What night fishing on Lake Kivu is actually like
The lamps go out at three in the morning and the singing starts. A first-hand account of a night on the water with the Kibuye fishing fleet.
Bonheur Tuyisenge· Head guide4 minute read
The boats leave a little before dusk, three hulls lashed together with poles, and by the time the light has gone there are lamps strung across the whole bay.
Why the lamps
The sambaza rise towards light. Each trimaran carries a row of lanterns over the water between the hulls, and the fish gather beneath them through the night.
The singing
Crews sing across the water to keep time and to keep awake. It carries a long way on a still night, and it is the thing most visitors remember afterwards.