What is Kukaya?

By Mwizenge S. Tembo, Ph. D.

Emeritus Professor of Sociology

Author of the Internationally Acclaimed Romance Adventure Novel: “The Bridge”.

Kaya is a Tumbuka language noun which depicts a physical place in Savannah Zambia/Africa where people who are closely related build houses, huts, and dwellings that they share. Calling it a village limits the meaning of kaya as it has a deeper emotional meaning to millions of Africans who still live and identify with kaya. Ku-kaya – the prefix Ku is an adjective that denotes “to” as in Tumbuka: “Nkhuluta kukaya” “I am going to Kaya”.

Kukaya is where your soul can wander. Kukaya is deeply buried in your heart although it may be two hundred or ten thousand miles or sixteen thousand kms away. Kukaya is a place where all the people I love so deeply smile, speak to me, and even laugh in the most comforting language; my mother tongue. Kukaya is a place where I am related to all the children, boys, girls, men and women.

Kukaya is a place where the maize for the nshima, nsima, or sima, the peanuts for the nthendelo peanut powder and the delicious ndiwo, dende, umunani, relish that is cooked is so fresh as it has just been picked from the garden just next to the house. Kukaya is where the food has been carefully cooked using wood fire taking plenty of time and served while the whole family eats together with plenty of love, kufwasa, and serenity.

Kukaya is a place where all the chickens clack and roosters crow, goats bleat, cows moo, nkhunda domestic pigeons sing, pigs roll in the mud, dogs bark, and cats meow and intermingle with the people. Kukaya is where children as young as five years play with the freedom that most children can’t even dream about. Kukaya is where children even go to school through bush paths while being watched and cared for by all adults.

Kukaya is a place where you can walk barefoot and wear a t-shirt and enjoy your daily commune with nature, the soul, and spirit of the beautiful daily blue sunshine of the Savannah. Kukaya is where people don’t cage pet lions, lizards, snakes, wasps, frogs and all creatures of nature because one can see some of these creatures everyday if one wants to.

Kukaya is where the grass thatched houses and homes of my father, mother, brothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins are all next to each other. Kukaya is where you quarrel with relatives and you still remain close as blood is thicker than water. Kukaya is where at night you can see all the twinkling stars and the bright milky way. Kukaya is where the moon lights are mesmerizing. Kukaya is where you hear the distant singing and rhythmic sounds of the vimbuza dance drumming deep into the dark night as one turns over in one’s sleep.

Kukaya is where during the cold nights in June one can sit with relatives around a fire late into the night sharing folktales and chatting about yesteryear, while eating sweet potatoes or mbohori which had earlier been buried deep in the ambers of the glowing fire for cooking. Kukaya is the only place where the grave yard has all your relatives from bygone days buried in one place. Kukaya has a special place in our hearts that we yearn in our souls to visit and dream about every day.

Visit the Mwizenge Sustainable Model Village outside Chongwe to see and experience Kukaya.