Shishani Sings of Freedom, Healing and Home

Amsterdam-based Namibian singer-songwriter Shishani made a return to the local scene on a stormy Friday evening.

The outdoor setu of the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) is shielded by a black tarp as a diverse crowd splashes in, huddles close to the covered outdoor bar and waits for the rain to subside.

Clear skies seem unlikely, so eventually everyone is ushered into the FNCC gallery where Shishani, accompanied by Tapz and bassist Afron Nyambali, are eager to begin the musical excursion.

It’s been a while since Shishani has headlined a show in Namibia and the crowd attending the FNCC’s Acoustic Friday is made of ardent fans who’ve braved the rain and sit enraptured.

This feeling of awe remains throughout Shishani’s set, which begins with a prayer and journeys through the personal and the political and pauses to give homage to the ancestors.

The showcase, featuring a neo-soul, Afro jazz and indigenous folk selection of old favourites and new tracks from ‘Whispers’, the artist’s latest album, also highlights Shishani’s maturation as a vocalist, songwriter, activist and human being.

In songs such as ‘Forgiveness’, which sees Nyambali soar in a crowd-rousing guitar solo, Shishani speaks of the need to forgive oneself for past failures, mishaps and the abandonment of self.

Otherworldly and affecting in the hisses and chants of ‘Kuku’, Shishani sings an Oshiwambo ode to their grandmother and all elders in a song that is at once elegiac and uplifting.

“One day we’ll be ancestors ourselves. What’s the legacy we want to leave for those behind us?” asks Shishani, who spent a lot of time travelling to the north during this trip.

“I really felt this need and pull to ground myself. For me, it meant returning to the north and diving into the language and the culture. It’s a big source of inspiration for me.”

Advocating for oppressed communities the world over in a catchy yet political song titled ‘Forget to Remember’, Shishani asks us to do better by the people of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, Libya and Yemen as well as for women and queer and trans people.

“Unfortunately, the world is becoming wilder and wilder. Each time and each generation have their obstacles and their struggles and we need to find a way. One of those ways is to keep saying what needs to be said,” says Shishani.

“Being a queer person in this time and being spoken of as a mistake, somebody choosing sin or somebody destroying society, you can know the truth, but it doesn’t mean that these things don’t hurt you. That they don’t eat at you every single day as you find a way to show up in the world, as yourself, give your all and still get put in a corner.”

Though being queer is often regarded with a heavy focus on sexuality, Shishani underscores the need to bring it back to the human aspect.

“We as people, we as parents, we as community leaders, as influencers, as whatever, we create the world we want to see. And that is one of love and one of acceptance,” Shishani says.

“The world is diverse. To live and love and be different is fine. There’s nothing wrong with it. I want to celebrate every person who shows up as themselves, every single day, despite everything happening. We will be here and we will keep raising our voices.”

Touching on mental health, sending love to the late AliTHATDude, who died in January, and to all the artists who have left us, Shishani also takes the opportunity to honour their mother as well as the talent of Tapz and Nyambali, who delight the crowd with Shona and instrumental solos.

Shishani says ‘Whispers’ is “about learning to listen”, and the crowd gathered for Acoustic Friday does so with reverence as the singer-songwriter shares music, anecdotes and the realities of performing far from home.

“That’s why it’s good to be home, that African spirit,” says Shishani as the artist marvels at the audience singing, dancing and loudly applauding.

“Sometimes you can be singing and pouring your heart out and the crowd is just not giving you anything. So when I come here, I remember why I do what I do.”

In its verve, vocals and vulnerability, Shishani’s Acoustic Friday showcase is a lyrical and rare treat.

It’s a call to heal, a push to fight and a balm to those feeling a little broken.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com