. Kaleni mission

By Maxwell Zulu  –
North-WESTERN Province is one of Zambia’s 10 provinces with Solwezi being the provincial headquarters. The town is fast growing with mining activities expanding rapidly thereby contributing to the nation’s wealth. Despite that, the province is the sixth poorest after Luapula, Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern provinces, respectively, with a population living in poverty at well over 50 per cent.
More pronounced about the province is pineapple growing which is the main stay of the majority of the people there. Little known to the many, however, is that the province has a lot of potential apart from mining, for tourism development.
In fact it is a treasure for both cultural and natural heritage.
For example, any sojourner particularly historians and students alike on educational tours visiting Kalulua District would find it interesting to learn that in the vicinity of Kaoshanga Hill is a site called Kalulua believed to have been the original site of Mwinilunga District.
The site is so striking that house mounds and remains of burnt house daga supposed to have been constructed in 1907 for the District Commissioner, then Bwana Price, are easily seen up to today. And a stone’s throw away from here is a burial site for about 20 people said to have been early European settlers who died of malaria.
According to the National Heritage Conservation Commission North-West regional director Dennis Haambote, this could be a pioneer cemetery of Mwinilunga District.
While further research is required, it is generally known and documented, however, that the first European settlement in the area was spearheaded by Walter Fischer, known by the local people as Ndotolo Fischer, as early as 1905 at the Kalene Hill who opened a clinic and church mission for the inhabitants.
His efforts ultimately gave way to the establishment of the Kalene Mission Hospital and the Kalene School of Nursing. The Kalene Mission Hospital is well-known, whereas the ruins of the early settlement are conserved by the Ndotolo Conservancy at the Kalene Hill.
At Kaoshanga Hill there are huge grooved rock boulders with numerous engravings. It is a popular site by visitors who go to view the ‘engravings’. The rock boulders have caves underneath and long tunnels extending into Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo.
His Royal Highness Chief Nyakaseya says that was where the local people used to take refuge during tribal upheavals and in times of the slave trade. It is proposed that in future an annual traditional ceremony shall be introduced at this hill. Thus packaged tours can be done for visitors to include Nchila Game Reserve, Zambezi Source, Zambezi Rapids, Kaoshanga Hill and the Kalene Hill itself.
Ntambu fortification is yet another site located in Chief Ntambu’s area right where His Royal Highness has constructed his palace. It is an earthen embankment akin to the Mpongwe fortified village. This was a protective bank used during tribal conflicts where the chief was protected from assailants through his warriors who would guard the battlements to ensure that enemies did not cross to the central area where the chief sought refuge.
These ramparts are quite composite and can be a major attraction to the public as the site is one of the few existing examples of an African defensive system. Mr Haambote says it is from this kind of fortification that the phrase “Nsankwa yaba Kaonde” was derived.
It is also noted that located in Senior Chief Sailunga’s area is the Nyaunda Rock, a setting of the annual Nyaunda cultural traditional ceremony.
The site is 68km off the Mwinilunga-Solwezi Road on the road leading to Ntambo Mission and is clearly signposted. It is a huge domineering rock with several tunnels and caves. It is believed that this was a site of refuge for Senior Chief Sailunga during tribal clashes.
Our advise is that appropriate protective clothing and lighting equipment are required before entering the caves and tunnels. Notwithstanding, legend has it that those who have dared to enter the bat infested tunnels have never be seen again.
The story resembles that of King Solomon’s Mines book for those who have read it. From a distance, the rock looks like a perched big cat wearing a vicious face looking on the side.
Those intending to visit the site during the traditional ceremony can also include Ntambu Fortifications and the imposing and picturesque Luwi Mission with its unique architectural visit in their package.
The Chinyingi Bridge in the Zambezi District cannot be eclipsed. This is a hearthrobing perilous suspended bridge constructed in the 1970’s by Brother Chrispin Valeri of the Capuchin Franciscan Mission in response to an accident where Br. Roch along with Sr. Delphina Kerrins and five other people tragically drowned on 15 December 1971 while taking a patient and her family across the Zambezi River using a dugout canoe.
