Buchter News » Reviews – Events

LET’S PUT THE CRAYFISH BACK INTO OUR FESTIVAL

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:29:02 +0000

This year’s Crayfish Festival has caused much discussion amongst the people of Luderitz. After many roaring successes over the years, it was expected to follow the same path but the Festival that is usually enjoyed by many from all over the country certainly had something missing.
When it all kicked off on the Friday morning, Luderitz was booming with tourism. The vibe at the Waterfront was pumping and there were smiles all around. There were small performances from dancers, the smell of Braai’s was inescapable, food and drink stalls of every shape and size, children playing in the sea, people enjoying the view from the jetty and general enjoyment all around. It wasn’t to last for long however, because by the evening, things had already started winding down.
Although it was already busy by the Friday afternoon, a local told The Buchter News that the Saturday of Festival was even better, with “more people, more Crayfish and plenty more fun.” This didn’t however, turn out to be a view shared by many. A few tourists staying at KratzPlatz accommodation in town that come to Luderitz every year for this event decided to go back home 600km away because of how unimpressed they were by the first day.
The Luderitz Crayfish Festival has been gradually increasing in the number of people flocking to this town year by year but the lack of positive feedback this year has been a shock, especially to Fluksman Samuel from the Waterfront Development Company. His name was mentioned in The Namibian along with many complaints from different people such as: ‘Festival made me crave Lobster”, “Luderitz was a horrific sight” and even “a waste of my time and money.”
As a community, what are we going to do to improve next year’s Festival? There have been a lot of complaints about the lack of toilets near the Waterfront, the facilities were not considered adequate for the amount of people that would be in Luderitz over the weekend. There were a grand total of four public toilets – two for women and two for men – with huge queues coming from each one. Even though there aren’t normally any public toilets at all in Luderitz, the wants and needs of those attending this year was not well catered for.
The biggest disappointment of the Crayfish Festival this year was in fact the lack of Crayfish. There were Braai’s left, right and centre but by the Saturday the only things to be found were Mopane worms, Boerewors and Goat’s head. The Manager of Ritzi’s Restaurant said that he asked for five boxes of Crayfish and was only given a grand total of three. This meant that by Saturday his restaurant was dry of Crayfish and he couldn’t tell his unhappy customers where to go to find any due to the lack of organisation, communication and advertising between businesses this year.
Although there seems to have been a fair bit of critisism following this years Crayfish festival, it was still enjoyed by many. We look forward to next year and hope that the faults found this year of not enough crayfish, logistical and organistional issues and lack of advertising will be looked upon constructively to improve the event in future. Come on Buchters, lets put the Crayfish back into our Festival!•

