Stolen Moments
Namibian Music History Untold
Stolen Moments
The history of the Namibian popular music from the 1950s to the end of the 1980s lies in the focus of the cooperation between the Iwalewahaus, University of Bayreuth and the Stolen Moments Research Group in Windhoek, Namibia.
For the first time in 26 years after independence the exhibition project, fostered within the scope of the TURN Fonds for artistic cooperation between Germany and African countries by the endowment for culture of the federal government, illuminates the musical culture of the townships which was suppressed and marginalized by apartheid.
Resting upon a collection of material, bringing back to light the long-lost musical legacy of the country through a 6-year period of researching together with a multitude of artists and contemporary witnesses, an exhibition arose which can first be seen in the Iwalewahaus, followed by the Afrika Bibliographien in Basel and finally in the Kunstraum Bethanien in Berlin.
The artistic examination of the so far untold music history not only focuses on the creative work of each and every artist but also reflects on issues of cultural identity, origin and regional history.
In this context, amongst others, the exhibition has a focus on the ancestral halls of the Namibian popular music. This makes, for the first time, pioneering musicians and their music available to the general public.
In conclusion the recovery and display of songs and stories serves not only the illumination of a former dark spot in the younger African music history. The confrontation and examination of the musical legacy and the associated regional history is, especially in Namibia, of great value. It encourages a dialog between the generations which was previously coined by the silence about the years of apartheid.
With works of:
Ben Molatzi, Wiks Louw, Willy Collins, Kharixurob, Samuel Flermuis, Kakuja Kembale, The Rocking Kwela Boys, Rita Ikwambi, The Ugly Creatures, Kwela and Lexington, Papa Shikongeni, Phillipus Shehama, David Amukoto, Sandile Pazvakavamwa, Stephan Zaubitzer and many more.
Iwalewahaus
Universität Bayreuth
Wölfelstraße 2
95444 Bayreuth
Tel +49 (0)921 5545 00
Fax +49 (0)921 5545 02