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But poor BaTonga rural women, too, need to recharge and relax from the stress of their daily routine of work.
And when feeling overworked and overwhelmed, the BaTonga women have their own novel way of breaking the vicious cycle of exhaustion.
They use the nchelwa, a long handled gourd container water through which smoke is inhaled.
After spending a day in the fields or fetching water and firewood, the women gather together for a smoking extravaganza. They hold the nchelwa, which is also known as the ndombondo or mfuko in various BaTonga dialects, gracefully against their chest.
The women don’t smoke marijuana, they smoke “polya” or tobacco using the nchelwa — a cultural artifact for smoking that has been in use in the BaTonga culture since time immemorial.
The nchelwa is a specially designed apparatus with some hot embers placed inside. The polya is placed inside and not directly on top of the embers. The polya is burnt slowly by conduction and the smoke bubbles through water to give the women extended filtered smoking pleasure.
This BaTonga cultural tradition of smoking has attracted hundreds of tourists to Binga, northwest of the country as adventurous people are dazzled by the design and soothing effect of this cultural artifact.
Binga is known in the Tonga lingua as “Kumanzi antotola, kuli impongo ziyota mulilo” (the land of the great cool waters of the mighty Zambezi River where the goats warm themselves around fire).
The BaTonga people believe in togetherness and in preserving their culture and traditions.
Smoking is essential in the life of BaTonga women. Most women enjoy the ndombondo or nchelwa smoke as they believe that the smoking boosts the immune system.
They also see it as a unique way to relax and recharge themselves. Some of the BaTonga women say it helps them to have an open mind and see things differently and innovatively.
Some cultural experts say the nchelwa smoking tradition has helped them to restore their pride and dignity in the wake of powerful Western cultural onslaught.
BaTonga men folk use theirs known as the chitete. Women have theirs and together it bonds their cultural tradition into an enviable rich and diverse heritage.
And little wonder then, that veteran historian and cultural writer Pathisa Nyathi dazzled by the BaTonga nchelwa smoking tradition once pondered: “Couldn’t this be a healthier way of smoking polya? Bubbling smoke through water dissolves some noxious substances. This makes sense, good, healthy sense.”
Indeed the way of life in Binga is a cause for celebration of the power of cultural diversity.
Online Reporter