Dalene Kooper
The donkey meat festival competition organiser, Gerson Ore-aob, emphasised its health benefits and cultural significance at this year’s festival on Saturday at Gobabis.
Ore-aob said donkey meat remains an underexplored and misrepresented delicacy in the country.
“Donkey meat is the healthiest meat. We must sensitise the upcoming youth about its benefits, and this year’s competition highlights that,” Ore-aob said.
He stated that he has not heard of any illness donkey meat causes.
“We do not hear of any sicknesses or gout issues caused by donkey meat. We must pass down that knowledge to the children.”
Ore-aob invited participants from all over the country to showcase their best donkey meat dish at the competition, saying that it is a festival for all Namibians.
“Donkey meat is enjoyed in various ways; we have donkey salad, chilli donkey and all those different cuisines,” he said.
He added that the festival not only celebrates donkey meat but is also a competition. He remarked that he switched things up from holding merely a festival to a competition.
The competition was overseen and judged by invited dignitaries from the national council.
“We invited members of the national council to serve as judges during the competition. The winner will be decided by a majority vote. They’ll be walking around tasting at various stalls and picking the winner,” he added.
The festival was headlined by Robert Oitsile, who is known as !Aubasen ‘Ou Donkey’ as the ambassador of the festival alongside various local artists.
The donkey meat festival competition will feature four towns this year in hopes of further sensitising and expanding the festival.
“The festival was only held in Windhoek, but we are expanding it to other towns, with Swakopmund next on the list. We want to make it a big event,” Ore-aob said.
The winner will walk away with N$10 000 and a three-legged black pot.