Bomba Shiguedha – the family man and entrepreneur
Legacy-driven
An inside look at how Bomba Shiguedha help built Kasi Vibe, one of the most successful and consistent festivals in Namibia.
MICHAEL KAYUNDEWINDHOEK
The title ‘uncle’ is apt for role models, the upright and Uncle Bomba – a Namibian businessman, promoter and events organiser who falls into some of these categories.
Bomba Shiguedha is not just a businessman, but a family man as well. He has spent quality time mastering the art of event organising. After he burst onto the Namibian entertainment arena in 2012, the show promoter gained both success and credibility.
In a sit down with tjil, Shiguedha shared that he was born in Okakarara.
“As a child, I moved a lot. I attended three years of my primary at Okakarara, went to the north and then finished off my senior secondary in Windhoek,” he shared.
He mentioned that he was mostly raised by his single mother and only met his father when he was 16. “With an upbringing like this, I lacked discipline as I was quite rebellious.
“But as I got older, I realised it was because of lacking proper guidance. I did not know why I had to go to school, for instance – it was never properly explained to me. I guess that’s how I got to grade eight without knowing how to read properly,” he recalled.
Entrepreneurship and
events business
Credited as one of the founders of the Kasi Vibe Festival, Shiguedha first held his event in Windhoek in 2012, and only managed to sell 12 tickets. “I can’t event remember the name of the event, but I do remember TopCheri and DJ Alba were on the line-up. I think DJ Alba invoiced me N$300, which I didn’t even make from the ticket sales,” he recalled, laughing.
After this failed attempt, he took some time off to regroup and study the market.
“A lot of people do not know that Kasi Vibe was started out of anger. I remember driving from an event uptown that was filled with black people but wasn’t run or organised by us, so I felt compelled to start something for us by us – and that is how Kasi Vibe started.”
Shiguedha told tjil one of the reasons he got into the events space is because of his love for gathering people.
“I believe I adopted this love for people from my grandmother, who, when I was growing up, hosted children whose parents she didn’t even know.”
Since 2017, Kasi Vibe has hosted numerous editions, with the next one set for 28 to 31 July.
“It has not been easy, but what has kept us afloat is being determined to grow our industry and create opportunities for ourselves and fellow youth,” he said.
Father figure
In our interview, Shiguedha shared that he’s most proud of the titles ‘father’ and ‘husband’. He credits his wife and kids as the people who keep him grounded. With Father’s Day this Sunday, tjil asked him what this day means to him.
“I do not believe in celebrating these kind of days as I believe they are just days created by someone or a group of people to sell products and services.
“I only started celebrating my birthday last year, but I believe in being a present father and making myself accessible to my three children for any guidance they may need in life,” he said.
Besides his family, he has taken up the role of being an uncle and father figure to many in the entertainment space. However, he mentioned that he is beginning to filter out some of these relationships. “I am at a point where I am cutting off my ‘day ones’. This is because I only want to keep relationships that add value to my life,” he said.
Be compassionate
“I started feeling like the industry owns me. When I post something sad for instance, people are quick to comment that they still need me, but the sad part is, in entertainment we don’t need each other as humans but as tools,” he said, questioning how many entertainment figures we’ve lost “and people just cry for a week and go on with their lives?”
He cautioned people who work in entertainment to be more compassionate - not only towards other people, but towards themselves. “I have gotten to a point where I don’t do anything on Mondays now, because what is the point of killing myself for other people?
“Mental health discussions are at an all-time high in our industry now and this is a result of the invisible weight on our shoulders that we carry every day,” Shiguedha said.
When all is said and done, the family man and businessman wants to be remembered as someone who created opportunities for his community.
The title ‘uncle’ is apt for role models, the upright and Uncle Bomba – a Namibian businessman, promoter and events organiser who falls into some of these categories.
Bomba Shiguedha is not just a businessman, but a family man as well. He has spent quality time mastering the art of event organising. After he burst onto the Namibian entertainment arena in 2012, the show promoter gained both success and credibility.
In a sit down with tjil, Shiguedha shared that he was born in Okakarara.
“As a child, I moved a lot. I attended three years of my primary at Okakarara, went to the north and then finished off my senior secondary in Windhoek,” he shared.
He mentioned that he was mostly raised by his single mother and only met his father when he was 16. “With an upbringing like this, I lacked discipline as I was quite rebellious.
“But as I got older, I realised it was because of lacking proper guidance. I did not know why I had to go to school, for instance – it was never properly explained to me. I guess that’s how I got to grade eight without knowing how to read properly,” he recalled.
Entrepreneurship and
events business
Credited as one of the founders of the Kasi Vibe Festival, Shiguedha first held his event in Windhoek in 2012, and only managed to sell 12 tickets. “I can’t event remember the name of the event, but I do remember TopCheri and DJ Alba were on the line-up. I think DJ Alba invoiced me N$300, which I didn’t even make from the ticket sales,” he recalled, laughing.
After this failed attempt, he took some time off to regroup and study the market.
“A lot of people do not know that Kasi Vibe was started out of anger. I remember driving from an event uptown that was filled with black people but wasn’t run or organised by us, so I felt compelled to start something for us by us – and that is how Kasi Vibe started.”
Shiguedha told tjil one of the reasons he got into the events space is because of his love for gathering people.
“I believe I adopted this love for people from my grandmother, who, when I was growing up, hosted children whose parents she didn’t even know.”
Since 2017, Kasi Vibe has hosted numerous editions, with the next one set for 28 to 31 July.
“It has not been easy, but what has kept us afloat is being determined to grow our industry and create opportunities for ourselves and fellow youth,” he said.
Father figure
In our interview, Shiguedha shared that he’s most proud of the titles ‘father’ and ‘husband’. He credits his wife and kids as the people who keep him grounded. With Father’s Day this Sunday, tjil asked him what this day means to him.
“I do not believe in celebrating these kind of days as I believe they are just days created by someone or a group of people to sell products and services.
“I only started celebrating my birthday last year, but I believe in being a present father and making myself accessible to my three children for any guidance they may need in life,” he said.
Besides his family, he has taken up the role of being an uncle and father figure to many in the entertainment space. However, he mentioned that he is beginning to filter out some of these relationships. “I am at a point where I am cutting off my ‘day ones’. This is because I only want to keep relationships that add value to my life,” he said.
Be compassionate
“I started feeling like the industry owns me. When I post something sad for instance, people are quick to comment that they still need me, but the sad part is, in entertainment we don’t need each other as humans but as tools,” he said, questioning how many entertainment figures we’ve lost “and people just cry for a week and go on with their lives?”
He cautioned people who work in entertainment to be more compassionate - not only towards other people, but towards themselves. “I have gotten to a point where I don’t do anything on Mondays now, because what is the point of killing myself for other people?
“Mental health discussions are at an all-time high in our industry now and this is a result of the invisible weight on our shoulders that we carry every day,” Shiguedha said.
When all is said and done, the family man and businessman wants to be remembered as someone who created opportunities for his community.
Comments
Vitalis Indongo J
Bomba Shiguedha Congratulations, keep doing great things We are super proud of you, is good that you realize that father's day is important day even though you never have believe in them.. You're doing great job boss towards the community as well.. Keep the business going, do not serender, since you attend school in okakarara for three years, in otjiherero we said Omwatje omuzandu usokurira ependa