Paulus Shiku

EUNDA - Businessmen and elders of Eunda village came together to organise a trade fair and football tournament after considering the plight and suffering of the rural community where they live and grew up.

Dubbed Eunda Annual Trade Fair and the Jeremia Nakathila football tournament, the inaugural event took place from 22 to 24 December at the open area near the junction of Eunda Clinic and Onesi roads.

On show at the fair were traditional food such as dried wild spinach, baobab fruits, omalovu, marula oil, eembe, uutushi, fresh Tilapia fish, vegetables as well as clothes and traditional beads, among many other products.

Apart from football, other entertainment activities included a boat cruise in the Etaka canal, quad biking, a jumping castle for children and a beauty pageant.

Organising committee chairperson and businessman Eilo Abisai Amashili said the aim was to provide platform for the youth and elderly  in the village to sell their products.

“We realised that people in the community have a lot of things to sell, but they do not have platform to do so. We then decided to create one to empower and uplift the community,” he added.

Amashili emphasised unity and teamwork for local economic emancipation, urging the youth to embrace the initiative and support it from all fronts.

“To everyone from this and nearby villages, wherever you find yourself in this country, please find a part to play in this business platform. Let us work to take this far and make it a permanent selling ground,” Amashili urged.

Amashili and other committee members Elago Nuuyoma, Penda Mongudhi, Jona Mongudhi and Paulus Katali were impressed by the attendance at the trade fair.

“The event was very successful. We punched above our weight, and managed to host one of the best trade fairs around here so far. We want to do our best so that people would want to associate with us,” said Nuuyoma.

He added that being a developing community, they learnt from those who have progressed, and incorporate that into their vision.

“Everyone who rented a stall made very good profit. I did not hear of anyone who returned home with unsold stuff. This is the success that we aspire to maintain with this event,” Nuuyoma said confidently.

He said the initial 35 stands had to be increased to 44 as the demand for trading space was high.

Penda, one of the elders in the community, said seeing many people struggling to support themselves and their parents was saddening.

“We want to build a resilient community which can start businesses, and grow the economy. Our youth should be encouraged to start businesses. Everyone should have something to sell, and this starts with platforms like our trade fair,” he told New Era.

“Our people must unite; the trade fair and tournament is a platform to also exchange ideas and synergy.”

Mongudhi said they had missed an opportunity to maximise proceeds from the sale of more stalls and entrance fees for the beauty pageant.

The idea is thus to explore how to tap into those opportunities this year.

He said the committee decided not to charge registration fees for the pageant to give a chance to more girls to participate, considering this is the first time the event was hosted.

“I also see that in future, we need more space to allocate to businesses as the stands were sought-after, and the demand will even be higher,” Mongudhi continued.

He said one thing that needs to be added to the entertainment line-up is a live music show.

“A music show with popular artists will attract more people to the event, and be a platform for our upcoming musicians. So, should funds be available, we would like to have a music show this year.”

Boxer Jeremia ‘Low Key’ Nakathila, who has been hosting football tournaments at Onesi for the past few years, said he merged it with the fair to bring more people together.

“We are one, and there is no need for us to host different events on the same day. When we work as a team, we become stronger. I also know we are able to attract more people when we merge,” he added.

Nakathila said the tournament was a success and its objective was to create a platform for youth empowerment, and keep them away from destructive activities such as alcohol abuse, theft and other vices.

“If the youth have a place to gather and do constructive things, they are less likely to go off-track in life. When they are together, they are able to network and learn from each other and grow,” he reasoned.

Approached for comment, Omusati regional governor Erginus Endjala said business platforms are welcome in communities. He said any activity that fosters community wellbeing is appreciated, and that creating business opportunities is everyone’s responsibility.

“We have learnt that not everyone can be employed formally. Therefore, informal trading is a big part of employment-creation for people to put bread on the table.”

Endjala said the Eunda fair is one of the few business events that took place in his region last December.

There were similar events in Oshikuku and Okalongo.

He advised the organisers that these events should be hosted in accordance with local and traditional authorities’ procedures.

“Should there be no underlying motives or hidden agendas behind these events, then I am confident everyone will be able to support them. Let everyone follow the right procedures so that even the sponsors become willing to come on board. The regional councillor must also be part of this,” the governor said.

The organisers are appealing to corporate entities, business owners and individuals for financial support to host a bigger and better event next year. - pshiku@nepc.com.na