National Guidance and Religious Affairs Minister Godfridah Sumaili has said that she is disappointed by reports that some traditional leaders from a neighbouring country plan to carry out spiritual rituals at Kariba dam ahead of the rainy season.
Reverend Sumaili said that Zambia is a Christian nation and it is important that the country looks to God to provide the rains.
She said that people must not rely on the water spirit known as Nyami -Nyami which is believed to be found at Kariba dam.
Reverend Sumaili noted that the country should not embrace the Nyami -Nyami because it is an idol but should instead trust God for the rains.
Reverend Sumaili said this in an interview with ZNBC in Lusaka. She said she will engage the traditional leaders and the church in southern province over the matter.
Reverend Sumaili said the clergy should organize themselves to offer prayers.
This week Traditionalists said that they believed that the receding of water at the Kariba DAM Hydro-electricity scheme is because the Nyaminyami Tonga god is still upset with the people for messing up his resting place. Should rituals be conducted to restore order and save the nation power deficiencies.
According to legend and local myths, the Tonga tribe in the Zambezi valley is protected by an ancestral spirit, locally known as Nyaminyami the river god.
Last year Chiefs from both sides of the Lake Kariba held special prayers, to plead with ‘Nyaminyami’ the river god not to harm construction workers during the Dam wall rehabilitation project.
Traditionalists feared that the Tonga god, believed to have been separated from his wife, during the initial construction of Lake Kariba in the 1950s could strike again, as the noise from blasting and lorries during the excavation works at the construction site may remind him of his spouse who is believed to be in the lower Zambezi river.
This is one of the ministry that needs to be disbanded….just wasting tax payers money…what’s the purpose of this Ministry..imagine how much money can be saved if we get rid of it
Hypocrites at work..”its by the fruits of their own trees that we shall know them “……eating a snake in a devilish way…in a savage way….Zambian christians too much hypocrisy…..they oppose gay in public and yet the majority of them do it in undercover….majority of Ministers sleep with young boys
Are you in support of Idol worship my friend?
If Nyaminyami will bring more rain and help us end this +10 hrs/day load shedding, then he is a great guy. Lets give him all the support he needs to produce more rains
Ministry of crap…
Guys this is why I keep telling my colleagues that as Africans we have an identity crisis as a people which is at the core of our current problems. Surely ba mayo ba Sumaili, that Christianity you are refering to is a European import. Before that our people prayed to their own gods. Zambians as I always say, let us not get too emotional nefya This is not Christian this is mwakuti. It sad to see an able bodied young man declaring himself a prophet chakuti when the chap can work in building the nation productively. The same prophet goes on to rape his congregants. Zambia we have a problem with religious belief, let’s have a conversation. Is it any wonder you have forsaken your traditional medicines and opted for the western alternative? Here traditional Chinese medicine is a field of…
….Here traditional Chinese medicine is a field of study, imwe uku ati mankwala yakubantu. Anati gonga muzungu.
Does Godfridah Sumaili know just how much proselytizing is going on in Zambia because of Christian thieves in leadership positions? Nyami nyami is a harmless superstition but she’s ignoring so-called prophets corrupting the morals of our young people. Even in the Cstholic Church of all places, I was shocked to see charismatics.
Well-done Honorable minister! Someone and his party boycotted prayers too and we now know why. We do not witches and wizards over Kariba please! Keep the Three Mansions away.
But how come she is NOT opposing those eating snakes in open places. Is it christianity to strangle a snake in an open place and then eating it there and then.
Where in the bible are we forbidden to eat snakes?
Iwe JEMUDO, read Leviticus 11:42
This just leaves us with fish and chicken (birds)
I am a Christian but still strongly believe that culture must be respected. The problem with Africans is that we disregarded our culture which is also God given. Let them pray the Nyamnyami. Before Christianity came to Africa people prayed to God through their ancestors and God answered their prayers.Dont destroy our culture.
PM you have a very defective understanding of Christianity. Get the bible and read my friend.
@3.1 the white man brought you the bible and you have gladly accepted. But you deny other things.
Double standard how about those who are preaching the Gospel of eating snakes in the Christian nation
This is what we meant when we opposed the styopet declaration of Zambia as a Pentecostal nation. Senior Chief Monze is a rain maker and the Lwiindi Ceremony is about rain making. Most Traditional Ceremonies are about paying homage to ancestral spirits. Is she going to ban these Ceremonies? Nyami Nyami is entrenched in the beliefs of the people around the Kariba, including the Tonga in the valley. Freedom was worship, conscience and association are not according to Godfridah. If you don’t have a job description just sit back and enjoy free money otherwise you’ll just upset many people
There is only one true God; the creator of Heaven and Earth, the author of life, the rest are idols. The minister is right. God bless Zambia. Psalm 33:12
Some of us have difficulties to worship a god who had a son with a woman that wasn’t his wife but vows to punish us in lake of fire for doing what he did! What a styopet belief
Says the white man you so detest!
