Zimbabwe's Cultural Heritage

Zambezi River intricately tied to Tonga culture

76 Zambezi River intricately tied to Tonga culture Although Africans were an illiterate people, they had various ways and means of preserving their history, culture, ideas on governance, interpersonal relationships and philosophy, among other things. Proverbs, riddles, songs, lullabies, praise poetry and folk-tales are important repositories of a people’s wisdom. I chose the proverbs and wise sayings as my first port of call. Tragically, among most African peoples, the process of creating new proverbs was arrested at the point of colonisation. Most proverbs currently in use predate the colonial era. A close look at existing historical proverbs illustrates relations between nature, the cosmos and the inanimate world and mankind. On another plane, proverbs record human relations and behaviour expected among persons of a given society. When Western culture was introduced, the new social relations, values and items of material culture did not find their way into new proverbs. The old and sometimes irrelevant proverbs continued to hold sway. The same applied to folk-tales whose character belonged to an historical past. Unfortunately, constant recourse to the unknown past has resulted in current generations of learners often being uninterested in folk-tales and proverbs. Interestingly, songs did not meet with a similar fate. Colonial and post independence themes, issues, characters and cultural artefacts have found their way into current songs - hence their popularity. Among the Tonga, therefore, one would expect proverbs to relate to the Zambezi. As indicated earlier, the name Zambezi is a corruption of Kasamba bezi, meaning where those well versed with the river can bathe. The big river, mulonga mupati, is infested with crocodiles. Knowledge about the river is indispensable to those who wish to fish, board canoes, bathe or cross the river. Within the river are to be found shallow areas, chito (plural, zito) which one can take advantage of to ford the river. The Tonga, found on both sides of the river, viewed the river, not as a barrier, but as a communication link. Canoes, bwato, were used to cross the river. Boatmen used oars, nsoke, for propelling the boats. The words bwato and chito have found their way into Tonga proverbs, as illustrated by Isaac Mumpande who has painstakingly collected these for eventual publication. ‘Bwato tabulindi muntu, bulindilwa aachito’ literally means the owner of the canoe does not wait for intending travellers, instead, travellers should wait for him at the crossing point. 77 As is the case with all other African proverbs, Tonga proverbs have a primary or literal meaning and a secondary or figurative meaning. Quite often, the first meaning is lost and the second survives. The world of the proverb changes, but the meaning survives. For example, the saying ‘selidumela emansumpeni’ may have lost primary meaning to the present generation. However, its secondary meaning, ‘success is near’, is still known. One would have to know about ithunga (milk pail) and that it had lugs, insumpa, near the top of the pail, for holding it with one’s knees, in order to appreciate its first meaning. When the milk pail is nearly full, at the level of the lugs, the sound changes and success is near. ‘Sibwato banda muntu’ is another Tonga proverb, which hinges on the use of the Zambezi River for transportation across or along it. Sibatwo means owner of the canoe and banda means to call out loudly. The boatman was expected to call out the names of his passengers as he approached the chito. Passengers should get to the chito before the boatman arrives. The boat was carved from a big tree trunk and there is a proverb that gives advice to the carpenter. Sibwato kubezela munzila bakulaye beenda. This is advice to the carpenter/boat owner (sibwato) to carve (kubeza) his boat (bwato) near a footpath (munzila) so that travellers (beenda) offer him advice. This compares with the Ndebele proverb that says ‘injobo enhle ithungelwa ebandla’. The primary meaning is to sew a blanket of beautiful colours in public, while the second is advice for one to seek assistance and guidance from those with the requisite knowledge. It’s a caution to ‘Mr Know-it-all’. At the same time the Zambezi was perceived as a treacherous river that could sweep away anyone trying to cross it. What made it even more treacherous was the fact that on the surface its waters looked still. But the lower waters ran swiftly. Kalonga (river) kayibembe (still/quiet) nkikatola (sweeps you away). This is sound advice against being deceived by...