Namibia's marula fruit festival listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

Namibia's Oshituthi shomagongo has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 10th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage currently underway in Windhoek, Namibia.

Oshituthi shomagongo, marula fruit festival, runs for two to three days between March and April when eight Aawambo communities from northern Namibia meet to enjoy omagongo -- a beverage made from the fruit.

"To prepare, men carve utensils and serve tools and the women make baskets and pots. They gather the fruit with young people, to process and ferment its juice. Traditional songs are sung, poems recited and lives discussed. Transmitted through observation and participation, the element unites generations and communities," according to the UNESCO narration on the element.

Chairperson of the Committee, Ambassador Trudie Amulungu said that the Representative List includes forms of expression that testify to the diversity of the intangible heritage and raise awareness of its importance.

"The review of nominations for inscription on this list is finished for this year, which saw 23 elements inscribed out of a total of 35 that were proposed," according to information released by the UNESCO on Thursday. Endit