Lenga Navo – Kapalu Lizambo
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—Kenneth Kapalu Lizambo was born some time in 1957 in Zambezi. His mother was a Luvale from Kashima and his father was a Mbunda from Lutembwe. Kapalu was raised in Zambezi’s Chingalala neighborhood which remains his base to this day. He attended Chilenga Primary School which would be instrumental in his life for various reasons. Among them, (1) this is where his friendship with Kufuna Kenneth Kapenda began and (2) this is where he started dancing. Kapenda became an influential friend of Kapalu’s and would eventually teach him quite a bit about Luvale and other Zambian drumming traditions. Kapenda became such a resource because he temporarily lived in Livingstone where he was a member of the Maramba Culture group (now known as the Zambian National Troupe). In 1971 Kapalu began dancing in his school’s culture group. The repertoire consisted mostly of Luvale and Lunda dances common in that region. Around this time, he spent six months in a mukanda (traditional male initiation school) in Chingalala with four other tundanji (boy initiates). This is where Kapalu’s love for drumming began.
—By this time Kapalu was already blossoming into a gifted dancer, singer, and drummer. The final ingredient needed to facilitate his growth as a bona fide entertainer came from an unexpected source shortly after he left school in 1977. A traveling magician from present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo made semi-regular trips to Zambezi, Chavuma, and other nearby areas. Kapalu was entranced by his showmanship and shadowed him for a little while. This led to a brief stint as a magician himself known as Dr. Moto. It was during this period that Kapalu fully realized how much he loved performing and started planning the formation of his own cultural group.
—A few years later in 1984, Kapalu was married in Chavuma. A year later he and his wife had their first child. And in 1988 he realized his dream and formed the Lenga Navo dance troupe. Luvale culture would never be the same. Perhaps the biggest influence Kapalu and his group had was the transformation of dances like Chiyanda and Mwokolo into solo dancer artforms. Kapalu also believes that he is largely responsible for the increased tempo at which these items of repertoire are currently performed. Through this group he became arguably the most renowned performer in this larger cultural region.
—Initially, Lenga Navo had fifteen members. Among them was the recently returned Kapenda who was one of the group’s most influential members. In its early years, Lenga Navo mostly just danced at a local venue, the Ndeke Guest House. At some point in the 90s, though, Kapalu and his group began dancing at Likumbi Lya Mize Cultural Association fundraising dinner dances. This is where his trademark dance style started spreading. Many groups emerged in the following years that tried to imitate the Lenga Navo approach. Kapalu trained many of these groups’ performers.
—Back in Zambezi, he continued to cultivate Lenga Navo by training talented youth – oftentimes through various roles in local mikanda (plural of mukanda). He is responsible for Chingalala’s largest mukanda in history. Perhaps the most notable additions to his roster that resulted from these cultural institutions were Kakoma Sawemba and Chinyemba Musumale. Under Kapalu’s tutelage, Kakoma has become one of the most dominant ngoma pwita drummers. Meanwhile, Chinyemba’s mastery of the shina lead drum has earned himself the nickname “Chinyemba Ka Luvale.”
—In the late 2000s, Lenga Navo began a residency at the Romaside Nite Club. This partnership still exists as Kapalu and his group play here most weekend nights. Performances like this have firmly established Lenga Navo as the hometown heroes of Zambezi and, to an extent, the entire Northwestern Province. They are one of the most entertaining groups fronted by possibly the most beloved version of Mwana Pwevo, Suzanna. Kapalu’s reputation has resulted in international performances in countries like Angola, Zimbabwe, and the Seychelles. He has been recognized through numerous awards from the Likumbi Lya Mize Cultural Association as well as nationally throughout Zambia. In 2013 he and Lenga Navo were awarded Best Cultural Music Troupe at the Zambian Music Awards.
—If you would like to book or help support Lenga Navo, please contact Jason Winikoff using the button in the footer of this page or through the contact page.
