Discover Nambia’s unique cultural traditions
While most people all over the world visit Namibia to explore its fascinating Landscape, there is also a variety of rich culture and people to discover and meet. Namibia is a unique with great cultural traditions and ethnic diversity. This is from rue original habitats, and cultures that were reborn during colonization and from the 1990 Apartheid. This is noticed through their language, dress code, sport, food, music, art and religion. Namibians are totally proud to be Namibians.
Even with different ethnic groups, about 50% of the total population are Ovambos, they can found in the northern parts of Namibia. Although most Ovambo people turned to Christianity due to the impact form Finnish missionaries, some changed and became Lutherans, however, most of them still practice traditional beliefs and customs. Most families still stay in groups of huts or homesteads surrounded by wooden fence poles.
The Herero are a main ethnic group of people mainly found in the southern and central regions of Namibia. Despite sharing pastoral traditions and a language, the Herero people are not as so a homogeneous people because now like the group that lives in the central region is subject to the European culture which they were introduced to during the colonial days. This is seen in the dress code of women who wear Victorian-style dresses with a colourful African flare which is completed by a large horn-shaped hat/headgear.
The Khoisan also who are Southern African migrants also call Namibia their home. They are a mixture of the san and the Namaqua cultures. The san are among the 14 ancestral population clusters where humans are said to have evolved, literally they are Namibia’s original people. On the other hand, the Namaqua greatly consider dance, music and story-telling and these have all been passed done among their generations.
They famously known for their crafts such as clay pots, sheepskin cloaks, musical instruments (like reed flutes), jewelry, and leather work. Therefore it is the language of the Khoisan that keeps them united, it is comprised of clicking sounds hence makes it different from any other language in Africa.
Languages and Religion
Even though Namibia has a small population, various languages are spoken. Most of them speak Bantu languages like Otjiherero and Oshiwambo which are the first languages and other languages spoken are Khoisan languages such as Damara or Nama and other several Bushman languages. There is also a small number of Native speakers who speak Indo-European languages like English and Afrikaans.
Basically English is the country’s official language; used by Government, in schools and mainly people in urban centers, northerners and the young people mainly speak it together with their first languages.
Majority of Namibians are Christians with the Lutheran church the largest and other denominations include; Anglican, catholic and Dutch reformed churches. A small group of people still practice traditional beliefs. Days like Christmas and Easter are Public holidays and usually these are days renown as times travel by this most families come together to celebrate them.
Art, Music and Fashion
There are a number of craft shops in Namibia with craftspeople who produce a number of objects which are locally used and others sold to tourists such as wood carvings like furniture, containers. Also basketry is made by the Owambo people. In fact most craftspeople have gone ahead to form organizations to help each other in marketing and production.
The Namibian music industry is not developed due to lack of enough focus on production viable music products also the marketing and distribution patterns are not that working well. Though there are still a number of folk styles of music plus rock, pop, jazz, hip hop and reggae.
Namibian culture like any other is also portrayed in the dress codes. For example, women from different parts of the country wear differently because some of them wear traditional clothing whereas others like the Herero wear the Victorian styled dressing. Others have adopted the western way of dressings especially in the urban centres. Also a certain hair style one makes especially the women tells their social status, age bracket and the rank in the society.
Food
The staple foods for mainly the agriculturalists are sorghum and millet and for the pastoralists it’s the dairy products. Foods like greens and beans a consumed with millet in the northern part of Namibia though very few vegetables are consumed or grown. Meat is one of those highly eaten and desired meals and yet to some it’s eaten on special occasions, fish is slowly being consumed through the government’s promotion of fish products of the country. There are restaurants around towns where other continental foods are prepared.
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