The African Legend of the Zambezi River God

 

Africa… What comes to your mind when you hear this word? The crackling of dry grass sharing secrets with the wind… Mysterious hooting of the owl and the thumping of the zebra’s hooves against the ground…The shelter of natural beauty and mysteries. Its difficult to imagine how many riddles the hot sun of this continent keeps. How much wisdom this great nation holds. Let’s meet one of their stories: The legend of the Zambezi River God.

 

The legendary Zambezi River God, or Nyaminyami, is a dragon-like creature believed to command all life in and on the mighty Zambezi River. According to one fable, the Kariba Dam project, which started in 1956, shattered the peaceful existence of the Batonga people who had lived in the Zambezi Valley for hundreds of years. Asked to relocate, the Batonga were certain that Nyaminyami wouldn’t allow the dam to be built. Barely a year after the project began, a severe flood struck, killing several workers and destroying the partially built dam. For three days, shattered relatives waited in vain for human remains of their loved ones to be recovered. Finally, the elders of the tribe explained that only a sacrifice would appease Nyaminyami’s displeasure. At this, a calf was slaughtered and placed in the water. The next day, the bodies of the workers were found in its place... How did this happen? Was it just the river depositing its load? Or was it some kind of supernatural, unexplainable force not known to man? However, this tragedy did not stop the dam from being built. The Kariba Dam was finished in 1977, much to the Batonga peoples’ displeasure.
 

The choice is yours: whether you believe in this world’s unknown and indescribable wonders or if you believe they are all just coincidences. Whether or not you think Nyamnyami really does command all life in the Zambezi River, this is up to you. You decide…