The Nama community from across the country gathered at Keetmanshoop to celebrate their rich cultural heritage during the four-day annual Nama Cultural Festival. 

Now in its fifth year, the festival creates a platform for the Nama community to showcase various aspects of their culture. 

Its main objective is to preserve the Nama cultural heritage and strengthen the spirit, identity, and dignity of the Nama community. 

Johannes Isaack, the Chairperson of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association, delivered the keynote address at the festival's official opening, preceded by a procession through the streets of Keetmanshoop. 

"What is happening right now has already happened in the past, and what will happen in the future has already happened. In simple terms, history repeats itself, and we have to perceive time as a moving reality. Our past, present, and future are bound together, and we must learn from our past mistakes and understand the present in ways that orient us to the future." 

Dawid Eigub, chairperson of the festival's organising committee, stressed the importance of cultural heritage. 

"We believe as the organisers of this festival that culture is an important instrument to unite our people, culture is an important instrument to bind our people together, culture is an important instrument to reshape our society, and culture is an important instrument to transfer certain Indigenous knowledge to the younger generation."

The four-day festival, which kicked off on Thursday, will end with an ecumenical church service on Sunday.