Where Are Our Grandparents’ Royalties?

As a musician inspired by our traditional music, my heart cries out for those who made music before independence, received nothing for their recordings, and continue to get nothing.

While contemporary musicians register their music with the Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) and receive their royalties, the elders who were recorded by the South West African Broadcasting Corporation (SWABC), now the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), back in the day received nothing.

The institution never recorded the performers’ names, the authors, or any useful details for royalty collection and distribution.

I once went through the NBC music library on Pettenkoffer Street in Windhoek to dig through the old recordings, mostly on reel tape and some on vinyl. To my surprise, the information on the records would indicate nothing more than lines like “Ovambo Group Sing a Traditional Song During Harvest” or “Herero Woman Singing At Wedding – Otjimbingwe.”