Interview with Tresia Shekudja

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Tresia Shekudja was interviewed at her home in Okauva on the 27th of August 2019 by Napandulwe Shiweda with Nicola Stylianou and Erasmus Stephanus. Other members of her family were present for parts of the interview. The interview was based around a series of images of objects collected by the Powell-Cotton sisters in Namibia in 1937, plus a small selection of objects from Angola. (NSty 10/2019)

Tresia Shekudja orignally comes from Epoli, where her father was in charge. Her grandfather came to Epoli from Angola after he killed someone which meant he had to leave. She has a deep knowledge of Kwanyama culture because she is descended from the royal family and her parents were well known, prominent individuals. She explained that this knowledge had been passed down to her by her parents because they were not Christian. She chose to be baptised, against their wishes, when she was a teenager but saw no contradiction between her Christian faith and her Kwanyama culture. Tresia makes Kwanyama attire for weddings and other ceremonies and feels it is important to preserve the culture because its where she comes from and she wishes to leave a legacy for future generations. She hopes to create an interest in Kwanyama culture among the youth and is part of the Omupiya (group of advisors/servants to the queen). (NSty 10/2019)