By Charles Tjatindi
WALVIS BAY
The Port of Walvis Bay opened its gates to the public over the weekend to mark the annual Port Festival.
The festival, which has become a tradition at the harbour town, allows the public unrestricted access to the port to observe the various activities and operations of the huge facility.
The event is jointly organised by the Namibia Ports Authority (NAMPORT) and the Walvis Bay Rotary Club.
This year, the festival boasted an array of stalls trading in a wide range of products from hand-made jewellery to traditional attire. Small traders who showcased their products were prominent at the event, seeing it as a perfect opportunity to sell their wares.
“This is a very good idea. One is exposed to a lot of customers, and you get to interact with other entrepreneurs and share ideas on business,” said Charlotte Amamus. Amamus is a self-employed distributor of the USA-based Forever Living Products.
Another trader at the festival, Queeny Erkana who manufactures traditional Oshiwambo dresses is optimistic that the opportunity created by the Port Festival will benefit her business greatly.
“This is a good opportunity. The prices for stalls are also reasonable compared to other trade shows in the region,” she noted.
Many traders felt that while they appreciate the gesture, the single day that is allocated for the festival is not enough to properly market their products.
Karoline Kativa, who is also an independent distributor of the Forever Living Products, noted that if the festival days were extended, traders would derive even more benefit.
“We will be able to sell more items and interact more with our fellow businesspeople for fresh ideas,” she said.
Louise Serfontein of the Walvis Bay Rotary Club said that although the club makes money out of the event, the main idea is to provide fun for the town’s residents.
“Throughout the year, people visiting the port are subjected to security checks and scrutiny. This day is open to all to come and view our beautiful port and experience its activities first hand. It is also free of charge,” she noted.
Boat rides, music entertainment and a jumping castle for the kids, complemented the festival’s activities. In addition, about 500 toys raised through contributions by the festival will be donated to orphaned children in Kuisebmund.
The festival is an annual event.