Dambala

Dambala
Character information
Died	1973, A churchyard in San Monique
Hair	Black
Eyes	Brown
Occupation	Reptile handler
Affiliation	Voodoo Cult
Status	Deceased, shot by 007
Behind the scenes
Role	Henchman
Portrayed by	Michael Ebbin
First seen	Live and Let Die (film)
Last seen	James Bond 007 (role-playing game)

Dambala was a skilled reptile handler affiliated with Dr. Kananga's voodoo cult. A minor villain, the character first appeared in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, portrayed by the late Bermudian actor Michael Ebbin, and was also seen in the James Bond 007 tabletop role-playing game.

Biography

Dambala's death.

Dambala is the chief of a tribe living on the fictional island of San Monique, which is governed by Kananga, who is secretly behind the appearances of Dambala's god, Baron Samedi, who he needs to use to get Dambala to eliminate his enemies via sacrifices to Baron Samedi. We see one such sacrifice at the end of the pre-titles sequence: MI6 agent Baines is tied to an altar, being menaced with a venomous snake by Dambala as the rest of the tribe dance as part of their strange ritual. Eventually, Dambala throws blood over Baines, and then holds the snake in his face, causing it to bite him to death. Later in the film, Kananga's unfaithful medium Solitaire faces the same fate, as she is tied to the altar facing the insane Dambala and his snake. However, she is temporarily saved when a statue of Baron Samedi appears, and is mistaken for the real Baron Samedi by Dambala, who is distracted. He then turns back to Solitaire to sacrifice her, but James Bond shoots him before he can do it, avenging Baines' death.

Alternate Continuities

James Bond 007 (role-playing game)

To be added

Trivia

• The name "Dambala" is a reference to "Damballah Wedo", the Voodoo God of the sky and serpents.
• Although Bond shoots and kills Dambala after destroying the statue of Baron Samedi, when the 'real' Samedi arises, Dambala can clearly be seen in the crowd of San Monique natives. This is most likely an error.
• A screenplay dated "1972-10-02" describes Dambala as more similar to Baron Samedi, wearing a black top hat and two snakes over his shoulders, and carrying a machete. It is also the machete that kills Baines and not a snake. During the final Voodoo ceremony, some goat-headed "guards" play some roles, and it is Dambala who bangs the machete on the Cross. Also, he is last described as bowing in front of Samedi as he appears from the grave, but is seemingly not killed .