Musambwa Island

We all have ancestors... but on a Musambwa Island in Uganda, those ancestors are a little sssuspicious.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05Glynn Washington?

  I think I heard of something.

• 0:09Glynn Washington?

  I think that you should check. Cause last time I heard something, something bit me in the neck.

• 0:24Glynn Washington?

  You fast over this book? Stay tuned.

• 0:41Glynn Washington?

  Some of my extended family, they're amateur genealogists, and I am thankful for them. Grateful that they have done the work tracing our lineage.

• 0:57Glynn Washington?

  Sometimes they send charts and pictures in the mail detailing where we came from.

• 1:05Glynn Washington?

  Where my grandmother was born, who her mother was, her father, her father's father, even uncovering long-lost pictures.

• 1:15Glynn Washington?

  Fuzzy, defiant, black and white photos with proud people grinning back out at their descendants, at us.

• 1:24Glynn Washington?

  People barely one foot out of slavery. People for whom this photo, decked in their Sunday finest, would have cost a full week's wages of labor under the hot sun, but they insisted on taking this picture anyway.

• 1:42Glynn Washington?

  That's how important it was that we know and stare back at them and see my chin, my eyes, my nose, there. My grandmother. Here, my great-great-grandfather. And one single picture of my great-great-great-grandfather.

• 2:10Glynn Washington?

  And then, nothing. Everything. Everyone. Lost to time. Buried under the middle passage where we've tried to connect the dots to no avail.

• 2:29Glynn Washington?

  I want to know their stories, I do. I assume they loved, they lost, they had both joy and pain. We certainly looked the same. I'm guessing they were just like me, only in very different circumstances. I learned very recently that other people, they don't make this assumption.

• 2:51Glynn Washington?

  In fact, they know with absolute certainty that their ancestors are something altogether different.

• 3:05Glynn Washington?

  Spook Starts, now.

• 3:51Glynn Washington?

  Now, humans, we like to think we can contain, decide, control things. Even our relationships with who and what we're for. The ancestors. And today, for a special episode, we're taking you all the way to Uganda. Our producer, Lulu Jemima, brings us a story that demonstrates who is really in charge.

• 4:17Glynn Washington?

  Spooked.

• 4:39Speaker 01

  Amanya Gange, yenzé intale Enoka. Mpeza emiaka makumiya namuena.

• 4:46Speaker 02

  Meet Enok, he's a 44-year-old fisherman.

• 4:50Speaker 01

  Omlimo guange guenkola, ndimo vovi.

• 4:53Speaker 02

  We first met at a bar in the village of Malimbo, on the shores of Lake Victoria. On the table was a plate of two large deep-fried fish. He insisted that I eat both during our interview.

• 5:08Speaker 01

  Nakuli la mucha loba chi ita Namulugue.

• 5:11Speaker 03

  I grew up in a village called Namulugue.

• 5:16Speaker 03

  As a kid, we didn't eat much fish. Most of our meals were from our garden, like beans and greens.

• 5:23Speaker 01

  Tata waange yalimisajamlimi wa mwane.

• 5:25Speaker 03

  My dad was a coffee farmer, and he could only buy fish once a month during the harvest season. So whenever my mom cooked fish, all my siblings and I gathered around her and she would order us around.

• 5:39Speaker 01

  Gundi gano de tere yobutunguru, gano de tere yobunza, gano de tere yamazi.

• 5:44Speaker 03

  "Go and bring me onions, get me spices, get me water." We'd go running because we believed that whoever helped her the most gets the biggest piece of fish.

• 5:58Speaker 03

  So as coffee farmers, our family was not rich. They couldn't afford to send me to school. I had to drop out because my parents could not pay the tuition. That's when my brother asked me, "Do you want to work for me on my fishing boat?" I thought about it. If I became a fisherman, I could eat all the fish I want. So that's what I did.

• 6:34Speaker 02

  Lake Victoria is deep and the waves can get big. Not the kind of water for easy fishing, especially if, like Enok, you can't swim.

