African Mythology: The Nyami Nyami

In african mythology, the Nyami Nyami is known in the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe as the river god of the Zambezi, being this one of the most important gods for the Tonga people. 

This god is commonly described as a being with the body of a snake and the head of a fish. It is also said to be three meters wide, although nobody dares to make an estimation of its length.

According to african mythology, he lives under a big rock close to the dam of lake Kariba, which is an artificial lake and the biggest reservoir in the world (in terms of volume). Even local people don't dare to get close to that rock, as it is said that those who got close to it were swallowed together with their canoes and have never been seen since. They called this rock "Kariwa", which means "the trap", hence its name of Kariba.

The current water level of the lake makes the rock Kariwa to be hidden around 30 meters below its surface, which makes the Nyami Nyami very angry. The Tonga people also believe that the Nyami Nyami is married and that the artificial dam which is buillt in lake Kariba is separating him from his wife, making him even more mad and threatening the peace of the valley in which he lives.

The first plans about this dam came up ath the end of the decade of 1940, but in 1950 a cyclone coming from the Indian Ocean swept away the valley, destroying some villages on its way. This kind of events had never been witnessed in that area.

In 1955 the construction process began, but an unforeseen flood demolished the pillars of the dam, making the legend of the Zambezi river god even more popular.

The Nyami Nyami was said to have struck a third time, when in 1956 some really heavy rains fell a month before they were expected and making it impossible to continue with the construction. It is said that the water rose around 6 meters in the next 24 hours and that these type of floods only happen once every 1000 years on average.

After another incident due to a flood, in 1958 the dam was finally built, although with a death toll of 80 people.

Nowadays some small earthquakes are felt around lake Kariba, and according to the african mythology of the Tonga people this is due to the frustration of the Nyami Nyami who is unable to see his wife because of the dam and so he turns with such wrath that the earth shakes.