Every mud hut in Songwe Village Lodge is named after a chief. Our hut, for example, is called Shichichele.
Shichichele, incidentally, was poisoned and then buried alive by the villagers after senile dementia began to adversely affect his chiefly duties. It was a botched job. Shichichele's subterranean screams continued for seven days before the chief finally suffocated.
Yasin, our guide, is rather matter of fact about the whole thing. But then again, executing chiefs here in southern Zambia is nothing new. It has been customary for at least seven centuries.