Nust Cultural Festival celebrates tradition in the digital age

The Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) kicked off its annual cultural festival on Wednesday, under the theme: ‘Celebrating our Diverse Tapestry of Culture’.

Speaking to Desert Radio on Wednesday, Nust spokesperson Kuda Brandt said the promotion of digitisation does not mean the death of culture and tradition.

She said although the university is a science and technology campus, it promotes traditions through technology channels.

“At the same time, while we’re promoting modernisation, we’re also saying ‘let’s take our cultural heritage with us’. Let’s digitalise our artefacts. Let’s digitalise our stories, our music, our traditions and everything.”

According to Brand, Nust works closely with indigenous communities on projects that ensure that traditions, stories and culture are showcased from “the horse’s mouth”.

The cultural festival featured live cultural performances by students, as well as a flea market and heritage night, where a panel deconstructed Namibian culture, exploring the rich and evolving cultural identities in modern Namibia.

Nust vice chancellor Erold Naomab, speaking at the festival on Wednesday, said the annual cultural festival is testament to the diversity of the university’s culture.

“We take pride in celebrating cultural diversity because it is the essence of the human spirit that holds us together as an institution.”

Naomab said as a university of science and technology, Nust has a responsibility to harness the relationship between digitalisation and traditional practice, and an obligation to support society to navigate the preservation of cultural heritage while adopting modern technologies.

“As a university, we have several projects that aim to preserve the culture of the various local ethnic groups, which are not only led by our researchers but also endorsed by the communities themselves, therefore, representing their perspective,” Naomab said.

Also speaking at the festival on Wednesday, sport, youth and national service executive director Erastus Haitengela said the theme for Nust’s annual cultural festival serves as a celebration of the rich cultural diversity of the university and Namibia as a whole.

He said Namibia is enriched by its diverse languages, traditions, beliefs and customs.

“Just as the tapestry is woven from individual threads to create beautiful and intricate designs, so is our nation enriched. This diversity should not only be celebrated but embraced.”