Ben Molatzi

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Ben 'Tukumazan' Molatzi (* 1954 in Alexandra (South Africa) ; † August 8, 2016 in Tsumeb ) was a Namibian singer-songwriter and guitarist .

Life

Molatzi came from Tsumeb and grew up in poor circumstances. He worked as a teacher and wrote self-taught ballads based on the melodies and harmonies of his Damara and Sotho heritage. Molatzi's music was recorded in the field and in the studio of the South West African Broadcasting Corporation (SWABC) , and was broadcast on the South West African- controlled broadcaster, which was shaped by apartheid politics , on the "Ethnic Stations" dedicated to his language group. Among his best known pieces include Mati matis Kai-khoesa, sige si ge mai e / gi ... and O Dama! Haose .. .

His music recordings were archived in the archives of the Namibian radio . Because the messages of his songs displeased the South African apartheid regime , his recordings were censored and damaged. As part of the research of the Stolen Moments Research Group from Windhoek , parts of his music were reprocessed in collaboration with the Iwalewahaus . In 2016 the exhibition Stolen Moments was created , and in 2019 Molatzi's album No Way To Go was released on Bear Family Records with previously unreleased songs.

Molatzi was also a defender for Chief Santos .

Discography

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c RIP Ben Tukumazan Molatzi, 1954 - 2016. In: New Era , August 12, 2016.
  2. ↑ a b Ben Molatzi on the Bear Family Records website
  3. ↑ Michael Weiser: Namibia's forgotten pop heroes. In: Nordbayerischer Kurier , November 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Jonathan Fischer: Exhibition: German drinking songs and Afro rock. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Stolen Moments - Namibian Music History Untold (1950-80s) , SOAS University of London
personal data
SURNAME Molatzi, Ben
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tukumazan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Namibian singer-songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Alexandra (South Africa)
DATE OF DEATH August 8, 2016
Place of death Tsumeb