ULUTO MU CISWANGO

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Ministry of Education-Curriculum Development Centre Evaluating

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CAN WE ISOLATE OUR LAND FROM OUR NATURE?

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Sometime in October 2021, we woke up to the news that a combined team of village scouts and Zambia Wildlife Authority officers got into bitter combat with the villagers of Muwele, in which about 24 people got injured. The informer said ZAWA officers used live ammunition in the nasty exchange that erupted over the villagers’ protest against officers’ arresting one of them, who they allegedly found with game meat. Mpika Radio and other media later confirmed the sad news. Bangweulu Black Lechwe- Source of conflicts Such conflicts are common in Muwele, Lavushi Manda, part of the Bangweulu Swamps Game Management area. Lavushi Manda GMA is home to large herds of black Lechwe and other species. From time immemorial, people here have lived with and hunted animals for food. Since the introduction of Protected Area status, sporadic conflicts between indigenous people and conservationists have become a common occurrence in this highly volatile community.  This incident reminded me of a ...
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ONE SWAMPY DAY IN APRIL

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Would you determine a man’s origins and character by the piece of cloth he hangs around his neck? Would you judge him by the way he polishes his boots?    Not until you engage him in conversation will you start to understand who he really is. Otherwise, you risk judging a book by its cover.   In this post, I veer away from the typical how-to of fishing to share a glimpse of my life story, growing up amidst the Bangweulu Swamps. My experiences reflect hardships similar to those of many Unga and Bisa children raised in a poor rural setting.   Ng’ungwa lies at the eastern edge of the Bangweulu Swamps and is renowned for its populations of black lechwes, sitatungas, and the famous shoebill stork. It serves as a boundary between the Bu-Bisa mainland of Chief Chiunda Ponde and the Ba-Unga swamps of Chief Bwalya Mponda. The area is home to Chikuni, a Ramsar Site recognised as a Wetland of International Importance and an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. ...
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KAKABALIKA! SOMEDAY, THE SUN WILL SHINE IN BANGWEULU SWAMPS

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It was in the 80s. I was going to catch some fledglings with my cousin from one of the bird sanctuaries in the Bangweulu swamps. Fledglings made excellent relish because of their tender meat and great taste. You had nothing to throw away! It was “normal” for fishermen from nearby fishing camps to capture small birds from their nests from time to time to have some nutritional variety, as long as the “fools” from Department of National Parks and Wildlife were still asleep. Many times, we got away with hundreds of fledglings of different species for our own consumption and for sale to villagers when we returned to the village. Victims of flash floods wading through water  in Lunga. Pic by LDA On this particular eventful trip, on our way, a bird dropped its guano (pooped) on me. I exclaimed in disgust at the mess as I washed away the poop and wiped my face. To my surprise, my cousin who was twice older than me, advised me not to clean it up as that was a “sign of blessing...
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THE UNGA – THE EXTRA-ORDINARY FISHERMEN

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    Almost every Unga man you meet in and around the Bangweulu swamps, or indeed anywhere in the world, is a typical fisherman. Our main economic activity is fishing, and so, we are into it as soon as we start crawling. It is no wonder we are sometimes mockingly referred to as ba Tubulu , meaning one who spends most of his time in water and, therefore, even relieves himself therein. It is estimated that twenty-three per cent of the fish consumed in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia is procured from Lunga. This goes to show that we possess unmatched expertise in fishing, which I discuss in a series of posts starting with this one. Research shows that we have over 80 fish species, which calls for various ways of catching it. As in any other trade, you need to know what you want to achieve in order to employ a particular system to achieve your goal. As fishermen, we also employ several fishing methods and tools to get the type of fish we desire. We, therefore, adopt s...
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