Katrina wants a festival week

Windhoek Jazz Festival patron, arts minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, announced this year's line-up and her hopes for the festival.
June Shimuoshili
At the launch of the annual Windhoek Jazz Festival (WJF) arts minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa said she looks forward to the attending ajazz festival week that incorporates all spheres of arts and not just music, at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Katutura. Hanse-Himarwa, who is also the festival patron, said there are many domains in the Namibian creative industry that are overlooked and that the WJF could be a solution to unifying the arts.

“We must be talking about stakeholders bringing on board many other directorates so that next year, we won't talk about the WJF as a one-day and -night event but rather a jazz festival week. We will be building up to the festival itself by having exciting items by bringing in other domains of arts and exposing our artists,” she said.

Hanse-Himarwa added said that the Namibian public needs to be sensitised about the untapped potential of the creative industry. Fashion designers, dancers, sculptures and film makers according to her should be exposed at future jazz festivals. “I want to see, throughout the WJF week exhibitions mixed with jazz. This dress I am wearing is a typical artwork of a Namibian woman. Sometimes we are engaging in our arts without knowing that what we are doing is the arts. Awareness and advocacy should be about the broader creative industry and not just music,” she said.

At the official launch, she announced the artists to grace the stage which include Suzy Eises, Elemotho and Lize Ehlers as some of the local acts, and South Africans Zonke and The Soil as some of the international acts.

The 2016 WJF is organised by the City of Windhoek with the support of its sponsors such as Windhoek Lager, Standard Bank Namibia, Air Namibia, 99 FM, The Glenlivet, National Arts Council of Namibia and Ad Force. The festival will take place at the Independence Stadium on 3 November. Tickets to the festival are available at Events outlets countrywide for N$250.

June Shimuoshili

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-19

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