The Lufuko River (or Lufuku) is a river in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
that empties into
Lake Tanganyika beside the village of
Mpala
Mpala is the location of an early Catholic mission in the Belgian Congo. A military station was established at Mpala on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in May 1883. It was transferred to the White Fathers missionaries in 1885. At one time it was ho ...
in
Tanganyika Province
Tanganyika is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Tanganyika, Haut-Katanga, Haut-Lomami and Lualaba provinces are the result of the splitting up of the former Katanga provinc ...
(formerly
Katanga Province).
Geography
The Lufuko drains part of the
Marungu highlands
The Marungu highlands are in the Tanganyika Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the west of the southern half of Lake Tanganyika.
Location
The highlands are divided by the Mulobozi River, which flow into the lake just north of ...
. There have been proposals to conserve the forests above that border the
Mulobozi River and Lufuko River into
nature preserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...
areas.
Theo Kassner travelled through the region in 1909. He reached the Tanganyika watershed at Mount Giambe. He recorded:
Fish
A species of catfish locally called ''ndjagali'' use the river for spawning from September to November. The fish are considered a delicacy by the people of the region. In the past they were owned and caught communally, and traded with other communities for salt or iron. The people considered that the spirit of the earth, ''Kaomba'', caused them to multiply.
The catfish were a major source of food for the villagers, but over-fishing around the end of the nineteenth century significantly reduced the numbers. In the mid-1970s the local villagers still caught the fish in weirs until the rainy season began,
when the weirs were destroyed and the fish could pass to breeding areas higher up the river.
Captain
Émile Storms established a station named "Mpala" at the mouth of the Lufuko River in May 1883. The station was established at the village of Lubanda, and was named after the local chief.
When missionaries took over the post in 1885 they recognized the beliefs about ''Kaomba'' and identified the sacred parts of the river. For many years they controlled access to the river, using it for their own food or to reward those loyal to them.
With technological advances at the start of the twentieth century it became possible to fish the lake far from the shores, and fishing became an individual occupation.
References
Citations
Sources
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Rivers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tanganyika Province
Tributaries of Lake Tanganyika