02 Jul 2013

The much anticipated Ghanzi Meat Festival, which was timed to collide with the popular Ghanzi Agricultural Show, did not attract as many people as was expected.

The occasion took place on July 27, two days prior to the official opening ceremony of the agricultural show. For the average audience who had gone to Ghanzi for the specific purpose of exhibiting, the timing was not favorable to them; they were busy manning their stalls and getting ready for the judging session the following day.

The show also started eight hours behind schedule; it was initially supposed to start at two o’clock with the official opening by the chairperson of Ghanzi Beef, Mr Alwyn Van Den Heever. Although meat was in abundance, including beef and various game meat, there were few people to eat the meat.

The P250 ticket afforded one to eat 30 plates of different meat and game in any assortment of their choice at their own pace, from braai to kebabs to seswaa (pounded meat). In any gig, music is always a requisite and any delay to give people the soothing melodies could disgruntle them.

Ghanzi Meat Festival had publicised Culture Spears, Charma Gal, Gong Master, as well as DJs Sly and Boogie Sid for entertainment.

With the slow pace flocking of the crowd to the event, music would have been perhaps been a tempting device to attract attendance but the performances started very late in the night when some were already doubtful that the artists would ever get on stage.

Nevertheless the local traditional groups lifted the spirits and the little number of attendees started to show life as they danced to the tunes of Culture Spears and Gong Master.

The event was scheduled for three days. But even day two, which could have had more people as it was a weekend also did not show any positive response. To get in one had to part with P25 and buy meat at P20 a plate.

The idea of a meat festival festival in Ghanzi had been welcomed by the community as they believed it would promote the township, among other things.

Mr Heever applauded the concept saying it would promote Ghanzi as a meat hub that it should be. He noted that although there were also wild animals in the region, cattle were the main source of income in Ghanzi.

Therefore, he said as the association was effective enough, they would explore all channels to enhance the development of the community, including working with the organisers of the meat festival if need be as they wanted to promote Ghanzi as a meat producing area.  Ends