Chisemwa Chalunda Traditional Ceremony

Chisemwa Chalunda Traditional Ceremony is an event held by the people of Mwinilunga district in North-Western Province. It is one of the most competitive ceremonies in Zambia which is cerebrated every year during the second week of September at Chikota cha Lunda Royal Palace. Mwinilunga is a quiet town which seems to be in a permanent state of slumber, but the town usually becomes awake during the annual traditional ceremony which is now becoming popular in the entire province.

The ceremony plays the vital role of preserving the culture and traditions of the Lunda people of Mwinilunga. The Kanongesha royal establishment says over the years, the ceremony has proved that it was a vehicle through which the people were constantly reminding themselves about the importance of respecting and preserving the beliefs and values handed over to the Lunda people by their ancestors. A number of activities such as singing of traditional songs, dancing and beating of drums take place at this event.
Kanongesha royal establishment representative, Wandi Mukanda, says the Chisemwa Chalunda was a vanguard of the future of Lundas, protecting both the young and the old from the effects of foreign culture invasion resulting into a situation in which people lose their culture and identity.

The ceremony usually starts on a Friday at the Chikota Chalunda, the Senior Chief Kanongesha’s palace, some 50 kilometres west of Mwinilunga Boma.

Senior Chief Kanongesha of Angola, who is regarded as the father of Chief Kanongesha of Mwinilunga also attend the event. The ceremony starts with the prayers for the agricultural produce by the chief and elders from the Lunda royal establishment. After the special prayers, the chief and elders lead the people in a special visit to the royal ancestral gravesite.

The natives of the town, which is situated approximately 872 kilometres north-west of Lusaka, are also known as southern Lundas, who are an offshoot of the old Lunda empire of Mwata Yamvo in the present day Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Lundas are divided into several groups which are under two sub divisions. One group is under Senior Chief Kanongesha and the other is under Senior Chief Sailunga.

The town shares its border with Zambia’s neigbhours, the DRC and Angola. Foreigners and non-natives living in Mwinilunga have no choice but to learn Lunda, failure to which they risk sentencing themselves to solitary confinement because of language barrier.
Many Lundas from all walks of life have a rare opportunity to meet during the Chisemwa Chalunda ceremony. The Lunda royal establishment says the hosting of the annual ceremony was important because it plays a unifying role among the Lundas.