All across the world, the spectre of colonialism and racism has never stopped casting its long and oppressive shadow. It shows itself in modern-day economics, politics, language and religion; it also affects cultural life and infiltrates itself into the communal memories of the people. An exhibition due to open at SOAS, University of London, in July explores these notions and helps people to reclaim the culture that was denied them. Entitled Stolen Moments – Namibian Music History Untold (1950s-80s), the exhibition focuses on the pop music of Namibia under apartheid rule, through the eyes and ears of the musicians and the listening public.
The project was conceived after documentarian Thorsten Schütte stumbling upon a never-released record by Ben Molatzi in the archives of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation that sounded like nothing coming out of the country today. After connecting with scholar Aino Moongo and broadcaster Baby Doeseb, the trio dug up similar recordings as well as hundreds of photographs documenting this era when of musical life had been forbidden or persecuted. “We thought, the materials are so colourful and so rich, let’s share it with the local public,” says Schutte, “let’s see how far we can go.”
After placing a request for more information in national newspapers, they received over 1000 phone calls, eventually collecting hundreds of hours of interviews with people of all generations – the oldest interviewee was 106 years old. “We went there to talk about pop and how popular music was established in Namibia, and what we found was how strongly it was connected to the lives and times of the people.”
The exhibition has previously garnered acclaim during spells in Germany and Switzerland, and is raising funds to allow it to be permanently – and publicly – housed in the Namibian capital of Windheok; the digitised materials have already been shared with the national archive.
Dr Angela Impey of the music department at SOAS says “I am thrilled to be hosting this important exhibition at SOAS. Its focus speaks to SOAS Music's priority to engage with marginalised people and to better understand how music is used to define and defend interests. Stolen Moments offers a unique insight into the sounds and stories of remarkably resilient people.” A programme of events will take place alongside the exhibition, including panel discussions on the role of culture inside and outside Namibia at that time, and guided tours by Moongo and Schütte.
The importance of the exhibition and its aim of reviving hidden music and memories is summed up by Moongo: “this beautiful music exists with a liveliness as if it had never stopped playing. You only have to dig for it. It is still there in the minds of the few who can remember, it is still there with the ones who played it and it is still there on those rare recordings that have survived in archives and record collections scattered all around the globe.”
Photo: Namibian worshippers record the sermon of an evangelist onto tape from boom boxes, by John Liebenberg.