DJ Soso joins a long line of Namibian creatives who gave this country their all, but did not get the monetary appreciation and respect back from their countrymen. The fact that we have so many Namibian entertainers who have passed on without getting the respect and monetary appreciation while still alive, is exceptionally worrisome.
Whether you liked his methods or not, you cannot deny that the man created a style so unique that it had taxi drivers and ‘tates’ all over this country listening to his material for hours. DJ Soso, real name Sos-Pan Amadhila, may have not been on the line-up of the coolest events in the capital, but you will not deny the fact that this man had influence and immeasurable power.
His ability to fuse politics with entertainment is something that needs to be studied at arts institutions, going forward.
However, DJ Soso was your typical Namibian story of having fame, but no financial status to show for it. When he was alive, I was one of very few in the media circles who gave this man his flowers.
I wrote about his brand in 2021 during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which I mentioned that he deserved to be a millionaire. But because we, as a people, suck at supporting our own, we are comfortable with seeing entertainers like DJ Soso suffer until his very last day. This trend has to stop – this trend of expecting to consume art without having to pay for it or being comfortable with paying peanuts for it; the trend of not recognising and respecting entertainers while they are still alive; this trend of not supporting our own; this trend of being comfortable with being anti-Namibian.
Will it stop, though? I’ve been anchoring this column since 2014, and this trend has been well and alive since. In my brutally honest opinion, I don’t think this trend will buckle anytime soon.
Rest well, DJ Soso. You deserved so much more, but your own people did not appreciate you until your last breath. However, your work will live forever.
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