If you feel there is magic in the water – you may be right
Cultures around the world celebrate unique traditions and beliefs, and in rural African communities traditional folklore is still a popular method of sharing stories.
Despite being land-locked, Zambia has a huge network of rivers and tributaries, so it is therefore perhaps understandable why River Spirits feature so widely in local tales. In Africa, water means prosperity. This has been true for all of time. Water builds cities and grows crops. It nourishes animals and gives life to the bush…
In the rainy season, Zambia turns bright green. Elephants find their home in mud baths, and you would swear that a secret prayer of the wild had been answered. Destruction can also follow – when days of rain burst river banks and destroy all in its path. With no water the land becomes dry. The sun seems cruel and plant life starts to wilt. Leopards and other animals hide away and take refuge in the shade. It’s easy to understand why water is such a sacred power in Zambia.
Zambezi Grande Private Game Experience enjoys a prominent riverside position on the Lower Zambezi, where myths of a River God have special significance for the area.
The Legend Of Nyami Nyami
For years, there have been myths and legends about the great Zambezi River, passed down from elder to child in the Tsonga people.
Considered to be an immensely powerful god, Nyami Nyami is believed to control life in and
around the Zambezi River. A dragon-like creature, with the head of a fish and body of a
snake, Nyami Nyami is said to be 3 metres wide, but the Zambian people don’t dare to
guess the length of him.
Legend has it that the building of the Kariba Dam deeply offended Nyami Nyami because
this barrier separated him from his wife. It is said that he withdrew from the world of man the
day the wall was finished.
To this day, you will still hear the testimonies of many men, about their sightings of this creature, revealing himself as a whirlpool to some, with many wearing pendants of the
mystical creature for protection and prosperity.
Book your stay now at Zambezi Grande Private Game Experience to be enchanted by the
majesty that is the life-blood of Zambia and the source of many folktales…