• 6:45Speaker 03

  When we go fishing, we usually set sail at 6:00 PM in the evening. We packed our food, we put tea in plastic bottles and wrapped them in blankets. Then, three to four of us would take turns rowing.

• 7:01Speaker 03

  During the coldest nights, we lay grass on the floor of the boat for extra warmth.

• 7:08Speaker 03

  Once we get to the fishing spot, we drop our nets in the water. Then we eat some food and fall asleep while one person keeps watch.

• 7:18Speaker 03

  In the middle of the night, we wake up so we can pull the nets back in with all the fish. Then we row back and return to the mainland between 5:00 and 8:00 AM.

• 7:33Speaker 02

  When Enok gets home, he's cold, wet and tired, but...

• 7:39Speaker 03

  One of the best things about being a fisherman is that you always have the first pick of the fish. Sometimes you catch enough to share with your friends, then you sell the leftovers. Also, I was introduced to all types of fish which I had never tested, like... The mamba, the African langfish.

• 8:05Speaker 03

  I remember the first time I saw the mamba. It was long with soft scales. It looked like a snake. At first, I was scared to try it, but it was tasty.

• 8:20Speaker 03

  I loved fishing because it wasn't your typical job. When you return in the morning, you cook, you wash your nets, then you can just sit around and hang out.

• 8:32Speaker 03

  I loved it, especially at midday when the sun was brightest.

• 8:51Speaker 02

  But of course, the excitement were off. Not only was catching fish not always guaranteed, it was hard work. Enok's brother's boat had no engine, and it took a lot of energy to row to the best fishing spots on Lake Victoria.

• 9:10Speaker 03

  Many nights, we paddled relentlessly to row against the wind. A boat with an engine only needs one fisherman to navigate. But my brother's boat needed three to four vases to stay on course.

• 9:25Speaker 03

  Then one day, my brother tells me that he's giving up fishing for good. It was too exhausting.

• 9:33Speaker 03

  He was impatient because he wasn't making enough money. He was gonna go back to being a taxi driver.

• 9:42Speaker 03

  You know, I left home to fish. I didn't qualify for other jobs and, plus, I had a girlfriend waiting for me back in my hometown. When I left the village, I hoped to come back a different man. I had to return at least with new shoes and clothes.

• 10:03Speaker 03

  So I begged my brother to leave me his boat, and he says, "Okay. I just have to pay him a cut of any fish I catch."

• 10:14Speaker 02

  After Enok's brother went home, Enok made a new fishing friend. And then one day, this friend tells Enok about this really, really good fishing spot.

• 10:28Speaker 03

  The place is called Musambwa Island.

• 10:33Speaker 03

  This island is pretty close, only 45 minutes from the mainland. We wouldn't have to struggle as much with our engineless boat. Here, you can fish without having to row very far.

• 10:47Speaker 03

  I was intrigued.

• 10:51Speaker 02

  Musambwa is a small island on Lake Victoria. Only five acres wide and three miles from the mainland. About a hundred fishermen live and work on this island. Anok's friend was right, the fishing there was great. But, there was just one catch. Well, more than one.

• 11:16Speaker 03

  The first thing I heard about the island is that everyone lives and sleeps outside. There are no homes. Some build little shacks out of sticks and plastic sheets. But everyone sleeps on the ground. I wasn't sure if I could handle that.

• 11:34Speaker 03

  Then my friend tells me.

• 11:38Speaker 03

  Women aren't allowed on Musambwa Island. My friend tells me that many, many years ago.

• 11:50Speaker 03

  That there was a man who brought his wife to visit him on the island.

• 11:58Speaker 03

  They made love, and that made the spirit of the island mad with envy.

• 12:09Speaker 03

  Out of nowhere, it became very, very, very windy. But only where the husband and the wife stood. The air everywhere else was still.

• 12:22Speaker 03

  Then the wind blew and lifted the boat into the air and smashed it against the rocks. Right where the man used to dry his fish.

• 12:36Speaker 03

  From that day on, no woman was ever allowed to visit the island. Ensuring that the spirit would never get angry again.

• 13:07Speaker 03

  So, I did not really care that women were not allowed because I already had a girlfriend, who I thought about all the time. Still, I wondered...

