Namibian traditional weddings go glam

Apart from more western-styled wedding dresses, glamorous decorations, the use of the top-of-the-range vehicles in convoys, as well as magazine-styled bridal parties becoming common sights at traditional weddings; traditional concepts have also evolved over the years. These include the idea of who pays for the wedding, where the wedding ceremony is held and the abolishing or watering down of other cultural practices. Significant changes in gender dynamics have also seen more women taking control of the wedding that was in the past exclusively organised between the groom, his family and the bride’s family, as well as assisting greatly in financing it. Traditional weddings are also increasingly using wedding planners to provide more comprehensive services that include round tables, wedding decorations with fresh flowers, sound systems and draped tents with the rural setting as the backdrop. According to Remind Ekandjo, owner of Oshakati-based events management company Remind Trading Enterprises cc, weddings in the North are finding a balance between traditional and modern to please both the couple and their often traditional families. “Things are gradually changing. Couples want their weddings to be unique and are willing to pay a pretty penny to have their dream wedding while still maintaining their cultures and traditions. Lately, almost all the traditional weddings I’m booked for have plasma screens, air-conditioning and mobile toilets at the village,” said Ekandjo. Ekandjo, who has been booked for 15 weddings in the next two weeks alone, as well as 46 corporate events, added that April/May, August/September and December are the busiest times of the year for him, as that is when most weddings are held in the North. “Those are also the months in which children go on school holidays. The many events taking place in the North in August such as the Olufuko festival, Eenhana Expo and Ongwediva Trade Fair also mean more people travel to the North and couples looking to get married take advantage of the influx of people,” he said. Oshikuku-based Roman Catholic Priest Johannes Kanana told Namibian Sun that 80 couples at the Oshikuku mission – which is divided into eight parishes – have undergone marriage preparation courses in order to wed in August or early September. “The only other time we receive numbers as high as that is in December, which is also a wedding season in the North,” said Kanana. At Ongwediva Spar, 12 multi-tiered wedding cakes could be seen lined up and ready for collection for weddings taking place in the next few weeks. Ruth Kamati, supervisor at the franchise supermarket’s bakery department, says this month alone they have received orders for over 20 weddings cakes, many of which have already been sent out. “It’s wedding season in the North and everyone wants to have a beautiful cake. The orders are pouring in,” she said. In the past, wedding cakes were only used for display purposes and the actual cutting of the cake was only done after the couple had their first child. With the change in family life and many couples opting to get married after they have already conceived, the cutting of the wedding cake on the day of the wedding has also become popular in recent years. The wedding ceremony, usually spread over two days with celebrations held at both the groom and bride’s traditional homesteads, have also been cut to a day in some instances as more Oshiwambo-speaking people marry outside their ethnic groups. Victoria Ashipala, a photographer who specialises in wedding photography, says she has witnessed the watering down of traditional rituals in the North over the years. Unlike in 2010 when she photographed her first traditional wedding, Ashipala says that she has noticed that couples increasingly walk shorter distances from the church to the homestead where an ‘under the tree’ ceremony is held before the guests proceed to the wedding reception. “A lot of things have been modernised. Couples don’t walk long distances anymore under the scorching sun and some rituals, such as the slaughtering of the cattle, have also changed over the years,” she said. Ashipala noted that traditional weddings in the North come with their own set of challenges such as long-distance travelling in rural areas, delays in logistics and taking photographs in the sun. She added that that unique locations such as oshanas, palm trees and the natural background offer more variety in pictures and provide “rich” stories. Ashipala said since parents of the bride and groom, their extended families, villagers and people from towns play an active part in the traditional wedding ceremony that usually lasts an entire week from Sunday’s announcement to the wedding ceremony the weekend after, it also creates a warmer atmosphere. “At different homesteads people practise traditions differently, so the images tend to be more vibrant, energetic and colourful. People tend to be more joyful and approachable and with northern weddings I tend to feel more integrated into the story and not just someone hired to take photos,” she concluded. OSHAKATI MERJA IILEKA