Samuel: Qonja is a crook

A few years back, everyone knew singer Qondja thanks to his hit song, ‘Koek n Jam’. Now Qondja is dead, and Samuel and his alter ego, ‘Gotwealth’, have taken over. In a candid interview with tjil, Samuel said the name Qonja wasn’t in line with God’s destiny for him. “Qonja is against my destiny. Qonja is a crook and I reject that name,” he said. Samuel said the name Qonja was given to him by his father, who named him after a friend. Asked who gave him the name Samuel, he said that was done by God. He said the name means ‘God-given’, and comes from Samuel the prophet. “Hannah was a barren woman and she was mocked for it. She went to the temple and prayed for a child. God gave her Samuel and it marked the end of her shame and disgrace. God heard her prayers, and Samuel was God-given,” he explained. Samuel said many people don’t understand the impact of having the wrong name. “When you are called by a name that is cursed, you carry that curse with you.” Samuel said people who see him after a long time still call him Qonja but he quickly reminds them that that he is Samuel now. “I said to the Lord my name is no longer Qonja, it’s garbage and cursed and I want that curse to go back to the ones who intentionally still call me Qonja after I told them that I am Samuel now.” Samuel is set to do something completely new by releasing his new album on a memory stick. Titled ‘Wealthy Governments’, the album will be sold on an encrypted memory stick. “When I get into taxis I see that taxi drivers now use more sticks to play music. And more and more young people only use memory sticks. I saw an opportunity and decided to release the album on memory stick during the first stage,” he said. Samuel was mocked on Facebook after it was alleged that the album would cost N$1 000. He clarified that by saying that the album is worth N$1 000 although it will cost Namibians N$100. “The album won’t be for sale for N$1 000, but it is worth that and more. Some people don’t see things with a healthy mindset and some are just short-sighted,” he said. Samuel also said that although everyone was created by God, not everyone is a child of God. “Those who follow the Word are children of the Most High,” he said. Asked whether he had lost friends since developing this close relationship with God, Samuel said he lost people who were never supposed to be in his life. “Those who were meant to be in my life stayed,” he said. Samuel said he also doesn’t mind losing Qonja fans. “I don’t want whack friends or fans. It’s a gift from God to have fans and I prefer having fans that also add value in my life and in whose lives I can add value,” he said. WINDHOEK GORDON JOSEPH