Werah Café Theatre A Creative Hub for Independent Artists

Pinehas NakazikoAs Namibia celebrates its 32nd Independence Day on Monday, The Weekender looks over art and art history, which have evolved radically.

Currently, few visual artists and musicians have turned away from the classical tradition, embracing new media and aesthetic ideals, and art historians shifted their focus from the analysis of art’s formal beauty to the interpretation of its cultural meaning.

We looked at the Werah Café Theatre at Rundu, which has been offering multiple recreational activities for the past seven years.

The theatre opened in 2016 at Rundu, which is known as a stopover and transit town on the way to Katima Mulilo and neighbouring countries.

According to the theatre’s founder, Nanyemba Hafeni Katamba, Rundu has a lot of opportunity for economic growth through cultural tourism and manufacturing if the town could develop infrastructure, events, and shows that appeal to local residents as well as visitors.

“Cultural tourism is a fast-growing business, and tourists appreciate high-quality market hubs that showcase locally produced goods and services and integrate aspects of the community’s heritage in music, crafts, organic food and manufacturing,” says Katamba.

To promote art through independence, Katamba says they have introduced a few cultural activities such as ‘Voices from the River, formerly known as ‘Night Around the Fire’, through their partner Home of the Arts.

‘Voices from the River’ sessions are already being staged at the venue, as well as activities offered by the other local players such as boat trips on the Kavango River, and the ‘Rock the Boat’ series by Ngandu TV, which will make the Kavango East region competitive as a popular destination.

“We introduced this series which challenges artists, from musicians, actors, dancers to poets and comedians, visual artists, to step outside of their comfort zone and immerse themselves in a live experience,” says Katamba.

He adds that these talents are given a platform to connect directly with their fans, which builds their brand and reinforces fan loyalty.

“Most importantly, ‘Voices from the River’ also serves as a platform for local artists to voice community issues in artistic ways on behalf of the voiceless community. ‘Voices from the River’ paves the way to the Rundu Annual Arts Festival, where artists experience high-stakes performances that will prepare them for the international markets.”

He adds that the theatre hosts it to stimulate self-reflection and constructive dialogue on various topics, with the end goal of fostering mindset shifts and behavioural change.

The aim is to host thought leaders, industry experts and influential figures to expose members of the community to new ideas and entrepreneurial opportunities.

At their first event, they had an organic business idea arise around a new textile fabric that would symbolise both pride in the region and the collective identity of the Kavango people.

In 2019, the venue had an innovative partnership with the Ngandu Festival, collaborating as a platform for Namibian-owned businesses and artists in the Kavango regions to promote, sell and grow their products and services.

“As part of a pivot due to the coronavirus pandemic, they moved to a digital platform [Ngandu TV], which we supported via a creative artist pipeline, live music training, and capacity-building for artists,” Katamba says.

He adds that the theatre also hosts the ‘Rock the Boat’ artist series, an innovative way for artists to build their brand and scale up.

Apart from that, the venue has been hosting live performances with artists such as Kapitol K, M-Gee, Elia Davinci and Panashe, keeping the venue alive.

Commenting on the support from the government, Katamba says they did not benefit directly, but indirectly as Werah Café Theatre benefited from the instruments that were donated to HOTA by the National Arts Council of Namibia (NACN), and these are the instruments that they have been using when hosting their events.

Capitol K, the hit singers of ‘Mate Mate’ and ‘Litantera’, who have been performing live at the venue, including in ‘Rock the Boat’, describe the venue as a big platform for artists to show their talent and grow their skills.

“Following the disruption caused by the impact of Covid-19, Werah Café Theatre has also started to rebuild and remodel its outdoor space to improve the experience of the audience who participates in its monthly events” says Katamba.

“For this year, the space has already hosted two amazing local talents – Panashe and the legendary Capitol K, which took place in January and February respectively.”

Katamba adds that the remodelling plan has enormous benefits as it will propel the establishment to become a one-stop centre where the target audience can learn, create and market their products and services, while at the same time serving as a hang-out or networking spot for creatives and art lovers.

“We want to acknowledge the support from the Pupkewitz Foundation which contributed immensely to the funding of the deck,” Katamba says.

“This rooftop deck was a critical piece of our hub modification strategy and is now hailed as an iconic landmark in the community of the Ndama informal settlement along the Trans-Zambezi Highway.”

To celebrate this year’s Independence Day, the third instalment of the ‘Voices of the River’ session will be staged on 2 April. Details are being finalised.

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