The organisers of this year’s Tsumeb Copper Festival are determined to change people’s perception that the event is only about fun and drinking.
The 18th edition of the event, which will be hosted by the northern town at the United Nations Park (UN Park) between 1 and 4 November, is poised with a lot of positive changes.
“This year, we are not only thinking about making profits for ourselves, but we have also gone out of our way to make it conducive for exhibitors to benefit immensely. We want them to feel welcome and valued.
“We have scrapped the usual N$50 entrance fee for patrons, driven by the belief that more visitors would flock to UN Park to support exhibitors.
“We have also reduced the registration fee for exhibitors from N$1 000 to N$800,” says Julius Gaeseb, the chairman of the event’s organising committee.
He said they have added a platform to train small and medium enterprises (SMEs), while there is a strong emphasis on youth empowerment this year.
“For the first time we will be training SMEs, and manuals and certificates will be issued to successful participants afterwards. Sport, youth and national service deputy minister Emma Kantema-Gaomas will take time out to engage with the youth.
“In addition to the clinical psychologist who will engage the youth on aspects like mental health, there will also be experts from Agribank, the Business and Intellectual Property Authority, FNB, the Namibia Revenue Agency and Standard Bank, who will inform the youth on how they can become entrepreneurs,” Gaeseb says.
The organisers anticipate a huge influx of visitors, with Southern African Development Community countries forming the bulk of the expected 140 exhibitors.
Free exhibition space is allocated to the Boys Scouts, Ombili Foundation, and Evaristus Shikongo Prison inmates, who will be exhibiting handicrafts.
Visitors from as far as Kenya are expected.
The opening ceremony on Tuesday will be preceded by a floating procession led by the Namibian Defence Force, while various schools, the fire brigade, cultural groups and Tsumeb’s business outlets will also participate.
Wednesday will witness a business conference for established businesses, which will be addressed by the Chamber of Mines of Namibia Zebra Kasete.
On Thursday, minister of mines and energy Tom Alweendo will conduct the official opening of the copper festival.
According to Lloyd Cloete, Friday’s programme includes education on various farming practices, while there will also be a drive to deworm dogs at Tsumeb.
There will be entertainment galore in the form of music and sport on Saturday, which marks the last day of the festival.
A 21km race, 10km run and 5km walk and run will take place, with all the profits from the event being donated to the Standard Bank Buy a Brick Project.
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