The making of cultural festivals at tertiary institutions in Namibia: A case study of the University of Namibia

Abstract

Cultural festivals are celebrated annually around the world; they produce excitement and a sense of belonging for participants and visitors. In addition, cultural festivals are social events where people from different cultural backgrounds gather and to exhibit, share different cultural values, attitudes and behaviours. In Namibia, an ethnographic study was carried out by Dr Michael Akuupa on State-sponsored Cultural Festival and their histories in a post-apartheid Namibia. The study showed that diversity was represented through various forms of cultural exhibitions and it also highlighted a sense of belonging to a nation and a greater constituency. This study demonstrates a detailed ethnographic exploration of the University of Namibia’s Cultural Festival. The focal point of the study was to question whether the UNAM cultural festival is used to foster tolerance in the University of Namibia’s community of diverse cultures. The results show that there is a vast amount of work that goes into preparing and hosting the UNAM cultural festival. The results also show that the UNAM cultural festival is not only a context where people go celebrate different cultures but it is also context where people indulge in other activities that have nothing to do with culture.