Brasche, I: Otse Mbaka: Ovambo Cultural Resilience in Namibi

Culture changes at a dizzying pace. To investigate how cultural change takes place, it is important to address issues of agency in the process and look at both historical and contemporary agents of change to determine who and what impacts cultural dynamism, and the implications of this for a newly independent country like Namibia. Traditionally, Ovambo people have felt excluded from decisions regarding cultural change, which has resulted in a sense of cultural loss - of practices, activities, traditions and customs. Contemporary Ovamboland, however, represents a dynamic cultural mélange of traditional and modern life co-existing. By investigating the cultural shortfall in traditional development theory and viewing culture as an important aspect of development, cultural resilience becomes clearer, and cultural futures are determined more democratically. Using case studies and interviews and presenting the differing agendas of international engagement in development work and cultural projects, this book highlights the complexities of development, particularly where capital is involved, reflecting the wider issue of cultural preservation versus cultural change.