Local and European musicians to exchange creativity and skills through concert
The European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Cluster in Namibia officially launched the EUNIC Music on Wednesday in Windhoek.
The aim of the Festival is to give local musicians the opportunity to exchange knowledge with counterparts from Europe. The Cluster intends establishing the music festival as an annual event and this year welcomes musicians from France, Germany and Portugal who will on 24 May be part of a master class.
Two local musicians and three from Europe will stud the stage of the 2018 EUNIC Music Festival on 26 May at the Warehouse Theatre after a session of master classes at the College of the Arts.
The initiative resulted from a brainstorming session between the Centro Diogo Cão, Goethe-Institut Namibia and Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) in partnership with the European Union (EU) Delegation to Namibia.
Representing Namibia at the 2018 EUNIC Music Festival will be KP Illest and Lioness. Awarded as Namibia’s Best Hip Hop Artist at the 2018 Namibian Annual Music Awards, KP Illest writes songs that reflect the state of his society and speak for the youth on issues that he thinks need to be addressed.
Also well-known on the local music scene is the Lioness, who established herself with complex an tightly-knit lyrical capabilities as a female rapper. She’s straight to the point, speaks for women and doesn’t have time for a flimsy man.
The European line-up is a vivid combination of Soul, Hip-Hip, Rap and House Music. French DJ Crabbe presents a mix of classics and the latest beats pumping on the dancefloors across France, but with a unique inclusion of traditional African rhythms.
“We look forward to DJ Crabbe’s unique style of mixing more than two electronic genres, from techno and house to African house and bass. This will not be his first performance in Southern Africa and we hope he can bring together musicians from Africa and Europe,” said Director of the FNCC, Jerome Kohl.
From Portugal is Hip-Hop musician Valas, who presents a diverse set of soulful lyrics that have made it across more than 100 festivals in Europe. Last but not least is the loud and proud Chefboss from Germany and their group of flexible dancers that light up any stage with a phat bass and dancehall rhythm.
“We are very excited about the first ever 2018 EUNIC Music Festival that will take place in Namibia, bringing together a variety of European artists as well as Namibian artists. 2018 is also the European Year of Cultural Heritage, which celebrates and shares Europe’s culture. Let us share and celebrate our diversity and let it be a bridge that will bring us closer to each other,” said EU Ambassador to Namibia Jana Hybaskova.
Meanwhile a limited number of Early Bird tickets to the concert at the Warehouse Theatre are available online at EVENTS TODAY for N$100 and sell for N$150 NAD for the three weeks before the event.
Entrance to the concert at the door costs N$200 and apart from a diverse set of beverages, also available will be a selection of European cuisine from 17:00 onwards.
Caption: Namibian musicians to feature at the 2018 EUNIC Music Festival, Lioness and KP Illest, pose for the media with event organisers and representatives of partners in the project.
