Mosi-oa-Tunya—The Smoke that still Thunders

Where there is smoke there is fire…that’s how the saying goes, I believe. This usually means that you can trace every rumour to some bright spark of truth somewhere.

WRITER: NATASHA PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY: TONGABEZI LODGE, BUNDU ADVENTURE

here is a rumour going around that our glorious Victoria Falls is in her final years; that she is a fading monarch who still holds our hearts but won’t be ruling us for much longer. Perhaps you’ve even seen a montage of photos showing bare, cracked basalt rock that positively cries out for water; or watched as acclaimed international news presenters talk about climate change and its devastating effect on the waterfall that has captured so many hearts from around the globe. And climate change is a real and urgent issue. Please take it seriously.

However, in Livingstone the word ‘smoke’ has a whole other meaning. In Livingstone, where there is ‘smoke’, there is a roaring waterfall. ‘The Smoke that Thunders’ is a direct translation of Musi oa Thunya, nowadays written as Mosi-oa-Tunya, one of the most popular local Sotho names for the Natural Wonder of the World also known as Victoria Falls. The ‘smoke’ is the roaring spray that shoots back out of the Batoka Gorge and miles into the air above the waterfall at high water. And the smoke is showing its face this year already. The Zambezi River level is rapidly rising again, rising beyond recent records even, and with it the frustration of the local Livingstone residents is rising too. This ‘fake news’ is damaging to the local tourist economy, depriving lovely potential travellers of a series of magical experiences here.

So let me tell you why you shouldn’t worry about the levels of Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls is immense, but it’s also only a tiny footstep in the path of the mighty Zambezi River. The Zambezi River basin covers 1.4 million square kilometresof Africa. The Falls may be the most attention-seeking part of this river, but the Zambezi itself stretches into flood plains and floods an entire savannah. The river forms freshwater swamps and when it reaches the ocean the delta fronts 230 kilometres of coastline. This is not a small river.

We also have very detailed knowledge about Zambezi water levels. They have been measured daily at 13 stations along the hydrometric network of the Kariba reservoir since 1987. And to date, the lowest flow measurement was not recorded in 2019, but in the 1995/96 season. River levels have actually been lower than they were in 2019 during six separate periods dating from 1914.

Every single year Victoria Falls ebbs and flows, shrinking towards Zimbabwe in the dry season and overflowing her banks in the high season. The greatest volume of water falling over the lip of Victoria Falls is always between April and May and the lowest volume is always in October and November. This is not news.

There are other things to worry about, sadly. As mentioned, climate change is a real and serious issue, and indeed it is affecting Zambia. In September 2019 Zambia’s president, Edgar Lungu, mentioned climate change 44 times in his annual address to parliament. In fact,

climate change may affect Africa more than any other continent in the decades to come.

Temperatures in parts of Southern Africa are predicted to rise by twice the global average as a result of climate change, and a record number of people in Southern Africa are currently facing severe food insecurity. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) released predictions of prolonged droughts combined with more significant precipitation and destructive floods. However, the people of the Zambezi River areas are actively addressing climate change with their usual optimism and energy.

Wind and solar power alternatives are becoming increasingly competitive energy sources throughout Zambia and her neighbouring countries. The Zambezi River Basin Joint Environmental Flows Programme has also recognised that our beloved river has a life of its own, and that to maintain her pulse we need to restore or mimic the historical flow wherever possible.

Even schools are beginning to take up the challenge, with hundreds of students planting trees, upcycling, learning about sustainable farming and teaching their parents a thing or two about caring for our planet.

So the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls have plenty of guardians working to ensure that they stay in perfect health! Rather than worrying about our tourist attractions, why not sponsor a Zambian child through his or her education? The future of this beautiful country will surely lie in their hands, and there are a lot of incredible trust schools set up all around the country who could use your support. Then there’s the big secret...the dry season is fabulous. It is only when the Zambezi River levels are not at their peak that travellers can visit Livingstone Island, the spot where Dr. David Livingstone famously first viewed the Falls. And the water needs to become even lower in order for brave swimmers to take a dip in Devil’s Pool on the very edge of the waterfall. When the water is lower, rafting in the gorge below is also far more exciting, creating Class 5 rapids of a kind that can only be found in a few other places in the world. The rapids have extremely welcoming names like the Devil’s Toilet Bowl, the Terminator, and even the Gnashing Jaws of Death. Sounds fun, right? For people looking for a slightly less intense adventure and when the Falls is not so much of a mighty beast, travellers can actually climb down into Batoka Gorge and swim at the foot of the waterfall without getting washed away. The dry season also means more game sightings, since the animals can reliably be found by water. Walking with rhinos, elephant interactions, and enchanting game drives into the Chobe National Park are all activities that take less than a day if you’re based in or around Livingstone, the town on the Zambian side of the Falls. And helicopter flights in the Batoka Gorge are extremely ‘James Bond’ at this time. Don’t be fooled by the crowds who pour in along with the higher waters. Locals tend to invite international friends to stay later in the year.

And so, in a nutshell, climate change is a challenge that we all need to face together. ‘Fake news’ doesn’t help because it feeds climate change deniers and that is also terrible.

Victoria Falls, on the other hand, is beautiful and majestic and will in all likelihood outlive us all. Like most women, she is just as gorgeous when she slims down as when she is voluptuous and positively pulling at her seams. Just let her do her thing. It’s a privilege to see the Mosi-oa-Tunya in any of her many forms.

Basically, do your research before you come, make sure the time is right for what you are looking for, and if in doubt, be sure to get in touch with a local company and ask!

And if you want to get involved in Zambia’s fight for a brighter future, empower her children. Much like our famous waterfall and even when they are at their lowest, our young people have strength like the might of the Zambezi driving them onwards. All they need is a little bit of a leg up, and they could save the world. ■