REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND CULTURE
VOTE OF THANKS DURING THE OFFICIAL WELCOMING EVENT FOR THE
10TH SESSION OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE ON INTANGIBLE
CULTURAL HERITAGE (ICH) BY HON. ESTER ANNA NGHIPONDOKA, DEPUTY
MINISTER OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND CULTURE
29 NOVEMBER 2015 – WINDHOEK COUNTRY CLUB AND RESORTS - 18H30
FOR 19H00
First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Ms Monica Geingos,
Honourable Minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa,
Ms Cécile Duvelle, Secretary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage, UNESCO,
Members of Parliament,
Permanent Secretaries,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Delegates,
The UNESCO Team,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and gentlemen!
As we come to the end of the official part of the welcome event, it is my pleasure to
extend a vote of thanks to all of you for attending.
Of course, we are here to welcome you to the 10th Session of the Intergovernmental
Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which highlights
intangible cultural heritage and its relevance in today’s world and which is being held
for the first time in Namibia and second time in Africa
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Let me start by expressing our deep gratitude to our Honourable Minister of Education,
Arts and Culture, Katrina Hanse-Himirwa for presenting the keynote speech today.
We are honoured by your presence, and truly inspired by your words.
Honourable Laura Mcleod-Katjirua, Governor of the Khomas Region, thank you for the
beautiful welcoming to our guests from across the borders, as well as stakeholders. I
am sure they were warmed for the occasion and truly felt welcome.
We also want to thank our Government, Honourable Ministers, Deputy Ministers,
Members of Parliament, Permanent Secretaries and the Mayor of Windhoek, who
have joined us today. It is a privilege to have you here. Your presence is a real vote
of confidence for Namibia’s culture, particularly intangible cultural heritage and
highlights the potential role that it can play in the sustainable development of our
societies.
Let me also express our gratitude to Members of the Diplomatic Corps. Your presence
and support for this 10th Session is a measure of your confidence in the culture sector
in our country.
Many of you have flown thousands of miles, at great expense, to be with us today.
We value your contribution to this event. We hope that it is the start of many more
cultural conferences and activities in Namibia.
We also hope that it will serve as the start for many great partnerships with our cultural
sector that has risen to the challenge for the opportunity of being partners in Namibia,
to implement the 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage,
to which Namibia has an obligation as a state party.
We thank Air Namibia for supporting the event with two business class tickets, New
Era Publications for partnering with us to publicise the session and inform the public
and the City of Windhoek for supporting the city tours, providing the buses and an
information officer during the session.
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To the men and women here today who represent many cultural practitioners who
continue to practice, preserve and pass on cultural expressions and practices, we
thank you and your colleagues for your selfless contribution to the protection of our
cultural heritage. We support and applaud your efforts. As you all observed, sharing
with us today were cultural groups, musicians and performers that displayed their
creativity through different genres. We thank them for sharing with our guests our
diverse and unique cultures. Thank you for your presence, hard work and for making
this welcome event an authentic, encompassing, and truly Namibian cultural
experience for our guests.
To the residents of Windhoek and the hard-working staff of the Ministry of Education,
Arts and Culture, I send a personal vote of thanks for a job well done! We can be
proud of this event and the welcome reception that was afforded the delegates to the
session. No doubt we will look forward to welcoming more and more guests to
experience and share in our cultural heritage. This meeting represents a fantastic
opportunity to introduce you, our guests, to the cultural richness, diversity and
opportunities found in our great country.
Lastly, the 10th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage could not have happened overnight. A lot of planning
was required. We have been fortunate enough to be backed by a team of very
motivated and dedicated colleagues.
Therefore, I would like extend our gratitude to the members of various committees that
are composed of our partners from the public sector, private sector and civil society,
who have sacrificed time and energy towards the realisation of a successful hosting
of the 10th Session.
It has been my privilege to share this occasion with you. We wish you a 10th Session
that will truly never be forgotten.
Thank You Very Much and enjoy the rest of the evening!
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