Reggae star marks 30 years of music with grand concert

Reggae star Ras Sheehama is planning to host a concert, themed ‘Ras Sheehama, Three Decades of Music’ from 4 to 6 April in Windhoek.

The event, a collaboration by friends of Sheehama, pays homage to his career, spanning over three decades.

Sheehama has been pioneering the reggae genre in Namibia, incorporating Afro-fusion and traditional Namibian musical elements since the 1990s.

He says he is excited about the upcoming event, promising live bands, singers, dancers and an unforgettable multimedia experience.

“It’s not your normal Ras Sheehama concert, it’s a multimedia experience, with dance, video, poetry, etc. One Namibia, one nation. Let’s get together and feel alright,” he says.

Sheehama says the concert is, however, not the end of his music career.

“I’m not going anywhere any time soon. I’ll be with you till dawn musically. I’m still performing and recording new music,” he says.

Sheehama says there is a noticeable lack of young people pursuing reggae music in Namibia.

However, he does not consider this a significant concern, because each generation’s unique sound resonates with their time, he says.

“Music has evolved, and that is okay. You can’t force genres on artists. It should be their choice,” he says.

Creative director and film-maker Othilia Mungoba, who is part of the organising team, says the event is a unique approach as it includes various facets of performance and visual art.

“We are not only looking at the musicality of Ras Sheehama. We are looking at the lyrical content and, of course, its significance in styling and presentation as well,” she says.

The line-up for the event includes DJ Kboz, Big Ben, Sally Boss Madam and Exit Rockaz, ML, Ethnix, Patrick Sikiliza, North Side Rabbi, Equipped Dance Academy and Vocal Redemption.

The event will be streamed live and tickets are available at webtickets Namibia.

Mungoba says attendees will have access to artists doing poetry, spoken word performances, and renditions of various Sheehama songs.

“Big Ben will be doing a classical mix with the acoustic guitar, and PDK is doing the very iconic ‘Cassinga’ song. There will also be an a capella rendition of the song ‘Inotila’, with DJ K-Bozz doing a mix of ‘City Young Girls’ virtually via video.

“The event aims to appreciate Namibian creatives,” she says.

Mungoba says Sheehama will not be performing for the whole show, as the artists lined up will be performing different versions of his songs.

“I really want this to serve as a springboard and a baseline of how we can integrate creative conversation collaborations. There’s so much experimental work that has been done outside the country, and I think as Namibians we tend to be a little bit too comfortable with how we express our narratives and our creative selves.

“I think we have a multitude of stories to tell,” she says.

Mungoba says the event is more than just a celebration, it’s a tribute to Sheehama’s impact on Namibia’s socio-cultural landscape.

“I am honoured for him to entrust the team and for me to execute this vision,” Mungoba says. – unWrap.online