Created to create
Multi-talented artist Banana shares his experience and aspirations.
As a child, Ueshitile ‘Banana’ Shekupe would pretend to be in front of a big crowd with a guitar (made out of a box) in his hands and go crazy during his performance. At school he was known for his dance moves and he was always nominated to lead at concerts and competitions with other schools too. “This was during the time when schools where divided and each tribe had its own school - except the Oshiwambo and Otjiherero children who were put together. This is where I realised that I was talented in dancing,” said Banana. He also recalls him and his peers imitating Hollywood filmmakers as children in Tsumeb and his hometown Walvis Bay. From this he noticed his talent of directing and acting which he has been doing, to date.
In 1974, at the age of 16 he made the decision to go into exile to Zambia and fight for Namibia’s liberation without notifying his family. “I escaped Walvis Bay during the ceasefire in Portugal as the majority of the Angolan soldiers didn’t want to fight so it was kind of a safe haven to get to. We went through Angola to Zambia until we made it to the Swapo transit camps,” recalls Banana. He says he was trained as a soldier at a young age although he wanted to go to school… the circumstances could not allow. Says he being at the forefront didn’t stop him from doing what he loves which was dancing and acting. He is the co-founder of Ndilimani Cultural Troupe and he says this was where his artistic nature grew. “We were mobilising the world with our music as Ndilimani to tell our Namibian story of what was happening at home. We were preaching through dance, singing and acting,” says Banana. The experience according to him was worth it all as the Ndilimani Troupe was taken away from the war just to focus on their art with the help of Swapo. A special moment he will never forget was when they got costumes and equipment from Sam Nujoma all the way from Britain. “It was a movement in the bush, really. The happiness we had when we opened those boxes to take out the guitars was just something else. I’ll forever be thankful to Swapo as it made my career. We performed at so many places like rallies and even took part in the Pan African Youth Festival in Libya,” says Banana.
Banana says a lot has changed in Namibia especially the arts industry after independence. Theatre is one field that took a backseat which has an effect on productions. “Back then the NTN had full-time actors employed as compared to now. I was also a full-time employee and we were doing good productions. I remember Possible Love, a story on John Muafangejo where I was the lead. It went as far as London and made it onto the BBC. We missed something somewhere,” says Banana. He says for a field like this not to fade out a lot has to change drastically and all stakeholders need to push in the same direction.
One of Banana’s well known roles in film is in the educational movie titled Remember Eliphas. He says the film has impacted his acting career and he is glad he took the role. He recalls not being part of the whole production and was only called at the last minute when main character pulled out. “At that time a person being associated with HIV and Aids in Namibia didn’t sound good. I was a bit afraid when they called me and I spoke to my wife about it and she said something that made me act so purely and with emotion. She said, do it because no one else will and you will save a lot of lives,” he said. He says to today he gets people who approach him to comment on his acting as it was so real and some ask him if his status is really positive.
Banana recently graduated from AFDA in Johannesburg in cinematography specialising in sound engineering, script- and score-writing in filmmaking. At the moment Banana is working on small adverts and will soon start doing big projects. He says he is stranded by lack of equipment and appeals to the nation to help him in this regard. “I want to reshoot Eliphas into a real movie with the copyright of NDF. If there is anyone who can help me out with locations, equipment or funds they are more than welcome. Remember Eliphas needs good actors, sound and other things that can be fixed in reshooting and the end product can be sold. People want copies to watch,” he said. He concluded by saying that Namibia as a whole needs to invest in its talent as it will die out if not well used. He believes that so any lives can be affected if social issues could be addressed in theatre or films like other countries do.
June Shimuoshili
In 1974, at the age of 16 he made the decision to go into exile to Zambia and fight for Namibia’s liberation without notifying his family. “I escaped Walvis Bay during the ceasefire in Portugal as the majority of the Angolan soldiers didn’t want to fight so it was kind of a safe haven to get to. We went through Angola to Zambia until we made it to the Swapo transit camps,” recalls Banana. He says he was trained as a soldier at a young age although he wanted to go to school… the circumstances could not allow. Says he being at the forefront didn’t stop him from doing what he loves which was dancing and acting. He is the co-founder of Ndilimani Cultural Troupe and he says this was where his artistic nature grew. “We were mobilising the world with our music as Ndilimani to tell our Namibian story of what was happening at home. We were preaching through dance, singing and acting,” says Banana. The experience according to him was worth it all as the Ndilimani Troupe was taken away from the war just to focus on their art with the help of Swapo. A special moment he will never forget was when they got costumes and equipment from Sam Nujoma all the way from Britain. “It was a movement in the bush, really. The happiness we had when we opened those boxes to take out the guitars was just something else. I’ll forever be thankful to Swapo as it made my career. We performed at so many places like rallies and even took part in the Pan African Youth Festival in Libya,” says Banana.
Banana says a lot has changed in Namibia especially the arts industry after independence. Theatre is one field that took a backseat which has an effect on productions. “Back then the NTN had full-time actors employed as compared to now. I was also a full-time employee and we were doing good productions. I remember Possible Love, a story on John Muafangejo where I was the lead. It went as far as London and made it onto the BBC. We missed something somewhere,” says Banana. He says for a field like this not to fade out a lot has to change drastically and all stakeholders need to push in the same direction.
One of Banana’s well known roles in film is in the educational movie titled Remember Eliphas. He says the film has impacted his acting career and he is glad he took the role. He recalls not being part of the whole production and was only called at the last minute when main character pulled out. “At that time a person being associated with HIV and Aids in Namibia didn’t sound good. I was a bit afraid when they called me and I spoke to my wife about it and she said something that made me act so purely and with emotion. She said, do it because no one else will and you will save a lot of lives,” he said. He says to today he gets people who approach him to comment on his acting as it was so real and some ask him if his status is really positive.
Banana recently graduated from AFDA in Johannesburg in cinematography specialising in sound engineering, script- and score-writing in filmmaking. At the moment Banana is working on small adverts and will soon start doing big projects. He says he is stranded by lack of equipment and appeals to the nation to help him in this regard. “I want to reshoot Eliphas into a real movie with the copyright of NDF. If there is anyone who can help me out with locations, equipment or funds they are more than welcome. Remember Eliphas needs good actors, sound and other things that can be fixed in reshooting and the end product can be sold. People want copies to watch,” he said. He concluded by saying that Namibia as a whole needs to invest in its talent as it will die out if not well used. He believes that so any lives can be affected if social issues could be addressed in theatre or films like other countries do.
June Shimuoshili
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