A Look Back at the Year That Was

Things are winding down and coming to a close, and as is customary around this time of the year, The Weekender is taking a look back at some of the moments that defined these last 12 months.

Whether it was the good, the bad or the ugly that was grabbing our attention, there was always some story keeping us on the edge of our seats.

These moments have had the Twitter people chirping, the WhatsApp aunties gasping and the gossip blogs salivating like never before.

The Triumphs

As a nation, we’ve been kind of depressed. Between never-ending government corruption, Covid, the drought and so much else, it has been too much, but a few things renewed our faith in ourselves and brought a bit of joy once again.

Miss Supranational

Then there was the lovely Chanique Rabie, who was crowned Miss Supranational and brought some more international focus to the Land of the Brave.

Music Wins

Music wise, three young Khorixas boys dominated the TikTok charts with their ‘It Ain’t Me’ Amapiano remix, while The Musketeers track ‘Danko’ is also pushing massive numbers outside the country.

We seem to be getting a hang of utilising streaming and online platforms as local online music platforms Donlu and ViralCom each recorded successes in their ventures, with Donlu surpassing 13 million streams on the platform proving that there indeed is a market for Namibian and African Music. ViralCom on the other hand generated a total of 94 000 incoming texts from song-related downloads and creative competitions for 300 songs registered on their database.

Under 30 and Killing It!

Reinhard Mahalie, stylist and fashion mega brand, graced the cover of Forbes as one of their 2021 30 Under 30 laureates, proving that his work to break boundaries is not in vain.

It’s Gina

Jeanz’s Year

And then there was graphic designer and producer Gina ‘Jeanz’ Mwoombola, who never fails to impress. Aside from just being a content and aesthetic genius alongside her husband, the model was featured on the official Instagram page of American musician Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing line, dressed in a blue ‘Icy Park’ tracksuit and looking cool as hell. Then she dropped her debut album, ‘Lucid Theory’, later in the year, which further proves she’s an unstoppable powerhouse.

Comeback King

Well-loved presenter and TV personality Paul Da Prince was arrested by immigration officials this year and many people were left wondering what would happen to his burgeoning career. After spending some time in South Africa though, he returned bigger and better than ever, and continues to book gigs and grow his brand, proving that you can’t keep a good man down.

The Ones We Lost

This year we lost some of our greats. Can we have a moment of silence, please?

Kanibal

Rapper and producer Shilongoh ‘Kanibal’ Ashipala took his own life this year and news of his death rocked the nation. It was a great loss to Namibian music and art as a whole, and many wished him a peaceful send-off.

David Ndjavera

Theatre giant ‘uncle’ David Ndjavera was another unexpected loss this year. The thespian touched many lives for many years, and his passing has left a gaping hole in Namibian theatre and film.

Tunakie

And then there was traditional singer Maria Tuna-Omukwathi ‘Tunakie’ Uushona, who took her last breath in May. Tributes poured in for her, highlighting the important role she played in shaping the Namibian music industry early on.

The Drama

BBHMM

It may be easy to think there is drama in your life, until you look over at the next person and realise your problems might not be so bad. Like, look at political spokesperson Imms Nashinge, whose big mouth got him into some expensive trouble. For calling Namibian personality Betty Davids a “prostitute” in a WhatsApp group, he had to hand over N$60 000 and an apology for “defamatory and hurtful” comments. Sometimes it’s okay to shut up, you know. As graceful as she is, she donated the money to victims of GBV.

The RTE Exodus

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