KEETMANSHOOP – The //Kharas capital may soon get a name change to its original indigenous name #Nu#Goases.
This was revealed last Friday by the Deputy Mayor of Keetmanshoop Gabriel Freyer at a dinner hosted by the municipality to launch the #Nu#Goases Arts and Cultural Festival.
Speaking at the dinner, Freyer said Keetmanshoop could follow in the footsteps of Lüderitz in changing the town’s name to the indigenous name the town was formerly known by to local people. Lüderitz is set to get a name change to !Nami#Nus and Freyer suggested that Keetmanshoop will follow suit in the near future.
He said the name change might come when people are used to the clicks in the new name, which is the same name the arts and cultural festival will also be called.
“When you get used to the clicks then we can follow !Nami#Nus, changes like this begin with events like this,” Freyer said.
He also expressed the importance of culture, noting that without culture we cannot go anywhere as people and that what is happening in other parts of Africa will not happen if we keep our culture. Also gracing the dinner was the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maureen Hinda, who called on all Namibians to embrace their culture. She said it is important as a diverse nation that we continue to preserve our rich cultural heritage and equally important that we make our culture and rich history work for us. “We are here tonight to celebrate and embrace each other’s cultures and customs,” she said. Hinda said history and culture give Namibians their identity, tell them who they are, where they came from, what and how their ancestors used to live and what kept them together. She added that it is important to realise culture is dynamic as it evolves over time but it is still important that the nation preserves some cultural practices for future generations. “What we do today is tomorrow’s history, what we condone today as a practice – good or bad – is tomorrow’s culture,” she said, adding that it is important Namibians promoted culture as an instrument to manage diversity and generate income. The event received pledges from different individuals and companies.