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05:35Last update on: 12 Aug 2013
The Namibian
Mon 12 Aug 2013
SMS Of The Day * MINISTRY of Gender and Child Welfare, TEARS are rolling down as I write this SMS. The killing of women in Namibia is now like reciting a poem. Are we really getting the protection we deserve while women not being treated as part of this c Food For Thought * SO the Zimbabwe elections were free and peaceful and not free and fair? Bouquets And Brickbats * NURSES at Katutura Hospital must stop wearing those big plastic sandals at work because they are not the official working shoes. We want to see you looking smart and beautiful with your full uniform. SMS Of The Day * THIS nation is in dire need of a massive conference on housing. When we experienced a crisis in the education sector a crisis-control brain-storming conference was organised which resulted in the best deal ever for the Namibian child, nam Food For Thought * BOURGEOISIE has become a daily occupation if not the order of the day of the upper-echelons, President Hifikepunye Pohamba we urge you to revisit this unpatriotic geocentricism among your staff and the well-connected, for everybody to r Bouquets And Brickbats * COMMISSIONER of Prisons, can you please explain the strategies you use to appoint officers to certain positions? It is my observation that you are being fed with wrong information then you just promote individuals without making p SMS Of The Day * I THINK Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda lost his belt because of this promoter and trainer. How can a world champion still be training at the Katutura Youth Complex where there is not enough equipment. I think they must follow the example of Ha Food For Thought * NAMIBIA Dairies are unable to match low prices of imported milk and this ultimately means the consumer will have to pay more for local milk. Look at the prices of the local chicken. All these profits are going in the pockets of a few in Bouquets And Brickbats * I AM pleased to hear that Cabinet has responded positively to the proposal of Namibia Dairies to support the industry. The restrictions which support the industry by reducing competition to ensure the survival of the industry is a SMS Of The Day * CEO’s golden handshakes. Somewhere on our statute books there must be a provision that if a board of directors suspends/dismisses a CEO without due regard to legal provision (substantive/procedural law) such board must carry the costs for Food For Thought * JACKY Asheeke was so right with her last column- why are the fathers of the dead children not being prosecuted? (Reference to the children who died in shack fires last week) Our justice system still protects men over women. In this cont Bouquets And Brickbats * ALEXACTUS Kaure, your column in Friday’s newspaper opened my eyes. One hardly finds impartial case study analysers in Namibia. Let’s not destroy the Polytechnic’s strong foundation (Tjivikua) as yet. At least wait until the transf
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| 2013-08-09
The Winds of Change
Selma Kaulinge
I am going to use a title of a song of one of Namibia’s most legendary and loved artists to try and describe what happeing in the Namibian music industry at the moment. Using the words from the speech of then British Prime Minster Harold Macmillan when addressing Parliament of South Africa, foreseeing the inevitable liberation of Africa in the 1960s, the late Jackson Kaujeua used the title of that speech as inspiration for his beautiful song, ‘The Winds of Change’.
I am going to use a title of a song of one of Namibia’s most legendary and loved artists to try and describe what happeing in the Namibian music industry at the moment. Using the words from the speech of then British Prime Minster Harold Macmillan when addressing Parliament of South Africa, foreseeing the inevitable liberation of Africa in the 1960s, the late Jackson Kaujeua used the title of that speech as inspiration for his beautiful song, ‘The Winds of Change’.
Yes, change is coming. If you go back a few years there is no denying that Kwaito music, which was created on the dusty streets of Soweto (South Africa), found its way into the hearts of the Namibian youth. A number of Namibian artists then took this genre of music and made it their own. So much so that Namibian artists have won the ‘Best Kwaito Award’ at the Channel O Awards on numerous ocasions.
Of all the genres, Namibian Kwaito artists had the biggest fan bases and were able to fill large venues when they had shows.
But all that seems to be changing.
Kwaito artists, even though they are still winning awards, just don’t seem to have as many shows as in the past, and when they do, they have to work hard to get fans to attend their shows and their following is not as visible as it once was.
I am not trying to talk down Kwaito. In fact, I love Kwaito music. It will always be one of Namibia’s most loved music genres, but there is no denying that many of our Kwaito artists have become complacent. It almost seems as if they have gone into hiding.
