'Victoria Falls Live Project' proposes 'Charity Concert' from
Livingstone Island on edge of the World Heritage Wonder - Concerns over Impacts
- Sacred Site
19th December 2023
The Zambian government has announced its support for an event promoted as a 'ground-breaking charity concert for nature' to be staged at the Victoria Falls in 2024.
Concerns have been expressed, however, over the impact of
the proposed event on the fragile environment of the Falls, which is also a sacred
cultural site and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Digital visualisation of the Victoria Falls Live Project
Details of the Victoria Falls Live Project were released in media statement from Diamond TV Zambia on social media on Friday 15th December.
"The Victoria Falls, is set to be the stage for a new charity
concert. The Victoria Falls Live Project, a
collaboration between Global Creative Studio Immersive Intl and Agusta Prod. in
partnership with WWF, will unite music, nature & innovation in support of
saving our planet.
"The concert will
feature renowned Zambian, African, and international artists, all coming
together to perform and celebrate the beauty and importance of the surrounding
nature. A unique musical collaboration between Zambian singer-songwriters James
Sakala, Wezi, and Italian composer Giovanni Agusta is set to open the concert.
More artists and acts are being confirmed and will be announced early next
year."
The project involves using Livingstone Island
as the performance stage for a live music event supported by a light and laser
presentation utilising the Falls as a backdrop as illustrated by digitally enhanced promotional images.
Digital visualisation of the Victoria Falls Live Project
Presidential Approval
A promotional feature released online by Diamond TV Zambia
includes an endorsement by President Hakainde Hichilema and interviews with Tommy
Lexen, Managing Director of Immersive International and Italian composer Giovanni
Agusta Director of Agusta Productions. The two men are also jointly named as Directors
of Victoria Falls Project Live Ltd (incorporated in the UK on 8
December 2023).
Green Clams
Zambian Minister of Tourism, Rodney Sikumba, claimed the
project is a climate focussed charity concert with a call on saving the planet.
"This concept for
a climate-focused charity concert has come at the right time. We are excited to
invite the world to see our incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site, the
captivating Victoria Falls, in a new and truly
unique way," he said.
The grand claims of raising awareness of climate change,
and involvement of WWF Zambia, appear to be attempts to give thin veneer of 'green'
credibility to the event, which appears in every other aspect to be totally
incompatible with such a sensitive site.
WWF Zambia have confirmed their involvement in the project on social media,
claiming that the Victoria Falls Live Project will be solely a virtual event.
Unsuitable Impacts
While there may not be crowds viewing the event, there will
still be significant disturbance within the fragile area of the Victoria Falls
'rainforest,' supposedly protected within National Parks on both sides of the
river.
Nocturnal noise and light pollution from the event are
likely to create significant disturbance to local wildlife.
A spokesperson for Keep Victoria Falls Wild, a campaigning
group raising awareness of tourism development pressures and their impacts at
the Falls, commented: "The
authorities of Zambia and Zimbabwe appear
determined to drive away all the wildlife, from bushuck and elephants to
hornbills and owls, from Falls and its surroundings. Whilst it appears there is
a total lack of understanding as to the sensitive ecology of the Falls, they no
doubt hope to develop yet more riverside lodges, restaurants and host yet more
events such as the Victoria Falls Live Project. However it is the stunning
natural landscape and amazing local wildlife which attracts visitors from
around the world. They risk loosing not only the World Heritage Site status,
but also undermining the valuable tourism
upon which their local and national economies depend. Not to mention the desecration of a sacred cultural site."
Limited Benefits
Details of the proposed event are vague, although it appears there will
only be limited benefits for the local tourism sector with the event being
promoted as a virtual event to be broadcast to a 'global audience.'
While WWF Zambia are supposedly the charity benefactors of
the event, they have limited involvement with the local community or
conservation initiatives. Local Livingstone residents have been left wondering
who will benefit from the event.
Sacred Site
Livingstone
Island is also sacred
cultural site, the mists below and ever-present rainbow above the Falls being
associated with the ancestor spirits.
On his first visit Livingstone recorded that three islands
at the lip of the Falls were used by the three local Leya chiefs for offerings
to the ‘Barimo,’ but identifies only one of these sites - now known as
Livingstone Island, recording the following in his 'Missionary Travels' on his
first arrival and sight of the Falls from this island on its very edge in 1855.
“At three spots near
these Falls, one of them the island in the middle, on which we were, three
Batoka chiefs offered up prayers and sacrifices to the Barimo. They chose their
places of prayer within the sound of the roar of the cataract, and in sight of
the bright bows in the cloud...
“The play of colors of
the double iris on the cloud, seen by them elsewhere only as the rainbow, may
have led them to the idea that this was the abode of Deity. Some of the
Makololo... looked upon the same sign with awe. When seen in the heavens it is
named 'motse oa barimo' - the pestle of the gods.
“Here they could
approach the emblem, and see it stand steadily above the blustering uproar
below - a type of Him who sits supreme - alone unchangeable, though ruling over
all changing things. But, not aware of His true character, they had no
admiration of the beautiful and good in their bosoms. They did not imitate His
benevolence, for they were a bloody, imperious crew, and Sebituane performed a
noble service in the expulsion from their fastnesses of these cruel 'Lords of
the Isles' [Sekute and the other Leya chiefs]
“Having feasted my
eyes long on the beautiful sight, I returned to my friends at Kalai, and saying
to Sekeletu that he had nothing else worth showing in his country, his
curiosity was excited to visit it the next day." (Livingstone, 1857,
p.523-4)
World Heritage Site
in Danger?
The Victoria Falls are globally
known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but perhaps not for much longer. Recent tourism developments on both sides of the Falls have
contravened management plans agreed with UNESCO aimed at projecting the
integrity of the Falls environment and resulted in repeated warnings from the
World Heritage Committee.
The construction of the Zambian Mosi-oa-Tunya Resort,
developed on the edge of the World Heritage Site (and in a recognised wildlife
movement corridor favoured by Livingstone's local elephant herd) caused
widespread negative reaction and resulted in a site visit by UNESCO
representatives in February 2022 to assess the negative impacts of the
development and combined impacts of tourism development pressures across the site,
the report raising serious concerns over the future viability of the World
Heritage Site:
"The mission also
observed that the property is facing increasing threats from individual and
cumulative infrastructure developments, whose footprints are inside the
property, its buffer zone or in its wider setting... If the proposed and future
developments proceed without the appropriate level of consideration for the
environment in which the property is located and for which it is inscribed, as
well the cumulative impacts from the different individual developments, the OUV
[Outstanding Universal Values] could be considered to be in danger in the near
future."
Since the visit a wave of further development proposals have
emerged on the Zimbabwean side of the river, including the construction of the
Baines Restaurant on the Zimbabwean side of the river, immediately above
the Falls (opened in mid-2023).
Supporting
Information
Livingstone island is leased as a tourism concession to
Tongabezi Safaris, operators of Tongabezi Lodge. who operate tours to the
island and opportunity to swim in the pools on the very lip of the Falls, the
'Devil's Pool.' The lodge is currently managed by Green Safaris.
The Victoria Falls was
listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989. The site is managed by the National
Heritage Conservation Commission (Zambia)
and Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimbabwe).
Keep Victoria Falls Wild is a campaigning group raising awareness of tourism development pressures and their impacts at the Falls. Visit www.keepvictoriafallswild.com for more information.
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