Namibia’s Elemotho to tour Germany while his songs feature on US TV

The good news comes despite Elemotho not picking up any nominations for this year’s Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMA).

Elemotho was the first Namibian musician to win the prestigious RFI Discoveries Awards in 2012. He released his third album Ke Nako (it’s time) in 2014 and has performed internationally in over more than 25 African and European countries. He recently performed in South Africa at the inaugural Kgalagadi Jazz Festival on 26 March.

He will be back in Germany during April, May and June to present his ‘Afro-Acoustic Experience’, alongside his long-time guitarist, Samuel Batola. The following dates have been confirmed, with more gigs expected to be added:

• 22 April: Big Buttinski, Osnabrueck
• 7 May: Internationales Theatre, Frankfurt
• 15 May: Burg Lissberg Afrika Festival, Burg Lissberg
• 27 May: Afrika Festival, Osnabrueck (Openning Event)
• 7 June: Ke Nako Afrika Festival, Berlin
• 11 June: Osnabrueck Afrika Festival, Osnabrueck
• 12 June: Munster Afrika Festival, Munster
• 18 June: Frankfurt Afrika Festival, Frankfurt

Elemotho took some time from his busy schedule to talk to Music In Africa about the upcoming tour. No stranger to Germany, he said he has enjoyed performing there over the past few years: “I have been touring Germany officially since 2011, having done more than 30 shows in a period of two years. I have been lucky to have a good reception in Germany. In fact, some of the people know me from their travels to Namibia, or are Namibians living in Germany. Extensive touring has been of great assistance in introducing me to a larger German audience.”

This time around, he hinted at what audiences can expect at his upcoming shows in Germany: “I want to provide German audiences with something for their mind and spirit, where less is more and words and melody carry a power more hard core than bullets, bombs and hunger.”

Speaking more generally about the state of Namibia’s music industry, Elemotho explained that despite recent growth in the local industry, it remains important for Namibian musicians to look for opportunities beyond their own country. “The Namibian music industry is coming of age," he said. "There are lots more genres and a focus on local languages has become prominent. There is a lot more radio and TV play of Namibian music. Now that the world is pretty small, Namibian musicians are also forced to become global participants in the melting pot of contemporary music scene. We are a nation of 2.2 million people - the numbers don't add up when it comes to CD sales and concerts, so one has to look to outside markets, even just in Southern Africa, where the numbers of people guarantee a buying crowd.”

Apart from the concerts, Elemotho will also work on the music for a theatre production called Oshi-Deutsch, which is set to be staged 11 times, mainly in Osnabrueck. The production tells the fascinating story of the so-called “GDR children” of Namibia - 400 young Namibian refugees from Namibia’s war of independence who were airlifted when their camp in Cassinga, Angola was attacked in the late 1970s and sent them to former East Germany (GDR), where the traumatised children grew up in homes, cut off from the outside world and taught only a handful of Namibian songs, dances and recipes. In 1990, several months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Namibia finally gained its independence and the children were uprooted again to be sent back to Namibia. The upcoming production examines the complex issues of home and identity within this context.

Elemotho signs deal with American TV show

While preparing for lengthy upcoming tour, Elemotho has also announced that two of his songs, ‘Neo’ and ‘La Vida’, will feature in the upcoming second season of the popular American TV series Grace and Frankie, starring two-time Oscar-winner Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen and more. The two songs are from his compilation My Africa, distributed by the UK-based distribution agency ARC Music.

Elemotho recently told The Namibian: “For me it’s very big… After watching the show, I am really excited to have my music play on the second season of this very popular show. Those are big names among the actors and I like them.”

The TV deal look set to get the Namibian artist’s music into other foreign media. “I have my foot in Hollywood now. You aim for a lot and hope for the best,” Elemotho said. “I have been working very hard and something of this magnitude is such a great pleasure!”

With the world opening up to the songs of Elemotho, years of hard work are paying off for this Namibian artist. He told Music In Africa of his plans for the rest of the year: “I am currently recording a single called ‘Black Man’ for my upcoming album called Beautiful World. I am hoping to do more touring - we are still working on that, and the possibility of new singles towards the end of the year. There is a lot more in the pipeline - we are still busy in the laboratory getting things ready so audiences can expect a lot of surprises towards the second half of this year!”

For a glimpse of what’s to come, listen to Elemotho and Samuel Batola’s new song, ‘Beautiful World’, in the video below.