Celebrating Namibia’s diversity

Understanding the role of culture, tradition and tribe
Teaching children about different traditions and cultures helps foster unity.
Nankali Kamwanga
Namibia is a diverse country, boasting a rich variety of cultures and traditions.

Teaching children about Namibia's diversity helps foster awareness and acceptance of their fellow Namibians.

“It is important to teach children the difference between culture, different tribes and traditions because they all come from different backgrounds and have established ways of thinking about, saying and doing things," said Aimee Cloete, a primary school teacher.

“Children are very excited and interested to learn about different traditions, values and beliefs that they practice,” explained Rouchelle Van Rooi, a grade two teacher.

Although culture, tribe and tradition have their own distinct concepts, they are interconnected and evolve over time. The cultural landscape of Namibia has been shaped by migration, centuries of interactions and external influences.

The amalgamation of colonial history and traditional customs has resulted in a diverse array of traditions that are unique to Namibia.

Differences between Namibian cultures, tribe and traditions are found in their unique and connected meanings.

Tribe refers to a particular social group connected by blood ties, whereas culture refers to the wider social norms and behaviours.

On the other hand, tradition includes the practices and ceremonies that members of a community have carried down through the ages.

All of these elements come together to create Namibia's colourful society, which reflects the people's strength, diversity and connectivity.

“Knowing your culture and where you come from is extremely important to knowing who you are. To know your background can help you shape your future. Culture includes traditions and beliefs, and each tribe has their own traditions, so culture is a term that includes both tribe and traditions,” said Irene Nel, a Namibian life skills teacher.



Culture: "Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs." - Thomas Clayton Wolfe

Essentially, culture is the collective ideas, practices, languages and creative output of a certain group of people.

Tribe: “Tribes make our lives better, and leading a tribe is the best life of all.” - Seth Godin

A tribe is a social community united by familial ties, a common language and cultural practices. There are several tribes in Namibia, and they all have unique customs and histories.

Tradition: “A love of tradition has never weakened a nation." - Winston Churchill

Tradition in a community refers to the values, habits and practices that have been passed down through the generations. The foundation of Namibian cultural identity and continuity are its traditions.

Cultural festivals are often used as platforms to celebrate traditional storytelling, dance and music.

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Currie Cup: Airlink Pumas 14 vs 41 Toyota Cheetahs XV | Fidelity ADT Lions 62 vs 5 NovaVit Griffons | Suzuki Griquas 37 vs 29 DHL Western Province Rugby Championship: Argentina 67 vs 27 Australia | Springboks 18 vs 12 New Zealand Katima Mulilo: 18° | 38° Rundu: 15° | 38° Eenhana: 15° | 38° Oshakati: 16° | 34° Ruacana: 16° | 34° Tsumeb: 19° | 33° Otjiwarongo: 14° | 32° Omaruru: 14° | 32° Windhoek: 13° | 29° Gobabis: 11° | 31° Henties Bay: 9° | 15° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 07:19, High tide: 13:46, Low Tide: 19:48, High tide: 02:00 Swakopmund: 11° | 12° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:44, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Walvis Bay: 10° | 17° Wind speed: 28km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:43, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Rehoboth: 9° | 30° Mariental: 9° | 27° Keetmanshoop: 8° | 23° Aranos: 8° | 29° Lüderitz: 9° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 6° | 22° Oranjemund: 9° | 26° Luanda: 21° | 22° Gaborone: 16° | 32° Lubumbashi: 18° | 36° Mbabane: 9° | 15° Maseru: 2° | 22° Antananarivo: 12° | 29° Lilongwe: 20° | 31° Maputo: 16° | 22° Windhoek: 13° | 29° Cape Town: 10° | 18° Durban: 13° | 15° Johannesburg: 14° | 27° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 30° Lusaka: 21° | 34° Harare: 17° | 30° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.39 | EUR to NAD 19.77 | CNY to NAD 2.52 | USD to NAD 17.85 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.36 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.67 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.18 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 131.86 | USD to AOA 920.38 | USD to BWP 13.26 | USD to EGP 48.39 | USD to KES 128.23 | USD to NGN 1620.02 | USD to ZAR 17.85 | USD to ZMW 26.3 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1770.56 Down -1.47% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13911.35 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31029.7 Up +0.10% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 497.56/OZ DOWN -0.0079 | Copper US$ 4.04/lb DOWN -0.0194 | Zinc US$ 2 721.80/T DOWN -0.3% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 72.03/BBP DOWN -0.0187 | Platinum US$ 919.13/OZ DOWN -0.007 Sport results: Currie Cup: Airlink Pumas 14 vs 41 Toyota Cheetahs XV | Fidelity ADT Lions 62 vs 5 NovaVit Griffons | Suzuki Griquas 37 vs 29 DHL Western Province Rugby Championship: Argentina 67 vs 27 Australia | Springboks 18 vs 12 New Zealand Weather: Katima Mulilo: 18° | 38° Rundu: 15° | 38° Eenhana: 15° | 38° Oshakati: 16° | 34° Ruacana: 16° | 34° Tsumeb: 19° | 33° Otjiwarongo: 14° | 32° Omaruru: 14° | 32° Windhoek: 13° | 29° Gobabis: 11° | 31° Henties Bay: 9° | 15° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 07:19, High tide: 13:46, Low Tide: 19:48, High tide: 02:00 Swakopmund: 11° | 12° Wind speed: 23km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:44, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Walvis Bay: 10° | 17° Wind speed: 28km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:43, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Rehoboth: 9° | 30° Mariental: 9° | 27° Keetmanshoop: 8° | 23° Aranos: 8° | 29° Lüderitz: 9° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 6° | 22° Oranjemund: 9° | 26° Luanda: 21° | 22° Gaborone: 16° | 32° Lubumbashi: 18° | 36° Mbabane: 9° | 15° Maseru: 2° | 22° Antananarivo: 12° | 29° Lilongwe: 20° | 31° Maputo: 16° | 22° Windhoek: 13° | 29° Cape Town: 10° | 18° Durban: 13° | 15° Johannesburg: 14° | 27° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 30° Lusaka: 21° | 34° Harare: 17° | 30° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.39 | EUR to NAD 19.77 | CNY to NAD 2.52 | USD to NAD 17.85 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.36 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.67 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.18 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 131.86 | USD to AOA 920.38 | USD to BWP 13.26 | USD to EGP 48.39 | USD to KES 128.23 | USD to NGN 1620.02 | USD to ZAR 17.85 | USD to ZMW 26.3 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1770.56 Down -1.47% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13911.35 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31029.7 Up +0.10% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 497.56/OZ DOWN -0.0079 | Copper US$ 4.04/lb DOWN -0.0194 | Zinc US$ 2 721.80/T DOWN -0.3% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 72.03/BBP DOWN -0.0187 | Platinum US$ 919.13/OZ DOWN -0.007