TOURISM COULD BE LUNGA'S ECONOMIC BEDROCK

Watching school pupils on our national television learning under a mango tree at Matipa Primary School in Lunga, and seeing them taught by a volunteer school leaver, left me with a huge lump in my throat. Maybe this is better left to competent administrators to contemplate.

 I remembered an argument I had with a foreign  researcher last year.

The young researcher based in Lunga once doubted that there would be little or no meaningful development on these islands. He argued that the geographical location, seasonal flooding, and remoteness made it difficult to attract meaningful investment.

As we say in my language,” uwikwite atila ubwali ubo kateule,” meaning when you are full, you discount the urgency of serving a meal.

The world is focusing on the tourism industry today. Zambia’s marketing language is all about attracting tourists. It’s the hot topic in many circles, considering economic improvement.

The question is: what do tourists want? Why are they visiting places? Are all the places they visit naturally special or have been made so by investment? Clarity in answering these seemingly easy questions is vital.

Strictly speaking, the complete answer to the questions above is that tourism involves attractions that are natural, cultural, and man-made.

When it comes to natural attractions, Lunga is home to hundreds of bird species. Some of these birds, like the Shoebill, are found only in this area and a few other places in the whole world.

Lunga is home to a variety of animal species, such as the black lechwe. This is, in fact, why part of Lunga is in the Bangweulu wetlands game reserve catchment area.

We have a large body of water ideal for fishing expeditions, with numerous fish species, cruising, and many other water sports such as mansukano (water racing or regatta), yachting, surfing, and diving.

The natural appearance of Lake Chale alone can attract thousands of tourists. What about the famous Luapula River?

We can proudly talk about cultural tourism too. People want to know how other human beings live and what they believe in. The people of Lunga have a unique culture that is saleable just like any other. They have an interesting history, epitomised by their annual traditional ceremony held at the end of June.

Their cultural and artistic skills, such as mat weaving, canoe carpentry, fishing methods and clay pot kneading, are just some of the underrated attractions. Mats woven in Lunga have no match in terms of artistic taste and appearance.

Lunga can provide village and backpacking tours just like any other tour company. Some of the islets within Lunga can pass for filmmaking.

All that Lunga needs is consistent, aggressive marketing. The area has all it takes to be a number one tourist attraction when investment is secured from both the government and the private sector.

Fiji, for example, is cashing in more on its water than on anything else. Investors are building resorts along its shores to attract tourists for activities such as vacations, weddings, conferences, and seminars. 

To say an area cannot be developed is to limit one’s thinking, assuming that since they have achieved a certain level of development, the earth has stopped rotating. 

If people can create artificial islands and make them attractive, what more a natural, well-stocked wetland area with an abundance of natural resources and people?

The only limits are in a mind that chooses to close its doors to ideas and in the resolute determination of a people to achieve what they have set out to do. Someday, when we all realise the need to work together and that no one has a monopoly on knowledge, Lunga will actualise its potential.

Lunga has budding tourism potential that simply needs to be exploited. Sooner rather than later, the world will flock to these little-known islands and dine in numbers on some well-nourished Nsalushi islet or the fresh waters of Nsawa.