Government says it has not been notified of the decision by the Barotse Royal Establishment to cancel the 2012 Kuomboka ceremony and will engage the organisers to ascertain why the ceremony has been put off.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Given Lubinda said the organisers of the traditional ceremony, which pulls hundreds of local and foreign tourists every year, will be engaged to establish the reasons behind the cancellation.
Mr Lubinda said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that traditional ceremonies are no longer tribal but important national heritage events.
“The country has major interests in traditional ceremonies because they are no longer for a specific tribe but are a national heritage,” he said.
He said the reasons given by the organisers are unsatisfactory and contradictory.
Mr Lubinda said three different issues have been cited as reasons for the cancellation and he would hold talks with the organisers to clarify the matter.
“We will engage the organisers of the ceremony because they are contradicting themselves on the reasons for the cancellation,” he said.
Mr Lubinda’s comments follow a disclosure by the Ngambela of the Barotse Royal Establishment Clement Sinyinda that the Kuomboka ceremony will not take place because of the emerging full moon.
Ngambela Sinyinda said the ceremony cannot take place under a full moon as this is against Lozi tradition.
He also cited low water levels as the other reason for putting off this year’s Kuomboka.
Ngambela Sinyinda also said the Barotse National Council does not have enough time to organise the ceremony as it had spent most of its time and resources planning for its meeting last month.
Kuomboka means ‘to get out of water’. The traditional ceremony takes place at the end of the rainy season, when the Zambezi River floods the plains of the Western Province.
The festival celebrates the relocation of the Litunga, king of the Lozi people, from his compound at Lealui in the Barotse floodplains of the Zambezi River to Limulunga, which is on higher ground.
[Daily Mail]
Because of the full moon, they have said, what ever that means basa.
BRE is not mandated to give reason for cancellation. Kuomboka is a traditional ceremony.
Its a traditional ceremony not a political ceremony za yellow.
Litunga in Queen Victoria guard uniform.WHat is the significant of wearing this ancient colonial guard unniform?? What a shame…!!! Amalozi batuutu sana (primitive pple).
S*****, what are you wearing? Are u chintako? I**** iwe, isnt the clothes that you are wearing copied from western culture? Usanganu utwile.
Tell this luapula id.iot to go and carry mwata kazembe on his shoulders, so that the good chief skunks for us in his jacket and skirt. No wonder he whips these id.iots at his palace!
I suppose you Luapula sanganu are going around in your animal skins to prove how authentically African you are? Just admit it – you have no traditions and culture worth celebrating. You are a bunch of bushmen.
The clothes that we wear are not copied from Western culture. Western culture adapted to what it found more liberally thus it made certain discoveries elsewhere its own. Clothes evolved from a lot of cultures. When cotton came about from India clothes transformed and the West who were conquering other peoples transported this changed dress wherever they went
HOW ABOUT THE YOU SPEAK
I like the caption for the picture with the foreign photographer- due to moon issues lol!
they are scared of TB Joshua’s prophesy a ferry will capsize mama litunga and all lozi indunas will pperish.
Ferry? That’s not a ferry, stinking monkey.
A massive slight from our lozi brothers and sadly theres nothing that can be done about it. I guess its ‘bye bye Kuomboka’ for now, we will have to do with reading about it in history books! if this is their best shot at trying to arm-twist the government into some agreement, its not very clever. No government past or present or future will lose sleep over the kuomboka and be bullied into any position because its no longer a ‘national event’. Simple cost benefit analysis. Lubinda is just being polite, and as a lozi himself a little sentimental I suppose
Dream on! In the 80’s two were cancelled, the 1993 one was also cancelled. In 2003 there was no kuomboka. 8 years later this year another has been cancelled. And some id.io.t has made himself believe that this has something to do with twisting the arm of his st.up.id tribal govt. No you fool the kuomboka follows the flood levels of the barotse plains. Not everything revolves around your tribal govt.
