Tourism and Commoditization of Traditional Cultures among the Himba People of Namibia

Abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate the Tourism and Commoditization of Traditional Cultures among the Himba People of Namibia. Globalization theory by Greg Richards and the use value theory by Marx was linked with this study. A mixture of methods comprising of descriptive cross-sectional survey, phenomenology and ethnographic research designs was employed to assess the effect of commoditization of traditional cultures among the Himba people through tourism. The study employed two principal data collection techniques: questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Stratified sampling and purposive sampling procedures were used. Purposive sampling was used as a non-probability sampling method in the sampling of key informants such as tour-guide, local leaders and museum employees. The study took place in two sampled villages in the Opuwo rural constituency, namely, Ohunguomure Village and Okatutura ka Vinjange, which form the major cultural tourist destinations. The sample size of this study was 98. Data was analysed using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative analysis was applied to close-ended questions, and the data were analysed in terms of frequencies and percentages using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Qualitative data obtained from open-ended questions and interviews were analysed thematically. The study concludes that commoditization of culture is diluting culture and destroys the originality of the culture. The study recommends the need for this Ministry to have a component or department that specifically works towards the issue of commoditization of the Himba culture in the Kunene Region.