We Are
PIONEERS & VISIONARIES
MBEZA ROYAL ESTABLISHMENT WELCOMES YOU
Mbeza Royal Establishment (MRE) is the name given to the traditional leadership institution of the Bana Munyati, an indigenous first nation among the Ila-speaking peoples of Southwest Zambia that inhabits the territory of Mbeza and its surrounding areas, and that is under the customary rule of its Mwami. The territory is registered with the Government of the Republic of Zambia as the Chiefdom of Nalubamba of Namwala District and its ruler - the Mwami - is the rightful bearer of the Government-facing title of Senior Chief Nalubamba.
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The traditional institution that consists of the ancestral seat of Munyati and the auxiliary structures and offices that support it, to which it is accountable, and that we call the Mbeza Royal Establishment, is constitutionally acknowledged to exist autonomously and with sovereignty in the nation of Zambia - along with others like itself - in Article 165 of the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia that states the following:
165. (1) The institution of chieftaincy and traditional institutions are guaranteed and shall exist in accordance with the culture, customs and traditions of the people to whom they apply.
(2) Parliament shall not enact legislation which—
(a) confers on a person or authority the right to recognise or withdraw the recognition of a chief; or
(b) derogates from the honour and dignity of the institution of chieftaincy.
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PURPOSE STATEMENT
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The Mbeza Royal Establishment's primary purpose is to protect our first nation's territorial integrity, preserve our community's traditions, customs, and culture and ensure continuity of the values that have always set us as the Bana Munyati apart, as we - with our Mwami at the helm - chart a course to a more prosperous future for our people and for all Baila in the whole of Bwila (Baila country), and for our allies and partners; a future that takes conscious cognizance of advances in knowledge, technology and science but rather than passively enslaving ourselves to any of these things, judiciously uses them as tools the tools they were meant to be, applying them in the uplifting our people's lot and for increasing their ability to thrive in these challenging times, while we strive continually, against blistering odds and in the face of existential challenges, to stay true to ourselves and ever exemplify pure, true humanity, specifically that peculiar expression of humanity that some among our fellow Africans call ubuntu but that we call, simply, buntu.
OUR WORDS, OUR CHARTER
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We knows that our strength lies not only in the words we stand by, but most importantly in the actions we take in pursuit of our initiatives.
In 2019, after the demise of Chief Bright Luu Nalubamba, who ruled from 1972 until his death - and in light of the many challenges the Royal Household of Nalubamba faced subsequent to that untimely occurrence - it was realized that only by working together could the family overcome the challenges that threatened the very survival of the Bana Munyati as a people. A new motto was coined; these new words would be followed by a renewal of the spirit of Munyati and by new, bolder, unifying actions: Kuswaangana Nkusumpulwa, i.e., in English, 'We are uplifted when we are united'.
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Furthering the developmental aspirations of our indigenous nation - the territory of Munyati aka Chiefdom of Nalubamba - is the most important goal of the leadership of the Mbeza Royal Establishment.
As our indigenous community's leadership, we seek to support, empower, and provide high-quality resources to, our people, in a safe and secure environment. To us as leaders, success is not measured in terms of the wealth we acquire but by the value that we add to our community as the Bana Mwami (i.e. Royal family)
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​As such we have a 4-point charter that drives us:
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1. Leading with a clear vision
2. Inspiring Organic Development
3. Awakening aspiration for a brighter future
4. Bolstering self-sufficiency
LEAD WITH VISION
Reinforcing our Commitment
As an age-based society with a historically masculine bias, our indigenous community's leadership falls primarily, according to Baila/Balundwe custom, to the elder men of our royal family, the senior-most amongst them and still living at present being grandsons of Muuluka, the first Chief Nalubamba.
However, senior great-grandsons of Nalubamba, particularly those who have inherited the names of their deceased fathers, i.e. peers of the elders, stand in the place of their fathers as brothers of the elders, joining them in leadership. Also, the senior women of the royal family provide counsel and have a strong voice in deliberations and bear a powerful influence over outcomes.
