Staff Reporter
“ROOTS of Our Unity, Seeds for Our Future” is the theme of this year’s Omagongo Cultural Festival, set for 23 May at the traditional homestead of Chief Herman Iipumbu, head of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority. The site lies along the Oshakati–Oshikuku highway in the Omusati Region.
With just 10 days to go, excitement is already bubbling across the northern regions and beyond.
Two high-profile fundraising gala dinners were held recently to support the festival: one in Onamega on 24 April and another in Windhoek on 9 May. Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare officiated at the Onamega event, while Vice President Lucia Witbooi attended the Windhoek dinner on Saturday.
Photos: Office of the Prime Minister/Vice President of Namibia
“Members of the public have been busy collecting and storing omagongo (marula wine) and are looking forward to the festival,” said Agatus Antanga, a village secretary.
Theodore Shityeni, a history teacher from the Ohangwena Region, said he has attended nearly every Omagongo Festival since the inaugural event in 2001. “Not necessarily for the wine, but for the educational and cultural content,” he said. “I will be there again this year.”
The festival marks the peak of the marula season, which typically runs from February to May. Historically, each of the eight Ovawambo tribes held its own separate festival before the late Founding President Sam Nujoma proposed a unified festival that now rotates annually among the eight Ovawambo traditional authorities.
The event has since taken on a national character, with plans to expand it beyond its traditional boundaries. It is currently one of Namibia’s most celebrated cultural gatherings.
In 2015, UNESCO inscribed the Omagongo Festival on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for its cultural significance.
