I have said there is no map of Barotseland because it was never created. Anything you see now is a result of people with an agenda. You have to find out the motive of such people in what they bring that out.
I have read alot about Barotseland, Bemba land and Ngoni land with other native governments as I love history - it explains alot about the present and the future. One person pointed me to a site that brought the map everyone has taken as the map of Barotseland and it merely says the influence of the Litunga in tha past extended that much! This was a stupid idea - why? It leads to the situation that we have now among people. Not everyone has a brain big enough to understand that that is not the situation but merely someone's thought. It is more dangerous when people involved have greedy and crooked ways on their mind. I'm sorry, but the Lozi people have always been like that. Ask the Nkoya.
All that may have been a simple expression of one's opinion has turned to be a basis on which all the Barotseland talk is based. So I ask again who has a map of Barotseland? I know for a fact there exist none. As of 1911, the Zambian map is as good as the one we use now. There is Barotse province in there of the now Western province and North-Western province was the then Western province. So I was thinking, could this be the misunderstanding that since North-Western province is Western on the map, that also was Barotseland? I seriously hope not. Then one sent me a map of the Barotseland in present day Zambia. I seriously think basing it on district boundaries may be a good start, but its not a complete good measure. All territories need to be ascertained and confirmed with the villagers in those areas. But it is roughly a good start, especially that it took out the Nkoya areas, though I might say the Lukulu district needs further understanding as all these areas have Lozi people and Luvale and Mbunda people living in them.
So is this the map of Barotseland in present day Zambia?
We now need to find a way to measure using local chiefs and headmen who the land in the borders belong to, and deal with the matter on that level. I think this has been highlighted by Mbita Chitala on the fact that will most of these tribes subscribe to being led by the Lozi?
Moreover, I think the best possible angle is to use materials available to most of us and have been used in creating useful information by many writers like here. Mbita Chitala clearly highlighted this greedy ambitions of the Lozi rulers. One should always look at the idea of what was used in saying Litunga's area was as far as Kambompo river! Which parties were at the signing ceremony. Do you think there would be a good measure of Zambia's borders with Malawi at a ceremony only attended by Zambia and no one from Malawi? That is exactly what was used in that arrangement. Who represented the Nkoya, Luvale, Mbunda,etc? That is the point of argument with this greedy stance. That is why the border kept moving from one end to another.
Moreover, I think the best possible angle is to use materials available to most of us and have been used in creating useful information by many writers like here. Mbita Chitala clearly highlighted this greedy ambitions of the Lozi rulers. One should always look at the idea of what was used in saying Litunga's area was as far as Kambompo river! Which parties were at the signing ceremony. Do you think there would be a good measure of Zambia's borders with Malawi at a ceremony only attended by Zambia and no one from Malawi? That is exactly what was used in that arrangement. Who represented the Nkoya, Luvale, Mbunda,etc? That is the point of argument with this greedy stance. That is why the border kept moving from one end to another.
The description of Zambezi-Kambompo river as the beginning of his Land on the North has one complication in my analysis. Who agreed among the people living there that he had control over them? Do you think if the Nkoya chief was taken alone, he would have spared Leilui as an area he had no control over?
All in all, new information on this issue has made me think it is good for all of us to look at the agreement in its core. Especially with the changing of the borders both by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) to suit their needs on the issues of mineral concessions which they had to fight for in all areas but Lozi land, or, the changing of the same by Litunga to exercise control over land. I think we need alot more people involved in this area so we bring the truth to everyone so they judge for themselves.
