Top 10 Festivals(Namibia)

Best Highly Praised Folk Festivals Recommended by Pathfinders

Composed By: Francois Boois (opens new window)@Facebook

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The following are the most popular art and cultural festivals held during 2019 their attendance was fair to reasonable and guest had a enjoyable and memorable experience with the performances they where entertained.

1.Olufuko Festival(Oshakati).

The Olufuko is one of Namibia's biggest annual events it's a festival held in the upper northern capital of the Oshana its a conglomeration of the local Oshiwambo tribes it's a customary and practical initiation of young females to adulthood, controversial among local religious groups and feminist movements but despite its modern socio drawbacks it still draws a huge following and locals and guest attend this annual event from all corners of the country to watch in intrigue or simply take part this events is usually held in late August.

2.Lusata Festival(Chinchimani).

Lusata is a festival held in the extended arm of the country where a group of locals that originate from the Okavango Delta hold annual meetings to serenade and worship their chosen King this ceremony draws a considerable crowd and has one of the largest displays of African culture, The ceremony can go on for days with different performers taking part and displaying their loyalty and pride this annual meeting usually takes place at the end of the year.

3.WIKA Festival(Windhoek).

The Annual WIKA festival takes place in the Capital it's more contemporary with different themes and incorporates western culture a mixture of different modern trending customs involved. it resembles a Rio carnival the performers are hand picked each with a different story setting although a huge marketing campaign goes behind it the locals are usually caught in traffic it draws a uniformed crowd mostly onlookers desperately trying to make sense of the sudden commotion around them.

4.Masubia Festival(Bukalo).

The Masubia is held in the same district as the Lusata by local ethnicities of an identical tribe and it too is a display of loyalty and pride the instruments and dances are of the same rhythm and cultural heritage more so different in displacement than in culture it too has a high attendance, with locals and guest from all over the country showing support and encouragement the ceremony can last a week and its held in mid year.

5.Crayfish Festival(Luderitz).

The Crayfish festival held at the lower fishing town of Luderitz to celebrate a successful seasons catch and engage in under usual feat, locals from the town gather in numbers with guest from all regions of the country usually neighbouring towns it's becoming one of the countries biggest festivals drawing crowds from as far as Cape Town and the rest of the world, locals flock in Numbers to get a taste of one of the countries largest consumable exports and delve into local cultural heritages.

6.||Goa-!haob Festival(Migratory).

||Goa-!haob is a gathering of youth from the local Khoe Ethinic background the largest none Bantu African ethnicities it was started as a local radio hoax but it's intent took effect when interest grew,it's held annually and hosted by different towns mostly with a high population of Khoe residence which are usually made up of the Khoe-Khoe(Nama), #Nu-Khoe(Damara) the Kai !A-khoen and Hai //Om(San) all of which are Khoe-Khoe language speakers which is the most widely spoken of the Khoe Languages the event usually takes place during the end of the rainy season.

7.October Fest(Windhoek).

The Namibian version of the German October Fest is held in Windhoek at the same time as the Original, Namibia having the highest and oldest German cultural heritages in Africa has been home to a lot of German sub cultures dating back to the 16th century African colonialism seemingly strange post colonial abductions of governments went unhindered only with minor collateral damages not even close to any we see in todays West Africa and the Middle east most of the Dangerous bouts taking place inside foreign borders leaving local custom practices unscathed even the bad one like post colonial racism and ethnic divisions so when you visit the Namibian German version of the October fest brace yourself for a bit of tension between Neighbours when the Alcohol effects take flight.

8./Ae //Gams Arts Festival(Windhoek).

The /Ae //Gams art festival is modern contemporary at its local best, find art and culture more suited to the western demand artist from all walks of live different styles visual and abstract drama and vocal it is all there no division among age groups a Franco Africa project giving artist a platform to display their artwork to locals guest and tourists a like it's documented so registration is required its well marketed inside and outside the country it's the countries most anticipated events for artist any year.

9.Bank Windhoek Arts Festival(Windhoek).

The Bank Windhoek Arts Festival only second to the /Ae //Gams Arts Festival sponsored and sorted after by the countries largest local commercial bank(Bank Windhoek) is held after its closest rival they both sport the same theme modern contemporary and usual features the same artist with different display factions the crowds they draw come from more or less the social background and lifestyle both take at most a week Bank Windhoek usually applies the same strategy it uses in its marketing campaign as they do their business formal and engaging.

10.Kai !A-khoen and Hai //Om San Festival(Migratory).

Kai !A-khoen and Hai //Om San Festival is new yet attracts a lot of people who are mostly made up of tourists the cultural practices are ancient but the project is a new initiative to display pride and joy even though both are made up of a huge majority that speaks Khoe-Khoe language in pigeon style synced with Authentic Sa-Khoe they practice the old San Hunter Gatherer Cultural heritage the ceremony is held in the apartheid settlement of Tsintsabis even though they roamed the entire country freely and unabstracted a practise that has angered the younger generation who want to return to their original land ownership, they face more or less the same problems as the North American Indians marginalised by modern socio economic status and business practices.

That's it for this weeks top 10 click The link below to E-mail the editor if there's something you'd like to share or want to clarify something pertaining to this particular article thanks for reading and kind regards:-).

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A little Honourable mention for the 11.Tides of Talents Festival(Swakopmund) that didn't make the list, this time round but still loved by many in this part of the world.

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