The Technicalities of ‘Tech Talk’

Design Inkala Graphix’s Sam Hauwanga is on a mission to make technology in Namibia great again. And thanks to the new programme ‘Tech Talk’ which he started with his cousin Natangwe Anguku, friends and family, tech just got more awesome.

“We started this idea about three years ago and my cousin did the original trailer. Around that time, I was just coming back from Cape Town and I got this pilot episode from him that we could use. After that, we just worked on it together,” Hauwanga said. Their hard work eventually paid off after One Africa Televsion picked up the programme.

“Originally, the project was called ‘Game Talk’ and the ‘Tech Talk’ concept was separate, but we decided to combine the two and make it longer,” Hauwanga said. In fact, it was uploaded on YouTube first. “The people at One Africa caught wind of it and my cousin sat down with them. I was out of town at the time, but when I came back, we got the email.”

However, it took them about two years to get the production running smoothly. “It was about people’s willingness to help an unknown production. When One Africa picked up the series, we re-edited some of the footage, but in between that time, we left everything for a while.”

Hauwanga’s love for tech started at a young age. He studied 3D animation in South Africa, but taught himself a couple of other things while Anguku specialised in videography. It was inevitable for the two to come together and build a brand.

“We knew that we wouldn’t run out of content,” Hauwanga said, seeing that technology never gets old. So far, the series has touched on topics such as driverless cars, a tour of FabLab, 3D printing and game reviews. “We actually gave seven episodes, although it was supposed to be 13,” he admitted, seeing as a host of equipment was stolen from them at some point.

However, the team rose up from their troubles to make sure their content aired. “The support from One Africa television was insane. They’re accommodating and friendly. However, we are still looking for sponsorships or collaborations.” This, Hauwanga said, was because the team has to buy all the equipment themselves, including the products they reviewed, which cost a hefty sum.

But he believes that technology and the gaming culture in Namibia still has space to grow. “I know a lot of people who are into gaming,” he said. “In season two, we plan to do a review of our local gamers and cover a substantial amount of local competitions.”

With the battle of consoles being a conversation among gamers often, Hauwanga offered his opinion on this: “I don’t believe there’s a best console. It’s about preference. But I think that the most popular console in Namibia is the Playstation. Secondly, I’d say the PC. It’s easy to assemble one. When it comes to the Xbox, it feels foreign. But on the show, we play on Playstation.”

Hauwanga believes that the show will grow in time, seeing as there are many people interested in the technological development of the country. “Technology is not just for entertainment. Like with 3D printing, a lot of people are being helped with prosthetic arms, etc. We need to look into growing our tech brand.”

And technology is by no means gender-biased, although there’s a slight misconception about women not being gamers. “We also want to get the elderly involved. More older people are trying to buy consoles for themselves too. You can’t reinvent the wheel, but you can redesign it to your understanding.”

Advising the youth to find more solutions to tech, Hauwanga said it was time to bridge the gap. “There’s no point to say that our elders have backwards thinking. We need to find the areas in which they are lacking the knowledge and teach them things. But we must have patience; we still have time before we develop to, for example, payment methods and gaming the way they do in northern Africa.”

With that said, Hauwanga plans to give technology the exposure it deserves, seeing that Namibia is well on its way to becoming a nation of innovation and inspiration.

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