Inaugural Etotha Carnival attracts thousands

Apart from being a tourist attraction, the Etotha Carnival - which concludes today - is aimed at safeguarding the rich history of Namibia’s salt pans and improving the lives of the surrounding communities.Held at Kangonde salt pan in Onanke village since last Thursday, the carnival drew thousands of visitors, who participated in what has been described as a successful event.Under the theme ‘Safeguarding the jubilant pans to enhance the tang for our future generation – uutoye womongwa gwetu!’, the carnival gave visitors insight into the significant role salt pans play in Aawambo culture.Omukwaniilwa of Ondonga Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo said salt pans were not only used for collecting salt, adding that many other activities also took place there.“The salt pans have a rich history. It’s not only about those who collected salt for their livestock or for trading to get mahangu. There were people killed by lions in the salt pan. The things that have happened [here] are a lot; all the leaders of the Aandonga tribe used to come here.”Revitalising sectorAccording to Nangolo, the carnival is set to grow into a bigger event where traditional artefacts and cultural practices will be displayed for tourists to see.Just as Namibians travel to other countries to view artefacts and infrastructure, the Etotha Carnival will draw people from all walks of life to Onanke village, he said.Meanwhile, tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta said after the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry’s directorate of tourism and gaming spearheaded initiatives to revitalise the tourism sector, which birthed Namibia’s tourism sector recovery plan.“It is in this vein that a new tourism product - namely the Etotha Carnival, a combination of adventure, ecotourism and heritage tourism - was born,” he said, adding that it was modelled on the Makgadikgadi Epic in Botswana.Shifeta noted that while the realisation of the carnival was not all smooth sailing, they triumphed.“Today’s milestone has come about through a collaboration with our regulatory and marketing agency, the Namibia Tourism Board, and the Ondonga Traditional Authority,” Shifeta said.The Etotha Carnival is aimed at improving the livelihoods of local communities through activation of economic activities, and unravelling business opportunities, the minister said.kenya@namibiansun.com

Inaugural Etotha Carnival attracts thousands

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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Inaugural Etotha Carnival attracts thousands

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-03

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