Sam Tsui’s TikTok about ‘Danko’ highlighted a few things that I’ve been saying for years about South Africans. South Africans do not know who we are as Namibians.
South Africans do not understand the common history with Namibia and the consequences thereof.
The average Namibian knows more about the history and consequences of South Africa as opposed to the average South African.
You’d swear that Namibia is not part of their curriculum, judging by how uninformed the views and opinions are on Sam Tsui’s TikTok clip about ‘Danko’.
Do you want to hear the painful bit?
The average South African really could not care less to know about Namibia and our way of life.
Study those comments on Sam Tsui’s clip, and you’ll see that South Africans have no respect whatsoever for us. But this all boils down to what I have been saying for some time: we do not have a national identity.
We are at a point where we have to sound like others to “fit in” and be recognised.
‘Danko’ is a good song; don’t get me wrong.
But you cannot blame the average South African for thinking that ‘Danko’ is a South African song.
Because the truth is told, the majority of Namibian musicians consciously choose to sound either South African or Nigerian, with the hope of getting recognition in those markets. We will never be better at another country’s original sound. How dare we think we can be more South African than South Africans themselves? How dare we believe we can be more Nigerian than Nigerians themselves?
‘Danko’ is but that one lucky shot that penetrated the South African market. But can we be proud as Namibians that ‘Danko’ is ours?
Again, don’t get me wrong – I will be the first to celebrate if any Namibian song makes it onto the international stage. Lord knows we need that sh*t.
But can we be proud and comfortably sleep at night knowing that a Namibian song went viral and is winning awards internationally but the song sounds South African? And yes, they would want you to believe that there’s a thin and blurry line between Namibia and South Africa. The line is thin and blurry because, again, for the 100th time, we struggle to assume our own identity. This problem is deeper than you think.
It’s not a new problem. This problem has been a plague since independence; it’s a deep-rooted issue.
Alright, so now South Africans know ‘Danko’ is a Namibian song.
Now what?
What good will come from that? Matter of fact, ‘Danko’ thrived on the fact that people thought it was South African, regardless of how good the song is.
Will opportunities suddenly flow in for the industry, as a whole, because South Africans know Namibians can do South African so well? Many Namibian entertainers have tried sounding South African, featuring South Africans, and flying in South Africans.
Ultimately, the sad truth is South Africans will only care about South Africa.
Danko!
Until the next Loop, we say #GMTM
* Need an MC? I do not post naked pictures or have 100k followers but after 10 years of MCeeing, I think I can do the job. Contact me for a quote at naobebsekind@gmail.com