By Wezi Tjaronda
WINDHOEK
A karakul statue will be unveiled later in the year to mark 100 years of karakul farming in Namibia.
The statue, to be placed in the main street in Keetmanshoop, which is the capital of karakul sheep farming, aims to honour the contribution of the sheep to the infrastructural development and the economy of Keetmanshoop.
Manager of Agra Pelt Centre, Wessel Visser, told New Era discussions will be held end of June to determine where the statue will be placed.
Christina Salvodi won the tender to build the statue, which is almost 2m high and which depicts a shepherd, a karakul ram and a lamb.
The making of the bronze statue is in its final stages.
A book that documents the history of the karakul industry in Namibia since its beginning in 1907 until 2007, is also being published and will be launched in mid-August.
Among others, the book, authored by Brenda Bravenboer, covers farming with karakul, its politics, the crash of the industry between the 1980s and 1990s, and its contribution to the economy of the south.
Other activities in the run-up to the main celebration on September 13, which will be officiated over by Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry Dr Nicky Iyambo, include a Winter Expo in Helmeringhausen on August 1 and 2 during a regular farmers’ day where Swakara fashion will be shown, while an elite auction of karakul rams will be held in Keetmanshoop.
Earlier in April, the industry saw the launch of a DVD documenting the history of karakul in Namibia, its advanced record-keeping as well as breeding practices that formed the backbone of the Black Diamond industry, as it is known in Namibia, since 1907.
Apart from the 100 years of karakul in Namibia, this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Swakara trademark, the 88th anniversary of the Karakul Breeders Association, the 25th anniversary of the Karakul Board of Namibia, and the 27th anniversary of Agra.
It also marks the 18th anniversary of the Agra pelt-sorting centre in Windhoek, the 10th anniversary of the Karakul Producers Forum and also the 12th anniversary of cooperation with Copenhagen Fur.
The first consignment of 10 ewes and 10 rams from central Asia via Germany arrived in the then South West Africa on September 24, 1907. Up until May 1914, 100 rams, 58 ewes and 140 lambs were imported into SWA.
These sheep formed the core of the South West African karakul stock, which would later be developed into one of the largest and finest flocks in the world.