Lemba "Ark of the Covenant" on display in Harare

THE LEMBA "ARK OF THE COVENANT" is on display in Harare:

African 'Jewish' tribe displays its lost ark

By Moira Schneider, April 22, 2010 (Jewish Chronicle Online)

Members of an African tribe are displaying a sacred object they believe to be the Ark of the Covenant in a Harare museum.

The item is a ngoma, a sacred drum made of wood. According to oral tradition, a ngoma was carried from Israel by the Lemba, a South African tribe who believe they are descendants of Jews from the Middle East. After it burst into flame and was destroyed, another ngoma - the one currently on display - was constructed from the ruins.

DNA research has traced the Lemba's origins to the Middle East. More remarkably, a genetic marker largely found only in Cohanim, descendants of the ancient Jewish priesthood, is present in the same proportions among the Lemba's own priests, known as the Buba.

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There's a good photo of the object, which has no particular resemblance to the biblical Ark. Background here and here (scroll down) and just keep following the links back.