Windhoek
The Damaran community on Saturday marched through the streets of Windhoek in foretaste and rehearsal of their much anticipated Damara Cultural Festival (DCF) schedule for November 5 to 9 in Okombahe.
They marched from the Palm Tree Park alongside Independence Avenue to the Zoo Park concluding the march with rituals, prayers and dancers at the Zoo Park followed by a huge barbecue at the Augeikhas Primary School in Dolam, where elders were treated to a suckling donkey steak from the grill and even in the traditional three-legged iron cast pot accompanied by traditional cuisines.
His Royal Highness, King Justus ||Huruhe ||Garoeb addressed this subjects with the youngsters entertained at CLUB 067 in Khomasdal by artists such as Adora, Female Donkey, Damara Dik Ding and Phura performed during the party.
It is customary that all the Damara cultural sub groups (33), after arranging and having their respective cultural festivals, converge every year at |Â ǂGomes (Okombahe) during the first weekend of November to celebrate their culture with rituals, food, songs, dance and music as well as remembering their fallen leaders and heroes and heroines by sharing historical happenings and orally and through various modes transmitting such to the younger generation of the community.
“This highly sacred and important event is to remember our ancestors, most recent and now sleeping as well as the current leadership. This is also to call on our ancestors for their blessing to the ǂnūkhoen. We will pay tribute to those sons and daughters who have made us proud and made great offerings towards Namibia`s development, peace and stability,” the King concludes.
Caption: Traditional Damara women in their cultural attires during a march last Saturday in Windhoek from the Palm Tree Park to Zoo Park in rehearsal of the Damara Cultural Festival next month.
Picture: Damara