The Tongas are at it again. I thought hh was the tonga god so the have the river god also?
Respect other people’s religious beliefs iwe! From what I know, Nyami Nyami is the same snake that was eaten in Mbala! So this should be the least of your worries!
What respect? At the expense of trusting and worship the ONE TRUE GOD? Nonsense.
There is one God. Creator of the universe. Abash Nyami nyami
Its african culture from long time ago.Our ancestors used to pray for rains. Dont be afraid of your culture.
Corruption, adultery, viewing P02no by ministers mbweelekete’ but this Belly Godess (God)fridah is worried about Nyami Nyami?
THE CASH THIS USELESS MINISTER & HER MINISTRY GET PAID, COULD ALLEVIATE A LOT OF SUFFERING IN ZED, But ba Jona needs this hopeless ministry to make himself feel good when stealing, & travelling with characters like V.a.l.d.e.n.
I’m half Tonga and proudly so. I believe in our gods including Nyaminyami. The god of the Israelis is theirs, not mine. No wonder things are so bad in Zambia, our gods are pissed off that we have forsaken him for an alien Jewish one!
Nyami is YahWeh comrade, do not allow them to make you feel inferior due to the fact that you have a correct conception of who God is. Leza, is the god of Thunder and lightening; he is who we pray to in our churches without even knowing this.The Greeks call him Thor. In fact Thursday is named after him. When we swear we even use leza or ‘kaleza’. We Africans know that there is only one god, he only has various attributes such as controlling of the climate. Do not be discouraged, we still pray to our ‘Gods even in Church, they are still alive. Other examples include mulungu, kalonga, Nzambe.
What is christian about a nation whose rulers are thieves, corrupt despots, liars, killers and so intolerant of anyone with opposing views? At the moment Zambia can’t be called a christian nation but a criminocracy (to coin a new term meaning a country ruled by criminals).
By the way, doesn’t Sumaili know that all the traditional ceremonies in Zambia except kuomboka serve the same purpose as that of the nyami nyami worship? What explanation can she give about the drinking of blood and the throwing of foodstuffs in a river by chiefs during some ceremonies? Please Sumaili keep your fake christianity and your useless portfolio to yourself and let the yamiyami worshippers indulge in their fantasies. Their worship won’t hurt anyone unlike your inept, corrupt and despotic rule is hurting…
“The white man is very clever, he came peacefully with his religion & we accepted him. some of our brothers have joined his religion. He has put a knife on the things that held us together & now we have fallen apart, said Obierika”. “Things Fall Apart”. In as much as we accept the fact that we have one God, traditional beliefs form part of our religious belief. Doing away with this will be tantamount to us having no culture.
Its only God who can bring rain not fyama LENDE
Just to educate our town brothers, its not just lake Kariba the has Nyami Nyami. Go to Lumangwe falls. There is a god there. Akalume Ke Mangwe, Lake Tanganyika also has a god. Within that area, there is a place called “Pa mintakomwa” (meaning don’t cut any tree from that place), its also connected to gods of lake Tanganyika. Nearly all big water bodies have such gods. In Philosophy, there is talk of the God of the sea. If you have lived near such water bodies, elders would normally tell you not to stand by the banks & stare water for a long time, otherwise u will find yourself falling into the water
You are absolutely correct Mwelwa. Even in Scotland in a place called Inverness they have such water creature.
Mayo, so about what happens at our various traditional ceremonies. At some ceremonies animals get killed brutally and their blood drunk? What are you saying?
What happened to freedom of belief, religion, conscience and worship?
Not so long ago, I wrote a piece where I stated my reasons against changing the Preamble from ‘multi religious’ to ‘Christian’. This is an example of what changing that will result into – religious intolerance. If the part in the preamble is changed, religious discrimination and intolerance will be rubber stamped meaning Christians can go on rampage in denying non-Christians of their right to worship and/or force non-Christians to worship the “right” way.
The law is there to give every Zambian equal protection and rights, what happens if only favours a majority religious sect, can the minority be guaranteed protection of their human rights? The answer is No, since every single lawmaker and civic leader in…
Cont’d
.. every single lawmaker and civic leader in Zambia claims to be Christian, how can they fight or lobby for the minority if they don’t harbour minority interests or views and values?
This ministry saves zero purpose, ministry of condemnation and thievery, terrible ministry. Go save and pray to your paymasters
In the last days peoples will be eating snakes and turn into serpents.
Aba ba mayo nabo lisaka sana mwe.
