The Chiawa Cultural Village in Zambia

The banks of the Zambezi River are home to the Goba people, a community of farmers and fishermen, storytellers and poets. The Goba constitute the Chiawa Chiefdom, located in Zambia in AWF’s Zambezi Heartland.

Travelers to Zambia now have the opportunity to experience Goba culture firsthand, thanks to the efforts of AWF and the community owned Tsika Development Company who established the Chiawa Cultural Village, an eco-tourism based conservation enterprise. The cultural village is designed to improve the livelihoods of the communities in the Chiawa Chiefdom and to contribute to biodiversity conservation in the area.

The Chiawa Chiefdom is located 170 kilometers southeast of Lusaka on the international border with Zimbabwe. The Chiawa Game Management Area covers an area of 90,000 hectares with an estimated population of 20,000. Most villages are situated along the two major rivers – Zambezi and Kafue. Location determines the resources available to those communities. Some areas are renowned for tourism as an economic resource; others for hunting.

The socio-economic status of the Chiawa community, like many rural areas in Zambia, is characterized by poverty. Poverty remains prevalent despite high levels of tourism in the Lower Zambezi area. Several private lodges and tourism campsites are located along with the Lower Zambezi River in the eastern Chiawa area. However, the community has not been able to benefit directly from tourism in their area, except for nominal tourism levies and few employment opportunities. Likewise, food insecurity in the Chiawa area is made worse by crop damage caused by wildlife, which has led to growing human-wildlife conflict.

AWF has established a long-term relationship with the Chiawa community. Together, with partners, AWF facilitated the establishment of the cultural village, which began operations in 2008. This enterprise aims to leverage the existing tourism in the area for the benefit of the local community and the conservation of the nearby Mugurameno Area.

The Tsika Development Company, a Chiawa community-owned company, and the Mugurameno Village Action Group, within the Chiawa Chiefdom, manage the enterprise. The Tsika Development Company is governed by a board of ten community members, six from Mugurameno and four from the other nearby village action groups.

Visitors to the Chiawa Cultural Village can:

• Watch and participate in daily performances of traditional dances, poetry, ceremonies and drama based on Goba folklore at the village’s new arena
• Experience Goba life through fishing, farming and food preparation
• Visit Goba homes by walking through dwellings made from natural forest and riverbed materials using generations-old techniques
• Taste Zambian cuisine and learn local cooking techniques
• Learn about Goba history, artistic culture and the importance of sustainable ecological management at the village museum
• Shop for hand-crafted works by local artists at the curio shop

During its first year, the enterprise made substantial progress. AWF is now engaging the private sector to gain support for capacity building of the village’s employees – for business management and tourism marketing – to make it a more economically viable enterprise. Not only will the continued support of Chiawa Cultural Village contribute to improved livelihoods, but it will encourage the local communities to work for the conservation of local species.