By Clemence Tashaya
EENHANA –Victor Nakapandi Ooshooshili and his Nakapandi family have burst onto the Namibian Shambo and traditional music scene with a 14 track album titled Ohango.
Victor does the lead vocals on the album produced by Olloy Marius of Olloy Production with her equally talented sister and brothers providing backing vocals. The album, released recently, contains well- thought- out tracks that include the track Ohango, Ileni and Oh Lord and Meme na Tate. Like most upcoming male musicians in Namibia, Victor Nakapandi, who wrote all the songs on the debut album, credits the Shambo female star, Tunakie, whom she just challenged in the Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) for inspiring him. He is certainly poised to challenge other established Shambo traditional artists such as Nakayale yaNakayale, another traditional musician from Okongo.
Victor would not hide his joy and happiness for being nominated for this year’s NAMAs. “We started our family music business in 2013 and released our album in November last year, and it has been received very well and would like to thank our fans for voting and nominating us,” he says. Her sister Monika Nakapandi who also features as a backing vocalist on the album, says as a family in both shambo and traditional music, they are happy that the group was nominated for the 2014 NAMAs. “This came as surprise. It’s such a big profile that our family band was nominated in the 2014 NAMAs,” she says.
The Nakapandi family band plans to release another traditional and revolutionary album dedicated to the Swapo Party in June or July. “Our forthcoming second album will be titled, “SWAPO Yetu” and is due for release sometime in June and July. In this album, we are thanking our ruling party for liberating us from the colonial chains hence our album in June,” he says
Victor Nakapandi Ooshoshili was born on June 15, 1968, at the village of Oikokola in the Ohangwena Region. He is currently working as a Principal of Five Rand Primary School in Okahandja. They have eight siblings and seven brothers and one sister, Monika who is also part of the family band as a backing vocalist. He started singing at school until they decided to release an album.