Nama Development Trust hosts language and dressmaking workshop

A fortnight after hosting the successful Nama Festival, the Botswana Nama Development Trust recently organised two one-day workshops, one on Basic Khoekhoegowab (Nama Language) and another in Dressmaking (Patchwork) Nama Attire, in Lokgwabe, Kgalagadi. All the participants were awarded certificates of attendance.

According to the trust spokesperson, Nichodimas Cooper, due to the lack of skills within the Nama people’s respective communities and within the country, they had to source the facilitators from their Namibian Nama counterparts, through the assistance of T & P Leadership and Management Consultancy for Khoekhoegowab lessons and Nolsie Trading Creations for Dressmaking, while the European Union sponsored the event.

The month old trust is mandated to reach out to every Nama descendant in Botswana as one of the efforts to establish the current population in existence, revive culture, restore the Nama Language as well as empower the community with skills that can help themselves enrich their lives, just like any other Motswana tribe.

Cooper noted that there are many people of Nama origin across Botswana and they encourage them to come out and be proud of their culture and history. “Current statistics show we have significant numbers of Nama people in Lokgwabe, where our office of operation is stationed, as well as Tshane, Draihoek, Werda, Tsabong, Khawa, Gakhibane, Bokspits, Struizendam, Thankane and Mmathethe. We are yet to locate others elsewhere in Botswana.”