The bridge which was constructed using materials donated by ZCCM was completed in 1975. It is one of the only five bridges that cross the Zambezi River from its Source.
The Chinyingi Bridge is a hair-raising and awesome suspended bridge that is not for the faint hearted. Within the Zambezi District, visitors can tour the Chitokoloki Mission Hospital founded in 1914. The name Chitokoloki means “sparkling waters” and the hospital is situated on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River and is renowned for it’s beautiful sunsets.
Going to Mwinilunga District your eyes will not miss the Nyambwezu Waterfalls and rock engravings. The site is reached by turning south from the Solwezi-Mwinilunga road 204 kilometres from Solwezi. About thirteen kilometres from the main road, a motorable track turns west and leads, after some two kilometres to the waterfalls. The Nyambwezu falls situated on the Nyambwezu River is approximately 20 meters high. According to Mr Haambote, the site is a feat place for a weekend for nature lovers as it possesses considerable beauty. He adds that close to the lip of the falls lies a rock shelter, which is decorated with pre-historic engravings formed mainly of simple lines and pits. It was declared a national pre-historic monument due to its scenic beauty and pre-historic significance.
The scenic beauty and value of the Nyambwezu falls and rock engravings respectively, has attracted a lot of interest among local and foreign visitors. Its close proximity to the proposed Kabompo Gorge Hydro Power station, Kalumbila and Lumwana Mines has made it a potential tourist destination for residents in the vicinity. Once the power plant and Kalumbila Mine are fully operational, the anticipated expansion in terms of employment generation and population growth is expected to increase the demand for sites of vacation and leisure.
Furthermore, there is the Chavuma Falls among other sites in the province, situated within the Chavuma boma area less than two (2) kilometers from the District Council offices. The Falls are on the Zambezi River. They are formed on a section of the river which manifests a fall in the gradient and a narrowing of the river channel which is largely bounded by rocks.
As the Falls cascade down, they flow into a wide dam-like feature of great aesthetic beauty. The waters are calm and form a favourite swimming site. It is also adjacent to the Chavuma Ferry located to facilitate crossing of the river to the western bank.
Finally, the crux of the region is the Zambezi Source and its water rapids in Ikelenge District. This Site located within the Zambezi Source National Forest No. P.80 is about 20 kilometres from the administrative centre of Ikelenge and, some 53 Kilometres to the Northwest of Mwinilunga Township. The entire National Forest has been registered under section CT of the International Biological Program and is one of the fifty Botanical reserves selected as the best example of preserved major vegetation types in Zambia.
The Zambezi Source was declared a National Monument not only as a symbol of Zambia’s Independence, but also for its rare and unique plants and also to preserve the spring flow of the mighty Zambezi River. The Zambezi Source National Monument was unveiled on 24th October 1964 to signify the birth of a new nation, Zambia, which derived its name from the Zambezi River. Not only does the site harbour the source of a great river but it is also a symbol of Zambia’s inspiration and national identity. The Zambezi Source National Monument is one of the areas with high plant endemism in Zambia; for instance the plant Elaphoglossum zambesianum is endemic to the site meaning it is only found at the Zambezi Source.
It is for this reason that NHCC regional director Mr Haambote says as a means of enhancing the attractiveness of the site, the Commission has embarked on a project dubbed the ‘Zambezi Source Biodiversity and Livelihood Support Project’ with funding from the Interim Environmental Fund.
As regards the Zambezi Rapids located about 48km downstream of the Zambezi River from its source at the Zambezi Source National Monument, these form an attractive section of the river and cover a distance of about 350m. Over this distance, the river drops by about 17m. This fall in the gradient of the river was a key resource in the development of the 700KW Zengamina mini Hydro electricity project at the site. The rapids are picturesque and dotted with ‘white beach sands’ which are a popular attraction. For those in love with kayaking, the Zambezi Rapids is the place to be before daring the ones down the mighty Victoria Falls in the Southern Province on the same river.
From the foregoing, it is indeed indisputable to aver that North-western Province is a treasure trove for tourism in the north-western part of Zambia.