“OvaHerero leader urges cultural preservation

[20 July 2026; ed.]

The Ombara of a faction of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority, Hoze Riruako, has called for urgent action to preserve Ovaherero culture, saying traditions must be deliberately passed on to children to ensure they are not lost.

The call came on the final day of the annual Red Flag commemoration at Okahandja, where hundreds gathered at the ancestral cemetery to honour Ovaherero forebears.

[…]

Dr. Riruako urged the Ovaherero Traditional Authority to document the community’s traditions in children’s books, saying young people must grow up understanding the meaning of Otjiserandu, the Red Flag.

[…]

Dr Riruako also called for a record of Ovaherero people living across the diaspora to strengthen cultural ties and preserve the knowledge and traditions they carry.

He further encouraged the community to embrace emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics while protecting its language, customs, burial rites and songs.

[…].”

• Full report “OvaHerero leader urges cultural preservation” on the NBC website (last checked in July 2026).

• See also the OvaHerero Commemoration ‘Otjiserandu’ in Okahandja, 17 to 19 July 2026, by the OvaHerero Traditional Authority (OTA) under Paramount Chief Hozé Riruako, in the ‘Perspectives’ section of this website.