Rod, so what’s the reason this year – 1) low water levels, 2) full moon or 3) not enough time to prepare. The others cancelled before were due to low water levels, full stop. Me reckons you are scared to go ahead cause you don’t know about what to to with the government officials you are now obliged to invite. We are waiting with baited breath.
Ricky, rather than engage in speculation, why don’t you wait for gov’t to get an official explanation? Seems even the gov’t does not trust its own propaganda tool in the name of the daily mail! Ricky the ever present pest over issues lozi. Get a panga mate and sort out one or two of them.
I can guess from the bitterness that Rod is a lozi in a foreign land. They say ‘you can get a monkey out of the bush but you can’t get the bush out of a monkey’.
Lozis are wasting their time by cancelling the ceremony. They take it as a way of avoiding submission to government authorities during the ceremony. Lozis should find a better way of fighting government, if fighting is beneficial to them in any way. As for me, I dont see any breakthrough for the Lozis because this secession issue doesnt have full support even within Western province itself. Shame on you mwe MaLozi
I agree with # 2 the BRE don’t report to the government .They have they on way of doing things which is not controlled by Zambian BOMA
ubututu
I have deep respect for my Lozi brothers and sisters but I think there are some Lozis in the Western Province who have to change their mentality. Kuomboka ceremony benefits a lot of people in the Province. Its a pity that they can cancel the ceremony at their own will when it is them who will lose billions of Kwachas. Western Province is one of the poorest provinces of Zambia and its not difficult to see the reason why. Some Lozi leaders are just too selfish no wonder very few people want to invest in the Province.
Just get over it. Govt has no say about the Kuomboka. Lozis have bigger problems to deal with, e.g. asserting the BA64 or creating Barotseland, and should not waste energy on organising the Kuomboka ceremony. Make your money somewhere else. Skipping one year will never kill Kuomboka which has been going on for hundreds of years.
I will miss it this year. Wanted to see those lozi girls.
Bye bye forex and this cancellation will definitely reduce the number of tourists to Zambia this year. What does this mean? This means loss of revenue for the government. This development is unfortunate but it was somewhat predictable.
Since when did we have a king in Zambia in the name of the Litunga? I beg to be enlighened coz I believe we only have paramount chiefs in this country. Am also left wondering how people in this modern day would opt to be governed by a monarchy.
these chaps are very educated but very dull .you want your province to develop so how can u cancel such an important thing.you could have raised a lot money by selling impasa to the tourist .i know it is your stupid cousin ka etch etch (hh) who has advice you to do that since he likes boycotting important events.anyway you are used to wear green slippers ,yellow trousers.melon shirt and blue neck tie.
in that royal badge i see the barotse national flag.only kings wear that uniform.its royal dress.sorry for tabwas,bisa etc they have to continue under their bemba bosses.
we shall attend the kuomboka of mulena mukwae from nalolo to moyo,i dont know whether malume lubinda knows thatn that there are 2 kuomboka ceremonies in barotseland.
I am not Lozi but I think #4 Luapula is envious of such a rich tradition that you Lozis have. Keep it up. You are so real, it hurts sometimes.
ba saba ma fighter jets. mifilifili mwa bulozi. my hometown is called KU kumunzi but my cousins hometown is KWA kwa hae! lol
@7 jack Bauer. You must first read what you are commenting on. Ironically you are claiming that no govt can lose sleep over the cancellation of the kuomboka. Why then is a govt minister so anxious to find out why it has been cancelled. And why did you have to write such a long and illogical comment on something that is not supposed to exercise you and your govt emotionally? You are a bigoted dimwit!
Hahahaha and you are? apart from many other things, someone who obviously wished the government was as emotional about it as you certainly are. i.diot. and note once again that the citizen who is talking about it is someone who apart from his position in gvt, perhaps has more of a personal interest in it. Frankly no one else gives a rats arse, sorry.
Whatever
iwe..leave them alone..why should you force them to host it..?we shall look into it next year..for now no Kuomboka..
We dont care about that shit,i hope its gone for good.these pipo are full of shit.
For stuff like shit your mum is the best person to look at!
