OYO's work with out of school youth in the Kunene and Erongo Regions, enables individual youth to not only develop skills in the creative and performing arts but also to develop life skills. OYO tours give these young people the unequalled experience of presenting their work to other regions and communities in Namibia, which they may have never visited before. Finally they give the youth involved opportunities to meet youth groups from other communities, to share repertoire, to learn from one another, to gain a sense of the wider youth community, and to contribute to information about HIV and AIDS and related social issues in Namibia.

Between 2007 and 2008, OYO worked with six talented youth groups. From rehearsals in Henties Bay, Kamanjab, Omaruru, Otjimbingwe, Outjo and Sesfontein to regional tours in most of Namibian’s thirteen regions, performances were made in schools, communities and institutions of higher learning. In all, 90 young people participated in the OYO youth festivals.

Using footage from two years of work with young people (including recording of the 2007 national tour by renowned cameraperson Linda Louw) and thanks to the help and talent of film editor Elke Kintscher, OYO is now proud to launch its documentary ‘because of them’ at the Goethe Institute on Wednesday 22 July at 19h30. Entrance is free of charge and a cash bar will be available.

Highlights include ‘sugar daddy’ song (Sesfontein), ‘rape’ dance (Sesfontein and Otjimbingwe), ‘war and peace’ dance (Otjimbingwe) and ‘because of them’ song and dance (Outjo and Henties Bay). The DVD is featuring Nyandee Mbarandongo (‘the Namibian Odysseus’, ‘we were young’) and Estomine Haradoes (‘we were young’) as presenters. The film is directed by Philippe Talavera (OYO Director)and produced by the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation Trust