SWAMPY TALES

Does it sound surprising whenever news of collapsing houses in Lunga hit headlines in various media? To some of us, this is no strange news at all. It is merely the fulfillment of what is anticipated. What is surprising is a reporter reporting a disaster of 268 ruined houses showing footage of firmly built fishing camps instead of distressed families or actual ruins. Everyone knows that islands are prone to flooding whenever you have rains above normal. Our seasons are predictable. We exactly know that we will have rainy season from November to March. We also know the conditions under which inhabitants of the islands live during this period. In other words, we anticipate an annual disaster in the same way we wait for Christmas. Also, everyone knows that the majority of people living on these islands are poor; who live below poverty datum line. This means that they cannot afford decent housing on their own and so live in huts that are easily washed away leaving them in distr...

Away from nets, another known and popular mass-fishing method has been in use around Bangweulu swamps for a very long time. Fish weirs; which are basically barricades. Construction of fish weirs, locally termed ‘ Ukucilika amaamba ,” ( ukucilika simply meaning barricading) is another ancient commercial and reliable fishing method used by many fishermen.  Fishers who use this method may not use other fishing gear such as seine or gill nets but rely heavily on their amaamba to catch as much fish as they need for their livelihood. In other words, they specialize in this form of fishing.  Though the method is not unique to Bangweulu, as it is used in many other countries such as India, it's the kind of ensnaring used that is different.   Usually, here, this method is used when water floods during the rainy season and later when it recedes after spawning period. You may find fish weirs in deep waters while others are constructed in shallow waters such as...