N´cwala Traditional Ceremony - Eastern Zambia

The Nc´wala traditional ceremony – Zambia, is one of the most spectacular and thrilling traditional dancing events that take place among the Ngoni speaking tribe of Eastern region in the morden day Zambia. The ceremony takes place at the end of February every year at Mutenguleni village, about 600km from the capital city, Lusaka and about 6Okm South –West of the provincial administrative town of Chipata.

The ceremony whose significance is to celebrate among other things, the ripen and tasting of farm produce such as maize, sugar – canes, pumpkins, groundnuts and thanking the ancestral spirits for the food provided and protection attracts not only the majority local Ngoni speaking people but also other different local tribes and Ngoni tribal men from Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania.

The ceremony has two important customs. The first is the tasting of the first fruits of the year and other farm products by His Royal Highness Nkhosi yama Nkhosi Paramount Chief Mpenzeni of the Ngoni people at his royal palace in Luangeni Hills about 40km South – East of Chipata and then prepares for a long journey to Mutenguleni village were the grand finale of the traditional dancing ceremony and other rituals take place. Here, the dancers are adorned or dressed in leopard or cow skins and carry shields, spears and clubs in their hands while they dance to the rhythm of the drums and engange in a repetitive movement of their legs. Clapping of the hands by nude - breast women accompanied by whistling in the traditional sounds and rhythm especially by the elderly women just adds flavour to the whole celebration. Exessive drinking of local brewed and international beer often accompans the celebration.

The second custom is where a black bull is killed by sliting its throat with a sharp traditional knife. Before the bull dies, the blood is taken to the paramount chief who drinks it, without delay the members of the Ngoni tribe descends on the dead bull cutting chunks of its meat and the bull dissapears in a few seconds.

As celebrations continue, the representatives from the paramount chief, invited guests from abroad and from government, often the president or a minister makes speeches. Last year, Zambias president Mr. Rupiah Banda and his South African counterpart Mr. Jacob Zuma graced the traditional ceremony. This years celebration took place last week at Mutenguleni village near Chipata.

The history of the Ngoni speaking people of the Eastern province of Zambia dates back during the time of Shaka Zulu, a one time great King and leader of the Zulu speaking people of South Africa. They migrated from South Africa to Zambia due to the tribals wars of that time and crossed the Zambezi river in 1835, fought and conquered weaker tribes along the way and eventually settled in the Eastern province of the modern day Zambia.