Event Date has changed to 19 April 2025
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Event Date has changed to 19 April 2025 〰️
At the intersection of art, culture and business, The Gathering is a full day of Indaba-style talks from Namibia’s creative leaders. An inclusive celebration of makers and doers, we are bringing together the diverse pioneers who are shaping Namibia’s creative landscape. With ~20 speakers, it will be a day of powerful stories, activities and community, a chance to connect with likeminded people, network professionally, become inspired, and energize your soul.
Bring your whole self. Wear what makes you feel most yourself.
8am - 5pm, Swakopmund Primary School, down the hill from Woermann House
Ticket includes event entry, coffee and beverages throughout the day, a healthy and delicious lunch, and refreshments, networking and entertainment at the end of the day.
$850 NAD
19 April 2025, Swakopmund Primary School, Swakopmund
Our purpose & ethos
The Gathering exists to encourage, inspire and mentor the future of Namibian creativity.
We define “creativity” as the act of “creating”, making and doing - across all disciplines and sectors. A great entrepreneur must be creative, just as an artist, musician, designer, architect, filmmaker, chef, storyteller or educator is. Creativity is a holistic concept that is necessarily full mind-body-spirit, not simply an act of production.
We aim for The Gathering to become a sustainable platform for our community, defined not by region, race, age, gender or any other societal division, but by our spirit of encouragement, inspiration, and mentorship. Bringing disciplines together, we have a unique opportunity for industry cross pollination - for an artist to connect with a design practice, a filmmaker to connect with an architect, for an entrepreneur to learn from powerful storytellers.
Who is behind it?
We only exist because of our community. The Gathering is conceived and run by a core group of creatives, artists, business and organization founders who believe it needs to happen. Any proceeds from our first event will go directly toward funding more events, workshops and sustaining a free, online platform for all those people who want access to the talks, but cannot attend in person.
Collyn Ahart, writer, co-founder and creative director of ONGUZA Bicycles.
Niita Shikongo, musician, multi-disciplinary creative, strategist and founder of NiaLumino Communications.
LaSchandré Coetzee, Partner at The Project Room and creative communications expert.
Anne Lacheiner-Kuhn, artist and specialist FX technician.
With great thanks, our first event is being supported by ONGUZA, The Project Room, Two Beards Coffee, and Wonderveld Apothecary.
2025 SPEAKERS
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Margaret Courtney-Clarke
PHOTOGRAPHER
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Victoria Sanyime
PLAYWRIGHT & STORYTELLER
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Nanyemba Katamba
ARTS COMMUNITY DIRECTOR, FOUNDER OF HOTA, RUNDU
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Niita Shikongo
MUSICIAN, CREATIVE STRATEGIST
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Britney Burger
MARKETER & NEURODIVERSITY ADVOCATE
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Dan Craven
PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE & CO-FOUNDER OF ONGUZA
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Lindie Lourens & Rene Marais
CO-FOUNDERS OF THE MILL, STAMPRIET
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LaSchandré Coetzee
PARTNER, THE PROJECT ROOM
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Leon Engelbrecht
DESIGNER
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Albertina Hamukwaya (ALBA NVLO)
DJ
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Xuro Milton
COMEDIAN & CREATOR
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Anne Lacheiner Kuhn
ARTIST & FX TECHNICIAN
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Kauna Ndilula
BFS FOUNDER, NAMIBIAN BUSINESS PIONEER
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Gida Sekandi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAPRICORN INVESTMENTS
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Marcii Magson
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY DESIGNER, ARTIST, FOUNDER OF WONDERVELD APOTHECARY
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Tuli Mekondjo
ARTIST
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Collyn Ahart
CREATIVE DIRECTOR & BRAND BUILDER
Follow Us
If you’d like to sponsor scholarship seats, or sponsor the event, please contact us. We would love for you to be involved and make a meaningful impact on our community.
Photography used with permission of the artists.
Contents copyright of Collyn Ahart LLC, 2024