LAND OF THE STAGE

Since Independence Namibia has seen many ups and downs as a country. The entertainment industry in particular, has had quite a rollercoaster ride. As Africans, music is in our DNA. We use it to entertain, tell stories, pass on history etc. Dancing and performing has long been a part of our rituals and many other occasions. Although we have seen a drop in concert attendance (in the case of CD launches especially) in general; Namibia seems to be taking centre stage as more and more African and World superstars grace our shores.

Megastars such as the late Micheal Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Tyrese have been here for numerous reasons. Unfortunately for us, performing wasn’t one of them. Tyrese did however write a song called “Chapter 126” while he was here. It was about a Namibian granny who died at 126 years of age, and was also dedicated to the country. He is also said to have paid about US$4000 [approximately N$30 000] for her funeral. Bob Marley‘s son Ziggy Marley has also written a song for us called Namibia. But that‘s not all. He became the first global star to perform in an independent Namibia when he took to the stage at the Independence concert in 1990.

Over the years Namibia has become an important destination, especially for South African artists. Artist like Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube, TKZee, Mzekezeke and numerous other musicians have graced our stages in the 90s and early 2000s. Lucky for us, they have passed on the culture to todays mega-stars such as AKA, Cassper Nyovest, Nasty-C and numerous House DJ‘s.

The last few years have seen an upsurge in the number of international acts performing in Namibia. In 2012; rapper, songwriter, producer and actress Eve stunned the crowd at the Olympia Hockey Stadium by delivering a once-in-lifetime show in front of a sold out venue. Fast forward 3 years and it was singer\songwriter Trey Songz turn to grace our stage. Former B2K frontman Omarion was next in line. His story had a sad ending though; as the venue was emptier than a bank account in January. The organisers were accused of mediocre promotion work which resulted in miscommunication about the show. Some fans even thought the show was a hoax.

2018 will forever be engraved in our memories. Telecoms giant MTC brought us the 081Every1Fest, which featured a dream line-up. Nam artists such as Taylor Jaye, Kalux, One Blood and Adora kept the crowd warm for the most of the day. Sally Boss Maddam, Oteya and the Afroberries also welcomed continental bigshots Jah Prayzah, Davido, Heavy-K, Busiswa and Runtown to the party. This will probably go down as the biggest concert to ever have ever taken place in our motherland, so far at least.

King Tee Dee invited Tanzanian Afro-pop sensation Diamond Platiumz to perform at his 29.09.18 concert to celebrate his rebranding as an artist. This performance gave birth to a feature called ‘‘One I love“; which sizzled the continent. This here is proof of the benefits of inviting international acts to our shores. Apart from features, it creates an opportunity for our artists to tap into the fan bases of more established markets.

Unless you live under a rock, you would already be caught by Burna Boy feva. The Nigerian entertainer is reportedly set to perform in Windhoek on the April 4th 2020. KP Illest, King Tee Dee, Top Cheri, Gazza, Lioness and PDK are set to hit the stage as well. He released African Giant last year and it comprised hits like “On the Low”, Which many call “Angelina”. The afore-mentioned jam saw Mr. Burna sell very well globally and enjoy even more airplay on mass media platforms across the globe. The pinnacle of his career would be him getting nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best World Music Album category. So by all means, this is a Giga-artist (whatever that means). By hosting him, we would be drawing major attention to our country. Acts of this magnitude are necessary in order to establish a proven track record of hosting major acts in the 264…

For now, lets keep our fingers crossed and pray that he does come, for real.