ISEMBE TALITWA

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Ministry of Education-Curriculum Development Center (CDC) Approved.
 

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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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WHO ARE WE? BANGWEULU OR CHAMBESHI SWAMPERS

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    If you can answer this question honestly, then you will not be afraid to answer others who may want to know more about you by posing the question, “Who are you?” Everyone has a story. In truthfully telling that story is embedded the exact characteristics that define them. If you do not tell your story, others will; and usually, you will not completely be happy with stories told about you by strangers.   This is true about an individual, family, race, or tribe.  For a long time, many people have told stories of the Unga people of Bangweulu swamps. Some of them it is because they have stayed with us for some time, some have visited for a short time, some have inquired, or formally, did some research about the tribe. Others have been in the area because duty called and wrote what they heard and saw. The fact that they are not Baunga, some of their stories are biased, based on opinion, events of the moment, and skewed judgment. Of course, some agree that little...
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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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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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