Uukwaluudhi ready for Omagongo Festival
The Uukwaluudhi Traditional Authority (UTA) will host the 2018 Omagongo Cultural Festival on 26 May at the Uukwaluudhi Royal Homestead at Onalushwa village near Tsandi in the Omusati Region.
The UTA wants to use this event to introduce the cultures and traditions of the Aakwaludhi to the rest of Namibia. The hosting of the festival is rotated among eight northern traditional authorities: Uukwaluudhi, Ombalantu, Ombadja, Uukolonkadhi, Ondonga, Uukwambi, Ongandjera and Oukwanyama.
The festival can be held anytime from February to May, depending on the marula harvest from which the omagongo juice is squeezed.
According to UTA, everything is in place, as the community of Uukwaluudhi has already collected over 1 600 litres of omagongo.
Addressing a community meeting at the Uukwaluudhi royal homestead on Friday, King Josia Shikongo Taapopi invited his followers to come to the event dressed in traditional attire and ready to showcase their culture and traditions.
“It is no more the traditional omagongo event that we used to host, but this has become a national and international festival. Let us show the world what Uukwaluudhi can offer,” Taapopi said. Omagongo festivals have been hosted for centuries and were used as an annual platform where elders came together to share ideas. The UTA chairperson, Nekongo Shomeya, said the committee that is responsible for collecting omagongo, headed by Nuusiku Kadhikwa, has been busy since the marula harvest started.
“Marula trees are not the same. There are those that produce the best omagongo that can be used for a festival like this one. This committee has been busy working together with communities to identify the best omagongo for the festival. “Villagers with the best trees notify the senior traditional leaders, who notify the committee. When the event is coming we know we can get the best omagongo,” Shomeya said.
The former regional councillor for Tsandi Constituency, Leevi Katoma, is the chairperson of the 2018 Omagongo Festival. Shomeya says Founding President Sam Nujoma and several cabinet ministers have indicated that they plan to attend the festival.
The UTA wants to use this event to introduce the cultures and traditions of the Aakwaludhi to the rest of Namibia. The hosting of the festival is rotated among eight northern traditional authorities: Uukwaluudhi, Ombalantu, Ombadja, Uukolonkadhi, Ondonga, Uukwambi, Ongandjera and Oukwanyama.
The festival can be held anytime from February to May, depending on the marula harvest from which the omagongo juice is squeezed.
According to UTA, everything is in place, as the community of Uukwaluudhi has already collected over 1 600 litres of omagongo.
Addressing a community meeting at the Uukwaluudhi royal homestead on Friday, King Josia Shikongo Taapopi invited his followers to come to the event dressed in traditional attire and ready to showcase their culture and traditions.
“It is no more the traditional omagongo event that we used to host, but this has become a national and international festival. Let us show the world what Uukwaluudhi can offer,” Taapopi said. Omagongo festivals have been hosted for centuries and were used as an annual platform where elders came together to share ideas. The UTA chairperson, Nekongo Shomeya, said the committee that is responsible for collecting omagongo, headed by Nuusiku Kadhikwa, has been busy since the marula harvest started.
“Marula trees are not the same. There are those that produce the best omagongo that can be used for a festival like this one. This committee has been busy working together with communities to identify the best omagongo for the festival. “Villagers with the best trees notify the senior traditional leaders, who notify the committee. When the event is coming we know we can get the best omagongo,” Shomeya said.
The former regional councillor for Tsandi Constituency, Leevi Katoma, is the chairperson of the 2018 Omagongo Festival. Shomeya says Founding President Sam Nujoma and several cabinet ministers have indicated that they plan to attend the festival.
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