Ncwala Traditional Ceremony

Nc’wala is an annual traditional ceremony where the Ngoni people of Eastern Province of Zambia come together to pay homage to their god, ancestral spirits and chief Mpezeni for the gift of the first fruits and food. The ceremony takes place every year on the last Saturday of February at Mtenguleni Village in Chipata.

The Ceremony was revived in 1980 by Paramount Chief Mpezeni III to commemorate their victories during their tribal wars when they migrated from the current day South Africa. The ceremony is also meant to praise god for giving them fresh crops in the fields.

The Nc’wala sparks various activities which are centered around the ceremony including the Ungoni Exhibition and visits to the Nsingo Community Museum where people turn up in numbers to learn more about the History of the Ngoni people. The Museum has various Ngoni cultural items on display and has history about the migration of the Ngoni speaking people from present-day KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa to Chipata, Eastern Province – Zambia.