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The Ovahimba Living Museum

The Ovahimba Living Museum is a place where you can interactively experience the traditional culture of the Ovahimba. The Museum acts as a traditional school for guests and for the children of the own community alike and at the same time it is an income generating institution.

The Museum is strategically located between the Ovahimba capital Opuwo and the paradisiac Epupa Falls at the Kunene River in the north of Namibia.

Ovahimba homesteadOvahimba homestead

The traditional culture of the Ovahimba

The Museum consists of a large traditional homestead in which the Ovahimba introduce interested guests to their daily routines and encourage them to take part.

Important elements of the original tradition are the production of food, craftsmanship (forging, pottery, wood carving, leather tanning), the building of clay huts as well as singing and dancing. Guests get to know the homestead, the importance of the Holy Fire, some of the religious aspects and the importance of cattle within the Ovahimba culture. They are welcome to actively take part in all activities demonstrated.

Even “Ovahimba-Bodypainting” or a genuine traditional wedding Ovahimba way are possible.

Otjihimba is the spoken language of the Ovahimba, a dialect of the widespread Otjiherero language. The guide translates into English. Guests satisfied by the quality and standard of the museum offering an exemplary insight into the traditions of the Ovahimba traditions are able to purchase a small souvenir in the craftshop afterwards.

In the main wife's hutIn the main wife's hut

 

Ovahimba video

Uwe Storck kindly allowed us to publish his video "Visit of the Ovahimba Living Museum" on our website.

 

Camping

Guests are welcome to stay at the nearby campsite Omungunda and to book several programs at the Living Museum.

You will have an unforgettable day at the Ovahimba Living Museum!

Cattle TrumpetCattle Trumpet

Ovahimba Map

Ovahimba Map th

Latest News

20 November 2023
During the last project tour, the idea of a traditional workshop at the Mbunza Living Museum came about. The aim of the workshop was to improve traditional craft techniques that originally played a role in the respective traditional cultures and are ...
04 October 2023
The Living Culture Foundation Namibia is organizing a traditional workshop and music festival for all Living Museums from Monday, October 30, 2023 to Friday, November 3, 2023. The workshop will take place at the Mbunza Living Museum, approximately 15...
12 April 2023
The employees and patients of the dialysis clinics in Tangermünde and Genthin handed over a donation of €4,000 to Dr. Ralf Kühn, founding member and chairman of the board of the German-Namibian association Living Culture Namibia at his farewell party...
27 January 2023
Thanks to a very generous donation of €3,600 from Ms. Ute Schmidt-Rohr, we were able to successfully complete the first part of the water infrastructure project at the Mbunza Living Museum. A pump was installed at the Samsitu campsite very close to t...
18 November 2022
 This meeting was a "follow-up" to the previous meeting in March 2022 to assess the project progress in the development of a Herero Living Museum in Otjokavare. From our side, two things were essential. Firstly: Better communication structures m...
01 October 2022
In August 2022 we paid a visit to the Mafwe at the Living Museum in the northern part of Namibia to, among other things, install a new road sign. The erection of the sign had become necessary because the Mafwe had moved two years ago and some of the ...