Meme Dingi Namibia festival returns to Okalongo

Okalongo will be showcasing culture, tradition and empowerment this weekend when the Meme Dingi Namibia festival returns to the Omusati region for the second time.

From Friday to Sunday, Puma Service station at Okalongo will host a three-day cultural exhibition.

At the core of the festival is a competition where Namibian women go on stage dressed in their self-made traditional attire made from animal skins and other indigenous resources.

Seven contestants will fight for the honour of being named Meme Dingi Namibia through a sequence of cultural tests.

Throughout the event, contestants will be judged on a variety of traditional skills, including making washing powder and necklaces, creating pots from clay, cooking and other cultural practices.

“In these aspects, we are selling our culture, educating the children and demonstrating that our customs are still alive,” says festival coordinator and organiser Ndume Ndawana.

The National Arts Council of Namibia has sponsored the event.

Education minister Sanet Steenkamp and prime minister Elijah Ngurare will be among the guests delivering keynote addresses.

Ndawana says Namibian culture is threatened by western influences and modernisation, and this would result in indigenous knowledge being eroded in a gradual manner unless it is preserved in its entirety.

“Our culture is special. If we do not exercise it daily, inscribe it on paper, and openly propagate it, we risk losing it,” he says.

The first edition of the Meme Dingi Namibia contest took place last December at the Oshilemba Annual Festival at the Otamanzi constituency where Laina Mwetupunga was the first winner.

Reflecting on the relevance of the event, Mwetupunga says individuals have lost their heritage, and as a result of this, social issues such as gender-based violence and mental illness have become more prevalent.

“By reconnecting with our culture, we can reduce conflict and we can have a more respectful society. This is not a beauty contest – it’s healing and creating a future where our values are respected.”

This year’s festival will not only be a matter of cultural preservation but also of live performances.

Music enthusiasts have something to look forward to with Sweety Namibia, Drawer Locosound and some other emerging local artists scheduled to perform.

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