CHIKOMBE BEACH, Malawi — Dressed in a red T-shirt, a yellow-and-blue wrapper tied from the chest, and flip-flops, Zainab Kassim looks like any of the ordinary people gathered at Chikombe Beach along Lake Malawi. But she’s one of the most powerful people here. She’s the chief detective of this place, appointed by Senior Chief Makanjira, the highly respected traditional leader of this fishing community. In her role as “Inspector General,” as they call her, Kassim, who is in her late 60s and deaf, uses “special powers” (which the elders refuse to disclose) to sniff out contraband, such as marijuana and beer, that some attempt to smuggle to Mbenje Island, the community’s most important fishing ground. These items are banned there. In fact, despite being a fierce law enforcer herself, Kassim is also barred by law from the island. It’s part of the community’s fisheries management regime that women are not allowed to set foot on the island. The Mbenje Island Management Committee comprises traditional leaders under Senior Chief Makanjira, fishers and elders of the community. Zainab Kassim, front, is the only female member of that the committee, and is the chief detective at Chikombe Beach. Chief Mpiringidzo, behind Kassim, is the committee’s leader. Image by Charles Mpaka for Mongabay. “This island is the sanctuary of our ancestors,” says Chief Mpiringidzo, one of Senior Chief Makanjira’s lieutenants and leader of the Mbenje Island Management Committee. “They give us fish that sustains our lives. We wouldn’t want to make them angry and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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