By Carlos Kambaekwa
WINDHOEK – At the height of Apartheid in the mid seventies, an unknown musical band of enthusiastic young students from the famous Martin Luther High School (MLH) arrived unannounced on the local musical scene.
The band’s signature, Ugly Creatures, was in total contrast with its musical repertoire that captured the imagination of entertainment starved music followers old and young notably from the Katutura residential township before spreading its wings to other parts of Namibia.In that line up, there was a shy chirpy going by the name of Axali Doeseb, a product of the Garden Town, Okahandja – the pride of dozens of highly gifted men and women from that neck of the woods who went onto excel as footballers, musicians or academics. Now almost four decades down the line, musical genius Axali, composer, songwriter and the author of the Namibian national anthem of Namibia, Land of the Brave, opens his heart to Time Out about his thorny journey in the dog-eat-dog industry of live music as he celebrates his 60th-year anniversary.
Born in Okahandja on November 26, 1954, young Axali was like any other boys in the neibourhood, football crazy. But as fate would have it, he was bitten by the musical buck, musiek gogga in township lingo at an early age through his engagement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN). Unlike others, Axali became a musician by choice, eager to muster the art of musical theory, and how to read and write classical music. However, it was not until he enrolled with the MLH that his musical career took a different dimension.
Axali was now exposed to the frightening art of orchestral instruments specialising in guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and all brass instruments. He is hitched to his childhood sweetheart, Amelia, and is the proud father of five siblings, two sons and three daughters but strangely, none of them followed in dad’s footsteps. “I have always told my children to keep a healthy distance from music because of the hardships I experienced during my time as a full time musician with Ugly Creatures,” reveals Axali with a wry smile.
The Namibian musical icon celebrated his 60th birthday in style in the shape of a birthday bash for close friends at the posh Safari Hotel in Windhoek on Tuesday. He teamed up with members of his beloved Ugly Creatures Band to keep invited guests entertained – taking them down memory lane with a repertoire of carefully chosen golden oldies.