Likumbi Lya Mize

Likumbi Lya Mize is the annual ceremony of the Luvale people held each August at the senior chief's palace near Zambezi town, and its centre is the makishi: masked figures in costumes of bark, cloth and resin representing ancestral spirits, who emerge at the close of the mukanda boys' initiation and dance for days. UNESCO inscribed the makishi masquerade on its intangible heritage list in 2008. Each mask character has a fixed identity, from the trickster to the elder woman.

What you actually see

• The makishi dancers - masked figures in bark and resin costumes representing ancestral spirits.
• The mask characters - fixed identities from tricksters to elders, each with its own movements.
• The mukanda link - the ceremony closing the boys' initiation season.
• The chief's palace - the ground at Mize where the gathering is held.

When to go

August is the ceremony, usually in the latter half of the month. The exact dates are set locally each year. The rest of the year there is nothing to see here.

Honest expectations

Dates are set locally and confirmed late. Zambezi town is remote with basic accommodation that fills for the ceremony. Photography needs permission and is restricted around the masks.

Nearby

Zambezi town is beside the site, and the Source of the Zambezi is northeast.