Born in exile in Nyango, a Swapo refugee camp in Zambia, in 1978 and raised in Kwanza Sul, Angola, Jackson Wahengo says life came at him hard and he thus had to develop a thick skin.

“I was born and raised in war zones.To be honest, I don’t know what scares me anymore,” shared Wahengo, a local Shambo musician.

Speaking to VIBEZ! from Denmark where he is currently visiting his wife and two children, the musician made it a point to stipulate his name as Jackson Mbwayakalola Ndilipunye Kapanya Nande efinde Oilongo Wahengo.

Being a nomad is in his blood, he says.

“We moved around a lot between countries like Zambia, Angola and Namibia and this carried on later in life when I married Julia Fäldt; we moved around Europe for 15 years between Sweden, Finland and Denmark.”

Family

His family is full-on music. He joined his brother Set-son’s band (The Mighty Dreads) as a guitarist and his other brother, Tulonga, followed suit.

Both his children, Landuleni (14) and Ivar (8) make music and take after their father with playing the guitar. Ivar now makes beats on YouTube, and Wahengo is proud that they have musical talent. His wife, Julia, plays the trumpet.

“My children were born and raised in a very creative environment, which could be the reason why they pick up creative stuff easily. It makes us as parents proud and hopefully they will grow with their talent.”

Landuleni is the creator of a vegan and cruelty-free lip gloss made from organic ingredients and few chemicals. She made it cruelty-free, because she believes malice against animals is simply wrong. 

Gushing over his children, Wahengo noted his son has his looks, and his daughter took her beauty from her mother.

Although married but separated, Wahengo is attached to his family and visits them often.

Did you know?

At one point in his life, Wahengo worked in a garage, assisting the mechanic by handing over necessary tools to fix cars. 

A day with Jackson

“I wake up early to work out. If I visit my children, after a workout I prepare food for them and take them to school. After that, it’s back home to work on music or in the studio, depending on the day. I also try to fit in some time to read books, especially Oshiwambo literature.”

Wahengo says he is allergic to nothing but nonsense.

“I am allergic to nonsense. But on a serious note, my children both suffer from allergies and the doctor said they must have gotten it from me or my wife. But my wife does not have allergies, so it could be that I am the culprit. Growing up in Kwanza Sul, we never knew those things of allergies; the only thing I know is that I am prone to headaches.”

Food and drinks

When it comes to eating, Wahengo doesn’t have preferences and as far as kitchen talent is concerned, he only cooks to fill his stomach. 

“I have no certain preference, which could be attributed to how we grew up - we had to eat or drink whatever is available.”

Having fun

“Once in Finland, a beautiful naked picture of me was taken at a lake. Finnish are big on using the sauna and intervals of dipping in cold water or jumping into lakes. In typical Mbwayakalola style, I shared the picture on social media, which, of cause, shocked some people to see me liberated and at one with nature.”

He says he loves nature, and it was good to be in nature at that time and in that naked state. 

His motto in life is hard work.

- psiririka@nepc.com.na