Talking of Livingstone

An Audience with Chief Chitambo

By: Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson Photos: Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson

Nothing Venture.1 It seemed sensible to follow the credo of my old college motto on my quest to meet an African chief. But the present Chief Chitambo IV (Freddy Chisenga) is no ordinary chief. He is the great-great grandson of Chief Chitambo, who magnanimously received the frail and sick David Livingstone into his village in northern Zambia in 1873; the explorer died soon after.

I had read that a meeting was possible; but what to do? Meeting an African chief is no straightforward 1. Title of Principal Dorothy Neville-Rolfe’s book. undertaking and despite asking my contacts in Zambia for advice, none was forthcoming. Solution: just pitch up at the chief’s village and hope for the best. And so we did.

Early one morning my guide, the acclaimed Zambian artist Quentin Allen, and I set off from Kasanka National Park, following the signs to Chief Chitambo’s village. Upon arrival we were greeted by the kapasa, the chief’s messenger responsible for checking visitors’ credentials and through whom to apply for an audience. My interest in Livingstone, inspired by the Royal Geographical Society, was my line of approach, and I was delighted when the kapasa showed us to an open-sided enclosure, asking us to wait. We waited under an hour before the kapasa returned, with good news. But that’s not all; a strict code of behaviour is required upon meeting the chief. The kapasa had briefed us: kneel down with foreheads to the ground and upon command clap twice; then clap twice again and stand up.

Chief Chitambo IV was seated on a white plastic chair, dressed in a smart grey suit and tie, a carved wooden walking stick beside him; it was apparent later that he is quite lame. But what intrigued me were his purplelensed sunglasses. He is a good-looking, courteous and well-spoken man in his early seventies, and, after making obeisance, I felt privileged when permission was given to use my tape recorder and conduct an interview.

I started by asking him about David Livingstone and he replied: “My great,

great grandfather (who) received Livingstone when he came in 1873 was Chief Chitambo. He welcomed Livingstone and gave him a site where he could rest. Unfortunately he was tired. At the age of 60, sadly David Livingstone died in our area. He was welcome. He brought Christianity in our country, Zambia. He assisted to abolish slavery. Through that way we remember David Livingstone…We still recognise him as our great, great father of Zambia.”

I queried the truth that Livingstone was praying when he died, or was this just a story. The chief replied: “It’s not a story as such. Being a Christian, every day and every time he is up in the morning he must remember to pray. He was found praying, kneeling under the mpundu tree, by his followers Chuma and Susi.”

“Have you taken people to the Memorial?” I wondered. “Yes,” he said. “I have taken people. I always take whenever I have time, but the lady there has been assigned by National

Monuments to explain and guide and answer questions, so now I’m happy.” The chief put me right on the rules of succession. I thought he would automatically take over from his father but he corrected me: “No, no it’s not like that. I took over from my uncle, or my sister can take over, or the brother, this is how we go about it. A selection, not election: selection by the family.”

I questioned: “What, as chief, is your particular interest for your people?” He replied: “After the death of my uncle, they selected me to come and take over the ruling of this chiefdom which has more then 300,000 people. At least we can have a school or a high school because education leads to better living. And we have really made progress as I visit their villages once a year to emphasise the maintenance of their houses, to keep their environment clean, to have water, drinking water, dammed, and then covered, drawn by a bucket.” He is certainly a chief for our time.

“Meeting an African chief is no straightforward undertaking”

Picture (left): Sign in the grounds of the village of the present Chief Chitambo.

Picture (middle): Chief Chitambo IV, the great-great grandson (or perhaps grandnephew) of the highly respected Chief Chitambo whose place in history is assured for his part in the story of David Livingstone.

Picture (right): Pictured in November 1936, this is the very elderly Chief Chitambo, whose uncle, it is thought, graciously welcomed the dying explorer into his village in 1873. He was very young at the time of Livingstone’s arrival but in his statement, given to District Commissioner T.S.L. Fox Pitt on 7.2.36 and translated into English, Chitambo records that he remembered Livingstone’s arrival and death. I quote from his statement: “He (Livingstone) came in cold season (May) and crossed the Lulimala in a boat… Chitambo my uncle the Chief said to the Bwana’s man, ‘You must stay here for mourning.’ They mourned for two days.” Picture and information courtesy of the Shiwa archives, by kind permission of Charlie and Jo Harvey.