Travel Guide Walemba

The village of copper eaters HistoryCopper produced by indigenous smelters in Katanga, particularly from the Lualaba region, reached the Atlantic coast of Angola in the 16th century and from there to Europe, as well as to the north of the continent, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan. It was - and still is - cast in the form of a crosspiece, a true work of art also called mukuba or handa. It is a copper cross, usually about twenty centimetres long and weighing +/- 1 kg. The Katanga Cruise, a souvenir that now adorns the inside of houses, was then used as currency in a large market in Africa. Its value was only slightly lower than that of ivory. Corporation and ritesIn most ethnic groups in Africa, the trades related to metallurgy are sacred and reserved for one caste. The profession of copper smelter in Katanga-Lualaba is no exception to this rule. Foundrymen still belong today to a corporation subject to strict admission rites and rules. These corporations have their secrets, statutes and privileges as well as their rituals around which the mastery of metallurgical technique and the power of the supernatural are mixed. The Copper EatersCopper mining began in the dry season, around May, just after the harvest. The village chief then gave the signal with these words: tuye tukadie mukuba or "let's eat copper", hence the expression of copper eaters to designate the corporation of traditional smelters. The mines were collectively owned by the tribe. The whole village was going to harvest the ore. Women and children collected the malachite that outcropped at the surface; men entered wells 10 to 20 metres deep. By mid-August, metallurgical operations began in blast furnaces made of refractory termite mound earth and powered by charcoal. After a series of operations, the ingots were finally cast, either in the shape of a cross of Saint-André or "croisette" which was used as currency; or as in the Bayeke family, in wire, hoe or even in bullets of guns. CeremonyIt is now possible and highly recommended to attend one of these traditional copper smelting ceremonies by the Corporation of Lualaba Smelters ("eaters"), which is found specifically in Walemba. To be arranged on request several days in advance, and for a fixed price, by contacting the Ministry of Tourism (or by calling the founder directly at +243 81 375 38 70). It's magical, in every sense of the word!The whole village is together. The customary authorities wear their traditional clothes for the occasion. And after the previous incantations and blessings in order to "purify their hearts so that copper can flow", the men in loincloth led by the traditional founder - Mr. Kangelele today the only one authorized to proceed to the casting of copper - enter the hut devoted to melting, where a temperature of the "fire of God" necessarily reigns... Women and children are not normally allowed to attend the ceremony, but small arrangements with ancestors are possible with a few talks and symbolic negotiations ($) with traditional chiefs. And you can even leave with one of these imposing cruisers under your arm as a souvenir.