ONDANGWA — The upcoming Etotha Carnival in Ondangwa received a substantial financial injection of over N.dollars 1.5 million during its launch and fundraising event held this past Saturday.

According to a new release by The Namibian Press Agency, the Ondonga Traditional Authority stepped in as the main sponsor, pledging N.dollars 500,000 to support the hosting of the carnival. Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, announced a collaboration between his ministry and the Ondonga Traditional Authority to establish the annual Etotha Carnival. The event aims to improve the livelihoods of local communities, preserve community heritage, enhance sustainable tourism development, and foster conservation of biological diversity, while also promoting social cohesion across Namibia.

During his speech, Shifeta elaborated that the carnival is intended to bridge cultural gaps through tourism, using the Ekangonde Salt Pans as a backdrop for the celebrations. These salt pans are recognized as an important heritage site that plays a critical role in supporting and shaping the traditional lifestyles of communities.

Shifeta also highlighted the recovery in the travel and tourism sector, citing that a total of 461,027 tourists arrived by the end of 2022, marking a 98.1% increase from 232,756 tourists in 2021. He noted that the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to the GDP was N.dollars 15.1 billion in 2015, accounting for 10.2% of the overall GDP and providing 100,700 jobs, or 14.5% of total employment.

Fillemon Shuumba Nangolo, the Leader of the Ondonga Traditional Authority, further mentioned that the salt pan, traditionally off-limits to women, will be open to all genders for the first time. Nangolo explained that the cultural shift is made possible by permission from their ancestors, allowing the salt pan to be part of the inclusive celebration during the Etotha Carnival.

The Etotha Carnival is scheduled to take place next July in the Oshikoto Region.