New look and feel
Shaquille Shikwambi is the chief executive officer and founder of Generation Genesis TV, a broadcasting multimedia content production, distribution, management and marketing company.
Monique Adams
Born in Windhoek, Shaquille Shikwambi grew up in Tsumeb and started school back in the capital - at Elim Primary School and Jan Möhr Secondary School.
Growing up, he was an active, confident and extremely talkative child.
“I’ve always been a born leader, so growing up, I’d lead my friends and I into the craziest adventures,” he said.
When he moved to Windhoek, Shikwambi reflects on how his high school years played a big part to who he is today.
He’s always been a creative from a very young age, he said, adding that while he was in primary school, he was a radio presenter and reporter for Uitani LifeLine/ChildLine radio.
This platform focused on young people and the experiences they are confronted with. It educated and used fellow children as spokespersons to give it a relatable feel.
At that moment, Shikwambi fell in love with the industry. With his fiery passion, he was fortunate enough to act in a Namibian short film ‘Dead River’, directed by Tim Hubschle.
For this film, he was also nominated for best upcoming actor and ever since that moment, he knew that he should make sure to do exactly this once he completes his secondary education.
The idea of Generation Genesis TV started in 2017 but became fully operational in 2018.
“Initially, my partners and I knew we wanted to create a platform for young people to create. We got together, built a small team, got the paperwork done and is built a five-year plan,” he said.
On Generation Genesis TV, Shikwambi started Namibia’s very first ‘Bro Code’ show, and got the inspiration from watching the popular ‘Guy Code’ South African show on MTV.
“We looked at the show, analysed how they could have done it and we realised that we can make our version. We have equipment, we have the resources, so what is stopping us? I spoke to my partners about the idea and the rest is history,” he said.
One of the challenges Shikwambi faced in the industry is proving that they are capable of producing quality content and being consistent enough to stay relevant.
How they overcame challenges is working together well to produce quality content.
Shikwambi further spoke on the lack of collaborative effort in Namibia.
“We unfortunately live in a country where the creative and entertainment industry is not thriving compared to other countries. In a Namibia, a lot of creatives choose to fight for the little crumbs the industry is making, instead of coming together and baking a cake big enough for us all,” he said.
His highlight for the year so far was when the guests they had for Bro Code told him that they were being stopped in public by strangers to laugh together about something they said or spoke about on the show.
This shows that people are watching and motivates him and his team to continue creating quality and innovative work.
Interesting facts:
He does not like rice; he thinks it’s a weird food.
He is a Capricorn.
He’s a kid at heart.
He fears owls.
His ‘spirit animal’ is a silverback gorilla.
Advice he would like to share is: “The ability to change the social, political and cultural powers or structures that govern people’s lives is the true heart of development. This is something my head of department at the College of the Arts told me in our first year and it has stuck with me ever since. I do not fully agree with the statement because it speaks from a selfish perspective. I believe that the ability to empower people to change or influence the powers that govern their lives is the true heart of change or development.”
Born in Windhoek, Shaquille Shikwambi grew up in Tsumeb and started school back in the capital - at Elim Primary School and Jan Möhr Secondary School.
Growing up, he was an active, confident and extremely talkative child.
“I’ve always been a born leader, so growing up, I’d lead my friends and I into the craziest adventures,” he said.
When he moved to Windhoek, Shikwambi reflects on how his high school years played a big part to who he is today.
He’s always been a creative from a very young age, he said, adding that while he was in primary school, he was a radio presenter and reporter for Uitani LifeLine/ChildLine radio.
This platform focused on young people and the experiences they are confronted with. It educated and used fellow children as spokespersons to give it a relatable feel.
At that moment, Shikwambi fell in love with the industry. With his fiery passion, he was fortunate enough to act in a Namibian short film ‘Dead River’, directed by Tim Hubschle.
For this film, he was also nominated for best upcoming actor and ever since that moment, he knew that he should make sure to do exactly this once he completes his secondary education.
The idea of Generation Genesis TV started in 2017 but became fully operational in 2018.
“Initially, my partners and I knew we wanted to create a platform for young people to create. We got together, built a small team, got the paperwork done and is built a five-year plan,” he said.
On Generation Genesis TV, Shikwambi started Namibia’s very first ‘Bro Code’ show, and got the inspiration from watching the popular ‘Guy Code’ South African show on MTV.
“We looked at the show, analysed how they could have done it and we realised that we can make our version. We have equipment, we have the resources, so what is stopping us? I spoke to my partners about the idea and the rest is history,” he said.
One of the challenges Shikwambi faced in the industry is proving that they are capable of producing quality content and being consistent enough to stay relevant.
How they overcame challenges is working together well to produce quality content.
Shikwambi further spoke on the lack of collaborative effort in Namibia.
“We unfortunately live in a country where the creative and entertainment industry is not thriving compared to other countries. In a Namibia, a lot of creatives choose to fight for the little crumbs the industry is making, instead of coming together and baking a cake big enough for us all,” he said.
His highlight for the year so far was when the guests they had for Bro Code told him that they were being stopped in public by strangers to laugh together about something they said or spoke about on the show.
This shows that people are watching and motivates him and his team to continue creating quality and innovative work.
Interesting facts:
He does not like rice; he thinks it’s a weird food.
He is a Capricorn.
He’s a kid at heart.
He fears owls.
His ‘spirit animal’ is a silverback gorilla.
Advice he would like to share is: “The ability to change the social, political and cultural powers or structures that govern people’s lives is the true heart of development. This is something my head of department at the College of the Arts told me in our first year and it has stuck with me ever since. I do not fully agree with the statement because it speaks from a selfish perspective. I believe that the ability to empower people to change or influence the powers that govern their lives is the true heart of change or development.”
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