No Kuomboka ceremony this year- BRE
Ngambela Mukela Manyando says the Kuomboka ceremony of the Lozi speaking people will not take place this year, due to low levels of water in the Zambezi river.
In a statement availed to q-news, the Ngambela of Barotseland Mukela Manyando says the cancellation of the ceremony has been attributed to insufficient water levels in the Barotse plains to facilitate the movement of the great ‘Nalikwanda’ barge from Lealui to Limulunga.
Mr. Ngambela Manyando says the BRE regrets the cancellation of the annual traditional event, which also attracts regional and international tourists.
He says a survey conducted by the Kuomboka-Kufuluhela organising committee headed by Induna Mukwalwakashiko established that the water levels are not good enough for the event.
This year, Barotseland has been hit by a serious calamity of drought as most crops have dried up in many places including rice fields in the Barotse flood plains.
And Barotse National Freedom Alliance (BNFA) First Trustee William Harrington has welcomed the move by Mr. Mukela Manyando to cancel the Kuomboka ceremony due to low water levels in the Zambezi River.
Mr. Harrington says it is impossible for ‘Nalikwanda’ barge to travel from Lealui to Limulunga without water.