Kuomboka
In the Lozi language, Kuomboka means something like: "To come out of the water."
It is associated with a ceremony that is held at the end of the rainy season in western Zambia . When the Zambezi floods the plains of the Barotseland , the king, also called litunga, moves by boat from his domicile in Lealui to the higher-lying Limulunga . His people accompany him on this voyage, but are not allowed to overtake the royal ship.
The day before the ceremony it is announced with the drumming of the "Royal Maoma drums". All of the Lozi people then wear their traditional red hats.
The Nalikwanda, as the king's ship is called, is striped in black and white like the Zambian coat of arms and has a black stylized elephant on board. The elephant's ears can be moved with ropes. Smoke signals that the king is alive.
The queen's ship carries an oversized black chicken whose wings can be moved.
If one of the paddlers gets tired (the journey takes six hours), they are simply thrown overboard.
Web links
- Description of the Kuomboka (English) ( Memento of 27 September 2007 at the Internet Archive )
- Festival planning 2006 (English) ( Memento from July 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 178 kB)