During the third week of September, the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) Department of Humanities and Arts celebrated Heritage Day under the theme “Unity in Diversity” to give students a platform to celebrate their cultural identity and history.
Thanks to the vast cultural diversity that the university hosts, Heritage Week paved the way for students to showcase and learn about other groups’ indigenous cultural practices and traditions. The celebration featured stalls exhibiting local and international cultures to create cultural awareness and instil cultural pride.
Present in fully fledged cultural attire was the Nama and Damara group showcasing a range of indigenous medicine that the group uses to this day. According to Petronella Nauises, a psychology student also studying Khoekoegowab, “indigenous traditions and cultures are not practised that much these days, but they still have relevance in society”.
Referring to various plants being exhibited, Nauises explained how they are used, amongst others to treat asthma, stomach ache, abdominal pain, heartburn, and many other generic illnesses. Some could even be applied as sunscreen and perfume.
Cerlli Uiras, who is also studying Khoekoegowab, said that the practice of these traditions is going extinct, and encouraged the Damara and Nama community to never stop educating their children about their culture.
“A great means to preserve our culture is to learn about it and embrace it,” she said and extended an invitation to the community to study Khoekoegowab to better understand the language and cultural values.
Transcending boundaries
Heritage Day also serves as a platform for cultural exchange with ethnic groups beyond the borders of Namibia, creating a pivotal point for regional and international groups to showcase their traditions and customs.
Mandarin lecturer at the UNAM Confucius Institute, Ling Wang, said that the event allows Namibians to familiarize themselves with Chinese culture, and vice versa. Through this activity, she stated, we learn that we are not that different. As a testament to this, she singled out similarities between local and international ethnic groups.
“There are similarities when it comes to food preparation, such as the dish of porridge with beans. We also have the same way of cooking, but we use flour for the porridge.”
She added that “Chinese culture associates themselves with the colour red, which symbolizes happiness and showcases decorative items like opera masks, reading material, and musical drums”.
Unity in diversity
The aim of all activities during the event was to depict the theme.
According to the “Afrikaans as ’n Taal” stall, Afrikaans was founded in Africa, and as a result, it should be regarded as one of the Bantu languages. Afrikaans student Paula Kaula said that “people have this negative perception about Afrikaans – saying that it was imported from a different continent, which is not the case. Afrikaans is similar to any other English creole language such as Patois and Pidgin.”
Adrian Johannes, another student studying Afrikaans, said that the language is beautiful and that we should embrace it as such. “The most fascinating part about the language is the fact that the language welcomes new words or new vocabulary almost every day.”
The music stall aimed to showcase cultural musical instruments and to help people understand the origin of music and cultural heritage.
Instruments included the marimba which is similar to a xylophone, clappers, and shakers that were used way back then for entertainment purposes, but is also believed to be a medium of communication to the ancestors, said music student Antonia Nangolo.
Thanks to the vast cultural diversity that the university hosts, Heritage Week paved the way for students to showcase and learn about other groups’ indigenous cultural practices and traditions. The celebration featured stalls exhibiting local and international cultures to create cultural awareness and instil cultural pride.
Present in fully fledged cultural attire was the Nama and Damara group showcasing a range of indigenous medicine that the group uses to this day. According to Petronella Nauises, a psychology student also studying Khoekoegowab, “indigenous traditions and cultures are not practised that much these days, but they still have relevance in society”.
Referring to various plants being exhibited, Nauises explained how they are used, amongst others to treat asthma, stomach ache, abdominal pain, heartburn, and many other generic illnesses. Some could even be applied as sunscreen and perfume.
Cerlli Uiras, who is also studying Khoekoegowab, said that the practice of these traditions is going extinct, and encouraged the Damara and Nama community to never stop educating their children about their culture.
“A great means to preserve our culture is to learn about it and embrace it,” she said and extended an invitation to the community to study Khoekoegowab to better understand the language and cultural values.
Transcending boundaries
Heritage Day also serves as a platform for cultural exchange with ethnic groups beyond the borders of Namibia, creating a pivotal point for regional and international groups to showcase their traditions and customs.
Mandarin lecturer at the UNAM Confucius Institute, Ling Wang, said that the event allows Namibians to familiarize themselves with Chinese culture, and vice versa. Through this activity, she stated, we learn that we are not that different. As a testament to this, she singled out similarities between local and international ethnic groups.
“There are similarities when it comes to food preparation, such as the dish of porridge with beans. We also have the same way of cooking, but we use flour for the porridge.”
She added that “Chinese culture associates themselves with the colour red, which symbolizes happiness and showcases decorative items like opera masks, reading material, and musical drums”.
Unity in diversity
The aim of all activities during the event was to depict the theme.
According to the “Afrikaans as ’n Taal” stall, Afrikaans was founded in Africa, and as a result, it should be regarded as one of the Bantu languages. Afrikaans student Paula Kaula said that “people have this negative perception about Afrikaans – saying that it was imported from a different continent, which is not the case. Afrikaans is similar to any other English creole language such as Patois and Pidgin.”
Adrian Johannes, another student studying Afrikaans, said that the language is beautiful and that we should embrace it as such. “The most fascinating part about the language is the fact that the language welcomes new words or new vocabulary almost every day.”
The music stall aimed to showcase cultural musical instruments and to help people understand the origin of music and cultural heritage.
Instruments included the marimba which is similar to a xylophone, clappers, and shakers that were used way back then for entertainment purposes, but is also believed to be a medium of communication to the ancestors, said music student Antonia Nangolo.
