Erongo Governor, Neville Andre Itope has called on Namibians to confront challenges faced by heritages every day to ensure that a halt is put to the erosion and destruction of local tradition and beliefs.

Itope while speaking at the official opening of the National Heritage Week at Swakopmund on Monday said: “This is necessary because as Africans if we are to claim the 21st century for ourselves, we have a duty to preserve our traditions and heritage.

We have an ever-changing world that is brought about by globalisation but as the world is changing, we must adapt to these changes to ensure that our heritage remains relevant,” he urged.

Itope said the indigenous knowledge systems still have a big role to play in solving many of the problems the world is facing today, saying Namibia is fortunate as the education system has an element of heritage in the syllabus although there is still room to improve.

He further called on everyone in the country to unite and stand together as well as learn from each other’s diverse cultures, which is unique on its own.

The Director of Education in Erongo Region Erenfriede Stephanus advised parents to teach their children the wealth and importance of heritage.

“We are such a colourful nation as Namibia, each one with their own culture. Therefore, let us celebrate our heritage and be grateful for this uniqueness,” Stephanus urged.

Meanwhile, Miss Swakopmund Municipality, Nancy Garoes, emphasised the need to understand each other’s cultures in order to fully understand each other’s being.

“Let us be an Ubuntu driven nation and let us understand each other’s cultures so we can be able to form the bond to make our slogan ‘One Namibia One Nation’ valid,” she noted.

The event which has been organised by the Scientific Society Swakopmund and COSDEF Arts and Craft Centre, is taking place under the theme; “Feshene, ke tlhale e e re lomaganang” a Setswana phrase translated as “Fashion, the threads that bind us together”.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency