Thousands at Masubia cultural festival in Zambezi

THOUSANDS of people from all walks of life attended the annual Masubia cultural festival in the Zambezi region for a day of cultural inspirations and entertainment today.

The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Tuvahamwina, Tulivumbe’, which means “We are one, let’s unite”.

Among the people attending the festival were prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and fellow members of parliament and government leaders, including attorney general Albert Kawana, urban and rural development minister Peya Mushelenga, sport, youth and national services minister Erastus Uutoni, and National Council deputy chairperson Bernard Sibalatani.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who was the guest speaker at the event, spoke out against disputes within traditional authorities, saying such tensions distract local communities from constructive issues that advance the interests of traditional communities and the country in general.

“It diverts the meagre resources from community development activities to finance legal battles that have become the common approach to dealing with differences amongst traditional communities,” she said.

She called on traditional authorities and communities to make use of traditional methods of resolving disputes between and within themselves instead of resorting to courts. Traditional leaders could also facilitate the solving of such disputes and should be made use of in that regard, she said.

On the topic of the Zambezi region, the prime minister said: “This region, especially, has a great potential to become the food basket and one of the tourism hubs in our country, and the government will work relentlessly to help make this a reality.”

The chief of the Masubia traditional authority, Kisco Maiba Liswani III, in a speech read on his behalf by University of Namibia academic Bennett Kangumu, noted that the Masubia community uses the annual festival to celebrate the present which is the achievement of the nation and the community since Namibia’s independence.

“It is this past and present combined which forms the peace, prosperity and nation-building. I would also like to take this opportunity to mention some of the government projects which are being undertaken in our area like the construction of the Luhonono-Namalubi road, while other governmental projects are concluded like the recently inaugurated Kabbe South constituency offices. We remain grateful for our government,” he concluded.

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