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Oshituthi shomagongo Marula Fruit Festival in Aawambo communities
Oshituthi shomagongo, or the Omagongo Cultural Festival, celebrates the annual marula fruit harvest among the Aawambo people of northern Namibia. Recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, the festival rotates each year among eight traditional authorities in the region, centering on the harvesting of marula fruit and communal brewing of omagongo, a fermented traditional beverage.
Each year, as the marula trees of northern Namibia ripen with fruit, one of eight Aawambo traditional authorities takes its turn hosting the Omagongo Cultural Festival, known locally as oshituthi shomagongo.