Windhoek's Arts and Cultural Festival

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I was invited to the opening ceremonies of the /Aë //Gams (ya go head and pronounce that) Arts and Cultural Festival. The Prime Minister of Namibia was there to open the festival and he said something I quite liked, "With culture, we are all equal". It was a pretty fun time with all of Namibia's ethnic groups represented in song and dance. Even German (colonial) culture was celebrated. There were also other countries in Africa represented as well as Indonesian folk dancers and crazy Chinese acrobats (they were a real crowd pleaser). There was also a traditional dress contest which was cool for me because I got a little sampler of all the different styles. It was a rather small event by big city standards, but having worked in cultural planning I could really see how this festival will really help the vitality of the city, encourage domestic tourism and build bridges between Namibia's many ethnic groups. Overall, it was a good time.

Here's some highlights...

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Photos

The Parade
The Pre-Festival Parade

More Parade
The pre-festival parade

Germans
Ohhh ...watch out...here come the Germans

Traditional Dress
"Proud to Be Namibian": The traditional dress competition

Traditional Dress Owambo/Herero
More competitors for best traditional dress