Crowds Come For Crayfish Festival

admin — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:38:08 +0000

Luderitz’s annual Crayfish festival kicked off for the third time on Friday April 30th. Stalls, braais and marquees were all set up at harbour square on Friday and by mid-morning the festival was thriving with people from all over the country and the world enjoying themselves.
There was an abundance of crayfish being sold in all sorts of different forms, from paella, to kebabs and even in jars. Many companies used the festival as an opportunity to advertise and sell their products and services; NAMFISA were present throughout the festival giving Namibians advice and increasing their knowledge about finance, MTC had special offers for sale and there was a constant queue at their van and many independent companies and businesses had their own stalls.
Mr Fluksman Samuehl told us that the committee was overwhelmed with the turn out on the first day of the festival. The Miss Crayfish competition also took place on Friday night at Benguela Community Centre, which coincided with the Luderitz Gala Dinner, as well as a Crayfish evening at Barrels restaurant.
Luderitz Gala Dinner was held at the Nest Hotel on Friday evening to officially open the crayfish festival and welcome all the important guests to the town. By 7pm the guests had arrived which included lots of local business people, important guests from out of town and two tables of media personnel.
At 8pm the event officially started with the singing of the National anthem and the African Union anthem, then the director of ceremonies, Mr Fluksman Samuehl welcomed everyone, including the first time visitors who he is sure are bound to come again after experiencing this year’s Crayfish Festival. He stated that he thinks Luderitz will be better off once Phase 2 of the Waterfront Development Committee’s plans are complete as it will make life in town more exciting, interesting and appealing as well as become some people’s second home.
Mr Samuehl extended his apologies on behalf of President Hifikepunye Pohamba and her worship Ms.Emilia Amupewa as they could not attend the gala dinner as planned.
Bob Mould, the architect of Phase 2 of the waterfront gave a presentation on the current plans and targets. He plans for the power station part of the development to be completed in the next two years as there is high demand for the facilities that it will bring to the town.
Mr Angel Tordesillas told the guests that the power station was meant to be the last project to be tackled but has become most important. The renovation and building is also creating lots of jobs within the town, the number is currently at about 300, once the building is complete it will need a work force of around 170-220.
The power station will house lots of rooms for the Polytechnic of Namibia to use, including lecture rooms, multimedia labs, a library and a hotel school, and there is also scope to extend this further in the future.
It is an exciting development that tertiary education is being brought to Luderitz as it is an incentive for youth to stay in Luderitz, as well as being the only tertiary education centre in the South.
There will also be indoor and outdoor sports facilities including basketball, a swimming pool, kite surfing and beach soccer areas.
An exciting maritime museum will be built, which Mr. Angel Tordesillas assured us will be the best museum of the sea in Africa. If this is the case this will certainly prove to be positive for Luderitz. The intention is for the museum to be an institute of learning which will be run by the youth, hopefully all Namibian children will visit it to see what the sea is and how dependent this country and world is on it. The museum will consist of three floors and try to embody as many aspects of the seas as well as the history of Namibia, including how Luderitz has evolved with diamonds, lobsters, tourism and being the gateway to Africa.
An amphitheatre, a craft market, a youth cafe, a skate park and a ladies’ bar will be incorporated into the building and the fire station will also remain in the building.
With all the new tourism that all these facilities will bring to Luderitz the Waterfront Committee believe that there will then be a definite need for the planned hotel, and the whole project can be something Luderitz is proud of as it’s a Government and Namibian project. They are hoping that it will also assist in the development of tourism in the South, bringing more people to Oranjemund, Rosh Pinah and Luderitz, hopefully making Luderitz the Swakopmund of the South.
Next year will be the power station’s 100th anniversary. It was built during the diamond rush to provide power for the town, ironically the town will now be providing the power station’s electricity as it will be generated by wind power. Bob Mould is also in the process of designing a sustainable heating system for the building. The power station will be built like a thermos flask, a building inside a building so there is a gap between the walls which means the temperature can be controlled more easily. This will also prevent wind, dust, cold, heat and noise from entering the building.
The committee now has approval and support from ministries who have contributed N$145million so the next stages are imminent. The other plans still include a shopping centre, a hotel, a housing component, a floating restaurant and a beach which will be next to Harbour Square along Hafen Street. Cabinet has approved the donation of the land adjacent to Harbour Square to the Luderitz Waterfront Development Committee so the plans for phase 2 can go ahead.
The gala dinner also incorporated an auction, run by the sports commissioner Amos Shiyuka, to raise money for the L.W.D.C. ‘The Hitman’ donated his gloves which went, after a long fight between the top table, to Mr Tordesillas for N$43,000. Another famous guest was Eddie Moongo, Big Brother Africa’s runner up who missed out on the prize of US$200,000. He shared his experiences ‘in captivity’ with the guests, then expressed his thanks for the support from the community and how he wants to give it back. He believes Luderitz has a lot of scope due to its heritage and attractiveness and therefore is appealing to tourists.
A Member of Parliament, cabinet member and Fluksman Samuehl’s childhood friend, Bernard Esau also was impressed with the way Luderitz has coped with the economic slump and is now on its way up. A thank you was also extended to Standard Bank who donated N$30,000 to this year’s Crayfish Festival.
The festivities continued on Saturday 1st, starting early with a worker’s day celebration at the soccer stadium, attended by President Pohamba, unionists and Government officials. President Pohamba stated that he ‘hated it (the labour hire system) and I still hate it now’, so SME’s and entrepreneurs will be focussed on to create better lives for Namibians. A crayfish catching demonstration was scheduled to happen at the waterfront at 11am but unfortunately this didn’t occur, however the waterfront was still thriving with people enjoying the food, drink and activities.
A live music show also occurred on Saturday evening at the sports stadium, an expectant crowd were waiting in and outside the grounds for performers such as Gazza and Gal Level who were scheduled to come.
The concert started up at around 8pm and we were disappointed to hear that due to unforeseen circumstances Gazza would not be attending.
Local bands and performers opened the show and Gal Level also performed.
The crowd were fairly enthusiastic, if not very big and people from all over the country were there to enjoy it. The crayfish festival came to a close on Monday 3rd of May, the waterfront was cleared of its stalls and marquees and the crowds dispersed.
Local businesses benefited from the Crayfish Festival, with an influx of national and international tourists going to shops and restaurants. Many businesses adapted for the weekend, adopting special menus like Ritzi’s restaurant and Diaz Point Coffee Shop, the new Oyster Bar also arranged special opening times just for the weekend.•

