Country: Zambia

Group: Tonga

Date Finalized: 3/31/2023

Team: Monica Hallock (Lead), Ariana Jackson, Natasha Chandra, Kate Edwards, Jhanz Marco Garcia, Brandon Neverez

Content Warnings: forced displacement, colonization

Approximate Time Period:  1956-1959

The Tonga lived along the Zambezi River which separated the countries Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Tonga supported generations through agriculture and fishing (Hathaway 2008). To power the mining industry, the British Empire built the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River, forcibly displacing the Tonga (Serpell 2020).

The construction of the Kariba Dam forced around 57,000 Tonga people to leave their homes between 1956 and 1959 (ReliefWeb 2007). The dam caused the Tonga village to flood, forcibly relocating the Tonga to land that was not suitable for their agricultural needs. The Tonga became unable to support their people without their fertile land and ability to fish (Hanyona 2005). In 1958, colonial authorities removed the remaining Tonga in a battle known as the Chisamu War. In the aftermath, the British Empire burned many of the Tonga villages to ensure the residents would not return (Kariba Dam, Zambia / Zimbabwe). Furthermore, due to the location of the Tonga territory, the population became divided. By 1959 nearly 23,000 Tonga relocated to the Zimbabwean side of the river where they received food rations, while the remaining Tonga moved to Zambia and received $270 per person from the Zambian government (ReliefWeb 2007). Despite initial compensation, the result of forced relocation changed the Tonga people’s way of life dramatically.

In 1998, the government began efforts to mend the local economy. As of 2007, 250,000 Tonga are still recovering from the loss of their land (ReliefWeb 2007). Today, many still live without irrigation, electricity and basic services. There are few schools and health facilities and many Tonga in the region remain malnourished. The displacement has affected many generations of individuals who are still struggling to survive (International Rivers, n.d.). Laiven Makani Apuleni, the district commissioner of Sinazongwe, argued that the Zambian government has limited aid to Tonga, if they are unwilling to move on from their traditions and adapt to their new lands (ReliefWeb 2007).

Data Quality: On a scale of 0-3 the data quality for the Tonga: the evidence for forced away is rated is a 3. Ample information was found from scholarly articles and books from unbiased international sources.

Sources

  1. Hanyona, S. (2005, October 25). Zambia’s Tonga People Reveal their Environmental Testimonies. Zambia’s Tonga people reveal their environmental testimonies by Singy Hanyona / global eyes / in Motion Magazine. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://inmotionmagazine.com/global/s_hanyona.html 
  2. Hathaway, T. (2008, August 1). Left high and dry: African communities seek justice for harm caused by dams. International Rivers. https://archive.internationalrivers.org/resources/left-high-and-dry-african-communities-seek-justice-for-harm-caused-by-dams-1886
  3. International Rivers (n.d.). Kariba Dam, Zambia / ZimbabweInternational Rivers. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://archive.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/kariba-dam-zambia-zimbabwe
  4. ReliefWeb. (2007, September 5). Zambia-zimbabwe: The Tonga – left high and dry – zambia. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://reliefweb.int/report/zambia/zambia-zimbabwe-tonga-left-high-and-dry 
  5. Serpell, N. (2020, July 22). Learning From the Kariba Dam. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/22/magazine/zambia-kariba-dam.html