Oshana Regional Council gathered at Uuvudhiya Constituency on 15 August for this year’s Oshipe Festival.
The event, attended by the new Oshana Governor Hofni Iipinge and several regional councillors and traditional leaders, was a celebration of this year’s bumper harvest of 6 tons of mahangu and 310 kilograms of beans which came from fields owned by the regional council in four constituencies.
Governor Iipinge stated that this year’s Oshipe Thanksgiving Ceremony was a celebration of not only the produce from the fields but also “the spirit of resilience, unity, and shared responsibility that binds our communities together.
“I am informed that when the Oshipe Festival was launched in 2023, the harvest was modest — only 10 kilograms of Omahangu and eight bags of Omakunde. Yet, even in that humble beginning, there was a seed of hope and determination.
“That seed has now grown into a strong regional tradition that symbolises our collective effort towards food security.”
Through the Memorandum of Understanding between the Oshana Regional Council and the University of Namibia, crop fields were established in four constituencies of Okatyali, Uukwiyuushona, Uuvudhiya, and Ompundja.
“This initiative was born from our shared understanding that the fight against hunger and poverty must start with our ability to produce our own food. This year, with the blessing of good rains and the tireless work of our teams, we have reaped a remarkable harvest: 6 tons of maize and 310 kilograms of beans,” Iipinge said.
“This is a far cry from our first modest harvest and a testimony to what is possible when vision meets commitment. Importantly, the produce from these fields is not for sale or profit — it is for people. It is for the most vulnerable members of our communities who do not benefit from the drought relief programme.
“This is what Oshipe is about: giving thanks for the blessing of the land, the rain, and the labour of our hands, and sharing those blessings with others. Today’s symbolic handover of food parcels to two families is a reminder that Oshipe is not merely an agricultural celebration — it is a call to compassion, solidarity, and community building.”
“As a region, we must continue to work towards the vision of ensuring that no family goes to bed hungry, no child misses school because of an empty stomach, and no elder suffers alone in silence.
“To our partners at the University of Namibia, your technical guidance and collaboration are deeply appreciated and I would like to see other varieties of produce in our next harvest. To the farmers, workers, and Council staff who have toiled in the fields, you are the true heroes of this story.
“And to our communities, your resilience inspires us all. As we celebrate today, let us also look ahead. The journey towards complete food self-sufficiency is still before us. We must continue to invest in sustainable agriculture, embrace climate-smart farming techniques, and involve our youth in agricultural entrepreneurship so that we can secure a prosperous future for generations to come.
“In the spirit of Oshipe, let us recommit ourselves to being not just consumers of the land’s bounty, but also custodians of it.
“Let us till the soil with purpose, plant with hope, and harvest with gratitude.”
In the photo: Oshana Governor Hofni Iipinge with some of his regional councillors and beneficiaries at the region’s Oshipe Festival. [Images by Oshana Regional Council]
