Victoria Falls - To Be or Not to Be?

There's been much debate in recent months, quite rightly, over how we view the legacy of statues and place names inherited from history. A while back we posted on Facebook about the David Livingstone Statue and the debate soon grew to as whether or not the Falls should still be named 'Victoria Falls' - the English name bestowed by Livingstone when he first saw them in 1855.

This debate is not new - in 2013 the Zimbabwean ruling party determined at its annual national congress that the name should be changed to Mosi-oa-Tunya, the 'Smoke that Thunders,' believing it to be the traditional name of the Falls for the Tonga people who live the shadow of its spray.

The name Mosi-oa-Tunya is widely used among locals, especially on the Zambian side of the river. However, Mosi-oa-Tunya is the name given to the Falls by the Makalolo, a people who under their chief, Sebetwane, invaded the area from the south in 1830s/40s, killed an unknown number of people in the course of conquest and subjected the native people of the region to their domination for several decades. In 1855 Livingstone was escorted downstream to the Falls by Chief Sekeletu of the Makalolo, and without who it is doubtful if he would have received such a warm welcome by the local people, who jealously guarded the river crossing above the Falls for their own protection. After the death of Sekeletu in 1864 a bloody uprising exterminated the Makalolo's grip on the region, leaving behind only a linguistical legacy. 

On his journey to the Falls Livingstone recorded that the local Tonga people called the Falls Syuungwe na mutitima, (modern spelling 'Shungu namutitima') and which Livingstone translated, rather romantically, as ‘the Place of the Rainbow’ but which more accurately translates as 'Boiling Water' The Nambya people from the southern bank know the Falls as Chinotimba, ‘the place that thunders.’ Presumably before the Tonga arrived in the area the San 'bushmen' had a completely different name for it. 

The 2013 resolution to change the name of the Falls was short-lived. Tourism representatives in Zimbabwe pointed out that Zambia had marketed the Falls under the name of Mosi-oa-Tunya for many years, and that they would be giving away a marketing advantage to their neighbour, who would probably also continue to market their side of the destination as the Victoria Falls to gain further advantage. There would also be a huge financial cost in re-branding and re-marketing the Falls under the new name.

Chief Mvutu, whose jurisdiction covers the southern side of the Falls, said at the time that marketing the name Mosi-oa-Tunya would be tantamount to handing over tourism business to neighbouring Zambia.

"It has been long since the place was known as Victoria Falls and a name change is not bad," Chief Mvutu said. "I will suggest that they call it Mapopoma Falls. I am running away from using the name Mosi Oa Tunya because in Livingstone (Zambia) the name is widely used for lodges, parks and other institutions which will definitely take business away." (Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs, December 2013)

Perhaps instead of looking to the past we should look to the future and give the Falls a new name of hope, unity and peace. But first you would have to decide which language to name it in...

Further Information:

Victoria Falls name must fall now (Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs, July 2020)

Victoria Falls no more? (Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs, December 2013)

Footsteps Through Time - A History of Travel and Tourism to the Victoria Falls (2017) Peter Roberts