Stepps Inn Events

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:35:28 +0000

The Pink Palace club has been busy throughout January hosting all sorts of events to increase their custom and attract a wider audience; the events so far have been successful. The manager of the club has de¬cided that it’s time activities took place at the club rather than just the usual weekend drinking and dancing.
They want to make provisions for the 35+ age group, so upcoming events include a Valentine’s nights on the 12th and 13th of Feb¬ruary and a South African Langarm band is performing on the 27th February. Other events include a best dressed couple competition on February 5th, who must dress in red and white to continue the Valentine’s theme.
In coming months events such as Miss Indepen¬dence, a Beauty Pageant, a Mr Legs competition and a foam party at Easter will all be happening at the club.

Christmas Concert

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:34:13 +0000

On the 25th of No¬vember 2009 the Felsen¬kirche was lit up with bright lights and filled with the sound of music. The reason? Retha Calitz and her talented piano students. The church had been beautifully decorat¬ed with festive white, red and gold and the aisle featured a photograph of each child that performed in the concert.
I was very impressed with the skills the students displayed, considering their ages which ranged from four to fourteen. All Retha’s stu¬dents played beautifully but I was particularly taken with Nicky Dippenaal’s piece and Zarah and Liam Mitchell’s duet. The entire concert was narrated by the children and the audience were treated to a Christmas Medley of sea¬sonal songs such as, “Frosty the Snowman” and were invited to join in a rendition of, “Silent Night” to close.
The children and Retha put in an awful lot of hard work and effort in order to create such a special eve¬ning.
Congratulations on your success:
Kimberly Calitz, Anel Calitz, Morne Visser, Anja Visser, Nicky Dippenaal, Dominique Zicker, Lillian Schroeter, Gabriel Schroeter, Zarah Mitchell, Liam Mitchell, Jean Oelofsen, Tristan Oe-lofsen, Sara Gomez, Karina Zavitaer, Paul Schroeter, Camilla Mackenzie and Jayden Schroeter.•

Roaring Applause For The Lion King

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:45:15 +0000

Let me begin by saying that, prior to living in Lüderitz, I have never so much as taught a drama lesson before so when I decided to put on a production of The Lion King with a group of students from Lüderitz Secondary School I had my work cut out for me.

After just under two months of frantic rehearsing, song learning, line memorising, costume making and play promoting I had experienced the same steep learning curve that my young cast had received and standing backstage on the night of the performance with a group of excited African animals, anxiously peeping through the stage curtains at the gathering crowd, I was just as nervous as they were.

It was with a huge amount of pride then that I watched the group of 26 learners take to the stage on Thursday 16th July to act and sing with as much enthusiasm as they could muster. Dressed in monochrome and wearing colourful handmade masks depicting a variety of African animals, the entire cast put their hearts and souls into their performance.

Whilst I may not be the most objective source on the nights show, having worked with the cast from the auditions right through to the performance, what I can say with absolute certainty is that the group of students that took part in the production are a fantastic and fun bunch and have made my job a privilege. Despite missed rehearsals, botched lines and a noisy (sometimes irrepressible) backstage room, my first experience of directing has been a thoroughly enjoyable one and I wish every cast member the very best in the future.

A Beautiful Feeling: Brian Finch

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:33:12 +0000

Slouched on a barstool on a smoky stage, a steelstringed guitar draped across his knees and a faded black Trilby pulled low over his face, Brain Finch looked as rock and roll as you can possibly get in Lüderitz.

The white haired Durbanborn musician has been smooching audiences with his gravely voice and feel good country-rock songs for decades and has an impressive ten albums under his belt. Judging from the crowds reaction to him at the three day gig held in Barrels Bar, as part of KratzPlatz’s annual Diamond Run biker rally, it seems clear that Finch’s artfully strained vocals and cowboys persona are still a firm favourite.

