•Chief Mumena showcases his dancing skills.

THE Lubinda Ntongo traditional ceremony of the Kaonde-speaking people of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo is not only a celebration of the hunters’ prowess and a good harvest, but of a society’s unity.
The ceremony has been celebrated in the Mumena kingdom since 1992, when it was initiated by the late Chief Mumena V, whose real name was Peter Kajoba.
Before then, the community always set aside times to celebrate various occasions and seasons.
Some of the festivals which over the years have been observed by the Kaonde people include the rite of passage to adulthood, known as kubelula or kisungu; the installation of a new head person, called kusanga or mitanda; and restoring names of the dead, which in local parlance is mitanda.
There is also the tasting of a new crop, called kusomona, and celebration of marriage, which is referred to as masongola.
Sometimes people would gather food and drinks just to enjoy oneness, as well as to maintain relationships.
Some popular references such as ‘bantu baswa mema’ and ‘ba Kaonde nekipale kyabo kibawamina’ attest to the solid relationships and humour shared by the Kaonde people, whose clans are defined by totems such as ba lembu (bees), ba longa (river/water), ba tembuzhi (lion), ba yanga (black ants), and ba pumpi, for wild dog.
Other totems are ba samba (snakes/serpentine), bena kyowa (mushroom/thunder), bena nge (leopard), bena kasaka (sorghum/grain), bena kyulu (anthill/earth), bena mbuzhi (goats), bena luo (monkeys), bena nzovu (elephants), bena mbwa (dogs), and bena ng’onyi (birds).
The Lubinda Ntongo is a unique traditional ceremony which signifies the hunting skills of the Kaonde people. It is time when new crops are also tasted.
Some of the highlights of the ceremony are the worship of the creator God and when the king Lion (Chief Mumena) majestically appears in his royal mukundu (long skirt) on the stage to the public to charm the crowd with his tantalising performance with his kutomboka.
This is the climax of the event when the headmen and head women also emerge to support him and surprise the audience when they equally mesmerise the audience with their traditional and contemporary manifestation of kutomboka dance punctuated with live music.
The manchancha dance performed by women, the display of game by selected hunters, heroic traditional salutation by selected headmen, and the sound of the muzzle loaders, called mututula and  shonongo, also form part of the activities at the glamorous occasion.
What further makes the ceremony attractive is the involvement of everyone, that is, the men, women, and young people who all have roles to play.
During this year’s commemoration, Chief Mumena the 11th blessed the land through God, and declared that there should be no hunger, sickness, and poverty among his subjects.
“Let good health prevail, let there be bearing of children, successful marriages, and the preservation of tradition and culture,” the traditional leader said.
UNIVERSITY
And the traditional leadership in North-Western Province appealed to President Edgar Lungu to facilitate the establishment of a university in the region to improve the educational standards.
Senior Chief Kanongesha of the Lunda people bemoaned the low levels of education of the people in the province, and made a passionate appeal to the President for the building of a university.
Speaking on behalf of other chiefs in the Province during the Lubinda Ntongo ceremony, Senior Chief Kanongesha said the low levels of education of the people in the area could be attributed to lack of higher institutions of learning.
The Senior Chief also said the province deserved a better health institution than what was presently available, and appealed for a hospital which would serve the needs of the entire population in the province.
Chief Kanongesha, who declared the support of North-West chiefs for President Lungu because of his passion for the province, said the road network needed to be overhauled and spruced up to ease travel for all users.
CAPITAL
“We are also asking that the provincial capital should be moved from Solwezi to Mufumbwe, which is a central location,” he said.
North-Western Province Minister Dawson Kafwaya said that Members of Parliament (MPs) in the province had unanimously supported the stance taken by chiefs to have the provincial capital shifted from Solwezi to Mufumbwe.
“As area MPs, we are in total agreement with our chiefs in the province that the provincial capital be moved from Solwezi to Mufumbwe and leave Solwezi as the mining town,” Kafwaya said.
Senior Chief Kanongesha said it was evident that President Lungu had a special place in his heart for the province as exhibited by his recent on-the-spot check of the vital but dilapidated Mushindamo Road.
“We are so happy with President Lungu’s leadership because he has proved to us that he has passion for this province and he has been embracing the spirit of One Zambia, One Nation in a positive manner.
“We recently had a meeting with him at State House and we were happy with the hospitality accorded to us,” the chief said.
At the same occasion, Gender Minister Nkandu Luo, who was the guest of honour, said she would deliver the requests made by the traditional leaders in North-Western Province, as highlighted at the ceremony.
TRIBALISM
She said Government abhorred early marriages and tribalism as they were detrimental to the nation’s development.
Professor Luo said Zambians should desist from tribal talk as it had no room in the Zambian society because of inter-marriages which had made it possible for people to co-exist.
She said Zambians should always preach love, peace and unity for the development of the country, reject people that were bent on promoting tribalism, which could easily ignite civil war.
The minister said the Patriotic Front (PF) Government would continue encouraging traditional leaders to use traditional ceremonies to foster harmony.
She said such ceremonies also complement the country’s tourism industry, which is a key focus area for the Government as it had the capacity to promote decent employment and enhance indigenous knowledge among the people.
Prof Luo said the Government had endeavoured to work tirelessly to develop the country, and to treat the traditional leadership as a focal point of development.
“To this end, we shall realise the much needed development. This is the reason why Government takes the opportunity to highlight a few among many projects that it is undertaking at such fora.
“The PF Government’s focus has continued to be on improving access and enhancing delivery of education, health, water and sanitation services, as well as accelerating implementation of social protection programmes in the country,” she said.
MAINTENANCE
Government, through the Road Development Agency, would conduct periodic maintenance of the 154.4 kilometre stretch of Mutanda-Kasempa Road, where 130 kilometres have been awarded to China Geo Engineering while the remaining part is still under the tender process.
Prof Luo said the Government was conducting regular maintenance of Solwezi-Mwinilunga Road, where the scope of works involved reconstruction of failed sections and resurfacing. “The works are progressing well and shall be completed soon,” she said.
“Works at Tundula and Kyabankaka health posts are also progressing well, and the structures have been roofed. At Kananga, Lunsala and Mushingashi health posts, the foundation works have been completed, and fitting of the mental panels and roofing is expected to be done soon,” she explained.
The Government, through the Public Private Partnership with Lumwana Development Trust Fund would construct five staff houses at Mbulungu and Tundula primary schools.
To ensure that all Zambians have access to clean water supply and sanitation services, Government would through the District Water and Sanitation Education (DWASHE), conduct mass verification and certification exercises in chiefdoms which include the Mumena chiefdom.
The artificial insemination centre being constructed at Mutanda is 98 percent complete. The structure was built at a cost of K247, 000 through the Ministry of Agriculture. -Feature courtesy of SUMA SYSTEMS