Crayfish festival goes from strength to strength

Hundreds of seafood lovers travelling as far as Europe descended upon the windy town of Lüderitz this weekend to sample different types of seafood dishes at the eighth Crayfish Festival. Asking for directions, a group of excited friends from the United Kingdom who currently work in Zambia said they came with the sole goal to “ingest the ocean”. Pulling out their video camera to capture memories, they boasted of how they planned to have a good time and enjoy the festival that was hosted under the theme ‘We Love the Sea’. “We love seafood and cannot wait to experience the Namibian sea life,” said Isa Solil, adding that there is no such opportunity in landlocked Zambia. Another visitor, Ivan Juries, who travelled all the way from Upington in South Africa to indulge in the local rock lobster recipes, could not contain his excitement, saying it is “finger-licking good”. A variety seafood, including pickled fish, fresh oysters and lobster were available. Meat lovers Although lobster was the main course for the festival, meat eaters were also catered for with a good portion of kapana and traditional beer stands. Visitors not only admired the exotic and nutritious mopane worm but also ordered handfuls which they downed with a good dose of ‘Omalovu’ – a traditional Oshiwambo drink. Magnificent growth Mayor Susan Ndjaleka concurred that the number of foreign visitors was an indication that the festival had grown magnificently. “Lüderitz is blossoming with great investment opportunities, and the Crayfish Festival is part of our annual strategies to display to the world the investment advantage our notable town has,” said Ndjaleka during the opening ceremony. She expressed the hope that the new Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development would “vigorously” tackle the planned development of Lüderitz’s second deepwater port to complement the existing port and further enhance the transport industry. “I am also pleased to inform you that the railway project is nearing completion, which will give the town a facelift as far as logistical business is concerned,” said Ndjaleka. Accommodation shortage She also encouraged local residents to invest in property development to solve the accommodation shortage, especially during the festival. “Lately, the council has observed and received a remarkable interest in property development from private partners, and we can only hope they will materialise,” she said. She commended residents who opened up their homes at reasonable rates to accommodate visitors. “Your support year in and year out cannot go unmentioned, as festivity without a crowd is not festival,” said Ndjaleka. According to her young people of the town have taken a keen interest in the festival, such as 16-year-old Sonja Mwandingi who manned her mother’s traditional food stall. Traders such as Granville Jahs, who has become a regular at the festival, could not keep up with the demand and had to rope in extra hands. The Crayfish Festival is not only a platform for local residents and has attracted Namibian and South African entrepreneurs alike. Mauno Ambambi, who trades from the back of his car, travelled to Lüderitz to promote his product, called Van Die Mooi Clothing. “Van die mooi is slang used when something is beautiful or nice. I came here to introduce my product and people were really impressed,” said Ambambi Biebie Van Wyk and her husband Tinus also capitalised on the festival to promote their stained-glass work, which attracted quite a lot of interest. A makeshift cinema was set up to entertain families with locally produced films. There were a jumping castle and a trampoline to keep children happy too. A local band played langarm tunes while a live band provided music for the duration of the festival. Business prospect The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Chief Samuel Ankama, encouraged local fishermen to diversify their fish processing skills so that fish is utilised to its full capacity. “Do not only catch and eat the fish, try to use the whole fish. Do something with the fins. . .” said Ankama, adding that that is the start of industrialisation. He also criticised the shipping of fish to Walvis Bay for processing saying it is robbing the town’s people of jobs. “We would like to see that the fish caught at Lüderitz is no longer sent to Walvis Bay. You have the capacity or it can be built. People here will have nothing to do if the fish is shipped out. This is how starvation starts. People will go somewhere else to find jobs,” said Ankama. Referring to the high fuel and electricity prices at the town, he encouraged residents to not be dispirited but to continue trading, saying: “There is no success without a beginning.” Ankama also expressed hope that entrepreneurs who travelled from outside the region would buy locally to sell it outside and in the process promote local products. “The Ministry of Trade has done a perfect job,” he added. He also encouraged businesses to use the festival to promote their services and to add value to the experience. Lüderitz JEMIMA BEUKES