Euro-Namibia music festival slated for end of the month

STAFF REPORTERThe European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) cluster in Namibia will host the third Euro-Namibia music festival on Friday, 30 October, at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) in Windhoek. The festival’s first session will start 17:00 until 19:00. For this year’s festival, the EUNIC cluster has an exciting and vibrant mix of European and Namibian music performances lined up to create a festive setting, stimulate and strengthen the local and cultural scene, promote creativity and innovation and expand the diversity of European music, it said in a statement.From abroadEuropean artists who will be performing include France’s Clément Reboul, a professional gypsy jazz guitarist for over 10 years, and Dota, a singer and songwriter from Germany who is the leader of the musical group Urban Pirates. Her topical, critical texts are often delivered in rapid flowing rhythm and sound influenced by bossa nova and jazz. Also on the line-up is Portuguese band Senza, with a ‘Lusophone fusion’ music style that includes influences from Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde and other Portuguese-speaking countries, and Spanish artist Sergio de Lope and his ensemble, who are part of the new generation of creative flamenco makers, building bridges between flamenco and jazz music. Homegrown actsMeanwhile, Namibian artists who will be performing include award-winners Big Ben and Erna Chimu.The Namibian chapter of the EUNIC music festival will also host music development training under the theme ‘Live audio production masterclass’ to Namibian students.Four areas have been identified as being most in need, and these are: Principles of digital and analogue production; balancing frequencies; sound engineering for live shows, and software development. The masterclass will be conducted over a four-week period, with renowned Namibian-born South African-based facilitator Burton Reid delivering the sessions. “It is a privilege for me to share my 24 years of experience with this group. I applaud the organisers for the initiative. I hope it occurs more frequently,” Reid said.Covid impactThe music industry has been significantly affected by Covid-19 with major festivals, live shows and tours in Namibia and all over the world being postponed or cancelled. “But as the saying goes, ‘the show must go on’, and we need to adjust to new realities and newly emerging trends such as livestreaming and adding elements and effects, which cannot be done during a live performance. In this respect, we are excited and grateful that the Euro-Namibia music festival can still be realised this year, despite the challenges we encountered,” the statement said.“The European Union and member states availed technical and financial assistance to host this music festival with the aim of contributing to the development of the cultural and creative industry in Namibia. This will be done though - for example - assisting the industry to adapt and utilise opportunities emanating from digitisation,” it said.Tickets for the festival are available at the FNCC.

Euro-Namibia music festival slated for end of the month

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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Euro-Namibia music festival slated for end of the month

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-19

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