Jackson Kaujeua
Jackson Kaujeua (3 July 1953 – 27 May 2010) was a Namibian musician, composer and gospel singer, and a veteran of the Namibian struggle for independence. He sang in various Namibian languages including Afrikaans and English.
He was born Jackson Muningandu Kaujeua, a member of the Herero ethnic group[1] in !Huns, a village near Keetmanshoop.[2][dead link] Later, he gave up an education as a priest at the mission school of Otjimbingwe after he came in touch with the songs of gospels singers like Mahalia Jackson, whose human rights-related lyrics inspired him.[3]
In 1973, he started studying music at the Dorkay Art & Music College for talented Non-Whites in South Africa. However, he was soon expelled from the country for anti-apartheid activism, and went into exile in 1974.[2][dead link] After a short time in Botswana, the SWAPO-resistance movement (with which he was associated with until his death)[4][5] helped him to move to the UK, where he soon became the lead singer of the group Black Diamond. International success followed with songs such as "Winds of Change".[3]
Having lived as a teacher in an Angolan refugee camp for a short time in 1979, he returned to Namibia only after independence in 1990, where he celebrated great successes with his music, especially with !Gnubu !Nubus (Damara: 'short and round').[3] In the late 1990s, he was still one of the best-known Namibian musicians.[6]
Kaujeua died on 27 May 2010, after suffering from a kidney disorder for six months.[2][dead link] He had lived and died in poverty. He was formally unemployed for most of his life, living off his performances and royalties. Calls for some sort of employment or empowerment for his role as "musical ambassador for the liberation struggle" were not answered by the authorities.[3]
Kaujeua had four children.
[edit] References
- ^ Namibian Music: Jackson Kaujeua’s musical journey on stage - Street News Service, Monday 2 October 2006
- ^ a b c "Nam veteran musician Kaujeua dies". Southern Times. 28 May 2010. http://www.southerntimesafrica.com/article.php?title=_Nam_veteran_musician_Kaujeua_dies&id=4173&sid=e5666648b14975261bd86f9196d696f0. Retrieved 31 May 2010.[dead link]
- ^ a b c d Ekongo, John (2010-05-31). "Hamba kahle, Jackson Kaujeua". New Era. http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?title=Hamba_kahle%2C_Jackson_Kaujeua&articleid=33355.
- ^ Gibeon offers a foretaste of campaigning 2004 - The Namibian, Monday 18 October 2004
- ^ National Heroes (from the Centre for Intercultural Learning, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada)
- ^ Jackson Goes Globe Trotting - The Namibian, Friday 02 October 1998
