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Mwala wa Nthunzi Gallery


Title: Mwala wa Nthunzi

Description: Mwala wa Nthunzi means Rock that casts shadows (Mwala=Rock, Nthunzi-Shadow). The origin of the name is not clear, apart from the natural fact that the rock will cast a shadow when there is sunshine. The rock is shaped like a human/baboon skull with a hollowed forehead, long hooked nose, chicks and an upper lip. Traditionally there are beliefs that the rock harbours ancestral spirits proved by two supernatural occurrences: 1) It is impossible to circumnavigate the rock while whistling 2) When the colonial Government tried to remove it for a road to pass through the area, the rock would be found at its original spot in the morning, even when the road was tar sealed, spirits would return the rock. This would occur even after crashing and bulldozing the rock. Eventually, the road had to be diverted away from Mwala wa Nthunzi.

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