Jackson Kaujeua
Encyclopedia
Jackson Kaujeua was a Namibia
n 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 in !Huns, a village near Keetmanshoop
. Later, he broke off 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.
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. After a short time in Botswana
, the SWAPO-resistance movement (with which he was associated with until his death) 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".
Having lived as a teacher in an Angola
n 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'). As of the late 1990s, he was still one of the best-known Namibian musicians.
Kaujeua died on 27 May 2010, after suffering from a kidney disorder for the last six months. He had lived poor and died poor. 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 heard by the authorities.
Kaujeua had four children.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
singer, and a veteran of the Namibian struggle for independence. He sang in various Namibian languages including Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
He was born Jackson Muningandu Kaujeua, a member of the Herero ethnic group in !Huns, a village near Keetmanshoop
Keetmanshoop
Keetmanshoop is a city in Karas Region, southern Namibia, lying on the Trans-Namib Railway from Windhoek to Upington in South Africa. It is named after Johann Keetman, a German industrialist and founder of the city....
. Later, he broke off an education as a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
at the mission school
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
of Otjimbingwe
Otjimbingwe
Otjimbingwe is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. It has approximately 8000 inhabitants.The Rhenish Mission Society used Otjimbingwe as a central location for their Namibian mission in 1849. Johannes Rath and his family settled in the area on 11 July that year, and the settlement...
after he came in touch with the songs of gospels singers like Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
, whose human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
-related lyrics inspired him.
In 1973 he started studying music at the Dorkay Art & Music College for talented Non-Whites in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. However, he was soon expelled from the country for anti-apartheid activism, and went into exile in 1974. After a short time in Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, the SWAPO-resistance movement (with which he was associated with until his death) helped him to move to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where he soon became the lead singer of the group Black Diamond. International success followed with songs such as "Winds of Change".
Having lived as a teacher in an Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n 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'). As of the late 1990s, he was still one of the best-known Namibian musicians.
Kaujeua died on 27 May 2010, after suffering from a kidney disorder for the last six months. He had lived poor and died poor. 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 heard by the authorities.
Kaujeua had four children.