Namibian, Angolan tribes unite to compile BCP
Biocultural community protocols (BCPs) include the preservation of sacred places and, as such, companies looking to develop certain areas must ask the communities residing in those areas for permission first. This according to Alphons Koruhama, who said this does not happen at the moment.
Koruhama is a proponent of a milestone document compiled over the past two years by Ovaherero communities in Kaokoland, on both sides of the border between Namibia and Angola.
The affected Ovaherero subgroups include the distinctive Ovahimba people, the Ovatjimba, the Ovandamuranda and the Ovambanderu. In collaboration with Natural Justice and International Rivers, they compiled a comprehensive document detailing their lifestyle, territory, wildlife and remarkable environment.
"We, the Ovaherero of Kaokoland - who are also referred to as the Ovahimba of Namibia and Angola - have maintained a distinctive existence throughout the centuries in terms of the utilisation of our rich and varied environment," the BCP read. “We have taken stewardship of these resources over the centuries and have preserved them to this day. But today, our livelihoods - which depend on this fragile environment - are threatened by drought, unsustainable development and modernity.”
At the Windhoek launch of the document last week, Koruhama said 84 tribal chiefs from Namibia and 10 from Angola contributed to the document. He wants the BCP to be taught in Namibian schools, he added.
‘Our eyes are open’
On behalf of the youth of the group, Uazepa Mbendura said the BCP empowered them to preserve their culture, environment and the inhabitants of that environment. "Our future generation, our young people, go to school and adopt different cultures, they get confused. If we don't train them, our culture will be lost and die out with the older people."
The project has also made her aware of her rights, she said. "The government cannot relocate me just because of a [development] project, because I know my rights. I know the law and can refer to it. Before we lived blindfolded, we were in the dark. Our eyes are now open," she said.
Meanwhile, Muatjupika Kapika, who represented the chiefs, lamented the absence of government leaders at the launch, despite many invitations.
"Let us stand together. It hurts that we invited the stakeholders of the government, but they are not here. This is our country, but we still struggle,” he said.
He also bemoaned the fact that donations for developmental projects for indigenous groups aren’t handed over to them.
“But the invader will come to our land and in the name of the law tell me that I am trying to stop development because I am protecting my culture and territory," he said. "How is it possible that you meet someone older than you, on the ground where he was born, but you instruct him?" he wanted to know.
Koruhama is a proponent of a milestone document compiled over the past two years by Ovaherero communities in Kaokoland, on both sides of the border between Namibia and Angola.
The affected Ovaherero subgroups include the distinctive Ovahimba people, the Ovatjimba, the Ovandamuranda and the Ovambanderu. In collaboration with Natural Justice and International Rivers, they compiled a comprehensive document detailing their lifestyle, territory, wildlife and remarkable environment.
"We, the Ovaherero of Kaokoland - who are also referred to as the Ovahimba of Namibia and Angola - have maintained a distinctive existence throughout the centuries in terms of the utilisation of our rich and varied environment," the BCP read. “We have taken stewardship of these resources over the centuries and have preserved them to this day. But today, our livelihoods - which depend on this fragile environment - are threatened by drought, unsustainable development and modernity.”
At the Windhoek launch of the document last week, Koruhama said 84 tribal chiefs from Namibia and 10 from Angola contributed to the document. He wants the BCP to be taught in Namibian schools, he added.
‘Our eyes are open’
On behalf of the youth of the group, Uazepa Mbendura said the BCP empowered them to preserve their culture, environment and the inhabitants of that environment. "Our future generation, our young people, go to school and adopt different cultures, they get confused. If we don't train them, our culture will be lost and die out with the older people."
The project has also made her aware of her rights, she said. "The government cannot relocate me just because of a [development] project, because I know my rights. I know the law and can refer to it. Before we lived blindfolded, we were in the dark. Our eyes are now open," she said.
Meanwhile, Muatjupika Kapika, who represented the chiefs, lamented the absence of government leaders at the launch, despite many invitations.
"Let us stand together. It hurts that we invited the stakeholders of the government, but they are not here. This is our country, but we still struggle,” he said.
He also bemoaned the fact that donations for developmental projects for indigenous groups aren’t handed over to them.
“But the invader will come to our land and in the name of the law tell me that I am trying to stop development because I am protecting my culture and territory," he said. "How is it possible that you meet someone older than you, on the ground where he was born, but you instruct him?" he wanted to know.
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