I’ve always believed that art (music, theatre, visuals… etc.) should be a reflection of what is happening in society. It should clearly demonstrate the reality on the ground. But at the same time, art should also serve as a form of escape. It’s a bit of an oxymoron but hear me out.
If your art does not reflect what is happening in your immediate society, you run the risk of not being relevant to your audience. That’s the last thing you want…especially if you are a career artist. Relevance is the name of the game.
However, life is hard as is. No one wants to be constantly reminded of the
struggles we face. What do most people turn to to escape their reality? It’s art.
Some will put on music and have their dopamine activated. Some will settle for a film or find introspection in a painting.
Whatever the case may be…most people will turn to art.
It’s not as destructive as alcohol and drugs. It’s not as dangerous and risky as contact sport. The point that I am making is that today’s guest on the podcast version of #IndustryLoop understands that.
D Naff, a true son of the soil who has been in this business since the early 90s has made music that reflects the realities of society but also made celebratory music that we can dance to. In doing so, D Naff has exhibited exceptional stay power. It really is not rocket science, Lioness recently tweeted, basically asking, what Namibians want from Namibian artists.
There are obviously many ways to look at this question because Namibia has a long history of sucking at supporting its own. Which is probably a conversation for another day.
However, if I were to direct Lioness to an answer within this context, it would have to be that art (music, theatre, visual.etc.) should be a reflection of what is happening with society but at the same time serve as a form of escape.
Watch today’s podcast version of #IndustryLoop that features D Naff and tweet (xeet) your takeaway from the conversation using the hashtag #IndustryLoop.
Until the next Loop, we say #GMTM
I’m on Showmax FYI, talk to me nicely, otherwise visit my website
www.nskgmtm.com