On the 16th of this month Namibia’s Kwaito King Gazza and two of his dancers will be performing in Germany’s capital city in front of the Brandenburg Gate, presenting a captivating show within the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Berlin 2009.
The 32-year-old artist – the soccer skills he displayed as a boy earned him the nickname Gazza in reference to English soccer player Paul Gascoigne – is regarded as the best proponent of Namibian Kwaito Music, a mixture of strong rhythms combined with meaningful lyrics, especially about life on the street. Gazza’s relatively young music career started in 2004 with the release of his first two albums. His fifth album Gazza still King hit record sales in 2008 and his fans are eagerly awaiting his sixth album, which will probably be released in December 2009.
Gazza works closely with artists from Southern Africa such as South African Zola and Angolan Paul G. His recent trip to Germany – arranged and funded by the Goethe-Institut Germany and the Goethe-Centre/NaDS in Windhoek in close co-operation with the German-Namibian Society (DNG) – helped him establish close links to German musicians and producers in order to conquer the European market.
And apparently Gazza meets the German taste for music: at MYFEST International, a multicultural street musical festival in Berlin, he won the crowd over completely. Being nervous at first and not feeling confident, he and Eino performed with all they had: “We brought the crowd to a standstill. We think they were mesmerised by our songs, our dance, our energy and the strange kwaito sound,” Gazza said. Being booked for 20 minutes, they ended up doing another two sessions of 45 minutes each – they had to stop due to exhaustion. “It felt as if I was performing in Ongwediva!”
From Ongwediva to Berlin – Gazza’s close ties with Germany started in October 2008 when he met Cajus for the first time in Namibia. Cajus was on a concert tour through Sub-Saharan Africa. In Germany, Cajus has established himself as a well-known hip-hop artist from the famous group Blumentopf that helped to launch the German hip-hop movement.
Cajus’s 2008 concert tour in Africa was initiated by the Goethe-Institut Germany to foster intercultural exchange between international and local musicians. In Namibia, he and Gazza took the audiences at Concordia College and in Windhoek’s Zoo Park by storm – having created a unique new music style combining Namibian languages with German. They had an immediate connection and a funky, productive interaction.
They picked up on these vibes during Gazza’s visit to Germany in May 2009, where he had six performances in two days, presented two new songs, made one music-video clip, acquired lots of new fans and friends, did lively radio and TV interviews, and visited stunning hi-tech recording studios. Loads of photos were taken and he enjoyed real traditional Namibian food in Berlin. These are just some of the exciting experiences as told by Namibia's Kwaito King Gazza and his backing singer Eino Eino upon their return from a three-week visit to Germany.
“I really fell in love with Berlin!” the Namibian Superstar resumed when coming back. Not only did he fall for the German capital because of its vitality – “It is such a vibrant place, it looks as if this city never sleeps.” He was also impressed by Berlin’s remarkable architecture – the many historical buildings and huge alleys and the large iconic glass cupola on the German Bundestag that allows visitors to watch parliamentarians at work.
It was mainly the lifestyle and the people in the German capital that made him fall in love. All over he met friendly people on the street, including celebrities such as Hans Wolfgang Thierse, president of the German Bundestag, when entering an underground station. He also enjoyed a get-together with Namibian Ambassador to Germany, Neville Gertze, and Namibian Collin Benjamin who plays soccer for the Bundesliga.
And he enjoyed German-Turkish food: Mainly the Döner! There are lots of Döner shops all over town. And he admired the energy: “Germans never get tired of walking!” Gazza was impressed by people walking all over town or using public transport instead of driving cars. “Even on high heels – they walk for kilometres without getting tired!”
Before his visit to Berlin, Gazza was in Munich where Cajus lives and works with David Ritter in his hi-tech recording studio. “These guys are great and they treat us like brothers, we feel so much at home here,” an enthusiastic Gazza exclaimed. He recorded two new songs together with Cajus. “One is a kwaito track entitled Ander Mand, the other a hip-hop track called Greatest MC.” This music will soon set local radio and TV stations on fire: “The new tracks will be included in my new album.”
Munich fascinated Gazza because of its quiet surroundings. “It is really a different world. At night time, you may not find anyone in the streets.” Nevertheless, he was introduced to Munich’s charm and liveliness, enjoying its famous beer gardens and challenging Maßbier (one litre of beer!) as well as the nightlife disco scene in Munich’s most famous Nightclub P1, where German goalkeeper Olli Kahn and other Bayern Munich celebrities regularly chill.
Gazza also had two performances at Glockenbachwerkstatt and Die Bar (Kultfabrik) and was interviewed on television by famous local star Ali on the Ali Khan Show, all events preparing a solid foundation for his new fan base in Germany: “It was an amazing experience to get such an overwhelming reception in a foreign country!”
Gazza has not forgotten his roots – most of his songs are in Oshiwambo. He has risen from difficult circumstances to become a successful and popular musician and has become an ideal for many young African artists. “The trip to Germany offered me a great opportunity to establish links with other artists. The response by both the fans and media towards my music was great. Germany offered a lot of ideas on how to take my music career to the top!” Gazza concluded.
Besides being a master lyricist and performer, Gazza takes his influence to another level. Amongst others he serves as the Goodwill Ambassador of Education sanctioned by the Ministry of Education and as an Ambassador for Team Namibia.
