7-653: Kanyembo is the principal centre of the population on the Mofwe Lagoon , the largest of several lagoons in the Luapula River swamps south of Lake Mweru , in the Luapula Province of Zambia . It takes its name from its traditional ruler, Chief Kanyembo, one of the senior chiefs of the Kazembe-Lunda under Mwata Kazembe . In the past the incumbent Chief has been promoted to Mwata, and Kanyembo
14-566: Is no traditional story of their introduction, they were native to the Lunda Kingdom 300 km west from where the Lunda-Kazembe migrated. 9°35′S 28°44′E / 9.583°S 28.733°E / -9.583; 28.733 Mofwe Lagoon The Mofwe Lagoon is the largest of several lagoons in the Luapula River swamps south of Lake Mweru , in the Luapula Province of Zambia . Its size and shape depends on
21-470: The Mofwe lies in its fishery, which attracted Mwata Kazembe to settle in the town of Kanyembo on its eastern edge in the 19th century. The Mofwe does not have a definite shore and is not easily accessed, being lined by a dense band of very tall reeds, and having floating rafts and islands of sedge which change its margins and shape frequently. Local fishermen paddle dugout canoes along narrow channels through
28-601: The reeds to reach open water. The lagoon and surrounding swamps support populations of hippopotamus and crocodiles . The lagoon is separated from the main channel of the Luapula by 6 km of swamps. Although the Luapula swamps are generally 30 to 40 km wide for most of their 100 km length, at the nearest point to Mofwe, the Luapula's western bank is formed by an island in the DR Congo only 12 km from Kanyembo. This facilates trade and smuggling by canoe through
35-490: The season and amount of water flowing into the swamps, especially from the Mbereshi River to the southeast, its main supplier. Generally its north–south axis is about 14 km and its east–west axis is about 6 km. Floating islands of sedge are usually found in an east–west line across its middle, which may effectively cut it in two, and at times vegetation has covered much of the southern half. The importance of
42-540: The visitor can scarcely distinguish where one ends and the other begins. The principal activity is fishing, and the hinterland supports farming. Extensive cassava gardens lie on the eastern side. As well as the large mango trees typical of traditional villages in northern Zambia, a notable feature of the Kanyembo area is mature oil palms , which are not native and do not occur naturally elsewhere in Zambia. Although there
49-547: Was the site of Mwata Kazembe's capital when it was visited by David Livingstone in 1867. Kanyembo lies on the main artery of Luapula Province, the tarred road known as the Zambia Way, linking it to Nchelenge - Kashikishi in the north and Mwansabombwe and Mansa in the south. The villages lining the edge of the Luapula swamps and the south-eastern shore of Lake Mweru merge into each other in an almost unbroken sequence, as happens with Kanyembo and Shanyemba to its north, so
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