Ku-omboka

Ku-omboka is an annual event held in Zambia. Ku-omboka means "to get out of the water onto dry ground". Every year towards the end of the rainy season as the flood plain of the upper Zambezi Valley rises, the Lozi people make a ceremonial move to higher ground. When the Chief decides that it’s time to leave (anytime from February to May), the drums signal to all the people. They pack their belongings into canoes and the whole tribe leaves en mass.

The King's state barge is called Nalikwanda and is painted black and white, like Zambia's coat of arms. On the barge is a replica of a huge black elephant, the ears of which can be moved from inside the barge. There is also a fire on board, the smoke from which tells the people that the king is alive and well.It takes about six hours to cover the distance between the dry season capital Lealui and the wet season capital Limulunga. The event is celebrated with traditional singing and dancing. The ceremony dates back to more than 300 years when the Lozi people broke away from the great Lunda Empire to come and settle in the upper regions of the Zambezi. The vast plains with abundant fish was ideal for settlement but the annual floods could not be checked, so every year they move to higher ground until the rainy season passes.