THE Mayor of Outapi, Matheus Ndeshitila, says the Olufuko Cultural Festival, which was initiated by the town council in 2012 is an economic booster for the Omusati Region.
Ndeshitila said this when addressing the town’s business personalities during a function hosted by his council last Thursday.
The Outapi Town Council hosted the Olufuko Cultural Festival for the first time in August 2012 and the second time last year.
The festival celebrates an Oshiwambo tradition where young girls are prepared for womanhood, including marriage, pregnancy and caring for a family.
Although it was highly criticised by a section of the society and was labelled an “un-Christian” practice, the Olufuko Festival has attracted hundreds of visitors from across the nation and beyond since its inception.
President Hifikepunye Pohamba and his predecessor Dr Sam Nujoma attended the festival’s official opening in 2012 and last year.
“The Olufuko Festival is our economical booster for the Omusati Region, and of course for you the businesspeople, it brings direct and indirect benefits,” Ndeshitila told his audience.
According to him, the festival benefits the local businesspeople through visitors who buy from their businesses and use their accommodation establishments.
He also suggested that businesspeople must contribute to the hosting of the festival in one way or another, if the Outapi Town Council is to continue hosting it successfully.
“Let us prepare for the Olufuko Festival 2014 – the gala dinner and the event itself,” Ndeshitila urged, adding that the Outapi community needs to ensure that the festival attracts people from all over Namibia and beyond in their thousands. – Nampa
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