BaTonga Community Museum

The origins of the Tonga people can be traced back to Central Africa. Around the year 300, they came in Zimbabwe. Their predecessors preferred the riverine areas of Zimbabwe and Zambia near the Zambezi, Kana, Mzola, and Tshongokwe Rivers. They produced their crops in the fertile soils near the water's edge, augmenting their food supply in part by gathering wild plants, hunting the many wild animals, and, most significantly, fishing.

When the Kariba Dam was erected and filled in the late 1950s, the Tonga people were relocated from the Zambezi River's beaches. The Tonga people's socioeconomic and cultural milieu were severely disrupted as a result of their forced resettlement. This, combined with the various misconceptions held by outsiders about the Tonga people, prompted the Museum service to help promote their culture.

BaTonga Community Museum, which opened in September 2004 in Binga on the shores of Lake Kariba, aims to promote and empower local people as well as Tonga culture.

It highlights the Tonga people's customs, science, beliefs, and inventiveness in surviving in what many of us would consider a harsh, hostile environment. The rich history of Tonga is preserved here.

Location: North Western Zimbabwe