• 13:23Speaker 03

  Why would I want to be anywhere with no women around?

• 13:27Speaker 02

  I also wondered the same thing, but Enok hadn't had the worst yet.

• 13:38Speaker 03

  I heard that this island is crawling with snakes, at least a thousand snakes. Also, it's not just any snake.

• 13:57Speaker 03

  This island is filled with forest cobras.

• 14:02Speaker 03

  Forest cobras grow up to six or seven feet long, some even longer. Musambwa is where these venomous forest cobras come to breed. In fact, it's the biggest cobra breeding colony in Africa.

• 14:19Speaker 02

  No birds, no women? Enok was actually okay with this, but the snakes? That was the deal breaker.

• 14:33Speaker 03

  When I was a kid, there was nothing I was afraid of more than snakes. My dad's coffee farm was full of them. All I had to do was hear someone say, "There's a snake!", and I'd run for the hills. Sometimes we pretended to be brave, like kids do. If we knew there was a snake around, we grabbed sticks and stones and say...

• 15:02Speaker 03

  "Where is the snake? Where is the snake? There, there it is!" Once we found it, we'd start chasing it, but we were too scared to actually get anywhere near it.

• 15:19Speaker 02

  Despite Enok's fear of snakes, his friend was like, "Don't worry, these snakes are different."

• 15:26Speaker 03

  The word "Musambwa" means "spirit."

• 15:37Speaker 03

  The people here believe that these spirits protect the island, so they don't fear the snakes. When they see a snake, it's a blessing. It means they will catch lots of fish, so no one is allowed to harm the snakes on the island, ever.

• 15:58Speaker 03

  Now, I am a born-again Christian. In my church, they taught us that snakes are evil. When we pray, we cast snakes as evil spirits. So I never imagined I would ever set foot on an island full of snakes. But my friend told me that there was so much fish at Musambwa.

• 16:25Speaker 03

  When he said that, it made me happy, because I loved money. I needed money, so I decided, "I'm just going to deal with the snakes."

• 16:39Speaker 02

  Enok packed a jacket, a bed sheet, hot tea, and a flashlight. Then he headed off with his friend to make his fortune on Musambwa Island.

• 16:56Speaker 03

  In the morning, I see that we are approaching Musambwa.

• 17:05Speaker 03

  You hear the birds singing, you hear the waves crashing on the rocks. What a sound! I am so nervous. When our boat pulls up to the shore, the fishermen, who are on the island, gather around us.

• 17:24Speaker 03

  Then they ask us if we have any fish to eat. We do not.

• 17:29Speaker 01

  Omani empisayo kunyandja, emave kayo mina.

• 17:34Speaker 03

  So, there's this old tradition among fishermen, that you never eat alone. Everybody brings his fish, you chop kasava, cook all the fish in the same pan, and you eat together.

• 17:47Speaker 01

  Meriyaba vuvigeva ita echibero.

• 17:50Speaker 03

  This meal is called echibero.

• 17:54Speaker 03

  So I sat down with the group, but I can't help but look around. My eyes are darting left and right.

• 18:05Speaker 03

  Then one of the men notices this and says, "Don't worry, you'll see the spirit of the island before you leave." What?

• 18:16Speaker 03

  As we are sitting there eating, one of the other men suddenly shouts,

• 18:20Speaker 01

  "Ah, Jaja Uyo."

• 18:21Speaker 03

  Ah! These Jaja.

• 18:25Speaker 03

  In Luganda, Jaja can also mean grandparent or elder.

• 18:30Speaker 01

  Zenechi wokantunulilo, muntu mukadegueva ita Jaja.

• 18:33Speaker 03

  Then I turn around, expecting to see an old man that they are calling Jaja. But instead,

• 18:40Speaker 01

  Nakeindo kulaba mukuanogu angenganso.

• 18:42Speaker 03

  I turn to see my friend pointing at this snake.

• 18:47Speaker 01

  Sotanga mulede.

• 18:48Speaker 03

  The snake is so big! It's black and white, about four meters long and as thick as my forearm.

