Will NyamiNyami be reunited with his wife?

And if he is, what will be the extent of the tragedy?

David Livingstone, intrepid explorer that he was, was probably the first white man (in the 1850s) to see the falls where the mighty Zambezi plunges 110 metres (365 feet) on its way to the Indian Ocean.  He named the place Victoria Falls after his monarch.  The locals knew it as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders, from the plume of spray that sometimes rises several thousand feet in the air.

If you go to Vic Falls, as they are generally known, not only will you see one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, but you will also be at the site of some of the planet’s best whitewater rafting.  A day’s rafting below the falls will take you along the bottom of a series of gorges – the falls of earlier times - over 19 rapids, many of which are rated 4.5 or higher.  When I last rafted the Zambezi, we had to portage around one 6.0 rapid – too dangerous to attempt.

Generally the rafting trips start just below the Boiling Pot, where the river changes direction at the base of the falls, from First Gorge to Second Gorge, creating a swirling, roiling, turbulent cauldron.  The Rafting Companies will tell you the Boiling Pot is the home of NyamiNyami, the river god, protector of the river, with the face of a fish and the torso of a snake.

NyamiNyami

But the Rafting Companies are wrong, according to the BaTonga people, who have lived in the Zambezi valley for centuries.  They say that NyamiNyami lives farther downstream in what is now Lake Kariba, the vast expanse of water behind Kariba Dam.  And they believe he is angry.

In about 1950 the governments of Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia) started to build a hydro-electric dam across the Zambezi, at a place called Kariva, which means trap, which was the home of NyamiNyami and his wife.

The BaTonga elders objected, not only because most of their people would have to be relocated to higher ground, but also because NyamiNyami would be angry.  They predicted that NyamiNyami, protector of the river, wouldn’t allow the dam to be built.

Kariba Dam

In 1957, with the dam making good progress and the waters of the lake beginning to rise, the Zambezi experienced a 1000-year flood, way beyond anything in living memory.  Much of the dam was washed away and a number of people died, including whites.  When the bodies of the whites couldn’t be found, the BaTonga were asked to help since they knew the river better than anyone else.  A white calf was killed as a sacrifice to NyamiNyami and floated on the river.  The next day it was gone, and the bodies of the white workers found – something that has never been explained.

In 1958, the Zambezi flooded even higher than the previous year, and again major parts of the dam were washed away.  The BaTonga knew what was happening.  NyamiNyami was angry at the disruption to his river and, to make things worse, the dam had separated him from his wife.

But construction continued and in 1960 the dam was completed and electric power started to flow.  And continues to do so even today.

The BaTonga still believe that NyamiNyami will destroy the dam, pointing to the recurring tremors and earthquakes (over 20 with a magnitude of over 5) in the area which, they say, is NyamiNyami trying to be reunited with his wife.  And if NyamiNyami is successful, it is difficult to imagine the catastrophe that will ensue.  The lake is now over 225 kms (140 miles) long and up to 32 kms (20 miles) in width; it covers an area of over 5500 sq. kms (2,150 square miles) and has a maximum depth of 100 metres (320 feet), with an average depth of about 30 metres (95 feet).  Not only would huge areas be suddenly flooded below the dam, but there is a chance that the huge Cahora Bassa dam downstream could be damaged.  And if it broke as well?  Mozambique would suffer another tragedy.

To give some indication of the potential catastrophe, in March 2010, the sluice gates of Kariba had to be opened to cope with the flooding Zambezi.  Over 150,000 people had to be evacuated from the floodplain. What if this or worse happened without warning?

So what do you think?  Will NyamiNyami succeed?  Will he be re-united with his wife?

I do.  But I hope not.

Stan - Thursday

PS.  Even though the rafters are wrong about where NyamiNyami lives, almost all of them wear his pendant for good luck on the river.