Namib Marimbas at the Namibia Tourism Expo

What started as an extra-mural activity at Kuisebmond Secondary School in Walvis Bay has grown into one of the most successful music groups in Namibia. Many will remember the Namib Marimbas from the uniquely Namibian musical The Wannabe. If you have not seen or heard them since, here is your chance: they perform at the Namibia Tourism Expo this year and visitors can look forward to wonderful entertainment.
The Namib Marimbas perform at lodges, wildlife resorts and guest farms, at shopping malls in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, they give charity concerts for schools, churches or government functions and they entertain tourists enjoying a desert dinner in the Namib.

They also have made a name for themselves abroad. The Namib Marimbas were just four years old when they were invited for a six-week tour of Germany and Luxembourg in May 1999. Since then they have been on several tours to South Africa, Germany and also France and Spain. They last visited Germany in 2008 together with the Mascato Coastal Youth Choir for the second International Children's Choir Festival on invitation of the City of Dresden.
The original Walvis Bay Marimba Group was founded in 1995 and consisted of seven learners of the Kuisebmond Secondary School. The Anglican Church in Kuisebmond helped with the instruments and the group rehearsed every evening. They had no formal training and mainly taught themselves. In 1997 a teacher at the school, Greta Holst, took the marimba group under her wing as their coordinator. At the same time one of the first members, Ferdinand Hengombe, who had started training as a goldsmith, became the musical leader and led the rehearsals.

Under his leadership, and supported by Greta, the Namib Marimbas have recorded four CDs so far and a whole set of CDs together with their music partners, the Mascato Coastal Youth Choir. This was followed by another combined effort which resulted in a DVD, The Spirit of Namibia. Among the guest musicians and artists are drumbeaters from the north and fire-eaters from the Caprivi, Nama dancers from the south and many others. The DVD was produced to illustrate the people, music and traditions of Namibia.

Since January 2009 the Namib Marimbas are part of the music division of Ferdinand's company Ondjupa Art Creation & Music CC. As the artistic director he and his musical leader Anrich Geingob concentrate on the development of percussion music at the coast - not only marimbas but also Djembe drums, kudu and oryx horns, shakers, time sticks and blow pipes. Lessons are offered at schools, kindergartens and to private individuals. These instruments are also a great success with interactive teambuilding drumming circles conducted by Ferdinand. "They place great emphasis on the group spirit," he says. "Candidates learn more about self-respect, habits of listening before acting and humble patience towards one another." The highlight at the end of the session, and a memory to cherish forever, would be a candlelight dinner under the stars, somewhere in the desert, with entertainment by traditional dancers, fire spinners and the Namib Marimba Band. Ferdinand has created his own unique sound to illustrate that music can build bridges. The laid-back attitude of Namibians, the environment as well as the influence of his ancestors have inspired him to combine different genres of music and express his love for the country and the people of Namibia, he says.