Mr Makoya Warns Against Foreign Competition

Strauss Lunyangwe, who is popularly known as Mr Makoya, describes himself as a true son of the soil who is resilient, focused and a go-getter.

Mr Makoya is an authentic and respected artist, like his nickname says.

Born at Katutura, he made a name for himself with the now disbanded Matongo Family as a 13-year-old rapper.

“My education journey started at the People’s Primary School with the likes of Shikololo, Tequila and Fidel O’Del, who also went on to become top artists in their own right.

I was at Dawid Bezuidenhout High School when I started with the Matongo Family,” he says.

“I grew up idolising the legendary Michael Jackson. I was always imitating him during school talent shows and other fun gatherings.

I was also part of kwaito dance group Trompies, but there were just too many kwaito acts at the time and the scene became too crowded.”

Mr Makoya says the Matongo Family scaled heights not many young acts could reach, which was emphasised by the fact that they won the rap division of the NBC Music Makers competition in 2000.

GOING SOLO

Mr Makoya says his decision to go solo was not difficult, because there were already cracks in the band after fellow band member Arthur Nanub, better known as Damara Dik Ding, decided to go solo because of a contractual misunderstanding.

“They say all good things must come to an end, and it was not surprising that the Matongo Family would discontinue.

The success we reached was way beyond our expectations, and after close to 20 years together, it was only for our own good to break up,” he says.
“Today I can proudly say I have really grown musically on my own.

Having been the youngest of the group, I had to prove to the public, and most importantly to myself, that I had the talent to stand on my own.

Mr Makoya is here to stay.”

Success did not come overnight for the former Dawid Bezuidenhout matriculant, and there was even a time he started to doubt himself after his debut album, ‘Stravotainment’, did not really appeal to the public.

“I learned the vital lesson that the public is always a little skeptical in accepting a new sound, and you have to be very patient if you want to succeed in the music industry.

I’m lucky I have very supportive friends, and we sat down and analysed my first album thoroughly,” he says.

“We came to the conclusion that we needed to put in extra work for my second effort. We consulted and planned better, and the final execution was perfect.

I even roped in Hilda Namundjebo, who is one of the best artist managers and publicists you can ever get.”

The album that was released, ‘Final Warning’, is one of his best works, he says.

Mr Makoya says the collaboration with the internationally acclaimed South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo on his hit song ‘Hello My Baby’ was the turning point of his career,

‘MASTERSTROKE’

“Our engagement with Ladysmith Black Mambazo turned out to be a masterstroke. I can only say they didn’t come cheap. I mean they are a five-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble with international status,” he says.

The album ‘Final Warning’ received six nominations at the Namibian Annual Music Awards.

Although Mr Makoya didn’t lay his hands on any of the awards, he made a clear statement that he has finally arrived.

He says his songs are inspired by everyday life and he is singing to inspire, uplift and motivate people and to make them forget their problems.

The artist says his other hit, ‘Living Your Life’, sums up everything his music was about.

Mr Makoya says he has been employed as a multimedia coordinator for the past eight years.

“I just finalised the new video for my last single, ‘Lapele’, which means ‘pray’ in my home language, Silozi, in which I am featuring DJ Siya as well as DJ Vuuyo, which will be released on all online platforms today [Friday],” he says.

“I have also released my new Tura Style wear for this year.

We are fortunate to have struck a deal with Ragazzi Clothing, and our clothing is available at their stores in Wernhil Park and Black Chain at Katutura. We have done that for the convenience of our clients.”

Mr Makoya, who has dropped four studio albums, has performed in the United States.

His first show was in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2023 while the second was in Chicago, where he performed with other artists on invitation from the Namibian community in the United States.

He shot a music video on both occasions.

After 26 years in the industry, Mr Makoya says Namibia’s talent is evident.

“We as a nation and our government in particular must jealously guard our territory against foreign competition and promote our artists as it is the case in other places, including neighbouring South Africa.

“In Namibia, the stakeholders are not putting our arts forward. If there is a national event, we must think of Namibians first before looking outside.

“There is nothing wrong with being selfish in our bid to promote and uplift our own artists. The Namibian music industry is dying slowly.”

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