A National Arts Council of Namibia board member (NACN), Emmanuel Enkara, has encouraged people living in rural areas to invest in the arts and attract tourism.

Enkara, during an advocacy session in Omuthiya, said rural areas could also attract tourism through their art.

He also advised regional arts extension officers to go out into the regions and communicate with people in their vernaculars so they could understand the opportunities that the arts can bring about.

He encourages them to go to the communities face-to-face and announce the opportunities NACN provides, through grants and mobility funding, to further their studies at tertiary institutions.

A member of the NACN advocacy committee, Veronique Kuchekana-Chirau, said they are trying to raise awareness of the different forms of art so people can be informed of the opportunities it has to offer.

Kuchekana-Chirau further said that the NACN, as the national funding institution for artists in the country, does not get applications from artists from different regions.

She said they do not get applications from learners from rural areas who want to take the arts to another level, adding that the NACN wants to ensure that artists within the communities practice their art and become sustainable.

Kuchekana-Chirau further stated that the artists they are looking for should be able to perform in theatre, dance, storytelling, music, visual arts, culture, literature, and multidisciplinary.

NACN is a government entity that develops and supports programs and projects to ensure the continued practice of all art forms in Namibia.