By Austin Kaluba –
IN terms of heritage sites, Kasama is blessed with natural, historical, political and military sites that tell the rich history of the district.
However, of all the heritage sites, it is the stunning Chishimba waterfalls, the unsung natural wonder of Zambia that is a marvel to watch and is among the most visited monuments in the district.
The monument is located about 35 kilometres to the west of Kasama town on the Kasama-Mporokoso Road and is approximately 10°06’31.40” S and 30°55’01.41” E, at an average elevation of 1, 330m (4,363ft) above sea level. The falls retains local names and was not condescendingly named after some imperial dignitary as was the case with Mosi oa Tunya falls which David Livingstone christened Victoria falls despite the natural wonder of the world having two indigenous names Mosi oa Tunya and Shungu Namutitima.
The falls are actually made up of three individual successive water falls; the upper falls (Mutumuna), the middle falls (Kayela rapids) and the main falls (Chishimba).
The main Falls has a width of more than 45metres and a height of about 30m. The total drop from the Mutumuna falls to the bottom of the main Chishimba falls is about 104m.
All the three falls are steeped in mysticism among the superstitious Bembas who like other African tribes, believe a natural phenomenon of this magnitude was the home of spirits.
Customary offerings by the high priest were once made at the falls to appease the spirits of the three falls and bad conduct such as insults or curses were disallowed within the vicinity.
However, in a strange clash of modernity and cultural beliefs the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (Zesco) has taken advantage of the falls and has developed a hydro-electric power plant just above the falls.
The building of the hydro power plant has however not marred the dazzling beauty of the waterfalls.
Chishimba Falls in particular, was declared a national monument based on the spectacular geomorphological formation of the area.
According to the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) regional director Billiard Lishiko, the Chishimba Falls is a national monument covering a total of 777 hectares and is dissected by the Luombe River on which the three (3) waterfalls are found.
Mr Lishiko said Chishimba Falls ranks as a number one heritage/tourist site in the Northern Region of NHCC; attracting thousands of tourists and scholars and contributing substantially to the national treasury.
The commission has improved the site which was once poorly mantained to boast a modern ablution block, modern resting shelters,
Take Away, curio sell point, visitor information centre, a ticket office and camping pedestal.
Senior conservation officer Kelvin Chanda revealed that, Chishimba falls received 15,552 visitors last year and  12,985 in 2013.
The commission made K4,448,450-00 from January to March last year, a remarkable highlighting the importance of the falls.
The statistics of visits to the falls are impressive and keep increasing annually making it one of the most visited falls in the country.
Mr Chanda is optimistic that, the number of visitors will improve in future and called for more support from all stakeholders to ensure the place meets international standards in infrastructure.
The other area of great historical significance in the district are the Mwela rock paintings around Kasama that are remnants features of the the presence of Twa people (sometimes referred to as “bushmen”) who were the early inhabitants of Zambia, before the arrival of the Bantu and other people.
These rock paintings dates back 3000 years or more and are important parts of history.
Unlike in the past when they were unattended, now the NHCC fully protects the site complete with a caretaker/guides office at the entrance of the road to the paintings.
The visits to the rocks from January to March earned the commission K1,954,500-00, factor that can be attributed to the mantainance of the place.
Like Chishimba falls, the rock paintings were previously protected by a spirit guardian and various traditional leaders. In fact mwela in ci-Bemba means spirit.
Mr Lishiki laments the ignorance of many Zambians of the tourism potential of such areas which have been poorly publicised to both locals and foreigners.
He shares these sentiments with a foreigner who lamented the unawareness of many Zambians and visitors of the importance of such sites.
Writing for BBC Travel in 2013 under the title Escaping modern life in Zambia, a British travel writer Nana Luckham wrote:
When you think of Zambia, what comes to mind? Perhaps searching for big cats in one of the country’s vast national parks, hippo spotting along the Zambezi Riveror rafting beneath the spray of thundering Victoria Falls?
All admirable pursuits, no doubt, but for an off-the-beaten-track Zambia experience, the country’s little visited north has “hidden gem” written all over it.
Pre-history fans should set their sights on Kasama, around 150km south of Mbala. A laid back town full of wide, leafy streets and handsome tin-roofed colonial homes, it resides at the centre of one of the densest rock art sites in Africa, the Mwela rock painting. Imprinted in caves and on rock faces in an area of around 100sqkm are more than 1,000 paintings that tell the story of human and animal life some 2,000 years ago, when stone age hunters roamed Africa’s valleys and plains in search of lion and Buffalo.
There is a wide variety of paintings to be found here, from mesmerising geometric patterns to genitalia drawings signifying fertility rites and incredibly fluid illustrations depicting people, animals and ceremonies. Pay a visit to Mwela’s most famous site, the Sumina Lion Cave, to see a depiction of the soul of a lion entering the body of the hunter in a trance.
Kasama also boasts of military heritage sites like The Von Lettow monument from World War I which shows the site where World War 1 (WWI)  actually ended three days later than the actual peace accord in Europe, the error resulting from slow communication.
In Kasama town itself, the history of the district is captured in a largely separate cemetery for settlers with a few tombstones that bear the names of early settlers.
The Kasama Monument cemetery, now a heritage site captures the colonial legacy that saw residents buried in separate cemeteries.
The “White only” cemetery in Kasama, where the British colonial administration buried persons of European descent highlights the colour bar in the district that saw whites residing near the town centre, people of mixed race –then called coloureds- near the Kasama Roman Catholic church and Africans in the location.
However, it is claimed that some unnamed graves actually belong to some of the closest Zambian African friends and associates like servants and trusted clerks.

•Sata House in Kasama.

A new addition to the number of heritage sites is the Sata House where the fifth president the late Michael Chilufya Sata’s father Langford Mubanga Sata lived.
Jointly known by the NHCC as the Presidential Quarters National Monument, it refers to one of the quarters that housed the family of Sata senior who served as a cook for the District Commissioner.
According to Mr Lishiki, the house is situated opposite the new Provincial Minister’s House about 50 metres south of the Kasama-Mpika and Independence Road Traffic lights junction.
The east is bordered by President Avenue whereas, Heritage House is at the south end. All the buildings are enclosed in a concrete block fence with palisades.
They were originally an annex to the current Heritage House itself a national monument where the National Heritage Conservation Commission have their offices.
Mr Lishiki revealed that the houses were built between 1916 -1918 and occupied in 1923 by house servants and cooks in the colonial period.
One of the quarters housed the family of Sata’s father who served as a cook for the District Commissioner, then a coveted job among Africans.
In 1939, the district commissioner decided to expand the servants’ quarters by building two more plastered quarters due to the increase in the number of servants.
The NHCC is maintaining all these heritage sites that showcase the history of the district.
However, another site of historical importance in the district is Chifwani primary school where Chitimukulu had his field-chifwani-in ci-Bemba thus the name of the school.
The site is of great historical significance and should be turned into a heritage site by the NHCC.
The Kasama NHCC is doing a recommendable job by preserving these heritage sites and needs more support from the government and other stakeholders.