INFIGHTING between Ovahimba Cultural Group managers has resulted in the Swakopmund municipal council revoking its decision to make land available for the development of an Ovahimba cultural village.
About five years ago, the council approved the lease of a piece of land near the B2 Highway’s entry into Swakopmund. The lease agreement was for just short of 10 years at N$465,75 per month. Since then, the ‘Ovahimba Living Desert and Cultural Village’ was created next to the famous Martin Luther historical site to maximise on tourist traffic in and out of Swakopmund.
Tourists had the unique opportunity to step into an enclosure that accommodated an Ovahimba village with huts, kraal, fires and Ovahimba items for sale, enjoying dances and food, while also interacting with Ovahimba and learning about the Namibian nomads originally from Kunene region.
Katjinounongo Mbimbo of the Eonga Traditional Group told The Namibian last Friday that about 50 Ovahimbas living at Swakopmund benefited from the plan – which did not last long. He accused the managers of the project for not being transparent, and failing to pay those who kept the village alive with cultural songs, dances and interaction.
“We were struggling, and this was a wonderful opportunity for us to earn bread and butter while showcasing our unique culture. It is unfortunate what has happened, and we agree with the municipality. It is a good thing they are doing to stop this. They must have a better plan that will benefit all of us,” said Mbimbo.
According to him, there were about 150 Ovahimbas living at Swakopmund, but when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, about half moved back to their rural origins.
The Ovahimba at the coast depend mostly on tourism.
Swakopmund council management committee chairperson Wilfried Groenewald said during a council meeting last Thursday, several meetings were held to find an amicable solution to the infighting between the two groups, but the efforts proved futile.
The groups are led by Marikondjo Tjambiru and Kavetuurire Tjijerua.
The council originally signed the lease agreement with the Ovahimba Cultural Group led by Tjambiru in 2016. However, Tjijerua, who was a member of the group, allegedly did not agree with how Tjambiru was managing the project, which resulted in a split – one accusing the other of incompetence and violation of terms and conditions. One solution the council suggested was the formation of a new steering committee for the project in which Tjambiru would serve as chairperson and Tjijerua as deputy chairperson of the Ovahimba Cultural Village committee consisting of 10 members equally representative of both groups.
Tjambiru, however, informed the municipality that he refused to accept new members, alleging that the new members violated certain articles within the original committee constitution – even though it was ‘agreed’ earlier that old procedures must be reviewed by the new committee to suit everyone.
Tjijerua, on the other hand, told the council that he proposed a meeting with Tjambiru, but Tjambiru refused, allegedly saying he was not ready to take new members; furthermore ordering the others not to enter the cultural village until further notice. That was last October.
“One can conclude that the existing infighting and conflicts among the cultural groups will never be resolved,” said Groenewald, claiming Tjambiru’s leadership has deprived the majority of the benefits they could get from this village.
As a result, the council has decided to revoke its decision on the land on which the village is located, and has suggested that the whole land be fenced off to allow the development of a cultural centre in future where all cultures can be allocated a portion to display their products.
Tjambiru did not respond to any of the messages left by this newspaper to give him a chance to comment.
Tjijerua told The Namibian that it was unfortunate that the municipality had come to the decision, but added that he would still try and engage Tjambiru on a better way forward.
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