Windhoek
Live music, street art, stone sculpting, theatre plays, traditional foods and poetry are some of the full itinerary of attractions to Windhoek residents were treated and entertained during three days of excitement at the Zoo Park during the annual /Ae //Gams Arts and Cultural Festival recently.
The festival, celebrated under the theme, Diverse Cultures, One Vision, saw delighted festival goers appreciating different cultural groups embracing their different backgrounds. This included glimpses of traditional villages through performances by Limbambangela Cultural Group from Ruacana; a Mafwe Living Museum, Mbunza Living Musem, Amaburuxa Cultural Group from Tsumkwe and the Ju/’hoansi Living Museum who showcased interesting traditional insights from everyday living like fire making, weaving, basket making to traditional healing. Although the public did not turn up in big numbers, the festival proved that it’s not only on its way of becoming a major cultural and art attraction in the City of Windhoek but a major tourist attraction as well.
Vendors were selling local wares and their artworks with some people purchasing crafts and others simply attending to listen to good music. Colourful arts and cultural activities around the city centre wounded off with a backing track music concert on Saturday with performances by S-man, One Blood, Tswazis,Atushe, Shotugn, Munkee just to mention a few. Considering the number of people attending, I would advise the organisers nevertheless to promote the festival in advance to attract a wider crowd next time but overall the were good vibes all weekend, supported and kept alive by a venue filled with people, hungry for an open festival.
The festival, now an annual event on the City’s entertainment calendar, is destined to turn the usually hustling and bustling city, a slowed down with a vibrant cultural heritage and a budding tourist destination in Africa serving as a platform for the exposure local talents and adding value to the already strong cultural cosmopolitan blend that the City has been becoming since independence.
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