29 Sep 2014

President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has congratulated Baherero for upholding their culture.

He graced the opening ceremony of the Herero, Mbanderu and Nama annual cultural festival in Omaweneno, an event congregating communities from Botswana, South Africa and Namibia under the theme, Breaking the walls of silence in search of our roots.

The President commended the three ethnic groups saying it was a good thing that they came together to celebrate their culture, pointing out that it was important because they would not forget their culture.

“I heard that it is an annual event and I encourage you to celebrate it here annually, government will help you in anyway it can in your bid to revive your culture,” he said.

He pointed out that tradition and culture were foundations of any society but cautioned against tribalism in the name of such.

When giving objectives of the day Moses Chibombi said the event would enable the three ethnic groups to inform and educate the youth especially those in Botswana and South Africa about the origins of Baherero.  He said those in Namibia were better because they were still in their ancestral land. 

Chibombi said the aim of the festival was to review their history and to reunite their cultural heritage especially amongst the Herero, Mbanderu and Nama cultural groups in diaspora, as a result of the German war against colonialism.

For his part, Kgosi  Samuel Bimbo of Omaweneno reiterated that the reason why they were gathered was because they wanted to revive their culture. He thanked the President for having seen it fitting to attend their festival adding that it showed that he did not look down on any ethnic group. ENDS