Nama community host cultural festival
Maureen Odubeng | Friday August 19, 2016 15:51
The festival will feature Nama traditional food, traditional medicine, and traditional activities such as Horse Carding, Namastap Dance, and Nama language and attire promotion.
One Nama Traditional Community organiser, Aobakwe William Cloete, explained that August 27 would be a day of learning about the Nama people, their history, practices and culture through a number of speakers. He said since the Nama people originate from Namibia, they would have about 85 visitors from Namibia, including four chiefs and five regional councillors. He further explained that on August 27, guests would be treated to Nama cultural activities.
Attendees will get to see first hand the traditional herbs used by the Nama people for different ailments, as well as get to taste the Nama traditional food. The audience will also be treated to a variety of dances, poetry, and story telling, as practised by the Nama people.
The Nama people are commonly referred to as Bakgothu, which is considered a derogatory term.
The tribe traces its origins in southern Namibia and northern South Africa, around the mid-19th century.
The Nama people, who are also known as Namaqua, speak a Khoekhoe language, distinguished by its number of click sounds. The Nama people practise a policy of communal land ownership. According to information found on numerous historical documents, the Nama people highly regard music, poetry and story telling, traits, which they have passed orally through the generations.
In Botswana, the Nama people are mostly found in the Kgalagadi District, largely Tsabong and Lokgwabe. They belong to the !Khara Khoen clan, which was led into Botswana by Simon !Gomxab Kooper during the German/Nama wars.
Simon !Gomxab Kooper showed great bravery and resistance in his encounter with the Germans.
He died in January 13, 1913 and was buried near the Kaartlwe pan on the outskirts of Lokgwabe. In 2011, a tombstone was erected at the site, a historical event, which brought together the Nama people from both sides of the border to honour their hero, for his dedication, and unwavering spirit as he led the community against the onslaught from colonial Germany.
Germans lent support in erecting a monument at the burial site of Simon !Gomxab Kooper.
Cloete said they will visit Simon !Gomxab Kooper’s burial site during the festival, to honour their departed legendary warrior, as well as show visitors the monument.
The Nama in Tsabong are led by Kaptein Piet F. Kaartze, and the ones in Lokgwabe are led Kaptein Charles Gert Cooper, great grandson to the fallen hero Kaptein Simon !Gomxab Kooper, who took over in 2004. Kaptein Charles Gert Cooper took over after his father, Kaptein Gert Cooper’s death.