• 19:00Speaker 01

  Nakeindo kulaba angakusembira, angakusembira.

• 19:02Speaker 03

  It is slowly slithering towards us, closer and closer. It's only about three feet from where we are sitting. I know a snake bite is fatal unless someone ties a cloth around you and rushes you to hospital. I wonder how I would leave the island.

• 19:25Speaker 03

  As I'm looking around, I noticed that the other guys aren't scared of the snake.

• 19:33Speaker 03

  They aren't startled, they have no fear. They are just sitting, they are all relaxed, eating. But me, I lift my legs in the air, my body is shaking. I cannot eat, I want to vomit.

• 19:50Speaker 03

  So I start praying, just keeping my eyes on the snake.

• 19:57Speaker 03

  Then slowly,

• 20:02Speaker 03

  the snake passes right by where we were sitting.

• 20:06Speaker 03

  Then it goes to a nearby tree. By this tree, there is a nest of ducklings. Suddenly, the snake just snatches one of the ducklings into its mouth. The man who owns the ducks shouts at the snake.

• 20:25Speaker 03

  Another person says, "Ah, Jaja has taken her reward." The snake just swallows the duckling and leaves. My appetite is gone.

• 20:39Speaker 02

  Enok and his friend immediately jumped back into their boat and rowed back to the mainland. He was done. Yet still, he felt like Musambwa Island was calling him back.

• 20:53Speaker 03

  I was getting desperate, I needed money. But some nights, it was just too windy. Our boat had no engine, so it was hard to row to where there was fish.

• 21:07Speaker 03

  So, I decided, I'm gonna go back to Musambwa. At least, there is fish there. I'll spend a week at most, catch all the fish I could, then leave.

• 21:25Speaker 03

  We arrive at Musambwa Island in the evening. As soon as we put our net in the water and pull it out, we can see all the fish eyes. That first night, we caught about 150 fish.

• 21:40Speaker 03

  You know, fishing is all about luck.

• 21:49Speaker 03

  One day you can catch 10 fish, another day you can catch 8, sometimes you catch 100.

• 21:57Speaker 02

  Even with all the good luck, Enok refused to spend a night on the island. Instead, Enok and his friend slept on the boat for two more nights before returning to the mainland.

• 22:09Speaker 03

  In the morning, we sell all the fish. Then we rest. Then my friend leaves to visit his family and I pay my brother for using his boat. I was now a boss.

• 22:23Speaker 02

  Enok was hooked. Having all this money for the first time in his life made him forget about the snakes. He decided, "Why not? I'll sleep over."

• 22:35Speaker 03

  The first time I spend the night on the island, I stay in a shack with three other guys.

• 22:42Speaker 03

  That evening, we gather grass and lay it on the ground. Then we put plastic bags on top to make it like a bed.

• 22:52Speaker 03

  We start winding down by listening to the radio.

• 22:57Speaker 03

  At 10pm, the guy who owned the radio turns it off.

• 23:05Speaker 03

  All you can hear is the waves crashing on the rocks, the engines of the boats on the water. But snakes, they don't make any sound.

• 23:16Speaker 03

  Everyone falls asleep, but I am wide awake, holding my little flashlight, shining it all around the shack. I am so terrified.

• 23:32Speaker 03

  You know, snakes like to hang out in warm places, like our shack. There is no place where they can't reach. They can get to the roof or crawl into your bed.

• 23:46Speaker 03

  That made me even more scared. I literally can't think about anything else. I try to calm myself by watching the other men sleep peacefully. But the longer I watch them, the more I panic. I wonder which one of us will be the first to run out of the shack. The other men are older and stronger than me. They can easily push me aside and leave me alone with the snake. If I die here, no one will find me.

• 24:19Speaker 03

  But sleep finally took me away.

• 24:23Speaker 03

  When I wake up, I am still holding the flashlight. The battery is dead.

• 24:33Speaker 03

  In the morning, I go to wash my face in the lake. And there, I see a snake. It is so big and black, and its head is lifted up, and its tongue is sticking out.