Finch was preceded by an all male, three-piece rock band from Windhoek called ‘Street Talk’; a slightly eclectic looking group boasting a floppy haired teen singer, an aging rocker bassist and a curly-topped drummer who bore no small resemblance to a hobbit. Despite appearances the band played a roaring set of classic and modern rock songs that had the Barrels crowd up on its feet and showing an array of dance moves that would put my dad to shame.

However, as Brian Finch stepped onto the stage a hush fell over the crowd as they watched the black-suited, converse-clad star tune his guitar and cast a weathered and wrinkled smile over his audience. With the opening chords of his first song, A a crowd favourite called ‘Beautiful Feeling’, the spell was broken and the small bar sprang to life, dancing and singing along until the wee small hours of the morning. Were we lonely tonight? No we weren’t!

Sailing Pretty

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:51:49 +0000

For the historically inclined traveller Luderitz offers a wealth of interesting activities and sights, from its German architecture (unsurprisingly rather popular with German visitors) to the ghost town of Kolmanskop that lies a few kilometres in land. However, for those who prefer entertainment of a more up to date nature the daily yacht trips that tour the coastline may be just the ticket. Our roving reporter took a spin in the Sturmvogel, owned by Gunther Berens.

At first glance Gunther does not strike the observer as being a typical old man of the sea character; for a start he lacks the customary flowing beard and salty yellow southwester, instead sporting a completely bald head and an unusual taste in hats. However, don’t let that put you off as underneath the clean-shaven exterior Gunther holds a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of maritime life large enough to rival Davy Jones’s.

Stepping aboard his boat, The Sturmvogel, Gunther spread a large map of the Luderitz coastline upon the deck and traced the journeys route with a long weather- beaten finger; “We’ll travel out of the harbour and sail up past Diaz Point, where there’s a seal colony, hugging the coastline up to Halifax Island to see the penguins”, he grinned, “penguins are always a favourite with visitors!” The boats route then turns back on itself, sailing towards Agate beach and the hulking sand dunes before coming back into harbour. Folding up the map Gunther smiles again, motions for us to sit on a cushioned bench and pulls up the main sail, we were off!

Having lived in Luderitz for a fair few months now, I feel fairly confident in saying that I know the town relatively well, but the view of the harbour from the stern of the Sturmvogel was one I had never seen before; like a picture postcard the town lay spread out and colourful against the rocky greyness of the desert looking so pretty that not even the dusty gravel roads and disused power station could spoil it.

As we set out for open water Gunter struck up a running commentary on the landscape, the animal life and the weather, pausing only to ask a couple of friendly questions and adjust the little boats course. Although Luderitz is famed for its high wind speeds, the days when it is calm and sunny should gain just as much notoriety, and dangling my feet over the side of the boat and watching a pod of dolphins follow our course is anyone’s idea of paradise. My happiness was truly complete, however, when Gunther twinkled his seaman’s eyes and produced a lunch box full of food, including a warm meat pie and a pickle- bliss!

Sturmvogel tours cater for groups as large as 10, provides blankets and a CD of photos of the boat and the coastline and includes lunch (complete with pickles). Morning tours usually last 4 hours and sundowner tours last 3.

Lüderitz Talent Performs At The Nest Hotel

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:42:41 +0000

Friday the 24th of April – The Nest hotel is occupied by a group of children and a piano, all placed in the diamond hall to attend Retta Calitz’s concert. This concert is a result of the piano lessons she offers for children, they demonstrate what they have been learning over the last few months.

The evening begins with a medley of well known songs and an opening word by the evenings host Crispin Clay. After that it is time for individual and group performances of the kids. A room full of proud parents applaud enthusiastically as the kids prove that Lüderitz is filled with musical talent.

Also performing on this night is Anna Tomson and Anne Stokvis, with a bonus performance. The night ends with a finale performance. All the children are involved and drum on buckets and toms. And the night comes to an end with a delicious snack buffet.

