Lake Boundouni, the healing water

Near Itsamia and Hamavouna, in south-east Mwali, the road passes close to a large hollow filled with water: Dziani Boundouni. Long ago, say the elders, it was the mouth of a volcano. The fire went out, the water came, but the lake has never quite forgotten what it once was.

Its water smells of sulphur, and it is said that no fish has ever been able to live in it. Children are astonished: how can a lake remain empty of fish when the sea, so close by, is so full of them? The grown-ups reply that this water is not made for feeding, but for healing.

For the lake is credited with virtues. Those who suffer from skin complaints, aching bones or fatigue come to bathe in it, or take a little away in a bottle. People go there with respect, speak softly and give thanks as they leave, just as you would thank someone who had done you a favour. For on Mwali, as on the other islands, water that heals is always a little inhabited.

In the past, at the end of every year, the shores of the lake became the scene of a great festival. People came in crowds to leave their offerings at the ziara of Bunduni, and it was said that the djinns of Datchimroni themselves led a whole week of festivities. A similar festival was held at Mwadjiyo, near Nioumachoua.