Domboshaba Cultural Festival

The Kalanga are a proud tribe which constantly celebrate their "Kalanganess". Festivities are held annually to celebrate the growth of the tribe. One such festivity is the Bomboshaba Festival Culture and History which takes place at Domboshaba in Botswana.

 

According to an article entitled “Dombashaba Festival of Culture and History - General Information for Organizers” published by the Domboshaba Cultural Trust, the festival was  initiated by Mukani Action Campaign (MAC), a society of writers that publish Kalanga literary works), in 2000. Later MAC was joined by the Society for the Promotion of Ikalanga Language (SPIL).

DFCH’s mandate is the promotion of Bakalanga culture and language, mainly but not only for the people who have been living in that area of Botswana and Zimbabwe for more than a 1 000 years.

The formation of DFCH was formally endorsed by traditional and community leaders at a well-attended and representative meeting in August 2005. Ever since all Bakalanga traditional leaders have been invited to annual general meetings of the Trust and have two ex-officio representatives on the board of trustees. In fact DFCH has received significant support from traditional leaders across Bukalanga. 

The  DFCH is of a great benefit to Bakalanga. The festival provides and will continue to provide a forum for the expression of Bakalanga culture and heritage. In addition, the festival has inspired many cultural festivals across Botswana and Zimbabwe, which in DCT’s considered view is a significant contribution. The direct and indirect spend arising from the annual festival events is significant to both formal and informal businesses most of which are either owed by or employ locals.

The festival was started by volunteers, continues to be organised by volunteers and adopted a organic model where initial resources to organise it were raised by the community of Bakalanga, until it grew to a level where sponsors could be brought on board. DCFH remains a non – profit organisation whose financial statements are open for discussion at annual general meetings. 

Last year, the annual Dombashaba Festival of Culture and History, was  held from 28th September to 1st October  near the Dombashaba ruins.

Bakalanga Dancing Wosana at Domboshava Fesival

The first day saw Bakalanga congregating at the Kalakamati kgotla for a variety of activities including listening to Kalanga folktales and taking lessons on the reading of the language.

This session also included the performance of the various types of traditional Kalanga music and dance. Traditional cuisine was on display. 

On the 29^th of September, there was the highlight of the festival. Also available were cultural exhibits, Kalanga literature, poetry, music and dance.

The only activity for September 30th was the annual Nswazwi Marathon from Tjizwina to Nswazwi while the veteran musician Ndingo Johwa, led Bakalanga in the contemporary music show slated for October 1st at Domboshaba.

 For other information : http://www.thevoicebw.com/2012/09/28/dukwi-refugees-to-perform-at-domboshaba/

Who are the Kalanga?

The history of the Kalanga is not known by the Kalanga themselves and therefore the Kalanga are practically left with no history of their own at all, which obviously negatively affects the self-esteem and pride of a Kalanga child who is made to grow up believing that his or her own people have never achieved anything worthwhile in this world.

According to Ndzimu Unami, a Kalanga author, this question ‘Who are the Kalanga’ becomes more urgent to ask now that the Constitution of Zimbabwe recognizes the Kalanga as a distinct people group separate from the Ndebele and Shona. It also becomes important to ask and answer because, with the new Constitution recognizing the Kalanga as a distinct group, there will be a need to teach their history in addition to the language.

According to Ndzimu-Unami, the Kalanga originate in the North East Africa region, specifically the Sudan-Egypt-Ethiopia region. Like many Bantu groups, they trekked from the North down South, finally settling in the region now called Southern Africa. The difference with other groups is that the Kalanga settled Africa south of the Zambezi over two millennia ago. By 100 AD, they had already settled in the lands now called Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana, with most groups arriving between 500 and 1700 years later (the Sotho-Tswana about 500AD, the Nguni about 1600 and the 'Shona' about 1700.

The Kalanga originate in the North East Africa region, specifically the Sudan-Egypt-Ethiopia region. Like many Bantu groups, they trekked from the North down South, finally settling in the region now called Southern Africa. The difference with other groups is that the Kalanga settled Africa south of the Zambezi over two millennia ago. By 100 AD, they had already settled in the lands now called Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana, with most groups arriving between 500 and 1700 years later (the Sotho-Tswana about 500AD, the Nguni about 1600 and the 'Shona' about 1700).

By the earliest centuries of the Christian era (500AD) the Kalanga had established what archeologists have called the Leopard's Kopje Culture. It was an Iron Age sequence culture which was the first in Sub-Saharan Africa to practice mixed farming; mine, smelt and trade in gold, copper and iron. By 1000 AD, the Kalanga had become a sophisticated people, establishing the first city-state in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Maphungubgwe City, on the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers.

The earliest remembered Kalanga kings are Hee Hamuyendazwa Nkalange Hhowu (Ndlovu) and Malambodzibgwa Nkalange Hhowu (it is from these kings that we take our name - Ba-Nkalange, that is, those of Nkalange (some Ndlovu-surnamed Bakalanga still swear by BaNkalange today. We are told that Nkalanga/Nkalange means "People of the North").

And of course some of the greatest Kalanga kings to ever live were the likes of Mambo Nhu-unotapa (Monomotapa) Mokomba Hhowu, Mambo Dombolakona-Tjing'wango Dlembewu Moyo, Mambo Madabhale Tjibundule Shoko/Ncube (Ndzimu Unami, 2014)

Today the Kalanga are divided into 12 major tribes comprising the so-called Bakalanga "proper" (properly BaLozwi), BaLobedu, BaNambya, Vhavenda, BaTalawunda, BaLilima, BaPfumbi, BaLemba, BaLembethu, BaTswapong, BaTwamambo, BaTembe (Mthembu), Babirwa and BaShangwe. They are scattered across Southern Africa from KwaZulu-Natal all the way to Tanzania, speaking almost all the languages to be in all the countries in between.
For more on Kalanga history, go to
kalanga.org/history/‎.