UNLESS you go in person and gaze on the lake into the horizon, it is difficult to envisage how the water meets the sky. But this is the meaning of Bangweulu ‘the place where the water meets the sky’.
Located in the northern part of Zambia, the lake is one of the world’s great wetlands which covers a distance of about 72 kilometres and is fed by about 17 rivers though drained by only one, the Luapula River.
The depth of the lake is between four to 10 metres.
Samfya is the biggest town on the shores of the lake and a trip there cannot be complete until visit the clean beaches of the area. Known more of a fishing centre than a tourist one, fresh fish in the likes of bream, tiger and cat fish etcetera is something one will enjoy on the tour of the lake.
Well, my visit there last weekend was so interesting with a lot of fun as we drove through the pedicle road on assignment to promote insurance in Luapula Province.
One of my colleagues on board started an intriguing story about the water skills of some locals around the lake.
She told us of how her company’s boat, used as a means of transport to the islands on the land, at one time lost its propeller shaft into the lake.
When word went round about the loss into the water, one of the locals confidently came out in the open with a solution to the company.
He said he knew of a man who was trusted to recover anything under water or from the lake bed.
Well, for the locals there was no worry if something dropped into the water as they had assurance that the ‘skilled’ men would do the needful to retrieve the same.
Management of the named company decided to explore this option and paid a young man to undertake the mission.
They launched into the lake with a navigator and some employees from the company and upon reaching the point where the propeller shaft dropped from the man inaudibly dived into the water and was under the water searching for a good one hour thirty minutes without any divers’ equipment.
After that unbelievable time he came out and asked the crew to give him the rope.
A few minutes later he came out again and asked them to pull, the shaft was recovered.
How the young man survived under the water for that period of time boggles my mind.
I made sure that while in Samfya I verified this story with the locals who also confirmed and told me of many other stories about such rescue means.
One man said “when you are here there is no need to panic, whatever you lose into the water we have capable people to retrieve it..”
I was tempted to advance an agenda to the Government to take these skilled men to help in the search of the missing plane but quickly realised a lake is too small compared to an ocean.
The biggest lesson I learnt from the Lake Bangweulu experience is the confidence and trust the locals have in their rescue operators.
Their assurance is that I should not worry if I drop anything in the water as they would retrieve it.
This assurance is a similar principle of indemnity we have in insurance. It is all about that assurance from the insurance company that should anything go wrong they will get it for you.
Surely, the local men of Samfya are providing some form of insurance to the intrepid vehicle traveller of backpacker.
We might not have these skilled local men of Samfya in many places to provide assurance but insurance companies are available to provide the much needed security or protection at a more professional level.
Comments:
webster@picz.co.zm or webster_tj@hotmail.com or
face book search for Insurance Talk-Zambia page or call/texy 0977857055
(The author is a Chartered Insurer with ten years industry experience)