A taste of how a kingdom operates. No democracy. Sorry Barotse people you wont make money this year.
The most selfish tribe ,,,,, LOZI .. I Zambians please stay away from marring a lozi…. Ukachula, uzavutika, Mulakushupika, u will suffer, mula kupenga….. simbantu nafuti
Lol! Get a panga and kill yourself some lozis. You will feel on cloud nine!
Hahahaha..and you are? let me answer that: (apart from many other things I choose not to mention), someone who obviously ‘wished’ Zambians or the government were as emotional about this as you certainly are. i.diot. Its just the inconsistent reasons that are laughable and providing enough comic relief. Please note once again that the individual who is talking about it is someone who (besides his position in gvt), perhaps has more of a personal interest in it. Frankly no other Zambian will lose sleep or actually gives a rats arse, sorry.to dissapoint you.
BA PF DONT EVEN TRY TO TAKE YOUR DIRTY HANDS IN WESTERN PROVINCE. THE FACT THET THE CEREMONY HAS BEEN CANCILLED MEANS THAT YOUR PRESENCE AS GUEST OF HONOR IS NOT REQUIRED. YOU SEEM NOT TO KNOW LOZIS WELL. YOU HAVE DECIDED TO FIRE ALL THE LOZIS FROM FOREIN MISSIONS AND REPLACE THEM WITH YOUR RELATIVES. AND YOU THINK THEY CAN BE HAPPY. SOME BEMBAS WHO HAVE BEEN LONG IN THE MISSIONS LIKE CANADA, WASHINGTON AND NEWYORK BEEN NOT AFFECTED ONLY LOZIS. PLEASE SATA AND YOUR PEOPLE LEAVE AS ALONE. WE HAERT YOU AND WILL NEVER LOVE YOU. NO MATER WHAT YOU PLAN WITH THAT LUBINDA OF YOUR YOURS WILL NOT WORK. GO TO HEAL AND CONCERNTRATE ON NORTHERN PROVINCE.
@jack Bauer, cikubabani daddy! Otherwise you wouldn’t write a lot of columns about it! You are really emotionally exercised! And you just appear st.upid when you make a Stu.pi.d claim that no one cares about this! You know what all those who have posted on this thread care in one way or another. Those who do not care about this have not bothered to post anything. That is what normal people do . My dear you are just a bigot and lozi hater!
Okay…yeah…, whatever makes you feel better mate! If you must know I hate that the gvt can even waste 1 second on this crap. There are more important issues to attend to like development for Zambia!
TOO BAD
Government Fimbi Kwikala Tondolo.
We were told why the Ceremony was cancelled, The full moon, plus the Nkoyas are like ” We ain’t rollin’ nuttin .” lol.
@Mwanawakwitu,
hahaha ‘we aint rollin’ nuttin’!!!!!!!
that is hillarious and certainly puts a new and more plausible twist to the cancellation
All local and International tourists can come for the grand Kazanga Ceremony of the Nkoya people in Kaoma Disitrict, Western Province.
The dates will be announced soon but they ceremony should take place between June and August.
There is another edition of Kazanga ceremony of the Nkoya people of Kabompo District in North Western Province and there is yet another edition of the Kazanga ceremony of the Nkoya people in Kazangula District in Southern Province.
There is also one other Kazanga ceremony of the Nkoya people of Mumbwa district in Central Province that will re-start after close to an 18 year absence from the ceremony circuit.
Clearly a lot of options, a lot to see, a lot to do.
Viva Zambia, Viva Kafue Province
Some decisions! And when they dont develop ati kimabemba kimasholi, we shall secede. Attitudes. My wife is Lozi from kwa Sinanga but she is different mwe! GOD BLESS ZAMBIA
foolish decision
no.28.its so sad that you can be so tribalistc in what is known as a Christian Zambia.why sure/no.wonder you our brothers and Lozi sisters will never be BLESSED.because if the Almighty Lord would ever give chance to a lozi to rule our Zed,nobody knows what would become of zed.you are very unfortunate.