ONGWEDIVA - The Damara speaking people in Oshana region on Friday launched their traditional dress (horokhoes) at Ongwediva.

The launch of the dress signifies the revival and restoration of the cultural attire of the Damaran and calls for the preservation of the dress and culture for generations to come.

Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development Nathalia
/Goagoses encouraged those in attendance and particularly those in Oshana to take part in the social economic development of the region.

/Goagoses said the revival of the dress should also mark the beginning of changing the narrative and emulating good practices in the areas they find themselves.

/Goagoses took a stance to encourage parents to motivate their children to go to school, take them off the streets and to keep them away from drugs.

“You will never see some of our children in this republic on the street corners in our towns, that’s a best practice to emulate. These kids who are not on the streets, at the corners begging around, they are in the schools. They are at the universities or they have already started contributing to the job market,” /Goagoses said sternly.

She thus encouraged parents to change the narrative to ensure that come graduation, there will be plenty of their children compared to the current status quo where there are few at graduation ceremonies.

“We must be restless, our children are few at graduations. Is that where we want to be? Get our children from the streets, these are our kids. Let us shame those drug lords by removing our kids because that is not where we belong. We do not belong to the drug lords, we are not slaves,” /Goagoses said.

Gaob of the ‡Nῡkhoe IIAes Justus IIGaroëb, who was clad in a gown, said he deliberately wore it to inspire the young people to excel in education, citing that education is the key and equaliser in society.

“I am wearing this doctorate attire so that it can be an inspiration for your children and the future generation,” IIGaroëb said.

*Nuusita Ashipala is an information officer at MICT Oshana.