Veripuami Kangumine
Musician Big Ben Kandukira has called on the government to include the construction of arts performance infrastructure to grow the industry in future.
This comes after the government announced plans to construct multipurpose sports facilities country wide in a bid to create employment for young people in the industry.
Sports and creative industries are two of the government’s target areas to create employment among the youth.
However Big Ben says the plan neglects places where artists such as musicians, poets and dancers can perform.
“The performance art must be included in the infrastructure and design and not an afterthought,” he said.
The Omaruru born artist called councillors should implement technologies
The artist who has been making music for two decades was speaking at the media invitation for his upcoming concert on 18 April.
Big Ben added that councillors should be invested in buildings with technologies that are friendly for artist such as lights, sound systems,
The Big Ben live in concert event will be a family friendly event taking place at Zoo Park with the likes of Dj Ambizzy, Dj Kiki, The Ells.
Announcing her third State of the Nation Address on Wednesday President Netumbo Nnadi-Ndaitwah said the creative Industries has attracted 59 foreign film projects showcasing Namibia’s stunning locations, while local filmmakers produced 36 films.
Meanwhile Big Ben also called on all private companies to invest in the Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) to make the industry more lucrative.
“Any private company should be able to invest back in the industry to make money that it will be profitable and can be taxed,”
“I call on the private companies to invest in the NAMAs,” he said.
Sync media event organiser Selmi Shigwedha says they are trying to create a place for live concerts.
“We realised that the live concerts are being left out of the entertainment industry. The experience is rare and we want to make sure that people feel included and safe,” she did.
The president the these activities in the creative industry in the past year created 1,240 temporary jobs in catering, transportation, hospitality, crew, cast, and producers, and led to local hires earning about
N$18.86 million.
“Overall, both foreign and local film productions contributed an estimated N$47 million to the Namibian economy. To further bolster the industry’s growth, the Namibia Film Commission invests N$200,000 each year in skills development programs through a three-year partnership with the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST),” she said.
This investment aims at upskilling, enhancing local talent, and positioning Namibia as a competitive player in the global film industry and in job creation.
COMMENTS