First Namibian opera premieres tonight
The power of collaboration
'Chief Hijangua' was developed through collaboration with Namibian and German artists.
‘Chief Hijangua’, a Namibian opera, is set to premiere today, 9 September, at the National Theatre of Namibia in Windhoek.
Through this piece of work, artists from Namibia and Germany aim to work through their common history and gain a new, open and positive attitude towards one another.
Since getting to know each other in 2019, Eslon Hindundu and Kim Mira Meyer have been building a cooperation between Windhoek and Munich to enable artistic exchange of music, dance and acting.
Under the Opera Namibia joint venture, various projects have been and are still being created.
Composed by Hindundu, ‘Chief Hijangua’ will have its world premiere in Windhoek today at 19:00, and next month, the German premiere is set to take place in Munich.
The opera is based on a Namibian story that has been handed down orally for generations – of a Namibian prince in search of himself.
Sung in German and Otjiherero by artists from Namibia, South Africa and Germany, it tells the story of a man who, through the manipulation of colonialist forces, is destroying his own and his people’s livelihoods. It is an analogy of the upheavals caused by colonialism that still have an impact today, a statement from the organisers said.
Symbolism
“In the artistic concept, the four elements fire, water, earth and air are used as understandable symbolism across linguistic and cultural borders.
“The German roles of Pastor Trautmann, Major Lobenstein and the pastor’s daughter Maria as well as the Namibian roles of Chief and his family will be sung by artists of different skin colours, contrary to what could be expected,” they said. This diversity extends to the choir.
Around 100 participants from both Namibia and Germany have worked together on the implementation of the performance. Vox Vitae Musica will work under the direction of Hindundu, while the Munich Momentbühne will work under Meyer’s direction.
Honour
“To write the first Namibian opera is a great honour for me as a composer. This opera has the potential to have a positive impact on the contemporary Namibian music scene,” Hindundu said.
“This project seeks to rekindle the love of music in the Namibian community in order to preserve and reflect on Namibia’s history for present and future generations.
“The music should enlighten, entertain, show chances and possibilities in the industry and break down borders,” he added.
Prejudice
Meyer added that in the initial planning phase, they were often faced with the accusation that Germans are coming to Namibia to “show how opera is done properly”.
“We have discussed this topic openly with the team from the start and counteract this prejudice by filling positions in both countries, regardless of whether they are artistic or organisational. In addition, the idea is not to perform a European or even German opera in Africa, but to develop a completely new form of opera together,” she said.
“We see the fact that we keep encountering prejudice and fear as part of this process and the great challenge of our project. Thanks to the flat hierarchies, we have always managed to openly address and discuss critical issues.”
The organisers said they look forward to a colorful get-together on stage, which will show the European market that more diversity in opera is possible.
Through this piece of work, artists from Namibia and Germany aim to work through their common history and gain a new, open and positive attitude towards one another.
Since getting to know each other in 2019, Eslon Hindundu and Kim Mira Meyer have been building a cooperation between Windhoek and Munich to enable artistic exchange of music, dance and acting.
Under the Opera Namibia joint venture, various projects have been and are still being created.
Composed by Hindundu, ‘Chief Hijangua’ will have its world premiere in Windhoek today at 19:00, and next month, the German premiere is set to take place in Munich.
The opera is based on a Namibian story that has been handed down orally for generations – of a Namibian prince in search of himself.
Sung in German and Otjiherero by artists from Namibia, South Africa and Germany, it tells the story of a man who, through the manipulation of colonialist forces, is destroying his own and his people’s livelihoods. It is an analogy of the upheavals caused by colonialism that still have an impact today, a statement from the organisers said.
Symbolism
“In the artistic concept, the four elements fire, water, earth and air are used as understandable symbolism across linguistic and cultural borders.
“The German roles of Pastor Trautmann, Major Lobenstein and the pastor’s daughter Maria as well as the Namibian roles of Chief and his family will be sung by artists of different skin colours, contrary to what could be expected,” they said. This diversity extends to the choir.
Around 100 participants from both Namibia and Germany have worked together on the implementation of the performance. Vox Vitae Musica will work under the direction of Hindundu, while the Munich Momentbühne will work under Meyer’s direction.
Honour
“To write the first Namibian opera is a great honour for me as a composer. This opera has the potential to have a positive impact on the contemporary Namibian music scene,” Hindundu said.
“This project seeks to rekindle the love of music in the Namibian community in order to preserve and reflect on Namibia’s history for present and future generations.
“The music should enlighten, entertain, show chances and possibilities in the industry and break down borders,” he added.
Prejudice
Meyer added that in the initial planning phase, they were often faced with the accusation that Germans are coming to Namibia to “show how opera is done properly”.
“We have discussed this topic openly with the team from the start and counteract this prejudice by filling positions in both countries, regardless of whether they are artistic or organisational. In addition, the idea is not to perform a European or even German opera in Africa, but to develop a completely new form of opera together,” she said.
“We see the fact that we keep encountering prejudice and fear as part of this process and the great challenge of our project. Thanks to the flat hierarchies, we have always managed to openly address and discuss critical issues.”
The organisers said they look forward to a colorful get-together on stage, which will show the European market that more diversity in opera is possible.
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