We can make a living off culture – Nangolo

King of Ondonga, Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo, says Namibians should be cognisant that embracing their culture can be a sustainable way of living.If young people and their parents embrace some of their cultural values, life will be bearable and worth living with its little hiccups, he said.He made the remarks during the commemoration of World Tourism Day held in Omuthiya in the Oshikoto Region on Tuesday.According to him, bad luck follows many young people nowadays because they have lost direction and forgotten their culture.“A young person will get employed and lose their job in unjustified ways without even getting a warning at work. Parents are not giving the luck and blessings to their children any more as it was done in the past.”Use culture to make moneyNangolo urged Namibians to use their cultural heritage as a tourism product, which can be sold to benefit people, and not only depend on subsistence farming."We need to go back to our roots, sit down with our children and rewrite history for future generations. They can use what they learn from culture to make a living. Unemployment is very high and growing on a daily basis.”He added that tourism plays an important role in growing the economy and applauded government for its continued efforts in this regard.World Tourism Day, he said, is set aside to celebrate the value and importance of tourism to society and the economy.It offers a unique opportunity for everyone to come together to learn more, appreciate and promote tourism and its contribution to the national economy and the well-being of the Namibian people.Develop the sectorThe keynote speaker at the event, environment deputy minister Heather Sibungo said although the economy suffered during the Covid-19 restrictions, when they were lifted, tourist arrivals doubled - an indication that the sector needs to be developed for the economic benefit of the people.She said Namibia has the necessary conditions for the sector to continue growing exponentially and to contribute to local economic development, employment creation, community empowerment and poverty alleviation.“The ministry has developed the tourism recovery plan aimed to reboot the sector over the next three years to foster the growth of the sector and to address constraints associated with Covid-19,” she said.Embrace your heritageIn a speech read on his behalf, Oshikoto governor Penda Ya Ndakolo highlighted that the tourism industry has been rigid over the previous two challenging years due to the outbreak of the pandemic, which forced many businesses to close their doors.He added that the World Tourism Day celebration is very important in Oshikoto this year, following the launch of the Oshikoto Regional Tourism Forum, a platform that gives residents of the region an opportunity to put ideas together and come up with solutions to barriers hampering the growth of sustainable tourism development.He urged Namibians to embrace their heritage and help rebuild local economies.tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

We can make a living off culture – Nangolo

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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We can make a living off culture – Nangolo

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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