By Joe-Chintha Garises
KEETMANSHOOP, 19 April – The Nama Festival is the only big festival that the Nama traditional community celebrates annually and due to the outbreak of Covid-19, it had been put on hold.
This year the Nama people are looking forward to enjoying the festival and the festivities involved.
According to public relations officer, Antonio Stuurman, the cultural festival was started in 2018 by a group of young people and aims to create a platform to learn more about the cultural heritage of the Namas.
“There is an interesting saying that goes, once an elder in Africa dies, a library has burned down, “ he said.
The youth are very involved in organising the festival as they are willing to learn about their cultural norms and values.
This year’s event will take place from 26 to 29 May at the Keetmashoop Stadium. The main focus of the festival is the cultural village that will showcase how a Nama wedding is celebrated from beginning to end. There will also be a panel discussion, langarm dance, and different traditional games amongst others. There will also be other traditional stalls as well.
Various local artists will provide entertainment for the youth on a Saturday night.
Organisers say the festival does not have any funds at the moment and requests donations from different stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and individuals.
The festival is also celebrated in Botswana by the Nama communities there and the organisers are working closely with people from Botswana and South Africa. Earlier this year they had a build-up to the festivals which lead to the main event. The build up festival was the Ada !hom tsi !hao which was held in Swakopmund, Windhoek and in Keetmanshoop on the 5 March 2022.
The committee hopes that the youth come in numbers this year to acquire as much information as they can from the elders. – Namibia Daily News
