Luis Munana Talks Patience, Perseverance and Popping Bubbly

Luis Munana is no stranger to the spotlight.

He has been an unwavering figure in Namibian and African entertainment for as long as we can remember, and along the way he has made major business moves that have elevated him each time and have contributed to the growth of the local industry.

From catwalk darling and ‘Big Brother Africa’ alum, then co-founder of the MTC Windhoek Fashion Week and curator of early childhood development programmes and content, to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, television producer and fashion designer, the multi-talented creative has been growing his brand over the years and is slowly cementing himself as a force to be reckoned with.

Now Munana’s name has been attached to two major developments. Just last week, he and his partner, musician and Gweri Vintage designer Pinehas ‘Zuluboy’ Shikulo, launched a brand new product, the first black-owned Namibian methode cap classique sparkling wine, RaZul.

For him, this luxury brand has been years in the making, and it brings him great pleasure to be able to present something that can be proudly Namibian.

He says after years of being hired to advertise brands he did not own, he wanted to switch the narrative.

“We asked ourselves; to what extent do we want to be consumers who don’t have a big enough piece of the cake? We have a portion, basically crumbs. So, we thought of what it is we can create that we can collaborate on and then we decided on alcohol,” he says.

“Bringing it to market was a dream come true.”

The sparkling wine was launched at an exclusive event in Windhoek recently, to raving reviews and excitement from many Namibians.

Just days before that, the trailer for the second season of Netflix’s ‘Young, Famous and African’ reality series dropped, with Munana making a splashy entrance into what is sure to be an unforgettable season, alongside names like Nadia Nakai and newbie Bonang Matheba.

The social media influencer tells us there’s a lot to expect from his upcoming appearance.

“There were a few bumps on the road, and there will be a few ‘OMG wow’ moments,” he promises.

But just how does he balance it all, when just this past month he also posted a trailer for a new PayPulse-backed mini series which he produced alongside Maria Nepembe through their Vibration Studios production company.

We asked him that, and he pointed out two main elements that he says have aided him in staying afloat and going for his goals.

Firstly, he credits a lot of his success to having a strong team behind him and working with the right people to bring his and their visions to life.

“It’s impossible to do everything by myself,” he says. “for every project, there are project managers, assistants and foot soldiers.”

And aside from having a close professional circle, he also advises any young entrepreneur or visionary to surround themselves with friends and family who can support them and carry them when needed and on whom they can rely.

“The one thing that has kept me sane is that I’ve always had a community. These are friends who I call family, and they’ve been there for me at my lowest, at my highest and when I’m okay. These friends understand that ‘Luis is working on a project and he’s going to achieve it. He’s going to be broke, he’s going to be fine, but regardless of that, here’s my couch he can crash on’. When you have such people around you, you are free because you know that if you lose your home you have a home, you’ll have someone to support you. So, you can aggressively pursue what you need to.”

Secondly, Munana tells us that without resilience and perseverance one will struggle to make it through the tough times, pointing to the annual event he co-founded nine years ago, Windhoek Fashion Week, as an example of never giving up.

The event was in its fifth year of production already when the telecommunications giant MTC jumped on board and alleviated the financial burden on the team to host the event. Before that, the team was pooling resources and making things work with what they could muster.

“Had we given up in year three, one or two, we would not have so many years of this beautiful event,” he says, adding that one should continue to push and work for their goals no matter the climate or the obstacles.

Essentially, if there is one thing Munana wants us all to take away from the work he’s done, it’s that he’s a starter and he wants others to be the same.

He says he has poured so much of himself into growing and building Namibian arts and entertainment, and he has been motivated by the dream of the local industry flourishing.

“I want people to remember that we need to push, no matter what. Despite the obstacles, you keep pushing and you keep pushing. Hopefully that’s the impact I leave,” he says, adding that his achievements as the first Namibian to broadcast his TV show outside the country, being the first Namibian on a Netflix reality show and being part of the first ever major fashion week event is his way of crafting his legacy as someone who dared to start, hopefully encouraging others to take up the torches and contribute their own talents.

It seems a lot of his talent and creativity are sparked by the understanding that he is capable of doing the big things that major brands are doing around the world, as well as the desire to cultivate the local sector to hopefully grow it into a major global player.

“One thing about me, I do not waver and I do not give up. If I set out to do something, I’m gonna do it no matter how long it takes or how much it costs, because I set my mind to it.”

– Anne Hambuda is a poet, writer and social commentator from Windhoek. Email her at annehambuda@gmail.com