Stop Building the 17th Floor First

I’ve seen in the media lately that there are plans to construct a film city in Namibia akin to Hollywood, and I can’t help but think this is why we need youthful presidents across Africa.

Octogenarians just cannot or will not grasp what today’s five-year-olds will need one day, and even worse, they refuse to consider them when making decisions.

I feel like too many of us try and build skyscrapers by starting with the 17th floor. Instead of laying the foundation and working upwards, we create these grandiose plans, either because we are impatient or ill-informed. I make that mistake often, and each time, the 17th floor comes tumbling to the ground.

Instead of trying to build Hollywood, why not a comprehensive plan to entirely reimagine the Namibian film and art scenes?

How would our own Hollywood function when most Namibians don’t even have access to the internet? Most don’t even like consuming local art and entertainment, and ridicule those who attempt to be musicians, actors, painters, etc.

If I were in charge, I would rather envision a film city 20 years from now. In the meantime, I would direct state funds towards improving arts education around the country for primary school children.

If anyone is going to lead an arts revolution, it’s going to be the very new generation. Even as a 30-year-old myself, I have to accept that the world we are creating should be centred on much younger citizens.

The problem is that most people in charge want credit immediately. They want to be the one cutting the ribbon on launch day. They don’t want a long-term plan where the results will only be seen long after they are gone.

This doesn’t just happen with film and entertainment. Our government loves ceremonies, awards, photo ops, press conferences and announcements for the tiniest things. Instead of waiting 10 to 15 years to see whether your work has actually yielded positive results, you want to be praised for just having the idea.

My suspicion for all these big plans in the film industry is that for a few years a select group of people will become very rich, there will be many movie premieres and red carpets, then in a decade the well will dry up again.

But only because there isn’t any proper foundation.

I don’t say this to be pessimistic. I say this so that we can all wake up. Let’s stop being arrogant and wanting everything for ourselves in the present, and implement long-term plans we might not get to see come to fruition.

If we build slowly over the next few decades, the film city will form naturally on its own without having to be state-controlled, because filmmakers will have their own money and expertise to open private studios.

The industry will thrive because not only will we have talented creatives, but also because more Namibians will love art and want to consume it.

As for the older generation, I have not forgotten you completely. If you are over 25, what you need is a lot of training.

What I would suggest is making Namibia an attractive filming destination for international production houses.

Incentivise foreigners to come in large droves with projects – force them to hire a certain percentage of local artisans.

Over time, this will translate to average Namibian filmmakers having international level skills in camera work, lighting, producing, rigging, directing, writing and the rest.

For the love of all that is holy, we don’t need the government to just hand out money to a few people who will make a bunch of low-quality movies and shows. We don’t need to rush into anything.

Let’s focus on building skills, education and training, and all the good stuff will come naturally from that.

Even Hollywood wasn’t just popped in the desert by one person with a plan. It happened slowly but surely over time, and it happened because ordinary people got obsessed with getting better at their craft, not with shaking hands at galas.

Namibia doesn’t need a shiny film city. Namibia needs thousands of children who think in colour, who storyboard in their school notebooks, who experiment with sound design on a cracked Android phone, who grow up understanding story, lighting, movement, rhythm.

That’s how you build an industry. You build people. Then the people build everything else.

Imagine what happens if Namibia actually commits to the long game. By 2045, you’ve got adults who grew up with film classes in primary school.

They’ve built micro-studios in their garages. They’ve collaborated across regions, languages and vibes. They’ve made stuff that’s weird and original and deeply Namibian. Nobody had to force it into existence.

Once you build that ecosystem, the ‘film city’ basically constructs itself. But we have to choose the slow burn. We have to choose development over dopamine. We have to choose the 20-year plan instead of the two-year photo op.

That’s how you build something that doesn’t collapse the moment the political winds shift. That’s how you make sure the next generation inherits something real.

Hollywood wasn’t magic. It was momentum. Namibia can have that too, but only if we stop trying to teleport to the 17th floor and actually build the damn staircase.

– Anne Hambuda is a writer, social commentator and poet. Follow her online or email her at
annehambuda@gmail.com for more.

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