Mashi Traditional Authority chief Joseph Mayuni III wants schools to teach pupils traditional cooking, decent dressing and respectful behaviour to preserve cultural pride.
Mayuni, during the annual 29th Tulikongwe Cultural Festival at Choi village in the Zambezi region on Sunday, said such lessons reignite traditional pride among pupils from a young age.
This year’s cultural festivities were celebrated under the theme ‘Ku sileleza chizo chetu’, which translates to ‘Protecting Our Culture’.
During the same event, Mayuni also expressed concern over the lack of an indigenous language curriculum for pupils in schools in the Zambezi region.
“Several changes have been made to the curriculum of basic education; however, the development of our own indigenous languages has been neglected. This is not so all over the country, but only here in the Zambezi region,” he said.
He added that the region remains the only one where pupils cannot study their indigenous language as a subject.
“This has resulted in loss of pride in our language and culture,” he said.
He called on the government to look into introducing Chifwe as a school language to aid in the development of pupils.
“Some attempts at Chifwe arthrography have been made by one of our own sons here in the Zambezi region, Vincent Sazitta, a scholarly figure of our times. Such foundational material produced by him can be a starting point,” Mayuni said.
Deputy minister of education, innovation, youth, sport, arts and culture Dino Ballotti yesterday told The Namibian that the ministry would respond to Mayuni’s curriculum adjustment suggestions in due course.
“I’ll request the our public relations officer to provide an official response on behalf of the ministry,” he says.
The chief also said he also been appealing to the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) to consider introducing a Chifwe radio station to help preserve the language.
In the Zambezi region, Silozi is the main language and is, therefore, used in schools, on radio and television, in government communications and in trade.
However, there are several indigenous languages such as Subia (Subiya) Fwe (Chifwe), Yeyi (Siyeyi), Totela (Chitotela), Mbukushu, Khwe/Barakwena and Mbalangwe.
Meanwhile, deputy minister of industries, mines and energy Gaudentia Kröhne, during the same event, said the preservation of culture takes place when knowledge passes from one generation to the next.
She added that preservation would be prevail if young people remained connected to their identity and communities had the means to record, teach and celebrate their cultural heritage.
“Electricity supports that work. It gives light to pupils and elders, powers communication, preserves food, supports small businesses, improves safety and allows cultural knowledge to be documented and shared,” she said.