Maybe Mrs Sumaili should exorcise the political Sodom and Gomorrah it is alleged resides within cabinet to appease God, if that is what is required to bring rain.
I think it is irresponsible behaviour by countries like USA, China, India, Brazil, Russia etc that are major contributing factors to climate change and drought.
Forget fasting and praying
This brings a question of how we enculturate christianity with our cultures. If we use an English way of living in Africa it won’t work. Jesus himself said he did not come to abolish the laws but to full full them. There is a lot of work for our lovely minister to do.
i second this
Also, it sounds like it is being done on the other side of the boarder. If this is the case, then the Minister has no say over what people do on a sovereignty territory, that she clearly has no jurisdiction over. Fail.
What did I just read? Running a country on magic and superstition while the real problems keep looting us and putting us in more problems.
Does she forget Zambians have freedom of religion according to the law of the land?
I’m Christian. But every human being has the right to worship who they want, where they want and how they want as long as other people are not harmed in the process. Jesus said;
Matthew 11:28-29
[28]Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
[29]Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
He did not compel, force, or use his position, power and influence to forcefully steer people into believing him. Forcing belief upon people is completely unbiblical. Even if they’re wrong, it’s still unbiblical. This is a completely useless ministry that has no proper…
THIS CHRISTIAN NATION THING NEEDS TO BE SUBJECTED TO A REFERENDUM.
Since declaration has an impact on the bill of rights,the referendum should also look at amending the “The right to religion”
2/3 majority will be required.Chiluba was advised to put the issue to a referendum.He refused and instead just amended the preamble.
Zambians need to make a decision on this issue….Catholics, Anglicans,Baptists, Adventists, Bahai Faith, Muslims,Pentecostals,Watchtower etc.
Nyami, Nzambe, Nyambe, YahWeh are the same God. Our Ancestors, the Africans, are the true originators of Christianity. It is for this reason that our ancestors who understood true ecology from a spiritual perspective respected forests such as the famous forest in Lusaka for they knew that at the eve of the rainy season, they went to water bodies to pray for rains from the God of Gods- Yah Weh. Know your history and stop allowing Christian Charlatans to tell us what is evil and what is good.
Just leave them alone
Our forefathers used to pray for rains and were given there and then. A white man came with his bible and lied to us that we were praying idols…! We foolishly accepted and abandoned our God…!! Now that we are praying to the real God, why doesn’t the rains fall when we pray to your Jesus??? Chinese, Indians, Arabs etc have maintained their beliefs and their Gods are blessing them..! The truth is that Christianity has brought more harm than good to us in Africa. A nation without culture is dead. Please let the locals pray for rains to their God and see how quick they will be answered as compared to your empty Christian national prayer and fasting.
It is a pity that the minister does not know that all Traditional Ceremonies in the country that is declared a Christian Nation start with performimg traditional rituals. Elderly people go to their shrines, be it at the river, or other places to do that on the eve of the ceremony. Unless the minister is calling for abolishing all traditional ceremonies and promotion of use of condomns for save sex among the youths, otherwise Zambia cannot be a Christian Nation.
ON,THIS ONE MADAM YOU ARE RIGHT. BUT,I WANT A CLARIFICATION ON THE ISSUE OF THE HOUSE OF PRAYERS?NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN DONE. AND WHERE ARE THE DONATIONS BEING MADE? U SEE NO ACCOUNTABILITY.THE CASH FOR CITY MARKET WHERE IS IT?PEOPLE DONATED AND ORGANISATION. U EVEN BROUGHT SINACHI.
Peter Njovu the fool.
Some people call him Allah, the English call him God, the Tonga in the valley call him. NYAMI NYAMI.
You need to know that Africans also had their own way of worshiping God before Whites came. Leave the African religion to thrive. NYAMI NYAMI is the way to go.
Africa is more Christian than a white man, Before white man came to Africa, Jesus was already in Africa before Europeans came to Africa .
Abraham came to Africa long before Jesus was born.
What I am saying Jehovah Yhweh is more in Africa than Europe.
Yes demons worshipped by all nations in the world are fallen angels who were created by Yhweh, so they can not be put in the same category.
These fallen beings are every where in this world they including Zambia, America India Europe Asia including China and Africa.
Those demons just change names from one continent to the next. However the are just the same Alla Nyaminya, all other gods are created beings.
This is pure ego-centrism. It’s the same as saying, let’s get rid of all witch-doctors in our country because we don’t want them to be helping people.
Let people do whatever they can to help us in this country if they don’t intend to spill blood for it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with people wanting to help without harming anyone and asking for money. If you continue rejecting their help then you are the most selfish people on earth and you are afraid their prayers will work, there’s that possibility. If you believe it’s only your God who can get rid of this climate change problem, why not let others waste their time praying to Nyami for help?