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CD Release: The Kankobela of the Batonga |
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28 Oct 2009 |
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SWP Records are happy to announce a new cd release - forgotten music, but so sweet! visit http://www.swp-records.com for more info, secure online shopping and a sound sample from each album: SWP 036 The Kankobela of the Batonga Vol 1 The kankobela is the thumb-piano of the Batonga people, who live in the Zambezi Valley on both sides of Lake Kariba; about two thirds live in Zambia and one third in Zimbabwe. A solo instrument played by men, to express their innermost feelings in songs about a range of subjects from spiritual to humourous. The instrument itself is always highly customised, and the songs all highly personal: no two players sound the same. But it is dying out - young people are not continuing the tradition. On this album we present seven surviving masters, with otherworldly songs, deep buzzing and mesmerizing time patterns. Recorded in 2008 by Michael Baird. Tongatronics - but without any electricity!
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Tonga community joined in mourning |
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22 Aug 2009 |
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The two Tonga groups of musicians, Simonga from Siachilaba in Binga district in Zimbabwe and Maliko from Sinazongwe in Zambia, who formed a joint ensemble as one of the highlights of Parade at Linz 2009 Cultural Capital of Europe in May are going to continue their collaboration across the waters of Lake Kariba.
Unfortunately this years visit and performances at the annual thanksgiving Lwiindi ceremony end of July at the Malende site in Sinazongwe was overcast by the mourning for the late Jonah Syamenga Syankondo. |
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Petition on the Exploitation of Binga People |
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02 Feb 2009 |
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To The District Administrator Ministry Of Local Government, Public Work and Urban Development P.O. Box 2 BINGA 08 December 2008 Read Petition |
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New book by Joann McGregor: Crossing the Zambezi |
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10 Dec 2008 |
Crossing the Zambezi
The Politics of Landscape on a Central African Frontier
by Joann McGregor
‘Crossing the Zambezi is a magnificent study of how a great river can structure the lives of the people who live along it. ...Europeans perceived the Zambezi as a boundary rather than a uniting force, and McGregor traces out the consequences of that boundary-making as people became defined as citizens of different countries... This is a major contribution both to ethnography and the history of the region. A book for ecologists, anthropologists, political geographers, historians and Africanists.’
– Elizabeth Colson, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley |
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Launch of Tonga Books + Commemoration of Kariba Dam built 50 years ago |
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02 Dec 2008 |
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Binga district witnessed the launch of grade one to seven ChiTonga Books titled Bwacha Lino on the 27th of November 2008. This launch was organised by the Zimbabwe Publishing House ZPH Publishers (Pvt) Ltd. It was dawn and a dream come true for the BaTonga people. It was a day of joy and jubilation. For the first time, Tonga language will be taught from grade one to seven in the Binga and Nyaminyami Schools. I would therefore like to applaud ZPH, TOLACO, BASILWIZI TRUST and Save the children for the job well done. |
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Tonga proverbs, by Isaac Mumpande |
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25 Nov 2007 |
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Tonga.Online has obtained permission from Isaac Mumpande for uploading of Tonga proverbs from his collection onto the website.
The second part will be added in the near future. We are grateful that authority to upload the book on the website was
solicited for and granted by the writer - twalumba. We tried to look for the soft copy of the book from the publisher but all in vain. In this regard, we
had to re-type the whole book. Best regards, Pottar Muzamba |
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Tonga Sayings, by Isaac Mumpande |
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25 Nov 2007 |
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This is the part titled "sayings" from Isaac Mumpandes Collection: |
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Panos Report: Tales of Resettlement - Kariba Dam and the Tonga |
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20 May 2007 |
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In the late 1950s, the Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe were subject to forced removal on a massive scale, to make way for the construction of a huge hydro-electric dam across the Zambezi River in Southern Africa. The Kariba Dam was the largest man-made dam in the world at that time. It was a powerful symbol for technological achievement and international cooperation. However, little attention was paid to the implications for the 57,000 Tonga who had to leave behind their homes and fertile land along the banks of the Zambezi, according to this Panos report, which was compiled with help also from Tonga.Online project Binga and Kunzwana Trust, Harare. Read more in the Panos Report and below: http://www.panos.org.uk/files/ot_rst_kar_eng.pdf |
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