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Episode details

World Service,23 May 2025,26 mins

Musambwa: Snake Island

Heart and Soul

Available for over a year

Musambwa Island in Lake Victoria, Uganda, a five-acre rocky outcrop of land five miles from land, is the biggest breeding ground in the world for grey gulls and home to hundreds of other bird species and cobra. Amid the birds, snakes and lizards lives a male-only community of fisherman who live by a code of cultural and spiritual practices. Reporter Zawadi Mudibo travels to live among the men of Musambwa to explore their sacred relationship with nature. Although the men have lived this way for generations there is the creeping influence of modernity. Through personal stories and reflections, the documentary highlights the deep-seated beliefs that shape the lives of the island's inhabitants. Producer/presenter: Zawadi Mudibo Executive producer: Pearse Lynch (Photo: Emmanuel Katongole spiritual leader of the community. Credit Africa Digital Audio)

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