The other name for the town is Mwansabombwe[1] ("where Mwansa works") and this is the one used by its or Luba or Chibemba-speaking inhabitants.

The Luba-Lunda shared with many tribes the custom (now discontinued) of moving to another village or a new site on the death of the chief.

A number of channels through the swamps and lagoons connect to the main river channel about 5 km away, facilitating fishing and trade (mainly illicit) with DR Congo.

A tarred road also connects eastwards via Mbereshi to the northern Zambian plateau at Kawambwa.

It retains a rural and traditional African character relatively unmarked by the colonial era leading to it being called the "largest village in central Africa".