, some 50 kilometres west of Mwinilunga Boma.

Chisemwa Chalunda traditional ceremony's Mwinilunga district organising committee chairman, Anderson Maloza, said this year's edition of the annual ceremony was expected to attract close to 10,000 people from different parts of the country.

Senior Chief Kanongesha of Angola, who is regarded as the father of Chief Kanongesha of Mwinilunga, was also in attendance.

The ceremony started with the prayers for the agricultural produce by the chief and elders from the Lunda royal establishment. After the special prayers, the chief and elders led the people in a special visit to the royal ancestral gravesite.

HALLMARK

The second and final day of the ceremony attracts scores of people who are in a jubilant mood to witness the hallmark of the most prestigious annualevent among Lundas of Mwinilunga.

On this day, which marks theclimax, the ceremony starts with the sounding of the royal drum announcing that the chief is in high spirits and geared for the ceremony.

After the sounding of the royal drum, Senior Chief Kanongesha arrives in the main arena from the Chikota Chalunda, accompanied by a team of colourfully dressed people together with royal warriors elegantly dancing to war songs in a seemingly uncompromising mood.

The chief, seated in his royal hammock, the Tanda Dawanta, is carried by specially selected subjects.

A group ofelders performing the kutommboka dance then enters the arena, greeting the chief in a special manner which includes rolling on the ground as a sign of respect.

Some elders then start reciting poetry, praising the chief and the courageous warriors who played a crucial role in the Lundas' journey from the Mwati Yamvo empire tothe place where they now live in Mwinilunga.

The last event signifying the actual climax of the ceremony is the performance of the Chiloondu, a special dance by a group ofyoung girls who have just become of age.

A group ofmasked dancers from the neigbhouring Luvale tribe then suddenly emerges from the bush, to add colour to the series of activities going on in the main arena as guest dancers.

Before their final departure, the guest of honor andrevellers then go to the Chisemwa Chalunda museum housed in some grass thatched structures where they learnabout the A to Z of the Lunda history taught with the aid ofpictorial, special objects and moulded animals representing activities and regarded as of special importance to the Lundas.

Lunda Cultural Association national vice-chairman, Setty Chitukutuku, said Chisemwa Chalunda ceremony shows the importance of culture as a pillar of unity, peace and love.

He said his organisation was advocating for the teaching of culture as a compulsorysubject in schools.

He said this would emphasise the importance of culture to children besides protecting the national identity.

Mr Chitukutuku called on the Government to put in place a mechanism, which would ensure that all traditional ceremonies were treated fairly.

"A situation where some traditional ceremonies are given more attention and support than others by some local and international donors should be discouraged by the Government," he said.

Mr Chitukutuku also appealed to all Lundas holding positions of influence in society to take advantage of the ceremony and embark on annual pilgrimages to their villages with their families.

"The growing tendencies by some people to get back to their roots only when seeking votes for political office should not be tolerated at all costs," Mr Chitukutuku said.

Representing the Zambian Government and President Mwanawasa at this year's edition of the Chisemwa Chalunda traditional ceremony, Health Minister, Brian Chituwo, said the Government was impressed with the mannerin which Lundas come together to celebrate their cultural heritage.

Dr Chituwo commended the Kanongesha royal establishment for sustaining the commemoration of the Lunda heritage through dance, music and cultural exhibitions.

"The ceremony is an effective way to safeguard cultural heritage. Traditional ceremonies are important because they enable the Government to fraternise with traditional culture," Dr Chituwo said.

He noted the role of the Chisemwa Youth Culture Centre in maintaining the Lunda culture identity.

Dr Chituwo said under President Mwanawasa, the Government was determined to ensure that Mwinilunga, which has fertile soil for farming and abundant rainfall, had a boost in agricultural activities.

"The Government wants to put in place measures which will ensure 600 families in Mwinilunga are engaged in growing some food under the Winter Farming Project.

"The Government wants chiefs to play an active role in assisting rural dwellers to effectively contribute to national development through pro-development motions to be debated in the House of Chiefs," Dr Chituwo said.

TROUBLED PAST

The architects of the Chisemwa Chalunda and those working hard to preserve the ceremony said they still have fresh memories of the effects of divisions and the role of Senior Chief Kanongesha in uniting the entire Mwinilunga district.

Mwinilunga experienced civil wars in the 1920s and the early 1970s, which were largely caused by succession disputes to the chieftaincy.

In the 1920s, during a long disputed succession, a British-sponsored candidate sojourned in Angola secured the traditional insignia of chieftainship (the Lukanu bracelet) and became Senior Chief Kanongesha.

Shortly afterwards, however, Kanongesha Murumbi brought with him royal emblems. In the early 1970s, succession disputes, certain tribesmen who wanted to see chief Kanongesha ousted from his throne caused the civil war.

The attackers included dissident Zambians armed by Portuguese army agents in Angola.

The terrorists, who caused a war in different parts of Mwinilunga, launched attacks from a hideout in chief Kanongesha's area, which was two kilometers from the Angola border.

During the time in which the atmosphere was tense with fear, Mwinilunga became the center of attraction, forcing the then Republican President, Kenneth Kaunda, to deploy the paramilitary and Zambian Army forces to the area to fight the terrorists.

There were burnings and looting by terrorists in Mwinilunga, in which some locals lost their lives and police camps were on several occasions set ablaze.

Some members of the royal establishment said the continued sustainance of the Chisemwa Chalunda ceremony gives them hope that there was no room for future divisions and civil strife among the Lundas now and in the near future.

Like the feeling that one gets during and after an exciting soccer match, people attending the Chisemwa Chalunda ceremony troop back to their various destinations satisfied at their fulfillment of one obligation - to support the annual ceremony, which acts as the main unifying factor and the only way to continued peace and development in the Lunda empire of Senior Chief Kanongesha of Mwinilunga.