• 24:48Speaker 03

  The men told me that

• 24:53Speaker 03

  if you see a snake in that state, it's hunting. I freeze.

• 25:03Speaker 03

  But the snake does not bother me. It just continues moving and goes away. What gives me strength to push on is thinking about all the fish we're gonna catch.

• 25:45Speaker 03

  The next day, the other guys start teasing me about sleeping with a flashlight on.

• 25:50Speaker 01

  Ba sekeri, lam sekeri.

• 25:52Speaker 03

  They just laughed at me. Even I start feeling like I'm being silly. So that night, I decide to go to sleep with the flashlight off.

• 26:11Speaker 03

  It's about 1 or 2 AM when I wake up. I can hear the other men snoring. All of a sudden...

• 26:24Speaker 03

  I feel something heavy on top of the blanket. I open my eyes and lift my head, but I can't see anything. It's too dark. Now there is some light from the stars outside, but not enough for me to see what is on top of me.

• 26:44Speaker 03

  So I take out my flashlight and shine it all around the shack. I'm trying not to panic. That's when I see this snake. This large cobra is slithering all over my stomach.

• 27:04Speaker 03

  I was filled with fear. All the energy drains from my body. I can't even keep my head up. I think, "Jaja uyo, jaja uyo." That's Jaja. That's Jaja. I think about waking up one of the men, but what can they do? They believe the snakes are spirits and will probably celebrate. Then I think, "What if there are some more snakes outside? I wonder if the flashlight is attracting them to me." I freak out and pull the blanket over my head. The snake slowly slides off my body.

• 27:50Speaker 03

  I pick out of the blankets.

• 27:56Speaker 03

  I grab my flashlight and turn it on. I see the snake slithering out of the shack.

• 28:03Speaker 03

  The snake isn't even looking at me. I can only see the tail as it disappears into the darkness.

• 28:12Speaker 03

  I spend the rest of the night praying.

• 28:20Speaker 03

  In the morning, I tell the men, "The island spirit, Jaja, visited me last night."

• 28:29Speaker 03

  One of them laughs and says,

• 28:35Speaker 03

  "Ah, that was nothing." The next time,

• 28:41Speaker 03

  you might wake up with a snake coiled under your head like a pillow.

• 28:51Speaker 02

  That was it for Enok. First to face with the island spirit was too much. He rode straight back to the mainland where he'd be safe from snakes. But Musambwa never left his mind.

• 29:07Speaker 03

  On the island, life was simple. When the boats arrive, the other guys help remove the nets and we count the fish for sale. When all this is done, we clean up and lounge around until it was time to fish again.

• 29:24Speaker 03

  But on the mainland, things were different. I had to hire fishermen who were not always reliable. The fish were scarce and the days felt long. Meanwhile, my brother was threatening to take back his boat.

• 29:42Speaker 03

  As the days and weeks go by, I'd watch with envy as the fishermen from Musambwa sailed by, their boats heavy with fish.

• 29:53Speaker 03

  Meanwhile, my pockets were so empty, I couldn't even afford to visit my girlfriend.

• 30:00Speaker 03

  As I sat there with no fish, my thoughts drifted back to the island.

• 30:10Speaker 03

  Musambwa, it didn't look or seem too bad. The island was actually a paradise.

• 30:21Speaker 03

  Since I was young, I loved birds. Nearly 200,000 birds called the island home, and many of them were species I had never seen anywhere else.

• 30:35Speaker 03

  Maybe I should go back to Musambwa. After all, paradise is worth a second visit.

• 30:45Speaker 02

  After many months of struggling to make a living, Enok decided to go back to Musambwa Island, this time for good.

• 31:03Speaker 03

  I've been on this island for over 20 years. Every single day, without fail, I have seen a snake. The snakes here, well, they have a mind of their own. They just show up in your house and announce, and they hang out for three days for free before leaving.

• 31:23Speaker 03

  Now, I also own a little cabin on the island, just a small one, about 6 by 7 feet.

• 31:33Speaker 03

  My house happens to be at a place that snakes love, thanks to all the ducklings that hatch nearby.

