Music in Namibia

This article gives an overview of the music that has established itself in the area of ​​present-day Namibia , in particular its genres and most important representatives. The Namibian music industry is honored every year at the Namibian Annual Music Awards . The Namibia Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) serves as the collecting society . The Namibian music industry has been in the development phase since independence in 1990. Only a few musicians and labels can generate a livelihood through music. Musical training is offered by the College of the Arts , the former conservatory .

The Namibian Communications Regulatory Authority (CRAN) has been building a music quota since 2017 , according to which radio stations, among others, have to obtain a large part of their music from Namibian labels, producers or musicians.

Folk

Traditional African music can be found in Namibia mainly in communal, rural areas as part of traditional festivals, dances and church events (then mainly in the form of gospel - mainly represented by Jackson Kaujeua ). With the Nama , string instruments and flutes as well as drums are part of everyday life, with other ethnic groups more xylophone and horns .

Oviritje

The Herero play so-called oviritje (concerts). The main language at such concerts is Otjiherero . The inventor of Oviritje is Kareke Henguva , who further developed the music together with Kakazona Kavari , Meisie Henguva and Oomzulu Pietersen . They owe the use of keyboards . Well-known representatives are The Wild Dogs , Okazera , Bullet ya Kaoko and Kakazona, among others Kavari .

Maǀgaisa

Maǀgaisa is the original name of a traditional style of music that is best known today as Damara Punch . It was developed by Damara, who speaks Khoekhoegowab . Well-known representatives are Stanley , ǃAubasen , Dixson , Damara Dikding and Phura Duwe .

Shambo

Shambo is a traditional music and dance of the Oshiwambo -speaking Owambo . Shambo, or actually “Shambo Shakambode”, has developed in recent times (around since the 1990s) primarily through Yoba Valombola . The use of guitars plays an important role. The main themes are love, history, peace, respect and unity. Well-known representatives are Tunakie , Ama Daz Floor , D-Naff , Tate Buti and Janice .

Afrikaans

Afrikaans music is popular with the Boers , Rehoboth Baster and German Namibians . Afrikaans-speaking Namibian pop musicians are among the most successful worldwide. Well-known representatives are Juanita du Plessis , Nianell , Riana Nel and Stefan Ludik .

German

Ees

German-language music plays a subordinate role, mainly due to the small home market in Namibia. A German-language music genre of its own in Namibia has not developed. German-language music from Germany is popular. Ees in particular is one of the few German-speaking musicians in Namibia who sings in the German-speaking Namslang .

The Südwesterlied , the unofficial hymn of the German Namibians, is a specialty . The Swakopmund men's choir from 1902 is an important representative of German music in Namibia.

pop music

Popular pop music genre in Namibia include kwaito , hip-hop and Afropop .

Kwaito

Kwaito is one of the most popular and successful music genres in Namibia. It is considered the only genre of music in the country that can be made money. Young people feel particularly addressed by the texts. The Dogg , Gazza , Exit and Ees are among the most successful Kwaito artists in the country.

Reggae / Dancehall / AfroBeat

This genre of music developed mainly in the 1970s through Ras Sheehama in Katutura . Namibian reggae is characterized by fast beats , which are made more accessible to young listeners in particular through dancehall influences. Well-known representatives are Buju Bantuan and Ngatu .

Rock 'n' Roll / Rock

Rock 'n' Roll has been established in Namibia since the 1970s. The birds were among the most popular bands in Namibia. Nowadays, rock 'n' roll in Namibia has mainly merged with hard rock . The Namrock Festival takes place in Windhoek every year. Well-known bands are Bedrock and Famaz Attak .

Hip-hop / rap

T-Zone

Hip-hop plays an important role for the Namibian youth. The band Dungeon Family made first attempts in this music genre . The best-known representatives in independent Namibia include Gal Level and Jericho . One of the most internationally successful Namibian musicians is rapper T-Zon .

R & B / Pop / Afropop

R&B has been popular in Namibia since the 1990s. Many of the Namibian performers let African influences flow in and developed Afropop . These include the girl band Gal Level and Big Ben . Elemotho is one of the most famous Afropop singers and most successful musicians in the country .

House & Metal

DJ Basoff

Namibian DJ Pierre Pienaar , among others, is known for his house productions. Metal was best known through the Windhoek Metal Festival . SuBmission is one of the best-known representatives .

International success

With T-Zon (number 11 in the album charts in Germany and number 21 in Austria in 2016) and Ees (number 7 in the single charts in Poland in 2013), two German namibians celebrated international chart successes. The Namibian-Austrian singer Beate Baumgartner also achieved a chart success with Shosholoza (69th place in the single charts in Austria 2003). Juanita du Plessis , Nianell , Riana Nel and Stefan Ludik have celebrated numerous chart successes in South Africa and are among the best in their genre.

Vaughn Ahrens has been one of the most successful Namibian musicians since 2017. He played his first concert tour in Europe in 2019.

Remarks

1. ↑ Note: This article contains characters from the alphabet of the Khoisan languages spoken in southern Africa . The display contains characters of the click letters ǀ , ǁ , ǂ and ǃ . For more information on the pronunciation of long or nasal vowels or certain clicks , see e.g. B. under Khoekhoegowab .

literature

• Minette Mans: Music as Instrument of Diversity and Unity: Notes on a Namibian Landscape. Nordic Africa, 2004, ISBN 91-7106-510-5 .
• Minette Mans: Ongoma! Notes on Namibian Musical Instruments. Gamsberg Macmillan, Windhoek 2000.
• Nicholas England: Music Among the Zu 'Wa-Si and Related Peoples of Namibia, Botswana, and Angola. Garland, 1995, ISBN 0-8240-2986-0 .
• David Hebert: Teaching Music and Dance of Namibia: A Review Essay. International Journal of Education and the Arts, 2006.

music

• Hitradio Namibia (Ed.): The best hits from Namibia. Windhoek 2017.

Web links

• Popular music in Namibia (English)
• Namibia Society of Composers and Authors of Musick (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Namibian musicians exploited . In: The Economist . Archived from the original on March 11, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2005.
2. ↑ Popular music in Namibia - Gospel. Music in Africa, July 1, 2015.
3. ↑ Country Information on Namibia . In: SOS Children's Villages . Archived from the original on March 26, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 2, 2017. 
4. ↑ Bull Mbauruma: Oviritje going downhill . In: Informanté , April 10, 2014. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved August 2, 2017.  
5. ↑ Raphael and Pele to reunite on NAMAs stage . The Namibian. April 10, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
6. ↑ Ama Daz Floor release album number two . In: New Era , May 29, 2015. 
7. ↑ Official website of the Swakopmund men's choir from 1902 . Retrieved August 2, 2017.
8. ^ Return of the Windhoek Metal Festival. Metal4Afrika, June 27, 2014.