FORMER president Sam Nujoma has urged all the girls participating in this year’s annual olufuko cultural festival to ensure that they finish their education while observing their cultural heritage.
He said this during the official opening of the olufuko festival at Outapi in the Omusati region on Friday.
The festival, which is being held under the theme Culture: our heritage, our pride, is to initiate 63 girls from different traditional authorities across the country.
The 2019 olufuko event kicked off on Wednesday, and runs until 1 September. It is held every year, and is a traditional practice aimed at initiating girls and preparing them for womanhood, marriage and pregnancy.
Nujoma, who is also the patron of the festival, said olufuko demonstrates consistency and growth for being hosted for the 8th year this year.
Apart from urging the girls to complete their education, the former president stated that olufuko was started to help them become responsible citizens who are aware of cultural values.
“We are mindful that our youth are our future leaders, and have to be educated in order to become engineers, medical doctors, scientists, pilots, lawyers, teachers, agriculturalists and geologists,” Nujoma stressed.
The former president once again used the opportunity to question olufuko critics, saying the festival is here to stay.
“The detractors to olufuko, apart from sowing seeds of division hatched from hatred, what vision do they have for this country?” Nujoma asked.
In the same vein, he called on traditional authorities in Namibia to celebrate cultural festivals, as guaranteed in Article 19 of the Namibian Constitution.
“Article 19 of the Namibian Constitution, under chapter 3 on fundamental human rights and freedoms, provides for every Namibian to enjoy, practise, profess, maintain and promote his or her culture, language, tradition or religion,” he continued.
Speaking at the same event, minister in the Presidency and acting education minister Martin Andjaba said the promotion and preservation of culture and tradition through events like olufuko are important for a nation.
“It is through events like this that we are reminded about where we came from, and who we are,” Andjaba stated.
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