Erna Chimu Is Grounded And Giving In ‘Uprising’

Erna Chimu is grounded, generous and giving in her latest record, ‘Uprising’ – a project six years in the making and released at the end of 2019.

It’s an easygoing collection of what I like to refer to as rich and entangled southern African music. Her sound is in the liminality of township jazz, reggae, funk, /Gais and a range of other resonances that cannot be categorised.

‘Uprising’ as her third studio project certainly adds to her discography as a mindful and deliberate singer and songwriter. This work gives me hope and faith in the local field of jazz which has been deserted by Namibian music scholarship and industries.

Despite all odds, Chimu is still standing and rising.

She has always positioned herself as a pan-Africanist artist since her debut in the music industry. This is clear in the first track on the album, ‘Masithandane’, which is translated as ‘let us love each other’ in Nguni. This is her plea and prayer for Africa to unite and fight against Afrophobia.

In ‘Uprising’ she begins in a sweet soprano to Sam Batola’s mesmerising guitar strings. Batola also sings on this track and is a co-producer of the project at large. On this track, Chimu is aware of her self-determination. She is not rising alone; she pays tribute to her musical crew that she has been performing with for years.

On ‘Rokhoes’, Chimu uses the metaphor of her dress and doek as a container for critical dialogue. She speaks directly to her people, urging them to be visible and self-actualise. She is ready to hold her community. We feel this as we tap our feet and move our chests to the music.

‘Aise Mamase’ takes me back to People’s Primary School in the early 90s when Namibians were coming together after decades of colonialism. Chimu performs a new arrangement of this Namibian classic in collaboration with Samuel Katenge. She invites us to appreciate the wealth of indigenous music archives. My favourite track on this record is ‘One More’. Chimu tells me that this is another Namibian classic. I particularly love it because it is so familiar, yet layered with contradictions of our relationship with alcohol as both poisonous and medicinal. Medicine for our rage and pain from the broken promises of a new Namibia. Medicine for our drunk democracy. Medicine for the colonial hangover.

‘!Garisâb’ is a special and timeless moment on the album which she co-performs with late Namibian legend Axue. A testimony that music lives forever even after we have departed. ‘Leave’ features Namibian rapper Jericho. This song is a solid experiment that invites young hearts and ears that are not familiar with Chimu’s work.

Chimu’s has always been a feminist voice, which is emphasised on the tracks ‘African Woman’ and ‘Getrud’, a tribute to a woman who discovered her as a music maker.

Throughout the album she sings in Khoekhoegowab, Setswana, Lingala and English but the spoken word does not limit the music. As she always says, music is a universal language. Indeed, this is a project that knows no borders.

The musical team also includes Gerson Doeseb (keyboards), Jean Pierre Ntsika (bass guitar), Manneckey Khoe-Aob (percussions and co-production), Piu Fernandes (drums) and Ermelinda Thataone (backing vocals).

Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja is a PhD artist at the Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, University of Cape Town.