UNAM CONCERT

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:43:54 +0000

A spectacular concert in the YACC’s German Hostel marked the end of a thoroughly productive (and busy) Crayfish festival weekend ’09. UNAM Choir, hailing from the University of Namibia, and Lüderitz Secondary School’s very own student choir combined on Sunday the 12th April to put on an evening of vocal treats. After the inevitable opening blessings and speeches (it was a gospel choir concert after all) the performance began with the clean tuneful notes of a lone trumpeter, soon joined by a tenor soloist and eventually accompanied by the warm harmony of the combined choirs. Whilst this was certainly a dramatic beginning it was unfortunately then followed by a bizarre mix of soloists and small a capella groups who shuffled on and off stage in a manner reminiscent of a variety showcase. However, all this was soon forgotten when L.S.S. Choir took to the stage. In simple outfits of grey and white the 30+ strong choir stood before their audience marching in place and piping out tune after tune. Although some members were slightly preoccupied with the intricate foot and hand movements that accompanied each song the choir had all the right components needed for gospel music; rich harmonies, accurate sense of rhythm and movement, the right level of enthusiasm and so on. However the key to gospel music is volume; it must be sung out joyfully and watching the swaying choir was like listening to an excellent CD with the volume turned down- TURN IT UP! UNAM certainly did know how to blast it out though as they marched on stage and stood like a wall of crimson and zebra print ready to dazzle the crowd. The semiprofessional choir opened with a haunting version of Steal Away which was so beautiful that it commanded one of those rare moments of silence once the song had ended in which the audience tries to digest what it has just heard. “[The choir’s] response to the conductor was so slick it was like watching a set of cogs clicking together” said one audience member as the choir reeled off a series of traditional gospel songs in a sweet and less abrasive style that gospel choirs normally have. Using elements of the jazz scale and some unusual barbershop-esque suspensions, the choir put gospel music in a whole new light the perfect end to a hectical
weekend.

Beauty And The Brains

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:12:34 +0000

It’s been an impressive few months for students of Lüderitz High School who have not only received sterling exam results but also have held their annual Miss Lüderitz High contest for the young and beautiful Lüderitz youth.

On Friday the 6^th of March the ever popular German Hostel at the YACC hosted the Miss Lüderitz High contest; an annual event in which young women from Lüderitz High School are invited to show off their physical attributes and personality traits.

Unlike in previous years the 2009 pageant had both a preliminary round and a final, allowing the judges of the contest to spend more time with the ten contestants. The prelims were held at the Nest Hotel on the Saturday prior to the final and consisted of a series of interviews and a free photo shoot for each girl, in order to provide a basic portfolio for any of them hoping to become models in the future. “We wanted the focus to be on both looks and personality this year” said Mr. Zony Swartz, a member of the event committee, “by having prelims the judges were able to interview the girls and get to know them as people”.

Held in the elaborately decorated German Hall, the final itself gave each contestant a chance to show off their visual appeal by strutting down a makeshift catwalk (artfully constructed from a row of tables covered in a red carpet and dotted with coloured lights) wearing casual clothes and evening gowns. The girls were judged on their dress sense (all the clothes they wore were their own), personality and looks. “The idea behind the contest is to provide students at the high school with a role model, someone to guide them”, commented one of the judges, “we are looking for someone with a bright personality, a knowledge of world events and good social skills.” One would have thought that this was a tall list of requirements for a group of High School students to possess but not so, for by the end of the night not one but four of the ten competitors had been awarded a crown. The winners are as follows:

Miss Lüderitz High- Lindi Masala.

Lindi enjoys playing netball and listening to music, she believes that a beauty queen should have respect for herself and the people surrounding her and her role model is her mother.

First Princess- Rashadi Amunjera

Rashidi loves dancing and socialising and describes herself as ‘out going and fun’.

Second Princess- Vilencia Binga

Vilencia says her role model is her mother because she raised her alone, she enjoys reading and networking and describes herself as ambitious and sexy

Miss Personality- Bentolien Filleman

‘Adventurous and vivacious’ are the words that Bentolien would use to describe herself. She believes that a beauty queen should be able to take on any challenge that comes her way and she looks up to Barack Obama for his motivational speaking.

However it isn’t just beauty that Lüderitz High School students posses it’s brains as well; congratulations to all students who took exams last year for the great results. 96% of student papers were graded and the school received a promotion rate of 63% for Grade 10s moving into Grade 11. Lüderitz Secondary School has moved up 33 places and now ranks as 164^th for Grade 10 exams nationally. Similar improvements were made in the National Secondary School Certificate results and Lüderitz S.S. has clung to its position of 19^th place nationally. The school is now the best in the Karas region and is hoping to stay that way in years to come- congratulations!