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Celebrating cultural diversity

Peneyambeko Shitaleni and Megan Hoaes

Decked with beautiful earrings and trendy traditional attire, the pupils of SSS expressed themselves in a reminiscent way of their culture. In advance celebration of the African Child's Day, teachers and learners of Swakopmund Secondary School scheduled this day to celebrate and embrace culture in a unique and very extravagant way. It was organized by teachers who teach Namibian Languages such as Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga and Khoekhoegowab with the help of their learners. Learners from these classes wore their cultural attire with a distinctive style.

The various pupils embodied this day by preparing and show-casing their different traditional food. Groups of learners explored the broader concepts of cultural beliefs, value and tradition. They displayed their stalls in the Gym Hall, were various ethnic groups such as the Oshikwanyama group prepared “ombidi” which is the traditional spinach with mahangu porridge, oshiwambo chicken and other products.The Oshindonga group prepared eedhingu, omagungu, oshingali, ekaka, ontaku and oshikwiila. The Damara group prepared maxau, donkey meat and pap as well as Mopani worms. All the groups gave a heartwarming performance which left the school speechless.

Paulina Mbeeli a girl from the Oshikwanyama group said that she had a fantastic time preparing the food and acquired general knowledge about other cultures. This event was a product of many hours and days invested by all teachers and learners, achieved through meticulous planning and cross cultural teamwork. As a result, the outcome was remarkable .The presentations and the variety of food was a wonderful opportunity for learners to share with one another, their understanding about culture, themselves and enhancing their public and social skills. “I was really impressed by how most of the learners had the ability to present their cultures so clearly and with such confidence in front of large audiences”, said Ms Nakashimba a teacher at SSS.