It”;s just over a week since our friend David Ndjavera has ascended to the theatre in the sky and I”;ve reached out to her for personal commentary as I begin the terrible task of writing a memorial piece.
Like many people shaken by the sudden death of a dear friend, Cynthia”;s words of remembrance and grief don”;t come easily. So, in an eerie glimpse of the near future, I WhatsApp her an example of the short, personal note I might write should she no longer be with us.
“Ms Cynthia loved travelling, good food and meeting new people. She was fun, down to earth and generous. Without knowing me very well, she invited me to stay with her in Osnabrück (Germany) so I could save money on a hotel while covering “;Oshi-Deutsch”; (A Namibian and German documentary theatre production about Namibia”;s GDR Children).
“She cared for me like a daughter when I was far from home. When the wheels on my suitcase broke on cobblestones on the way to the airport shuttle, Cynthia, employing her knack for fashion and resourcefulness, grabbed my scarf, tied my bag to her bicycle and off we went at a speed. We laughed at the sight and simple genius of it all the way down the road. I made my bus and I also made a friend.”
In 2016, after I have completed an arts journalism engagement in Berlin, I catch a train west to a quaint German city where a group of Namibian theatremakers are hard at work developing a historical theatre piece.
While I take up the rare opportunity of covering Namibian theatre being produced internationally, Cynthia has offered me the kingdom of her couch.
The Namibia dollar and euro exchange rate will humble you and this kindness allows me to visit Osnabrück and engage with local theatremakers such as “;Oshi-Deutsch”; co-director Sandy Rudd, Ndinomholo Ndilula, Heloise Goraseb and Trixie Munyama.
When not creating the production”;s garments, which she based on archival footage of the GDR children in performance, pioneer and physical training attire, Cynthia took me out on the town. To a typical German pub where we embraced the local culture and indulged in beer and schnitzel and to a rustic local fair that lit up the night with rides and revelry.
In the outpouring of grief since Cynthia”;s death, our adventure in Osnabrück is characteristic.
In her celebrated work in the fashion, film and theatre industries, there are a hundred people like me who remember Madame C as someone who reached out and nurtured the youth, ever investing in, mentoring and encouraging the next generation of Namibia”;s artists.
In the arts world, this is no small thing.
So many of us are discouraged, shamed and devalued for pursuing careers in the creative industry and so to see a mother figure like Cynthia thrive and share her wisdom was food for the soul and the impetus to carry on.
From being a Unesco laureate for her design work considering the theme “;A United World for Future Generations: Beyond Time, Beyond Oceans”; in 1998, to her more recent work on the theatre production “;Hereroland”;, the German colonial-era film “;A Place in the Sun”; and her sartorial installation regarding the Herero and Namaqua genocide at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, Cynthia”;s oeuvre survives as eclectic, activist and inspiring.
It”;s a rare thing for someone to know what you may say when they pass away but in our WhatsApp correspondence, I”;m glad our dear Cynthia Schimming had some idea.
And as for Madame C”;s response to her maybe obituary?
Four laughing face emojis and this:
“That”;s a pretty good one.
Thanks.”
– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on
Twitter and Instagram;
marthamukaiwa.com
