Africa-Press – Namibia. THE much-anticipated Omagongo Festival has been cancelled again this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The festival, which was supposed to be hosted by the Ombalantu Traditional Authority, has been shifted to next year following a two-year absence since the pandemic broke out in 2020.
The chairperson of the northern traditional authorities, chief Herman Iipumbu, confirmed this yesterday. He said the festival could not take place because of Covid-19 regulations prohibiting big gatherings to prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus.
“The Ombalantu Traditional Authority had to cancel this year’s festival because of Covid-19 regulations. The marula fruits ripen around January, and festival preparations normally start in February, so when the new Covid-19 regulations were put in place, it was too late for us as the organising committee to go ahead.
“Before the new regulations were put in place, the maximum number of people per gathering was at 200 only, and we thought this number was too limited, considering the festival attracts thousands of people from all over the country.
“We therefore decided to cancel this year’s festival and hopefully host it next year if all goes well,” Iipumbu said. He urged the communities to remain steadfast and work hard in their crop fields to be able to yield good harvests and prevent hunger.
“Covid-19 has disrupted a lot of things, but that does not mean we should sit idle without doing anything. It is now ploughing season, people should concentrate more on working in their crop fields to yield good results. People should also avoid confrontational situations now – especially because it is omagongo season and people tend to get aggressive when under the influence of omagongo.
“Traditional courts have also been suspended for now until such a time when the omagongo season is over,” Iipumbu said.
The festival, which is usually attended by people from all walks of life and different ethnic groups from various regions of the country, is hosted every year by a different Ovambo tribe.
The Omagongo Festival was last hosted by the Ongandjera Traditional Authority in 2019, and was supposed to be hosted by the Ombalantu Traditional Authority in 2020.
Iipumbu said the Ombalantu Traditional Authority would host the event next year. The Omagongo Festival is a cultural event that celebrates the cultural diversity of the Aawambo people.
The event is hosted annually on a rotational basis by the traditional authorities of Ondonga, Ongandjera, Uukwambi, Uukwaludhi, Oukwanyama, Ombalantu, Uukolonkadhi and Ombadja.
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