Friday, November 26, 2004

Around The World

Patience Smith

Acclaimed Namibian musician Willie Mbuende has been establishing a successful

career as a full-time musician in Europe over the last year.

Well-known for his producing capabilities and his traditional beats, Willie

has decided to quit his full-time job as a NBC radio and television music

producer to do what he loves best, create and play music.

It is a known fact that music alone does not pay the bills, so Willie chose

Sweden as his temporary base and now travels all over Europe to perform live.

He works independently and also established a band in Berlin, Germany - one

of the the members is a South African saxophone player - where they wow

crowds with Afro jazz beats.

The band was one of the winners of the Wold Music Competition hosted in

Germany where they scored a 10-day free recording contract. He interrupted

the recording of their album to return to Namibia with the NTN to work on the

latest Sidadi project.

Willie just returned from villages in the Okavango where he researched

traditonal sounds to next year produce a Sidadi album.

"We're trying to turn traditional sounds into modern music for Sidadi and

there are also plans to turn Sidadi from a band into a musical. I'm trying to

raise funds through the Namibian Embassy in Germany to hopefully take the

musical around the world - Sidadi is ready for something as big as Sarafina,"

he told The Weekender in an interview earlier this week.

During his visit back home, Willie also presented a three-day workshop with

the local Sidadi aritsts as preparation for the upcoming album.

He will leave the country again next week to complete his current album and is

also scheduled for gigs in Sweden and Denmark.

The 56-year-old who has been involved in music for the past 25 years,

thoroughly enjoys the music scene in Europe.

"There's a lot of competition, but there are also a lot of venues, it's tough,

but it's really up to the musician to deliver his best. I will keep on doing

this, work on projects here in Namibia and there, and then one day retire in

a village back home."

Before independence, Willie has lived in Europe for 28 years and last year, he

simply renewed his contacts to once again make a life there. Besides working

on his own, he is known as a freelance back-up seesion singer and instrument

player for various musicians including a female reggae artist from Barbados.

At the end of October, Willie represented Namibia at the World Music Expo in

Essen, Germany, where he was sent to by the Namibian Embassy in that country.

"Music from all over the world was represented. This is the ideal place for

Namibians to show what they have, but there was no one. Rebecca Malope

represented South Africa, but the southern region is generally poorly

represented. West Africa and Central Africa did very well - I didn't perform

myself, but there were so many people eager to see and hear what Namibia's

got to offer."

He said that Namibian artists should learn to stay abreast of world events and

added that it was the responsibility of the Ministry of Basic Education, Arts

& Culture to put the artists in touch and to assist them in financial terms.

A free agent, he'll be returning to Europe next week. Willie has three

children who are all grown-up young adults and is currently in the middle of

a divorce.

He'll continue moving between Europe and Namibia to add his veteran and

professional music spices to the development of his long-time passion. He

advised Namibian artists to work hard and to take themselves and their art

seriously. Willie urged them to stop copying South African and American

music.

"We are rich, our culture is rich, do your own thing, do something to be proud

of," he emphasised.

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