The government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the arts, but the experiences of musicians and other community members reveal that more progress is needed to support them effectively. This will require increased funding for the Directorate of Arts to allow it to do its job more effectively, as well as reform to support musicians’ freedom of expression.
Given musicians’ frustration with NASCAM, there is an obvious need for reform. Musicians stressed the need for greater accountability (“step in and really do a shakeup on NASCAM,” “watchdog,” “there needs to be a complete overhaul[…]so that the government is actually held accountable”), including standardizing NASCAM’s fee structure (). Others suggested that NASCAM be abolished entirely (“I don’t care about the system. The system can be broken[…]If NASCAM should be there, you know, to help the artist, and we don’t break that system, for the money to reach the artist, for you to see that money is reaching the artist, then we really have nothing to talk about”). Whether NASCAM is reformed or abolished entirely, there needs to be an organization which is held accountable to the people it is designed to serve (“a completely new organization that is actually, not just endorsed by the government, but a governmental organization, so that the government is actually held accountable.”).
Education Reform
A successful and self-sustaining music industry starts with better opportunities for music education at all levels (“If the government really wants to support, let there be music in the school curriculum, you know?[…]I feel that we really need to seriously take that into consideration, and invest in art”). Exposing children to music from a young age allows them to develop and nurture an interest in musicking (“I think if you introduce kids to music very early, from kindergarten, it will spark an interest[…]I think they took it out of schools, like music, because they don’t care.”). Music teachers emphasized the importance of making music feel accessible, inclusive, and non-judgmental (“The music is accessible for anyone of any level[…]If you think that you cannot sing, you will not engage in music[…]It kind of amps up the participation, you know, in the class…whereas everybody’s involved in doing it.”). In particular, the experiences of women in the Namibian music industry, who often experience harassment and are not always taken seriously, reveal a need for music curriculum that highlights women’s contributions to music while encouraging women and young girls to participate.
Intersections With Other Sectors
Because the music industry intersects with other sectors like tourism, technology, and education, creating a better regulatory environment for the music industry is not only the responsibility of MEIYSAC, but will also involve the cooperation of other ministries like the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security (MHAISS) and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT). MICT’s recent efforts to help Namibian digital creators monetize their content have met with praise from Namibian musicians and other creators. However, MHAISS is still a source of frustration for many due to its restrictive visa policies. Musicians pointed out that far from protecting local jobs, these policies restrict local artists by limiting collaboration (“My number one gripe is that I don’t understand why Southern Africa isn’t like Europe[…]It’s just so over the top. For me, I feel that is the number one thing.”) and adding to their financial burdens.
In addition, musicians pointed out that the links between the tourism and music industries have not been fully explored. Although there is a strong infrastructure for the tourism industry (), performance venues in Swakopmund and Windhoek, centers of tourist traffic to Namibia, have not been recognized as assets to the music industry (). Although Namibia’s natural landscapes have been featured in international films and served as the site for festivals like the Namib Desert International Jazz Festival and Between A Rock and a Hard Place (BARHP), these efforts are not always organized by locals, and more efforts should be made to ensure that Namibians benefit economically from their natural resources and landscapes (“Do we have the infrastructure to pull it off?[…]Let us try.”). Namibia’s tourism industry has historically relied on the commodification of certain aspects of the cultures of Namibian indigenous peoples, like the Ovahimba and the San people. Given the persistence of tribalism in Namibia, promoting local music offers a way to celebrate traditional culture and modern developments.
Health Benefits
Although workers in some sectors are able to receive medical aid through their employers, most musicians in Namibia must register for open medical aid schemes. These open schemes can be more expensive, and the number of open schemes in Namibia is decreasing. Therefore, participants identified a need for reform to provide health benefits for musicians (“I believe that the government can give us all medical aid. I believe that. I want to see that,’ “I mean, I would say a diversification, and maybe more festivals[…]To a level that artists can have medical aid and all of those things. Yeah,” “It’s going into the administration: into their salaries, into their cars, into their medical—artists don’t have medical aid”). In particular, many musicians struggle with mental health, revealing the tension between musicking as a source of personal fulfillment and as a source of income. In the face of these struggles, participants stressed the need for support (“We don’t have a place where we can just escape[…]you need a place where you can talk. I’m not talking about social workers[…]there are therapists for music that understand, you know? We don’t have those.”).
Investing in Digital and Physical Infrastructure as Platforms
Participants stressed the need for investment to create more platforms for local music. They emphasized the importance of support from the media, including radio (“Support from radio is very, very helpful”), television, and newspapers. However, there is room for improvement, and in particular, television programs have a tendency to focus on a few genres while leaving others out (“from the media side we could see a bit more support”). Musicians also mourned the loss of he Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs), which was a valuable platform for celebrating local music that fell victim to a lack of funding. However, the government has announced plans to revive the NAMAs in 2026, giving cause for optimism.
Although musicians celebrated the government’s recent efforts to broaden access to digital technology, they pointed out that high quality sound equipment, software, and instruments are still out of reach of many Namibians because of their high cost (“Technological…I think we have everything that we need[…]and also just costs too much,” “I mean, to make good music and to put it out there you need good equipment[…]everyday musicians struggle to do.”). Even government-funded institutions sometimes struggle to afford equipment. These observations reveal a need for investment to make it possible for both individuals and institutions to afford equipment. However, the high cost of equipment stems partly from the need to import it from abroad, and investing in production at home could present a more sustainable solution (We need to also produce our own things, instruments[…]Maybe in the future COTA can also, once it’s expanding, that is also something COTA can do. But not now”).
Listening to Artists
Musicians expressed the feeling that the programs, initiatives, and infrastructure funded by the government are out of touch with their needs (“please engage more with the artist on the ground”), and expressed a simple desire to be listened to (“the government could take—could have a bit more conversation between artists before making infrastructure investments.”). While this project seeks to bring the experiences of musicians to the government’s attention and increase public awareness of their struggles, the government must make efforts to engage with musicians and understand their concerns in a more systematic fashion, through surveys or other means.