Voices of Namibia to the US
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- Waldo
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Time has come again for Namibia to take part in the international Choral Olympics which will be held in Cincinnati from 04 to 14 July. The Namibian choir is finalising their travel plans to ensure the group arrives in the US ahead of the competition.
Namibia participated at the World Choral Olympics which were held in Shaoxing, China and under the leadership of veteran Ernst van Biljon they scooped one gold and two silver medals. Namibia was also selected by the judges to participate in the 2010 Mass World Choir which consisted of 300 of the world’s top singers.
The Namibian choir consists of 35 members from all the regions. These are the best voices in the country, proud to continue the legacy of choral music. Van Biljon said the level at which choral singers compete is not important, the main idea with choral music is to sing for pleasure. “The sheer enjoyment or reaching for artistic stars, the power and the vibe of singing connecting the soul to a subtle force of inner satisfaction which is so powerful.”
The choir works with well-known Namibian composers such as Robert Nautoro and Engelhard Unaeb under the masterful guidance of Ernst van Biljon. The choir itself is conducted by Rayno Burger.
This year more than seventy three countries from across the globe will participate in the World Choir Games in Cincinatti.
Breweries brings joy to Oonte OVC
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Namibia Breweries decided to assist local youth groups this year with fundraising, using the internationally celebrated Day of the African Child as platform to give a local training institute a boost.
Last weekend, Ikolelela Ekandjo of the Breweries travelled to Ondangwa to tell the surprised children at Oonte OVC, that they will be receiving N$10,000 from the beer company. To make the celebrations even more delightful, the Breweries also donated twenty cases of Fruitree to Oonte’s children.
Receiving the sponsorship was Ms. Petrine Shiimi who confirmed that Oonte has prevented more than 5,000 orphaned and vulnerable children over the last six years from becoming street children.
Speaking at the handover event, Ekandjo said that the Breweries had supported Oonte in the past and was impressed by the comprehensive life improvement approach the organisation follows.
He said: “Over the years we have seen Oonte make a significant contribution to improving the lives of children – be it helping a child heading a household to finish school, or by equipping him or her with skills to feed the family. The work they do at Oonte truly complements our purpose of Creating a Future, Enhancing Life, and we are therefore very pleased to once again support them in their good work.”
Old Mutual special dividend helps maths education
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The Old Mutual Foundations in South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom are to receive a financial boost for community programmes focused on education following the group’s recently declared special dividend and the receipt of proceeds of sale of fractional shares arising from the recent share consolidation of Old Mutual plc’s shares.
A youth unemployment programme, which facilitates skills development and business experience for unemployed graduates, will be the focus in Namibia where the intention is to use the funds to expand the programme.
In South Africa, the Old Mutual Foundation will receive a total of £343 786 (about R4.4m), which will be invested in mathematics, science education and teacher-training.
Read more: Old Mutual special dividend helps maths education
Elderly abuse prevalent in Namibia
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- Hilma Hashange
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Last week Friday was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) with the main purpose of raising awareness of elderly abuse through out the world. According to the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), one in ten people who apply for protection orders in Namibia are over the age of fifty. This data illustrates the fact that domestic violence affects people of all ages, and crimes commited to elderly people in the country is prevalent considering the media reports of parents killed or beaten up by their own children.
In its forthcoming report, which will be released in a few months, titled Seeking Safety, the LAC stated that violence between a parent and child or grandparent and grandchild is the second largest cause of complaints falling in the domestic violence category. Only violence between husbands and wives or between couples living in a close domestic relationship, ranks higher.
Remarkably, within the child parent group there are more cases of violence by children or grandchildren against their parents or grandparents, than the other way around. Elderly people are particularly exposed to attacks from younger people.
The study also showed that elderly people who applied for protection orders requested provisions such as no communication, custody of grandchildren, limitations of access by the abuser to grandchildren and temporary maintenance.
Jazz Festival heralds summer
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- Melba Chipepo
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In expectation of a much bigger event, the Old Mutual Jazz Encounters label has been given to the City of Windhoek by the sponsor, Old Mutual Namibia.
The event’s label was officially presented to the City elders at breakfast at the Hilton on Tuesday this week. From this year, the music event will be known as the Windhoek Jazz Festival.
The event was first introduced in 2007 and has been a success from the initial 100 guest event to the 2011 Jazz Encounter attracting and wowing more than 4000 Namibians. It has matured to become the premier Jazz event on the Namibian arts and culture calender.
Speaking at the breakfast, Chief Executive Officer of Operations at Old Mutual, Sakaria Nghikembua said that the event has contributed positively to the local Jazz community and has delivered a world class platform for local and international artists alike.
