Aletta Shikololo
WINDHOEK – Namibian entertainment journalist, Michael Kayunde, will go on an information tour to Germany themed “Jazz from Germany”, which will see him attend the 50th German Jazz Festival in Frankfurt next week.
The tour, which will take place from Monday to Sunday, will give Kayunde an insight into the German jazz scene to get an overview of the conditions for support, copyright and music education.
Together with other journalists from different countries, Kayunde will meet artists and visit key places in the field of jazz in Berlin (e.g. Berlin office of the ACT jazz label, jazz clubs such as A-Trane, B-flat and Quasimodo) as well as representatives of the XJAZZ Festival and JazzFest Berlin, and the German jazz associations (e.g. Union Deutscher Jazz Musiker, Bundeskonferenz Jazz and Jazz and World Partners).
A visit to the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt, which has the biggest public jazz archive in Europe, is also on the busy programme.
The visiting journalists will attend various networking meetings as well as visit the 50th German Jazz Festival in Frankfurt and to the ‘Hessischer Rundfunk’ broadcasting company.
Talking to Entertainment Now!, Kayunde could not contain his excitement at being awarded a splendid opportunity to explore the Deutschland and learn more about the German jazz culture.
“I’m thrilled to have been invited for this information tour to Germany. I am looking forward to visiting the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt, which has the biggest public jazz archive in Europe,” he said excitedly.
Kayunde, who is so far one of the best entertainment journalists in the country, said: “This is important for me as a journalist because it will be a learning experience for me. I believe I will gain valuable insights into the jazz scene, cultural and as well as the social fabric of Germany.”
He said the German Embassy reached out to him and asked him if the tour would be something he would have loved to do.
He described the selection process as a lengthy and intimidating process but it turned out to be rewarding eventually.