Environment ministry set to host first-ever Etotha Carnival next July
By Clifton Movirongo.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism in partnership with the Ondonga Traditional Authority, Namibia Tourism Board, and other identified key stakeholders, is all set to host the Etotha Carnival to revitalize the tourism sector from the devastating impacts of COVID-19.
The event will be held in July 2024 at one of the Etosha salt pans known locally as Kangonde in Onanke village, Oshikoto region. Etotha is the traditional name for what is known today as Etosha.
A series of gala dinners are planned before the main event to raise funds for successfully hosting Namibia’s first-ever cultural carnival, with the first gala dinner scheduled for 28 October in Ondangwa at the Ondangwa Trade Exhibition Centre.
According to Romeo Muyunda, the ministry’s spokesperson, the event intends to diversify tourism product offerings and create new markets to attract more local travellers while increasing international tourist arrivals and regional spread.
“The carnival presents an opportunity to celebrate and showcase Namibia’s cultural and heritage diversity. The ministry is inviting contributions from the business community, the tourism sector, and individuals by purchasing tickets to reserve tables for the gala dinner at N$20,000 for platinum, N$15,000 for gold, and N$500 for an individual ticket,” he said.
Muyunda continued: “In addition to showcasing the country’s cultural diversity, the carnival is expected to host an exciting array of activities, which include skydiving, cultural performances, a Namibian traditional gastronomy cook-out competition, horse riding, a totem parade, boma storytelling, traditional games such as owela, and an Oshiwambo traditional homestead showcase.”
The Carnival is being hosted under the provisions of the National Sustainable Tourism Growth and Development Strategy 2016-2026 and the Namibia Tourism Sector Recovery Plan 2022-2024, which recommend the creation of new tourism routes and the expansion of tourism product offerings, and this includes cultural and heritage tourism, specifically to attract domestic tourists to the region.
For more information about the Carnival and to reserve a ticket/table, please visit https://www.etotha.com or contact Romeo Muyunda at the Public Relations Office; +264 61 284 2840, info.[email protected], or 0811407844.
