Harambee is a brand
One of Namibia’s very lyrical artists who is very outspoken Qondja aka Samuel finally speaks out to tjil for the first time about his album Wealthy Governments that sold for N$1 000 per copy and who Samuel is.
Qonja vs Samuel
Qonja is Tate Ngodji’s son who grew up as a normal boy. He didn’t even know that he was going to be a musician, that’s how ‘normal’ he was. From herding his grandfather’s cattle in a northern village to a young boy on the streets of Windhoek, that’s how he lived. There were no signs of music at all from that time. “I remember being in matric with the late Eclipse and he was my first producer, making beats on the table in class. I recorded my first song on Mappz’ big brother’s little radio that had ear phones with microphones in them. I was done with high school by the time Fredo got hold of it and we started recording 54321 and from there on, nothing was the same anymore.”
In a nutshell Qonja is a gifted person who didn’t have direction. In 2009 Qonja became born again and God started taking over, but from 2014 was when he says he grew and God really intervened. “That was the beginning of Samuel. Samuel is someone that takes charge unlike Qonja who had things done for him. When you have the Holy Spirit guiding you things become much easier for you, Qonja had a producer but now I do all those things myself. Samuel is a critical thinker and someone that knows what he wants in life. He’s a go getter.”
On the thousand-dollar album
“Everyone has a programme and a purpose given by God. So I had questions like what is Samuel’s programme and what is his entitlement? As time went by I learned that I’m a musician, innovator and a businessman. So I prayed to God that he helps me find a name for the album I’m going to release. Then I decided to name it Wealthy Governments. I also prayed for understanding and I learned that a wealthy government is a state of mind; it’s the supreme economy and government were everything came from. There is a higher government were everyone can get their wealth from regardless of occupation. It’s a puzzle that is growing every day and it’s not just an album. The moral of the story is that one should make history; don’t let anyone do it for you. The marketing strategy is also different. I didn’t have a launch; I didn’t have interviews for a reason. It’s important to make a profit then to make noise at the end of the day. I sell the album one to one, you call me if you want it and I will deliver. I currently don’t have any albums left; I will soon put in another order. I’m not riding on Qonja’s name I made a new foundation for Samuel and a new business model too. It was a calculated risk to me and I like provoking people. So I dared it to be 1 000 and one sale covers for 10 people. We sell our music on a South African scale but it can’t work because there are more people there compared to Namibia and that’s what artists fail to see.”
What’s kalam all about?
“With the Wealthy Government album I found out that it’s not for everyone. If one listens to that album they will get the key to unlock secretes, key words and lyrics to achieve what they are doing. I got a new drive because it’s a feel that is not on the Wealthy Government album. I want the streets to be able to have access to the album and since it’s an executive one it’s not for everyone and the price can’t change. So I got a beat and I listened to CassperNyovest’s Mamma I made it, and the latest album by Drake and the Panda song by Desiigner. So I researched on how I could translate those feelings to Namibian music and that came up. There is something I’m busy working on which I can’t reveal but the new trap song Kalam is a bridge from Wealthy Governments to the new project.”
Harambee Plan?
“I look at the president as someone that God appointed to help Namibia prosper. I look at it as an initiative from God and that’s why I also took ownership. There is a statement in the plan that reads that ‘this plan is for us’ and I took that personally. Music is a business and we are all included in it. The plan is for you to position yourself and prosper. I like the plan and I like it. It’s visionary. A lot of people don’t know about it but I go out and dig this information for me. Overall Namibian youth are lazy and want things to be done for them and there are people positioned to help us understand the plan. I want to prosper and everything that talks prosperity I move towards and so far it’s working for me.”
Owela television
“Owela is the Oshiwambo name for the game of chess and it’s a word I used from my very first album. It’s a word that became familiar in the Namibian industry like Gazza, Exit, and Young T just to name a few. We were making promotional videos for the album and a friend of mine suggested that I call it Owela TV. It’s a digital platform for advertising other brands too. Our views go from 10 000 to 36 000 views. It’s more of a lifestyle TV that covers everything. Samuel is a lot of things - not just a musician.”
The future for Samuel
Samuel is currently busy with his clothing line that has two brands so far; Harambee Prosperity Plan and Wealthy Governments. The future looks very bright for Samuel and we wish him nothing the best of luck in his entireendeavours.