This creates a leadership structure that stays current - even on the cutting edge - while preserving our people's customs and traditions and giving continuity to the institutions of leadership in the community.
As leaders, we strive to find new strategies for dealing with the challenge of blending the old with the new. We actively remember - and choose to deliberately preserve and build upon - our history.
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Learn about our HISTORY below.
INSPIRE ORGANIC DEVELOPMENT
One Step at a Time
As the descendants of Nalubamba, we are dedicated to leading with our best foot forward. Understanding the challenges of our times we seek to be "organically disruptive" in the way we address what is commonly referred to under the blanket term 'Development'.
We affirm that in the course of making our lives more comfortable, better resourced, and our community more equitable and prosperous we are in competition with no one, either as it pertains to the pace of our development or its evidence, and believe in "moving just one thing just one step forward" at a time, pursuing a visionary path while respecting heritage and holding on to our customary practices, methods, and values.
As such, our Development vision and its programs are designed to run at the very grassroots of our community in the most fundamental way. They are unpacked and unraveled layer by layer, in relevant forms, models, and executions for the various levels of our society, as they make their way up from the most basic to the highest levels of abstraction and organisation.
Pursuing development in this manner is by no means an easy feat but through cooperation and by attaining a sustained level of community empowerment we believe we can facilitate progress in this area.
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Read about our PROGRAMS below.
AWAKEN ASPIRATION
Uplifting The Community
Through our leadership as Nalubamba's descendants, we work to promote great opportunities in our land for those prepared to act. We know that, with access to the right resources, our people can become empowered through their own ability and gain the confidence they need to drive them toward fulfilling their potential.
We wish to see everyone in the territory aspire... aspire to be the best version of themselves that they can uplift the whole of our society by their very presence.
Aspiration is sparked first by exposure. Yet exposure only works properly when the 'exposer' and the 'exposed' can truly communicate, honestly, and openly.
By at once pulling our people up from a vantage point of higher perspective over, and yet still being at one with, the community, our leadership style creates a dynamic tension that is the crucible in which gold can be separated from dross, in an ongoing process the end result of which is an aspiring, growing society.
Read about the SERVICES we offer other indigenous communities below.
BOLSTER SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Ensuring food- and life-security
By encouraging home-grown solutions to environmental and other challenges, fostering innovation, and encouraging novel approaches to keeping our people fed, clothed, housed, and employed, the leadership of the territory of Nalubamba aims to transform the image -- and reality-- of rural living in Zambia.
An initiative we are championing unreservedly is the Zaysa Buntu trade exchange (ZBEX), originated in 2010 by Mutenguna-Franklin-Mukakanga-Nalubamba - Mwami Munyati wa Mbeza - as Zambia Barter Exchange, but rebranded in 2022 to 'Zasya Buntu', a name that in our language translates to 'set humanity ablaze' or 'build up humanity', that works under the auspices of the Mbeza Royal Establishment, and will be annexed to the office of Chief Nalubamba effective mid-2022.
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ZBEX enables our community's people to share their skills, knowledge, experience, services, goods, and means in a dynamic marketplace that allows for the free flow of value, without the use of cash and creates a firm foundation for everyone to be able to contribute meaningfully to our Chiefdom and stand, firmly and solidly, on their own two feet, eliminating the false notion of 'poverty' on account of limited access to or circulation of cash.
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Nalubamba's territory is a dynamic community that is not afraid to try new things and blaze our own trail as we go into the unknown. We choose our own, bold path, just like the buffalo, the animal that embodies our spirit as a people, the Bana Munyati of Mbeza.
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Learn more about ZBEX below.
" Act as if what you do makes a difference.
It does. "
- William James
The Bana Munyati are an indigenous community inhabiting the Nalubamba Territory near Namwala District in the Southern Province of Zambia
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