Kauandenge sings a different tune

FED UP with the political rap, and tired of playing political musical chairs, Joseph Kauandenge has decided to sing a different tune.

Literally. Joseph the politician is making way for Jossie the pop wannabe.Singing under the name of Jossie Kauandenge, the 31-year-old has just released a CD, ‘Mbakotoka’, which means ‘I am back’.And this time he’s not taking the rap.Rap is out.He has tuned into a style of music known as ‘Oviritje’ in the Otjiherero language.He told The Namibian this week that he chose the title because he had bounced back after suffering heavy blows to his political career.Kauandenge’s flamboyant and rather controversial career seems to be drawing to a close.Still, he does not seem to be out of tune on current affairs.One of the six tracks on the new CD is about the late Avid Investment boss Lazarus Kandara.Another is about O Sama bin Laden.He said the message in the song about Kandara was for people who jumped to conclusions about other people’s lives.”People need to be human enough.In that song I also have messages to both the children and the wife of the late Kandara,” he said.He said the two main reasons he started singing were to spread a strong message on real issues affecting Namibia, especially HIV-AIDS, and to encourage young people not to give up easily when they encounter hardships.He accused politicians in Namibia of paying lip service on issues affecting the majority of Namibians.”With my music I want to put a face to real issues affecting our people such as HIV-AIDS and many others.I am doing this to the benefit of the conservative Namibian nation.You will never find Namibian politicians openly talking about their friends or family members who are HIV positive.Someone has to break this silence and I took it upon myself to come out and make known that AIDS is real.I also sing about many other social evils in the society and hope that my voice will be heard by many,” he said.Kauandenge served as the secretary general of Nudo from 2003 to 2004, and occupied the same position at the DTA Youth League from 1998 to 2003.He also had his own political party between 1997 and 1998, which was known as the Namibia Movement for Independent Candidates (NMIC).His latest position is that of advisor to Republican Party (RP) president Henk Mudge.Kauandenge said the CD was selling well and a lot of young people were sending him mobile text messages congratulating him on his tunes.Still, he said, there were others who were not impressed with the music and with his sudden switch from politics to music.Asked how he will survive the stiff competition among artists doing the same music, Kauandenge said he believes he will make a mark in his own right.He said he was not sure how long his musical career would last, but was prepared to take up the challenge.”I will take it step by step and will decide from there,” he said.Joseph the politician is making way for Jossie the pop wannabe.Singing under the name of Jossie Kauandenge, the 31-year-old has just released a CD, ‘Mbakotoka’, which means ‘I am back’.And this time he’s not taking the rap.Rap is out.He has tuned into a style of music known as ‘Oviritje’ in the Otjiherero language.He told The Namibian this week that he chose the title because he had bounced back after suffering heavy blows to his political career.Kauandenge’s flamboyant and rather controversial career seems to be drawing to a close.Still, he does not seem to be out of tune on current affairs.One of the six tracks on the new CD is about the late Avid Investment boss Lazarus Kandara.Another is about O Sama bin Laden.He said the message in the song about Kandara was for people who jumped to conclusions about other people’s lives.”People need to be human enough.In that song I also have messages to both the children and the wife of the late Kandara,” he said.He said the two main reasons he started singing were to spread a strong message on real issues affecting Namibia, especially HIV-AIDS, and to encourage young people not to give up easily when they encounter hardships.He accused politicians in Namibia of paying lip service on issues affecting the majority of Namibians.”With my music I want to put a face to real issues affecting our people such as HIV-AIDS and many others.I am doing this to the benefit of the conservative Namibian nation.You will never find Namibian politicians openly talking about their friends or family members who are HIV positive.Someone has to break this silence and I took it upon myself to come out and make known that AIDS is real.I also sing about many other social evils in the society and hope that my voice will be heard by many,” he said.Kauandenge served as the secretary general of Nudo from 2003 to 2004, and occupied the same position at the DTA Youth League from 1998 to 2003.He also had his own political party between 1997 and 1998, which was known as the Namibia Movement for Independent Candidates (NMIC).His latest position is that of advisor to Republican Party (RP) president Henk Mudge.Kauandenge said the CD was selling well and a lot of young people were sending him mobile text messages congratulating him on his tunes.Still, he said, there were others who were not impressed with the music and with his sudden switch from politics to music.Asked how he will survive the stiff competition among artists doing the same music, Kauandenge said he believes he will make a mark in his own right.He said he was not sure how long his musical career would last, but was prepared to take up the challenge.”I will take it step by step and will decide from there,” he said.