• 31:41Speaker 03

  But now, even if a snake gets close, I'm no longer scared.

• 31:46Speaker 01

  Sijia iiza kukuma katu uchi ngabwe na kola ange.

• 31:49Speaker 03

  I no longer reach for my flashlight. When a snake decides to visit at night,

• 31:55Speaker 01

  Gusikabula ange tiya ange kujongela kumutwe.

• 31:58Speaker 03

  I just pull my blanket over my head, tuck it in on both sides so there is no room for a snake to slither in. And then, I just go back to sleep.

• 32:17Glynn Washington?

  As you've heard, Ina has been working hard on Samwa for over 20 years. Throughout this time, his wife has never set foot on the island.

• 32:29Glynn Washington?

  Although he will admit, when his oldest daughter turned 18, only because she was so curious about where he worked, he gave her a very, very, very, very, very brief tour of the island. And she was not allowed to spend the night. Thank you, Ina, for sharing your story. And thank you, Lulu, for producing this piece. Lulu is a storyteller and researcher living between Uganda and Germany. She's always looking out for new and exciting collaborations. So find her contact in our show notes. The original score was by Sandra Lasundu. It was produced by Lulu Jamima.

• 33:17Glynn Washington?

  Now, there are such things in the world as bindings. We bind each other. Sometimes a promise, or even a meal. Often, we use a ring, a handshake, or simply a nod. And if we break these bonds, there's a price to be paid.

• 33:42Glynn Washington?

  The thing is, we have long known that we can be bonded to forces, to entities that dwell in shadow, and breaking these bonds can exact extremely dire consequence. If you or someone you know is linked to forces they do not understand, forcing choices you barely comprehend. I, I really, really, really want to know about it. Please, send your story to [email protected] because there's nothing better than a spook story from a spooked listener.

• 34:22Glynn Washington?

  Spook lies hidden in shadow, under a boiling sea of magic and mystery, cloaked by KQED in San Francisco. Please, don't seek to uncover the Passage Inn, lest the Passage Inn seeks to uncover you. A note to the tech overlords, the stoners, and all associated oligarchs. No Snap Studios content can be used for training, testing, or developing machine learning or AI systems without prior written permission on Team Spook. The union represented producers, artists, editors, and engineers are members of the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Communications Alliance of America, AFL, CIO, Local 51, and...

• 35:02Glynn Washington?

  Spook just brought to you by the team that is on very good terms with their ancestors. Except, of course, from Mark Ristich. I have it on good authority that his ancestors are not pleased.

• 35:19Glynn Washington?

  Yes, there's Davey Kim, Zoe Frigno, Eric Yanez, Marissa Dodge, Regina Berriaco, Miles Lassie, Teo Decot, Paulina Kriki, Elizabeth Z. Pardue, Aditya Matu, Lulu Jemima, Doug Stewart, Nicholas Smarts. The Spook theme song is by Pat Masidi Miller. My name is Sam Washington.

• 35:42Glynn Washington?

  Then I don't know if my ancestors are watching me now, or not.

• 35:49Glynn Washington?

  I have the sense that they are not far.

• 35:54Glynn Washington?

  Or should I say, "We have not gone far"?

• 35:59Glynn Washington?

  Their warnings are our reality. Instead of simply reading 1984, we are living it.

• 36:11Glynn Washington?

  Overseers tell us official lies, not so that we believe, no. So we learn to cower from the truth.

• 36:20Glynn Washington?

  Because the truth insists.

• 36:25Glynn Washington?

  The truth is not pretty.

• 36:28Glynn Washington?

  The truth makes demands. The truth understands that we have been here before. The truth knows that this is not the first time. We've had little girls hiding in attics while masked agent thugs lurk outside. The truth has seen the murder our heroes on the street before.

• 36:49Glynn Washington?

  I don't wonder if the ancestors know this truth.

• 36:56Glynn Washington?

  I wonder if they weep because we prefer lies.

• 37:07Glynn Washington?

  Never, ever, never, ever, never, never, never, ever, never, never.

• 37:17Glynn Washington?

  Turn out the lights.