Even though we live in an enlightened and modern era, some cultural customs should not be tampered with, and people need to do things as they have been done in the past.

This is according to Ukorua Kanguatjivi and Uatengapo Tjirondero, who feel Ovaherero people, especially, need to go back to their roots when hosting traditional events, specifically weddings.

This prompted them and a few others to organise the Tjimukandi Fair, with the aim of enlightening prospective brides and grooms of the Ovaherero tribe to host the prestigious gathering according to tradition.

Translated from Otjiherero, Tjimukandi means a massive wedding.

“People say times have changed and these are modern times, and we thought how about we host a fair, where we pull people back to their roots of how things were done,” Kanguatjivi told VIBEZ! 

She said the aim is to highlight vital activities of Ovaherero weddings that should not be altered. 

The fair is slated for 6 and 7 August 2021 at a venue yet to be announced.

The intention, according to the organisers, is to instil a certain sense of pride in remembrance of where the heritage originates from.

“I am not saying the groom and bride should not enjoy their wedding but on a Sunday when it’s time for the groom to go get his wife, some don’t have the strength to do so, because they are heavily intoxicated,” explained Kanguatjivi.

She noted that they understand that people want to look different and unique, but some wedding attire are not appropriate, referring to a groom at a recent wedding who wore a nice suit with All-Star sneakers.

Kanguatjivi stated the fair also aims to promote individuals who specialise in, for example, making suits, wedding dresses and knopkierries (walking sticks), as well as to expose artistically-abled people in rural areas. 

The fair will portray an Ovaherero wedding with pretend-brides and -grooms, who will show how activities should be done according to culture, including the way a wife-to-be should carry herself.

Prominent Omurari FM personality Dave Rukero will be outlining the procedures and narrating activities on the day.

"It is important to highlight how activities during a wedding occur, from when the cow arrives to when the groom takes his wife from her homestead to formally introduce her to his family", he explained.

“Things are changing and we need to go back to how things were done and how they should be done. I have been married for about 20 years now, and I still have the stick that my father gave me, which he got from his father. These are things we want to instil in young couples,” explained the Omurari FM radio personality. -psiririka@nepc.com.na