Bangweolu Tour Report, March 1931

REPORT ON A TOUR MADE BY G.C.R. CLAY

I. RANK . . . . . . . . CADET
STATION . . . . . LUWINGU

2. LEFT LUWINGU . . . . . . . . MARCH 11TH 1931.
RETURNED LUWINGU . . . MARCH 25TH 1931.

3. MILES TRAVELLED
BY CARRIER . . . . . . . 200
BY CANOE . . . . . . . . . .46
TOTAL 246

4. DISTRICTS VISITED
CHILUI ISLAND. {2016, now called Chilubi Island) 
CHIEF MATIPA AND 57 OF HIS VILLAGES.

5. VILLAGES
These were good on the whole. Several of the older villages were given permission to move to new sites.

One village – Malizawa – has recently come from the Fort Rosebery district, owing to the fact that a lion killed a child there. As these natives are away gathering their crops near their old village, it was not possible to census them. This, however, could be done at a later date, when the government camp at Muchinshi is next visited.

6. VILLAGE PATHS.
CHIEF MATIPA, on his own initiative, has had what might perhaps be termed a by-pass road made in order to connect villages on different sides of the island. These paths are at least 12 feet wide, and avoid the village gardens as far as is practicable. Though very rough at present, they could become excellent at a later date.

There are now over 200 native-owned bicycles on the island, so that the natives themselves are realising the value of good roads.

7. FOOD.
The great majority of the island is now under cassava cultivation. The crops appeared to be entirely satisfactory.

8. HEALTH.
This appeared to be uniformly good.

Enough care is not taken by natives to avoid coming into contact with those suffering from leprosy. In one case a woman and two small children, none of whom were affected, were found living in a hut with a leper at some distance from the village. In a second case, two lepers were discovered sitting among the natives in the village while the census was being taken, the excuse given was that they had come in to see the official.

The chief was told to deal severely with any natives found in leper’s huts, and to hold the headman responsible in cases where a leper had entered a village.

As the island is a small one, it might perhaps be practicable to form a village out of the 27 lepers thereon, and to impose a heavy penalty on anyone found entering or leaving it.

9. Labour.
No. of taxable males at work in        this territory . . . . . . . 257

  “    “     “          “      “     “  outside    “        “ . . . . . . . . 22
  “    “     “          “    not at work, seen or visiting . . 1563

Total No: of taxable males in villages visited . . . . . . .1842

 

Many natives were given passes to Ndola to seek work.

10. LIVESTOCK.
The following were counted: –
Sheep . . . . 620
Goats . . . . 99

These statistics show a further reduction of over 200 in the number of sheep on the island since last year, said to be due to disease and the depredations of hyenas. There are no lion or leopards on the islands, so that there should be no difficulty in exterminating hyenas also, but the natives do not appear to possess enough initiative and organisation to EFFECT this. As there is a ready sale for sheep, it seems a pity that a really effective round-up is not held.

11. NATIVE TAX.
£33 – 3 – 6d [£2,300 in 2020] was collected. There are still some 200 1930 taxes outstanding, but the natives in arrears are all said to be at work at the mines.

12. GENERAL.
The following chiefs and divisional headmen visited me: – Chief Kalimankando, sub- chiefs Mulengro and Mwoshi, acting-sub- chiefs Baamba, Mushili, Chula , Mwanokasawe, and Kambule.

The centre Maria Mission was visited, and the Father Superior held a cinema show for the edification of the above chiefs.

I was informed that there are some 200 Christians on the island out of a total population of 8723 souls.

Gervas Clay
CADET
LUWINGU, 1931. [aged 24]

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Map

Leprosy is curable

Chilubi Island

Wikipedia

Here is a fascinating account of the 1958 "Chilubi Incident" (of which I had never heard)