{"id":80752,"date":"2024-11-18T17:26:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T17:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition"},"modified":"2024-11-18T17:26:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T17:26:00","slug":"ovazemba-fight-for-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition","title":{"rendered":"Ovazemba fight for recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Namibia. <\/strong><\/span><b> <\/b><br \/>\nMembers of the Ovazemba community last week voiced frustration over what they termed as continued marginalisation.<\/p>\n<p>During a protest held at Windhoek\u2019s Zoo Park on Friday, the protestors read their petition addressed to President Nangolo Mbumba, which called for official recognition as a distinct ethnic group.<\/p>\n<p>The petition was received by deputy minister of sport Emma Kantema-Gaomas.Protestors listed challenges their communities face due to a lack of formal acknowledgement. One of the protestors, Fenny Kamosho, described the group\u2019s struggles, saying other ethnic groups often overshadow their unique identity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople assume we are part of the Himba or Herero, but we are a unique ethnic group on our own. Our forefathers lived in the bushes, and we have been forgotten ever since,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n<p>She emphasised that the lack of recognition has far-reaching implications for the community, ranging from the absence of basic services in their language, to their categorisation under other ethnic groups in official records.<\/p>\n<p>She gave an example that the Dhemba have now been placed under the Uukolonkadhi traditional authority when there is no correlation between the two ethnic groups. \u201cOur name, Dhemba, means \u2018the forgotten ones\u2019. We have no radio station in our language, and elders in rural areas miss out on critical information like pension collection points,\u201d Kamosho lamented.<\/p>\n<p>Another protestor, Simeon Kalukuma, stressed the importance of recognition for cultural preservation and access to resources. \u201cWhen you are not recognised as a community, you are excluded from benefits meant for marginalised groups,\u201d he said. He pointed out that unrecognised communities cannot access grants or establish cultural platforms like radio stations. \u201cWe\u2019re denied freedom of expression. Without recognition, where do we even start?\u201d he queried.<\/p>\n<p>Kamosho and Kalukuma highlighted the erosion of their communities\u2019 traditions under the current system, which forces them to adapt to the rules of other traditional authorities.\u201cIn our ethnic group, we have our ways of resolving disputes, but we\u2019re compelled to follow other groups\u2019 laws, even for petty crimes,\u201d she said. She added that local governance could improve with formal recognition.<\/p>\n<p>Kalukuma said that the lack of autonomy impacts cultural practices like circumcision, which is misunderstood by other communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder the so-called Uukolonkadhi community, our traditions are seen as taboo, limiting our freedom to practice them,\u201d he pointed out\u200b.<\/p>\n<p>Protestors called on government to address their grievances, arguing that recognition paves the way for better representation, improved access to services, and the preservation of cultural heritage.<\/p>\n<p>Another protestor, Kavetu Munekamba ,emphasised the significant impact of a lack of recognition on his community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLack of recognition has had a tremendous effect on us, especially due to language barriers. This happens most of the time because our language is not widely understood by other ethnic groups. For instance, if you go out looking for your lost livestock, you may encounter people who cannot understand your language, hindering your search. This is why we are requesting recognition\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>David Kolunga is a concerned citizen, who expressed support for the young people of his community seeking recognition and social justice. He believes recognition of traditional authority is crucial for their community, particularly for language preservation and education.<\/p>\n<p>He questioned government\u2019s reluctance to recognise the community, and called for transparency regarding any obstacles.<\/p>\n<p><b>Petition received<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Receiving the petition, Kantema-Gaomas said \u201cNamibia is a country based on the rule of law,\u201d and assured the youth that their concerns would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities for due consideration. \u201cSo, what you have done, you have exercised your rights as enshrined in the Constitution. From my side, standing here, representing the President, I can pledge to you that I will transmit your concerns to the relevant, competent institution that deals with the matters that you have raised,\u201d she assured.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <a href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\">Namibia<\/a> Follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/\">Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Namibia. Members of the Ovazemba community last week voiced frustration over what they termed as continued marginalisation. During a protest held at Windhoek\u2019s Zoo Park on Friday, the protestors read their petition addressed to President Nangolo Mbumba, which called for official recognition as a distinct ethnic group. The petition was received by deputy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":80751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-80752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ovazemba fight for recognition - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ovazemba fight for recognition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press &#8211; Namibia. Members of the Ovazemba community last week voiced frustration over what they termed as continued marginalisation. During a protest held at Windhoek\u2019s Zoo Park on Friday, the protestors read their petition addressed to President Nangolo Mbumba, which called for official recognition as a distinct ethnic group. The petition was received by deputy [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-18T17:26:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Ovazemba fight for recognition\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-18T17:26:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition\"},\"wordCount\":641,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/11\/Hazrati1731938179.430924.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa press\",\"Africa Press-Namibia\",\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ovazemba-fight-for-recognition\",\"name\":\"Ovazemba fight for recognition - 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