OYO productions going places

STAFF REPORTERWindhoek‘Be A Lady’ and ‘Be A Man’ – the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO’s) latest productions – will have their world premiere at the Garden Route International Film Festival in South Africa in July. “Gender-based violence (GBV) is a burning issue in Namibia, and has been for the past decade and longer. To address this issue, there is a need to shift the focus and look at the problem from a completely different angle,” OYO said in a statement.During four weekend camps with 55 boys from the Ohangwena Region, 55 boys from Omusati , 55 girls from Ohangwena and 55 girls from Omusati, the OYO team looked at issues around masculinity and femininity. Participants were asked what the ‘dos and don’ts’ are and what is expected from them in their communities, in their schools, from their peers. “The results of the brainstorming were fascinating”, Dr Philippe Talavera, OYO’s director, said. The result of the brainstorming sessions was turned into two poems: ‘Be A Lady’ and ‘Be A Man’. OYO then invited prominent figures to give life to the poems. Two short films have been produced: ‘Be a Lady’, featuring Odile Gertze, Nadula Haingura, Roya Diehl, Fhulufhelo Ramphaga, Valerie Tjirimuje and OYO dancers Mary Jane Andreas and Sydney Farao. ‘Be A Man’ features Adriano Visagie, Jean-Louis Knouwds, Monray Garoeb, Ashwyn Mberi, Herman Hausiku and OYO dancers Jeffrey Ndjahera and Berry Goraseb.Powerful“The poems are powerful and they needed strong performers to give them life,” Talavera said. The two seven-minute short films have been selected for the Garden Route International Film Festival (GRIFF) in South Africa, where they will have their world premiere between 12 and 16 July. They will then premiere in Namibia at the Goethe-Institut Namibia on 13 August as part of ‘The Caring Namibian Man’ photo project. The photos and clips will then be used in schools to discuss issues around masculinity, femininity and the meaning of gender equality in a modern Namibia. “It is a great honour for us have been selected at GRIFF,” Talavera added. “This is an exciting yearly festival in South Africa. This year they are resuming a physical festival in Mossel Bay and we feel privileged to have been selected alongside some pretty exciting new work from SADC and beyond.” The clips have been produced and directed by Talavera, with Joshua Homateni as director of photography, Vincent Mboku on editing, Una Hoebel as make-up artist and Ponti Dikuua on music, and were made possible thanks to support from the embassy of Finland in Namibia.

OYO productions going places

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-26

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OYO productions going places

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-26

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