June Shimuoshili
Qonja vs Samuel
Qonja is Tate Ngodji’s son who grew up as a normal boy. He didn’t even know that he was going to be a musician, that’s how ‘normal’ he was. From herding his grandfather’s cattle in a northern village to a young boy on the streets of Windhoek, that’s how he lived. There were no signs of music at all from that time. “I remember being in matric with the late Eclipse and he was my first producer, making beats on the table in class. I recorded my first song on Mappz’ big brother’s little radio that had ear phones with microphones in them. I was done with high school by the time Fredo got hold of it and we started recording 54321 and from there on, nothing was the same anymore.”
In a nutshell Qonja is a gifted person who didn’t have direction. In 2009 Qonja became born again and God started taking over, but from 2014 was when he says he grew and God really intervened. “That was the beginning of Samuel. Samuel is someone that takes charge unlike Qonja who had things done for him. When you have the Holy Spirit guiding you things become much easier for you, Qonja had a producer but now I do all those things myself. Samuel is a critical thinker and someone that knows what he wants in life. He’s a go getter.”
On the thousand-dollar album
“Everyone has a programme and a purpose given by God. So I had questions like what is Samuel’s programme and what is his entitlement? As time went by I learned that I’m a musician, innovator and a businessman. So I prayed to God that he helps me find a name for the album I’m going to release. Then I decided to name it Wealthy Governments. I also prayed for understanding and I learned that a wealthy government is a state of mind; it’s the supreme economy and government were everything came from. There is a higher government were everyone can get their wealth from regardless of occupation. It’s a puzzle that is growing every day and it’s not just an album. The moral of the story is that one should make history; don’t let anyone do it for you. The marketing strategy is also different. I didn’t have a launch; I didn’t have interviews for a reason. It’s important to make a profit then to make noise at the end of the day. I sell the album one to one, you call me if you want it and I will deliver. I currently don’t have any albums left; I will soon put in another order. I’m not riding on Qonja’s name I made a new foundation for Samuel and a new business model too. It was a calculated risk to me and I like provoking people. So I dared it to be 1 000 and one sale covers for 10 people. We sell our music on a South African scale but it can’t work because there are more people there compared to Namibia and that’s what artists fail to see.”
What’s kalam all about?
“With the Wealthy Government album I found out that it’s not for everyone. If one listens to that album they will get the key to unlock secretes, key words and lyrics to achieve what they are doing. I got a new drive because it’s a feel that is not on the Wealthy Government album. I want the streets to be able to have access to the album and since it’s an executive one it’s not for everyone and the price can’t change. So I got a beat and I listened to CassperNyovest’s Mamma I made it, and the latest album by Drake and the Panda song by Desiigner. So I researched on how I could translate those feelings to Namibian music and that came up. There is something I’m busy working on which I can’t reveal but the new trap song Kalam is a bridge from Wealthy Governments to the new project.”
Harambee Plan?
“I look at the president as someone that God appointed to help Namibia prosper. I look at it as an initiative from God and that’s why I also took ownership. There is a statement in the plan that reads that ‘this plan is for us’ and I took that personally. Music is a business and we are all included in it. The plan is for you to position yourself and prosper. I like the plan and I like it. It’s visionary. A lot of people don’t know about it but I go out and dig this information for me. Overall Namibian youth are lazy and want things to be done for them and there are people positioned to help us understand the plan. I want to prosper and everything that talks prosperity I move towards and so far it’s working for me.”
Owela television
“Owela is the Oshiwambo name for the game of chess and it’s a word I used from my very first album. It’s a word that became familiar in the Namibian industry like Gazza, Exit, and Young T just to name a few. We were making promotional videos for the album and a friend of mine suggested that I call it Owela TV. It’s a digital platform for advertising other brands too. Our views go from 10 000 to 36 000 views. It’s more of a lifestyle TV that covers everything. Samuel is a lot of things - not just a musician.”
The future for Samuel
Samuel is currently busy with his clothing line that has two brands so far; Harambee Prosperity Plan and Wealthy Governments. The future looks very bright for Samuel and we wish him nothing the best of luck in his entireendeavours.
June Shimuoshili
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