National Heritage Conservation Commission Regional Director Kagosi Mwamulowe says the Barotse Plains is unique hence it deserves to be on the list of World Heritage Sites.
Mr. Mwamulowe said the Barotse Plains deserves to be included on the World Heritage sites because it has a rich cultural heritage which includes burial sites of former Kings which must be passed on from one generation to the other.
The Director who was speaking during the Barotse Cultural Landscape awareness meeting for Heads of Departments in Nalolo and Limulunga districts said he hoped that the landscape will be declared as a heritage site next year in June.
Mr. Mwamulowe said it was important to conserve Zambia’s unique culture for education and entertainment.
Speaking at the same meeting, Chief Natural Heritage Officer Muyumbwa Ndiyoi said there will be a lot of benefits when the Barotse Landscape is declared a World Heritage Site because it will attract many tourists and business ventures will increase.
Mr. Ndiyoi said the site will also benefit young people as knowledge will be passed from one generation to the other.
He was reacting to a question from Nalolo District Labour Officer Jason Ngoma who wanted to know what the people of Western Province will benefit once the Barotse Landscape is declared as a World Heritage site.
And University of Zambia Lecturer Charles Namate said there was need for the site to be included on the World Heritage Site because 50 years after Independence Zambia only has one heritage site which is the Victoria Falls.
Professor Namate said the Barotse territory was facing a lot of environmental degradation hence the need to recognize the heritage which is the value of landscape and memories of departed kings.
The National Heritage Conservation Commission in conjunction with the Ministry of Chiefs and Eraditional Affairs are in Western Province to hold sensitization meetings with Heads of Government Departments and stakeholders.
The Commission also held closed door meetings with the Litunga Lubosi Imwiko II of the Baroste Royal Establishment.
Not too sure whether it meets the criteria for such recognition; but the subsquent benefits are most welcome if that be so.
this is both good and bad news to me. good in the sense that the barotse plains are unique in terms of livelihood and coping. the plains are very rich soils whereby you dont require fertiliser. the listing will prevent changes in the way people people would want to mechanize agriculture and if really there is oil and gas there, it will be a dilemma for the government to sanction further development there. bad in that even if its declared as a heritage site, the developments that could have been channeled there will now be stopped on account of being a site as the terms of a heritage site is to preserve the lifestyle currently obtaining. this will affect the people in the area negatively.
LT you are pathetic in your reporting. I have heard you use strange titles such as ‘The Litunga of Western Province’, but to refer to him as the ‘Litunga Lubosi Imwiko II of the Baroste Royal Establishment’ is plain insulting. Why do you seem to be afraid of referring to him as ‘The Litunga of Barotseland’? After all is this not what he really is, whether you or others like it or not!
Coming to subject matter . Zambia is insisting on shoving this world heritage site nonsense in the people of Barotseland as a way of pushing people out of their homeland. the Barotse plain is very vast as it cover over 80-90 percent of what is now western province. It is lifeline of the people for food crops and fish. so where will these people go? Is this a way of obliterating Barotseland once and…
It is so funny how Zambia wants to honor the departed kings such as King Lewanika (King Lewanika University), etc and yet can not honour the living and current reigning King, HRM Lubosi Imwiko II, Litunga and king of Barotseland?
They would rather call him Litunga of BRE (Barotse Royal Establishment). Let the people of Barotseland honor their own kings and let them decide what they want to do with their own home land. Why is Nkandu Luo so desperately wanting to turn Barotseland in a secluded world heritage site? Is it by force?
Lyondo lya ng’uwa, lya silila ng’eke, lya mei bei, lya mulilo’ kule. Lyondo no ku ondomana. Siwa ni ta lile tunga, ni kalye bandi ni kalye ba nyama, sicima ni ba Lyondo lya ng’uwa. Bulozi Fasi la bo ndata’ luna, fasi le linde.
Lyondo lya ng’uwa, lya silila ng’eke, lya mei bei, lya mulilo’ kule. Lyondo no ku ondomana e sicima mungonda. Siwa ni ta lile tunga, ni kalye bandi ni kalye ba nyama, sicima ni ba Lyondo lya ng’uwa. Bulozi Fasi la bo ndata’ luna, fasi le linde
Lyondo lya ng’uwa, lya silila ng’eke, lya mei bei, lya mulilo’ kule. Lyondo no ku ondomana e sicima mungonda. Siwa ni ta lile tunga, ni kalye bandi ni kalye ba nyama, sicima ni ba Lyondo lya ng’uwa. Bulozi Fasi la bo ndata’ luna, fasi le linde. H’ala mafasi, le linde ki lona. Lina ni masimu, lina ni likomu. Fasi la luna.
Mei Matungu wa lu tikinya cwale. Hau loka cwalo ni telwa ki moya wa butu.
Ki munati shangwe. Tukongote Litunga Ni Lyetu. Bulozi kinaha.
Bad move, if not outright stnpid! My people have relied on what these vast plains give them as a source of livelihood. Make them ‘World Heritage’ and all of a sudden fishing stops; farming of ‘litapa’ stops; grazing of cattle stops; even water transport stops and the Litunga will have to seek permission to hold a Kuomboka. Any rumored and anticipated mining of oil and gas and diamonds will be stopped.
What kind of nonsense is this? Zambia wants another ploy to continue subjugation of my people and find a way to throw them in jail. This would hit a very core of what makes a Lozi a ‘mulozi tota’ (real Lozi). I say no. If the idea is coming from Zambia proxies, then take it with the grain of salt it deserves… i.e. nothing but a ploy.
And speaking of ‘World Heritage’ while we’re still at it, what happened to the Lower Zambezi National Park? This is where you should truly be concentrating your energies. But we all know you have been compromised by the all too powerful mining companies, haven’t you?