Wahengo: From exile to encore
From exile camps to European stages, Jackson Wahengo’s journey is a tale of grit, guitar strings and music inspired by real life. Wahengo, who was born in exile, took a keen interest in music while growing up in Swapo camps in both Angola and Zambia. His music is heavily rooted in the African tradition, blended […] The post Wahengo: From exile to encore appeared first on The Namibian .
From exile camps to European stages, Jackson Wahengo’s journey is a tale of grit, guitar strings and music inspired by real life.
Wahengo, who was born in exile, took a keen interest in music while growing up in Swapo camps in both Angola and Zambia.
His music is heavily rooted in the African tradition, blended with contemporary urban sounds and strong influences of jazz, zouk and reggae.
His concept is Afropop-folk in a new form.
The celebrated guitarist was born in Zambia’s Kabwe province, where president Kenneth Kaunda gave a piece of land called Nyango to Swapo, .
“I’ve always been singing, since infancy. Growing up in exile we all sang revolutionary songs. I sang a lot before and only stopped for a while to learn to play the guitar.
“Some of us were more curious than others, which led us to imitate the late Jackson Kaujeua senior and Ndilimani. Learning how to play the guitar came later at the age of 14,” Wahengo says.
