Namibian musicians and their music are undersupported for a number of reasons, including NASCAM’s failure to effectively calculate and pay royalties, a preference among many organizers and members of the public for foreign genres, and a lack of platforms for live performance. However, one issue that must be addressed through legislation is the lack of protections for local content in Namibian media. Namibian music is simply not receiving enough airtime on Namibian radio for them to benefit even if royalties were being paid out properly.
Foreign music makes up 80% of play time on Namibian radio stations, leaving fewer opportunities for local artists to gain exposure. The lack of local content on Namibian radio, as well as television, led Inna Hengari, MP, to address the issue in Parliament in 2024, submitting a motion to mandate stricter quotas for Namibian content on Namibian radio and television, which was accepted without opposition. However, Parliament has not yet passed any legislation to resolve this issue.
This project is pushing for this and other legislation to protect and promote local content on Namibian radio and television. Until then, this page will serve as one way to highlight Namibian musicians. Check out their music!
The Ells
The Ells are a popular band in Windhoek, although both of them actually come from abroad—Artwell Neusu (aka Slickartie), originally from Zimbabwe, brings the energy through masterful djembe drumming, complemented by Manny Ndifon’s soulful singing and lively guitar. Together, they bring a Namibian flavor to global pop hits while also expressing their love for Namibia through songs like “Zambezi.”
Check out their music below and on their website and follow them on Instagram (@the_ells_).
Tschuku Tschuku
Tschuku Tschuku is the sound of the train, transporting migrant workers across the former South West Africa. Tschuku Tschuku, fronted by Dr. Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja, a Namibian musicologist and professor at UNAM who has explored Namibian concepts of performance and cultural expression in his work, brings together the history of the liberation struggle under apartheid with the struggle for freedom of cultural expression today.
Listen to their music below, check out more of their work on their website, and follow Dr. Mushaandja on Instagram (@tschukutschuku).
Don Kamati
Don Kamati is a central figure of the dancehall genre in Namibia who has been vocal in highlighting issues like the need for a new music awards show in Namibia and NASCAM’s ineffectiveness.
Listen to his music below and follow him on Instagram (@donkamati).
Riaan Smit
Riaan Smit’s music blends influences from blues, African rhythm, and gypsy swing into what he calls “Afro-gypsy blues.” He has toured, performed, and lived all over the world, but has come home to Swakopmund, on the Namibian coast, to help nurture the industry and support emerging artists.
Listen to his music below and follow him on Instagram (@electricnomad_).
Vaughn Ahrens
Vaughn Ahrens is a man of many talents—he sings, plays guitar, and writes his own music, which is constantly evolving, informed by his travels around Southern Africa and his collaboration with South African Adam Brandon-Kirby and the late Raymond Mupfumira, of Zimbabwe. He also runs Yellow Wall Studios, offering resources and advice to help emerging artists get started.
Listen to his music below, check out more of his work on his website, and follow him on Instagram (@vaughnahrens).
Jackson Wahengo
Jackson Wahengo is one of Namibia’s biggest artists, and his music blends global influences from reggae, zouk, and jazz with messages about modern and traditional Namibian society, delivered in his native Oshiwambo.
Listen to his music below and check out more of his work on his website.
Black Vulcanite
Black Vulcanite, a trio made up of Nikolai Tjongarero (aka Okin), Mark Mushiva (aka Question Mark), and the late Allain Villet (aka AliThatDude), gave hip-hop a Namibian flavor and brought it to the world stage, with their song “How To Rap About Africa” being named on the BBC’s list of the “250 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs Of All Time” in 2019. Their music brings attention to issues of racial and social inequality and uses an Afrofuturist lens to imagine a decolonial future.
Listen to their music below and follow them on Instagram (@blackvulcanite).
Gazza
Gazza’s music blends kwaito, reggae, and dancehall, and addresses the realities of life in the location, and his 2022 “Concert of Hope” brought classical music and kwaito together in a collaboration with the NNSO, the Alabama Youth Symphony Orchestra, and a local choir called Vocal Reflections. In 2020, Gazza was honored as the Namibian Annual Music Awards Artist of the Decade, and his label, Gazza Music Productions (GMP), now supports local artists.
Listen to his music below and follow him on Instagram (@gazza467).
Shishani
Shishani Vranckx is a Namibian-Belgian music artist and cultural anthropologist now based in Germany. Their music addresses social issues and highlights marginalized perspectives, and they have been involved in a number of projects with artists from around the world, including Namibian Tales, which brought the music of the San people to an international audience, and Miss Catharsis, which focused on highlighting female and non-binary voices. Their academic work has focused on both Oshiwambo traditional music and the modern Namibian music industry.
Listen to their music below, check out their website, and follow them on Instagram (@shishani.music).
Jackson Kaujeua
Jackson Kaujeua was a Namibian gospel singer and activist in the liberation struggle, and songs like “Winds of Change” and “Africa” are still considered symbols of Namibian identity today.
Listen to his music below and on YouTube.
Ras Sheehama
Ras Sheehama grew up in exile, and his politically conscious music was informed by that experience. He was a member of Ndilimani Cultural Troupe, SWAPO’s revolutionary band, and his later music addressed topics from the Cassinga Massacre during the liberation struggle to poverty in modern Namibia.
Listen to his music below.