Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Bastival is a Katutura-based edutainment initiative run by the Basketball Artists School (BAS) Foundation.
BAS is an after-school program that has been running since 2010 and runs under the motto, ‘Education First-Basketball Second.’ The program turned 10 last year and took the chance to test run the concept of Bastival during its February celebrations. Being a fan favourite BAS brought the festival back this year with the first one being held on 16 October.
Merging the words BAS and festival, the name BAStival was formed, and has been the talk of the town since its official launch in October. The Bastival is hosted every Saturday at the BAS centre which is located within the Katutura Youth Sports Complex. From 10h00 to 17h00 every weekend, kids who are mainly from the Katutura community, get to play games, have monitored fun and, best of all, win prizes.
Working on a coupon system, the Bastival operates like a mini amusement space where children play a set of affordably-priced games, all with the chance to win prizes once they’ve won. BAStival partners Namcor, Interpack, Virgin Active, GIZ and Shoprite made the prizes possible for the children.
Ramah Mumba, BAS director said: “We believe that the NGO (non governmental organisation) has been standing so long because we remain focused on creating a safe environment in which people, young and old can safely build a strong and positive mindset. Bastival is just another approach in how we aim to achieve this goal.”
The festival charges a mere N$5 entrance fee and is open to children from 16 years and older. Activities range from soccer, basketball, life skills-based games, team building games, edutainment games such as debates and many more. Food and drinks are also available and for the sake of safety, security is present on the grounds as the games are ongoing.
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