OMUTHIYA – Due to changing lifestyles, whereby nowadays the world revolves around technology with the internet taking its toll especially among the younger generation, cultural values and norms have been diminishing. It is, therefore, the duty of parents and educators to instil the love of cultural heritage in their children and learners, the Governor of Oshikoto Henock Kankoshi said on Friday.
Speaking during the official opening of the Namibian Heritage Week, Kankoshi stressed: “This day allows us to create awareness through educational programmes, dialogue and public engagements about the meaning and importance of our cultural heritage. Today we are living in a world of technology and technology has developed and advanced. We now live in a world whereby smartphones, apps and satellite technology have become the order of the day. But one thing remains central and that is the importance of culture and heritage, which gives society and individuals a sense of belonging.”
He implored parents and elders to inform children that there is no culture that is more superior to the other.
“All cultural heritages are equal and when a certain society is performing their culture, there is no cultural activity which is bad or wrong. We should teach our children while at a tender age to know this in order for them to respect each other’s diverse culture and heritage,” he added.
One of the ways this could be achieved, he said, was to revive around the fire storytelling, poems and song, as an easy form on how elders can orally transfer knowledge, thus enriching the traditional grammar and instil the love of literature into the youth, suggested the governor.
Furthermore, he said, heritage preserves the knowledge of how human beings adapt themselves to changing environments, as heritage evolves with time and moves as societies change.
Kankoshi reiterated that transformation does not mean replacing what has come before but rather, enriching and enhancing what has being inherited.
“So, it is our duties today to promote the safeguarding and preservation of all these cultural heritages with rich oral and written history, in our surroundings, villages, constituencies, regions and Namibia as whole,” emphasised Kankoshi.
The Namibian Heritage Week that ended last Friday attracted a huge number of exhibitors, who displayed traditional food, woodcarvings and traditional attires, among other things.