Culture of Namibia
After Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990, the new government adopted English as the official language, enshrined in the constitution of the country.
[4] The most widely spoken languages used in households are Oshiwambo dialects, by 49% of the population, Khoekhoegowab by 11%, Afrikaans by 10%, RuKwangali by 9%, Otjiherero by 9%, and Silozi by 4.71%.
According to the United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in 2007 up to 75% were Protestant, including as much as 50% Lutheran.
[11] According to the Namibia Demographic and Health Survey of 2013, the proportions are:[12] Foreign missionary groups operate in the country.
Himba people still wear traditional attire and apply otjize to their skin, a cosmetic mixture of butterfat and ochre pigment.
It gives Himba people's skin and hair plaits a distinctive texture, style, and orange or red tinge, and is often perfumed with aromatic resin.
The head of the household manages domestic finances, makes important decisions, and organizes productive activities.
Corporate kin groups are formed by ties traced through women (matrilineal), men (patrilineal), or both (bilateral), depending on ethnicity.
These kin groups provide a support network for their members and control joint property, especially livestock; in the past, they also played significant roles in political and religious affairs.
In the rural communal areas, men and boys generally care for livestock, build and maintain homesteads, plow fields, and contribute some agricultural labor, while women and girls do most of the agricultural labor, food preparation, childcare, and household work.
Weddings are extremely important social events in Namibia, bringing family and friends together to sing, dance, and feast.
Many Owambo couples, for example, say their vows in a church ceremony accompanied by identically dressed bridesmaids and groomsmen, then exit to a crowd of guests shouting praises, dancing, and waving horsetail whisks.
[18] Marriage was allowed without any limitation due to race, color, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, creed, or social or economic status, but not between "Whites" and "Non-Whites", as defined by the South African government and formalised by the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, 1949.
The National Theatre of Namibia serves as a venue for both Namibian and foreign musicians and stage actors, in addition to assisting community-based drama groups.
Traditional dance troupes representing the various ethnic groups of Namibia perform at local and national festivals and holiday celebrations and also participate in competitions.
Many craftspeople produce objects for local use and the tourist trade; wood carvings (containers, furniture, animals) from the Kavango and basketry from Owambo are the best-known examples.
One of the richest rock painting areas/sites in the subcontinent, the Brandberg has large numbers of sites scattered across its 750 km2 which are mostly the work of ancestral Bushman/San hunter-gatherers and may be up to 2,000 years old or more in some cases.
The painting's German name is Weiße Dame[20] Popular styles of music in Namibia include hip hop, R&B, Soul, reggae, afro-pop, house, and kwaito.
Other early Namibian musicians include a Setswana band called People's Choice, that was popular between 1996 and 1998 for their hit single "Don't Look Back (Siwelewele)", a kwaito trio called Matongo Family, Boli Mootseng, X-Plode with members (Jaicee James, Lizell Swarts & Christi Nomath Warner Warner Christi), Oshiwambo indigenous rapper Shikololo and R&B turn-producer Big Ben.
Namibian stars such as Stefan Ludik, The Dogg, Gazza, EES, Lady May, Sunny Boy, Sally Boss Madam, and Big Ben have become continental celebrities as well as Placa Gang a group of hard-working dream chasers.
Cultural sharing, migrations, political history, and even agricultural practices are all inscribed upon bodies and revealed in dance and music.
They have been joined by a younger generation including Joel Haikali, Oshosheni Hiveluah, Perivi Katjavivi, Tim Huebschle,[25] and Krischka Stoffels.
Examples from that period are the works of Neshani Andreas, Mvula ya Nangolo and Peya Mushelenga.
Most literature in the indigenous languages consists of traditional tales, short stories, and novels written for schoolchildren.
[27] In the precolonial period, indigenous cuisine was characterized by the use of a very wide range of fruits, nuts, bulbs, leaves, and other products gathered from wild plants and by the hunting of game.
The domestication of cattle in the region about two thousand years ago by Khoisan groups enabled the use of milk products and the availability of meat.
Important occasions are marked by the slaughter of cattle or goats, and the consumption of meat, home-brewed beer, purchased beverages, and other foods.
Children in rural areas walk or run for long distances daily to reach school.
The education that they have is provided for by the Namibian government however, the student's parents are to the front for the expenses of the uniforms, textbooks, and miscellaneous fees of the school.
Many Namibian schools are built in a uniform design that was suggested by the Chilean-born (turned Swedish citizen) architect Gabriel Castro, in the 1990s.