You might even think that because of this the Namibian music industry has somehow gone into a recession and that nobody is really doing anything. But this is not the case. There is so much happening in Namibian music right now.
The Kwaito music scene, which just happened to be the biggest and most vibrant a couple of years ago, might be a little quiet, but there are still things happening in music that show a certain maturity in the music industry. As a music fan, you just have to look a little harder.
More and more young people are starting to not only enjoy alternative genres of music, but they are also creating alternative types of music. One such example is the Sean K and Percival Rinquest show, that took place at the Warehouse Theatre a few weeks ago. The venue was filled to capacity on both nights and the performances were positively accepted by the audience.
Another thing to notice is that genres like Hip Hop and Afro Pop are also starting to take over our once Kwaito dominated industry. Artists like Sally and Blossom are working hard to push the industry to the next level and give their fans that little bit extra.
Even though some artists are contributing to some of the change, the change I am speaking about comes predominantly from the fans of music. The people who buy music, the people who spend their hard earned money to attend shows, these are the people making most of the changes in the industry.
I think they are the ones who dictate what is happening in the industry today, because there is a hunger for more and for improved quality with young Namibian music fans. We do not want the ‘dumbed down’ lyrics and the easily packaged performances, the fans are longing for more. More substance. More soul. Much more than what we have been getting over the years.
Yes, it was fun and I enjoyed them, but it is time to grow and give us something more. Because things are changing and it would be awesome if we could all be a part of that change.
I am going to use a title of a song of one of Namibia’s most legendary and loved artists to try and describe what happeing in the Namibian music industry at the moment. Using the words from the speech of then British Prime Minster Harold Macmillan when addressing Parliament of South Africa, foreseeing the inevitable liberation of Africa in the 1960s, the late Jackson Kaujeua used the title of that speech as inspiration for his beautiful song, ‘The Winds of Change’.
Yes, change is coming. If you go back a few years there is no denying that Kwaito music, which was created on the dusty streets of Soweto (South Africa), found its way into the hearts of the Namibian youth. A number of Namibian artists then took this genre of music and made it their own. So much so that Namibian artists have won the ‘Best Kwaito Award’ at the Channel O Awards on numerous ocasions.
Of all the genres, Namibian Kwaito artists had the biggest fan bases and were able to fill large venues when they had shows.
But all that seems to be changing.
Kwaito artists, even though they are still winning awards, just don’t seem to have as many shows as in the past, and when they do, they have to work hard to get fans to attend their shows and their following is not as visible as it once was.
I am not trying to talk down Kwaito. In fact, I love Kwaito music. It will always be one of Namibia’s most loved music genres, but there is no denying that many of our Kwaito artists have become complacent. It almost seems as if they have gone into hiding.
You might even think that because of this the Namibian music industry has somehow gone into a recession and that nobody is really doing anything. But this is not the case. There is so much happening in Namibian music right now.
The Kwaito music scene, which just happened to be the biggest and most vibrant a couple of years ago, might be a little quiet, but there are still things happening in music that show a certain maturity in the music industry. As a music fan, you just have to look a little harder.
More and more young people are starting to not only enjoy alternative genres of music, but they are also creating alternative types of music. One such example is the Sean K and Percival Rinquest show, that took place at the Warehouse Theatre a few weeks ago. The venue was filled to capacity on both nights and the performances were positively accepted by the audience.
Another thing to notice is that genres like Hip Hop and Afro Pop are also starting to take over our once Kwaito dominated industry. Artists like Sally and Blossom are working hard to push the industry to the next level and give their fans that little bit extra.
Even though some artists are contributing to some of the change, the change I am speaking about comes predominantly from the fans of music. The people who buy music, the people who spend their hard earned money to attend shows, these are the people making most of the changes in the industry.
I think they are the ones who dictate what is happening in the industry today, because there is a hunger for more and for improved quality with young Namibian music fans. We do not want the ‘dumbed down’ lyrics and the easily packaged performances, the fans are longing for more. More substance. More soul. Much more than what we have been getting over the years.
Yes, it was fun and I enjoyed them, but it is time to grow and give us something more. Because things are changing and it would be awesome if we could all be a part of that change.
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(August 12)
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