Namibia gets UNESCO funding

Ndapewoshali Ashipala of Museums Association of Namibia (MAN) said the project would run for 21 months starting in March this year. It would be run by MAN in partnership with Shishani and the Namibian Tales, a Namibian band based in Amsterdam, Holland. Ashipala said the project would engage local musicians in the San community to promote traditional music internationally.

Shishani said, “We seek to showcase the wealth of San community musical traditions through an exchange and collaboration with our acoustic quartet Namibian Tales.

"We look forward to crafting new sounds with ancient songs and exploring together new ways to connect different musical traditions.”

Museum development officer Hilma Kapuka said the project would not only support the country’s cultural industry but also be an important step towards crafting and documenting Namibian music.

Shishani and the Namibian Tales earlier this month announced that the band would be travelling to Namibia’s Kalahari Desert in June to collaborate with members of the Ju/'hoansi San community. The Ju/’hoansi music group comprises vocalists //Ao, Seg//ae, N!ae and //Ao as well as bassist Afron Nyambali. Ju/'hoansi, also known as the !Kung, are inhabitants of southern Angola, western and central Botswana as well as northern and eastern Namibia.

UNESCO is the UN’s specialised agency that was designed to promote international collaboration through educational, scientific and cultural reforms.