A Spectacle of Culture: Zambia’s Ncwala Ceremony is Keeping Ngoni History Alive

It’s 3:55 on a Friday morning at Lusaka’s Intercity Bus Terminus and at one exit a group of men looking more like runners waiting for the starting gun than bus drivers, has congregated. Moments later, a rumbling of engines signals their “go” signal.

The fleet of buses takes off, all heading for Zambia’s Eastern Province. At least ten more buses remain behind, preparing for a later departure.

The transport hub is always lively but to see so many fully-booked buses this early in the morning is rare. The throng of people queuing for seats continued to build, however, with some of the early arrivals forced to reluctantly settle for a later, 6 a.m. departure.

It’s the Ncwala weekend and all roads lead to Mtenguleni Village for one of Zambia’s biggest annual ceremonies.

The Ncwala Ceremony (pronounced as Nchu-wala) is commemorated by the Ngoni people of eastern Zambia. Held annually on the last Saturday of February, it serves as a thanksgiving ceremony for the first harvest of the season. It’s a time for the Ngoni people to express gratitude for a bountiful harvest and pray for continued blessings in the coming year.

The ceremony is marked by vibrant dance performances, traditional music and cultural displays showcasing the rich heritage of the Ngoni people. Paramount Chief Mpezeni the fourth, the current leader of the Ngoni, spearheads the festivities, leading the procession and performing traditional rites.

The origins of the Ngoni people in this region trace back to early 19th century South Africa. The Ngoni are descendants of the Jere chieftaincy, a breakaway of the Zulu Kingdom, who migrated northward across the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers during the 1820s and 1830s under the leadership of King Zwangendaba.

After Zwangendaba’s death, the Ngoni kingdom split into several groups, with one group led by Mpezeni establishing a new state in the Luangwa valley in the 1860s. The Ngoni people have a history of migration and settlement, and their contemporary cultural practices, especially at the Ncwala Ceremony, reflect a deep affinity to their ancestral roots, journeys and traditions.

On February 19 Mpezeni led a delegation to the Zambezi River in Zambia’s Luangwa District to commemorate 190 years since the ethnic group’s historic crossing into what is now Zambia. This new addition to the ceremony was one of several developments aimed at ensuring its continued growth and relevance.

Going forward, organisers explained, the ceremony is expected to follow the 2025 example and extend over five days, starting with the Zambezi River crossing and followed by a Carnival Walk on the second day.

Staying true to the Ngoni tradition of migration, Mpezeni spent the third day of the ceremony traveling from his official palace at Ependukeni to Laweni Palace in Mtenguleni Village, a distance of approximately 40 kilometres.

As the last buses trickled into eastern Zambia later on Friday, the palace began receiving visitors of note, from government officials and fellow traditional rulers, to business leaders from local companies and even from multinational groups.

Around Mtenguleni, people made themselves comfortable for the night, with many choosing to sleep in structures around the ceremony’s main arena to save a spot for their loved ones at the final event the next day.

Due to the cost of the week-long celebration and in a development echoing similar activities in other African countries like Ghana, the palace and its helpers ahead of this year’s even had begun organising significant fundraising galas or walks in almost every major Zambian city.

The grounds for the main festivities were also enlarged by the Government of Zambia so that the 2025 event could accommodate 500 more attendees.

For Henry Sakala, an entertainment expert and himself (“proudly”) half Ngoni, the ceremony holds increased importance as a vehicle for cultural preservation.

“My father is Chewa by tribe, my mother was Ngoni by tribe and she always made sure we appreciated our roots by insisting that we speak the language, which I’m told is Nsenga [a neighbouring ethnicity] because the true Ngoni language has been lost through Ngonis marrying Nsenga women,” he said.

“Our culture symbolises unity and our strength as a people. The rituals, the dances, and the display of traditional attire is a testament of our unity as we put together this beautiful ceremony,” he explained in a telephone interview with bird story agency.

Alice Mvula, originally from Eastern Province and now residing in the Copperbelt Province, said she believed that the success of the Ncwala ceremony was due to a combination of effective marketing, the active participation of the royal establishment, and a growing desire among city dwellers to connect unapologetically with cultural celebrations.

“I help a family-owned business sell second-hand clothing and traditional artifacts. It’s a boost for the business as people are more willing to buy when they’re in a festive mood,” Mvula added.

Visitors to this year’s event came from as far off as Europe as well as from countries with large populations of related ethnicities, such as Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi, Swaziland and South Africa. It is has become such a hugely popular event that hotel and lodging bookings now need to organised months in advance.

By the end of January, all accommodation in the area, from hotel rooms to Airbnb rooms and houses was fully booked. Late planners had to find accommodation in neighbouring towns and even across the border in Malawi.

During the main event, several village representatives entertained the crowds with traditional dance, song and theatre. Donning animal print skirts, attendees as young as five years old danced to the beat of drums.

Men wore matching animal print headgear (Umqhele). While women in the past chose from a wide selection of adornments including Umqhele, beaded headpieces and other items the Umqhele was this year claimed as male-only attire by staunch Ngonis and the Ncwala organizing team, who follow the original Zulu culture.

During the main event, hundreds of businesses and organisations set up shop in a circumference around the main arena, from thrift stores to universities signing up fresh high school graduates.

With the main speeches given and the performances over, a longstanding ritual was performed. A prized bull was presented in the middle of the arena and slaughtered. A bowl was used to collect the blood, from which Paramount Chief Mpezeni took a sip to symbolise the connection between ancestors, land, and the people.

As convoys moved away from Mtenguleni, scores of young people, male and female, ran alongside the vehicles as a reminder of their pride in the cultural standing of this modern kingdom within Zambia.

***

The post A Spectacle of Culture: Zambia’s Ncwala Ceremony is Keeping Ngoni History Alive appeared first on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.