Dear Editor

I was very disappointed when I read in Informanté that some of our ministers have called in Mr Tona Amadhila’s daughter, who said that she was raped by her father, to ask her to withdraw the case.
Now my question is: Where are we heading? Is rape not a state case? Meaning she can not withdraw the case. We are all human beings and deserve to be treated in the same manner. It does not mean that because the rapist is a wealthy or a well-known person that he deserves to be treated in a special way. We have cases in Namibia where people have murdered their relatives. So if people have the power to withdraw such cases, then it should be applicable to everybody, even murderers and all rapists - if we have the power to decide whether a particular person must be prosecuted or not.
Nobody will want his/her father to be prosecuted by making up stories - because, as children, we love our parents very much and nobody will want their parents to go to jail. But if he deserves jail, he should sit.
To the victim: keep it up, my Sister, because you are not doing this for yourself but for those who do not have a voice to raise.
Ignore whatever people might say against you, because they will say it to demote and destroy you.
But always remember that before they even said it, God knew that what they were to going say was for your own good (they meant it badly, but it was good for you).
Concerned Polly student

Dear editor

I am a young Namibian who loves good quality Namibian music, but I’m very disappointed by the Omalaeti production artists and associates. These people are going around in public preaching that they are the only music label that does truly Namibian music.
I am not opposing them but I definitely feel that they are immoral, apart from promoting their so-called truly Namibian music. They also go all the way against their fellow Namibian artists, saying that they are fake or master copiers.
Referring to the letter that was written by John Wa, the owner of Omalaeti, and Tate Buti’s letter that was recently printed in your newspaper. They are all saying the same thing; that they are the only label that produces Namibian music.
Tate Buti said; ‘There is everything wrong with it if we try to rename genres like Kwaito simply because we sing those bits in our vernaculars. A genre of music is defined by the way it sounds, which is called the bit, not the lyrical content. He goes on again saying; ‘I am trying to build up music in our own Namibian sphere and understanding. And I am confident that other truly local genres like Damara Punch, Shambo and Oviritje, will gain prominence in the heart of music-starved Namibians.
If Tate Buti’s definition of a local music is right, then the only true Namibian music is Oviritje -that’s the only purely Namibian music with pure Namibian style. From my knowledge of African music, Kwiku and the lyrics, which are mostly in Oshiwambo, is the only thing different from the music that Tate Buti composes a chaste mixture of KwasaKwasa and Rumba, which are not Namibian music. Kwiku music is the music only common in Ovamboland, Windhoek and Walvis Bay. Is that truly Namibian? What about other regions, what will they listen to?
They will listen to The Dogg, Gazza, Stanley, Gal Level, Qonja - not to Buti’s sister Janice or Pedrito.
My point is people like The Dogg and Gazza do commercial music, it’s their career, it’s where they get the money to buy their daily bread. These guys are who they are because of their fans - so the fans love their music because it’s entertaining and hot.
For example Gazza started with Reggae but transformed to Kwaito due to its popularity among Namibian so it’s basically about what the people want to hear, but not about what Omalaeti wants to impose on the Namibians. The message in their music is what keeps fans screaming and buying their music.
Omalaeti wants to tarnish Kwaito, but Kwaito is also a Namibian culture - we the music listeners are happy with it.
Kwaito is international, so whoever does it wants’ to be international. Gazza went to perform around Africa and he has established his name there and that is supposed to be the dream of every musician. The Dogg went to perform in South Africa and in countries such as the UK, Australia, Sweden etc. and these guys are rocking Channel O with pure Namibian style.
Namibian Kwaito is very much different from that of South Africa; I don’t understand the meaning of ‘copy and paste’ Tate Buti is talking about. I wonder if Tate Buti take his music to Zimbabwe or DR Congo competing against Koffi Olominde if will impress an audience. Why hating on the guys who are doing the best in the industry, let’s build the industry.
If one is trying to promote his music, he should only do so but not saying bad things about other artist’s music. It’s obvious that The Dogg, the Matongo Family, Gazza, and Qonja have more fans than these Omalaeti guys. But I don’t see any chance of gaining any fan by campaigning against them.

Issai Namupala
Mshasho and Kwaito fan