First-ever Otjikaiva Festival coming soon

WINDHOEK, 13 APR – The Otjikaiva Festival, which celebrates Ovaherero culture, was launched on Tuesday.
It will be held at the Habitat Research and Development Centre in Windhoek on 28 April.
The festival is the brainchild of Meriam Mbapeua Rukoro, the late wife of the Ovaherero Paramount Chief, who wanted to assist needy communities with funds raised during the event.
One of the event organisers, Lourensia Katjitae said they have also established ‘Ozongama Zomuara’, a charity organisation through which they plan to raise funds for the needy.
“We want to keep her dream alive,” Katjitae said.
They hope to amongst others use funds generated at the one-day festival to renovate the Okakarara Senior Secondary School and pay volunteer teachers from Germany who can assist Grade 12 learners in improving their results.
The festival will celebrate Ovaherero customs, food and traditional dress.
Katjitae said several activities and an educational session are planned for the day.
“Activities in the form of a competition and a special education session on the origin and significance of otjikaiva are planned. It has already attracted great interest, with many registering their teenage girls for this session,” she said.
Ovaherero women are expected to wear their best traditional dresses, while the men will dress up in their hats called ‘opanesa’ to complement the women.
The opanesa is a hat worn by Ovaherero men which signifies that they are married and it is inherited by the oldest son.
Otjikaiva is the uniquely styled head gear worn by Ovaherero women as part of their traditional attire. It depicts the horns of a cow, which symbolises the central social economic livelihood of Ovaherero people.
NAMPA