Art Project HOTA

Home of the Arts was founded in Rundu in November 2017 by Nanyemba Lukas Katamba. Since then, HOTA has become an important cultural meeting point in the region: the organization hosts concerts, theatre productions and public events such as its Open Mic nights and the concert series “Voices from the River”. HOTA has also worked with the University of St Andrews, among others, on creative economy projects in northern Namibia and has received funding from the National Arts Council of Namibia and the British Council.

Throughout all these activities, one gap kept appearing: the programmes mainly reached adults and established artists, while children, school learners and young people outside the school system had hardly any access to structured arts education. Schools in the Kavango East region rarely teach music, art, dance or theatre, and most families cannot afford private lessons. HOTA steps into this gap with the project “The Creative Sparks”.

In 2025, HOTA launched two programmes which, until then, had been run entirely on its own resources, meaning its own premises and teaching materials, donated or recycled materials, and the time of its team and volunteers.

School Outreach: In the school programme, HOTA facilitators go directly into the classrooms of Rudolf Ngondo Primary School and Andreas Kandjimi Haingura Primary School in Rundu. There, they teach four Grade 4 classes at each school in music, visual art, dance and theatre. Lessons take place during school hours with the class teacher present. The programme is supported by the regional education directorate in Kavango East and coordinated with the school principals.

Multi-Disciplinary Arts Club: The Arts Club meets once a week at the HOTA centre. It is open to secondary school learners and to young people who no longer attend school. Each session is led by a HOTA team member, a volunteer or a local artist.

What sets the project apart from a one-off workshop is the “Learn, Create, Market” approach. Participants should not only learn artistic skills and develop their own work, but also present their results in public. It is precisely this third step that strengthens the self-confidence of the children and young people.

The younger children from the school programme present their work to their school. The older young people from the Arts Club perform at HOTA's public events, such as the monthly Open Mic nights or the concert series “Voices from the River”. This also allows the community in Rundu to experience how much artistic talent its young people have. In the long term, HOTA wants to help ensure that art in Rundu is created and shown locally rather than brought in from elsewhere.

In June 2026, HOTA submitted a funding application to Conambiki e.V. After clarifying open questions about the implementation and the budget together with HOTA, we decided on one-time funding of around €2,950. HOTA confirmed that the project can be implemented well within this framework.

Around €1,950 goes towards material and activity costs: materials for the art sessions such as canvases, paint, beads and fabrics, snacks and drinks for the participants, trips within Rundu to the schools, and small expenses related to the Open Mic nights. A further €1,000 or so contributes to the honoraria of the facilitators who plan and run the school programme and the Arts Club. This creates part-time jobs for local artists. HOTA itself contributes its premises, teaching materials and camera equipment to document the project.

One year of regular art sessions lays an important foundation, but real change takes time. For long-term funding, HOTA therefore relies on several pillars: further funding opportunities and partnerships, paid consultancy services in the fields of art, culture and cultural tourism, and income from its own craft sales. In the future, HOTA also plans to establish its own arts and event centre, which is intended to generate additional income through market stalls, venue rentals and ticket sales. We are very happy to accompany HOTA on this journey.