Wednesday 27 April 2016

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: KAZINGA FISHING VILLAGE - QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK





The Kazinga Channel is one of the most popular tourist destinations within the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda.  Here the Uganda Wildlife Authority takes tourists on a 2 hour boat cruise up and down the channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George.  On the shore it is common to see dozens of Hippos and Buffaloes, both in the water and on the shoreline.  In addition, there are many elephants that come from within the park to seek the cool waters of the channel.  Crocodiles and even the odd lion can be spotted amongst the larger mammals. 
On the shore of the channel there is a settlement of over 1,000 people, mainly fishermen and their families; it is aptly named Kazinga Fishing Village.  As you pass the village in the launch, you will see many wooden fishing boats tied up neatly along the shoreline.  Having such a community within the Park environment is complicated both for the Park officials and the villagers; as such, there are special regulations for these residents due to their location in Queen Elizabeth National Park. 
For instance, in order to process their catch and sustain their livelihood, they require a sustainable source of fuel.  The park rules are clear that they, like anyone else, is not permitted to chop down trees within the park, so all the firewood for this village must come from outside the park.  Additionally, as the animals in the park have priority over the humans, fishing in the channel is not allowed.  You will see a constant stream of these wooden fishing boats leaving the shores of the channel and heading out to the Lake to fish.    
Safety and security of the village population is a major concern for both the villagers and the park officials.  There are two major sources of danger for the fishing community.  The first is the weather conditions; small wooden boats on a large lake can be extremely dangerous when the weather conditions change without warning.  Secondly, and probably even less predictable is the proximity to dangerous predators.   There have been a number of deaths of villagers over the years from invading hippos, buffaloes, crocodiles and lions.  On one occasion a few years ago, a single lion entered the village and killed 13 people.   Officially, the villagers are not permitted to kill these animals, unless, of course, they are under attack. 


On a daily basis, the women in the community come to the shoreline of the Channel to fetch water and even wash their clothes in the water.  There have been so many accidents, particularly with the crocodiles, that the park officials, erected wire mesh fences in the water to create “safe areas” for water access.  Despite this, one can see children and young adults swimming at random spots along the shore – spots that have no such protection, thus exposing themselves to the wildlife that is nearby.
The fish-trading process is quite organized.  The fishermen return mid-morning with their catch of mainly tilapia, but also some bagrus, protopterus and clarias.  After taking the fish off the boats to the weighing station for size inspection and cleaning, there is a type of simple auction process where the fish are sold to groups of traders that come daily to purchase the morning catch, load them on their vehicles and take them to local markets outside the park to sell to consumers.
Most male adult residents in the Kazinga Fishing Village are engaged in fishing; the others are mostly in related occupations such as boat repairs, fishing-net repairs, and portering fish and water from the shoreline to the village.  The women are caring for the children, preparing food and other household related tasks.  Some of the children are attending school, but many are unable because of the shortage of money to pay the school fees required.
Jewel Safaris takes many tourists to the Kazinga Channel and it tries to incorporate into their itineraries visits to such communities as the Kazinga Fishing Village to give visitors to Uganda the opportunity to be introduced to local people and their challenges.

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