By: Lesley Tjiueza The European Union National Institutes for Culture’s (EUNIC) cluster in Namibia is uniting eight schools for the EUNIC 2017 Youth Football Tournament, which will be held this Saturday at Windhoek International School. The European Union Cluster was established 15 years ago. This year they have decided to help develop and support the African youth. According to EU Ambassador to Namibia Yana Hybaskova, EUNIC Namibia hosts joint cultural activities to foster a better relationship between EU members and Namibia every year. In her statement, European Union Ambassador to Namibia, Jana Hybaskova said the EUNIC event promotes unity in diversity, which is not only applicable in Europe, but also in Namibia and to the formation of a Namibian identity. “The EUNIC Football Tournament is an activity that promotes cooperation, teamwork and fair-play, and can assist in bridging cultural gaps,” said Hybaskova. Tournament director Eliaser Nadhipite explained the logistics of the tournament,explaining that girls will also form part of the 7-a side encounters. “We want to break that barrier and stereotype of football teams only comprising of boys and that the two sexes can’t play together,” he said. Daniel Stoevesandt is the Director of the Goethe Centre, where football films will be screened free of charge this weekend. He added his voice to the organisation of the event . “To achieve this we give exposure to and offer participation in activities of modern European culture. Football is something Namibia and the EU shares so we take this opportunity to promote plurality and European values of great sportsmanship and build trust with Namibia.” Said Stoevesandt. Each EUNIC Namibia member State elected a school for their representation: Germany – Windhoek High School Namibia – Concordia College Finland – Marthi Ahtisaari Secondary School France – Jan Jonker Secondary School Spain – Physically Active Namibia Portugal - Jakob Marengo Secondary School Great Britain – Fidel Castro School and European Union - St George’s Diocesan School The top three teams will walk away with medals and vouchers for one of three group activities: Go-karting, Archery and Indoor Climbing.