Salt pan carnival set to boost local community

The first-ever Etotha Carnival is set to take place at the Kangonde Salt Pan at Onanke village in the Oshikoto region from 27 June to 1 July.

The carnival is an annual tourism event that aims to showcase and celebrate Namibia’s cultural and heritage diversity in a way that provides economic value and benefits to the local community.

The festival will be hosted under the theme ‘Safeguarding The Jubilant Pans To Enhance The Tang For Our Future Generation’ under the tag line ‘Celebrating Our Ancient Heritage’.

The carnival will be hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, the Ondonga Traditional Authority and the Namibia Tourism Board, as the traditional custodians of the identified area where the event will be held.

Albert Bamm from the Ondonga Traditional Authority says the carnival intends to diversify tourism products, strengthen domestic tourism and attract international travellers to experience the beauty of Namibia.

“The carnival serves as a unifying platform for Namibians to come together and celebrate the country’s cultural richness and heritage diversity,” says Bamm.

The organisers hope to attract thousands of attendees from across the country and beyond, presenting an excellent opportunity to showcase Namibia’s cultural richness and natural beauty.

“Attendees can expect a fun-filled weekend of events, including a traditional gastronomy cookout competition, a totem parade, traditional games, horseback riding, skydiving and quad biking, among others,” says Bamm.

There will also be musical performances from local artists such as Kuku Nkandanga, Jericho and Tate Buti.

Kuku Nkandanga promises to put on an amazing performance featuring shambo songs from his previous album.

Tickets cost N$100 per person for the event’s duration or N$30 per person, per day.

Accommodation at own cost will also be available.