Teaching the value of failure

Originating in Mexico, F*ckup Nights is a global event established in Namibia in 2018 by a group of individuals who wanted to show struggling entrepreneurs that even their idols have had a rocky road to where they are now. Under the mentorship of Cleophas Johannes, the president of AIESEC Namibia, a team of eight started organising the event which is a comfortable space for successful individuals to share their stories of failure and give a behind-the-scenes look at how they got to where they are now, while investigating some of the embarrassing things that happened to them on their way up.The team aims to inspire locals and break the stigma among Namibians of being afraid to try anything because of the possibility of failure. They highlighted that more is learned from losing than one could ever learn from winning. Brands and digital marketing executive Mark Katjiku said the event was established to help the youth and other members of the community realise that it’s okay to have a few failures on your way to success. “Many people give up too quickly on their dreams due to one or two failures. People attending the event should expect a great networking opportunity and a space where they can feel safe being themselves and embracing their mistakes,” he said.The event’s finance manager Ester Uuzigo hopes that the next F*ckup Nights event to be held on Tuesday, 30 April, will pull a better crowd and reach more people compared to the previous two events, with the most recent one having taken place on 27 February. She said she hopes people will learn from the speakers.Tega Namwandi, who is tasked with managing the eight-member team, said one of the main challenges they have experienced is attracting sponsors because most companies are sceptical due to the name of the project. She, however, mentioned that the name is an abbreviation and was adopted from Mexico, where the project originated. Namwandi encouraged people to be open-minded and come to the event and learn something new. Having set the standard high, the line-up of speakers for the next event is phenomenal and includes rising musical star Top-Cheri, Tjuna Kauapirura, Netumbo Nekomba, Regto David and Simon Samuel. The event was initially sponsored by Coca-Cola and Red Bull, but this year Poiyah Media came on board as the main sponsors. The event is scheduled to take place at the Pelican Café in Hochland Park and tickets are available online at Webtickets and at any Pick n Pay, or alternatively via FUN Agents, Tega (081 478 2335) and Ester(081 850 5388) for N$50 or N$100 at the door.ESTER KAMATI

Teaching the value of failure

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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Teaching the value of failure

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-02

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