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THE IRONIES OF POP: LOCAL MUSIC PRODUCTION AND CITIZENSHIP IN A SMALL NAMIBIAN TOWN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2012

Steven van Wolputte  and
Laura E. Bleckmann
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Abstract

This case study probes the close link between locality and musical production. The setting is Opuwo, a small city in northern Namibia, notorious for its many bars. Here the music of a local band, Bullet ya Kaoko, provides the soundtrack to the quest for belonging and identity that takes place in the marginal space constituted by these bars and pubs. Bullet ya Kaoko performances are characterized by the simultaneous articulation of paradoxical images and different models of identification: they use keyboards and synthesizers to rework an old genre (omitandu, praise songs), fuse Kwaito moves with the elders' warrior dance, and weave Herero polyphony into a jive-like beat and structure. Lyrics, music and dance address the challenges of (post-)modern life and give voice to uncertainty and fragmentation. At the same time, they embed people in kinship and place, evoking a strong yet encrypted sense of belonging. The music of Bullet ya Kaoko is ironizing: it questions, but does not answer. It challenges both the old and the new, but refrains from solving the tensions created by their juxtaposition.

Cette étude de cas examine le lien étroit entre localité et production musicale. Elle a pour cadre Opuwo, petite ville du nord de la Namibie connue pour ses nombreux bars. La musique du groupe local Bullet ya Kaoko fournit la bande sonore à la quête d'appartenance et d'identité que l'on observe dans l'espace marginal que constituent ces bars et pubs. Les représentations de Bullet ya Kaoko se caractérisent par l'articulation simultanée d'images paradoxales et de modèles divers d'identification : le groupe se sert de claviers et de synthétiseurs pour remanier un genre ancien (les chants de louange omitandu, fusionner les mouvements kwaito et la danse guerrière des anciens, et tisser les polyphonies herero dans une structure et un rythme assimilables au swing. Les paroles, la musique et la danse traitent des difficultés de la vie (post-)moderne et expriment l'incertitude et la fragmentation. Dans le même temps, elles ancrent les personnes dans la parenté et le lieu, en évoquant un sens fort et pourtant crypté d'appartenance. La musique de Bullet ya Kaoko ironise : elle soulève des questions, mais n'y répond pas. Elle dénonce l'ancien et le nouveau, mais s'abstient de résoudre les tensions que crée leur juxtaposition.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 82 , Issue 3 , August 2012 , pp. 413 - 436
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2012

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References

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Discography

Bullet Ya Kaoko Concert Group (2006a) Ombura Ndji. Audio CD, Bullet Concert Group.Google Scholar
Bullet Ya Kaoko Concert Group (2006b) Ombura Ndji. DVD video production. Windhoek: Criminal Productions. (Parts of this DVD are also on YouTube. See <http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9CB0D671AA584698>, accessed 7 December 2010).,+accessed+7+December+2010).>Google Scholar
Kanjax (2006) Kakoto. Audio CD, Bullet Concert Group.Google Scholar
Onyoka Concert Group (2008) Ezongorondo. Audio CD, Onyoka Concert Group.Google Scholar
Sunset Ya Kaoko Concert Group (2006) Tjiratjiza. Audio CD, Bullet Concert Group.Google Scholar
Wilddogs Music Group (2010) Jaranda Ohahende. Audio CD, Erari Wilddogs Music Production.Google Scholar

Newspapers

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