Momentbühne (17-10-2025) “People of Song – Unpacking an Untold Story”

Momentbühne “People of Song – Unpacking an Untold Story”

Namibian-German musical theatre production.

Performances in Windhoek (17 and 18 October 2025), Berlin (21 to 23 November 2025) and Bremen (27 November 2025)

An encounter with a stranger forces a girl to confront the past and find new paths for the future.

Text of the production institution, Momentbühne:

“On October 17th, the Namibian German musical theatre production “People of Song – Unpacking An Untold Story” will celebrate its world premiere at the National Theatre of Namibia in Windhoek.

Synopsis

Aniros, a young girl from Namibia who has big dreams but repeatedly encounters resistance from her father. Her relationship with grandmother Ouma is warm, despite a secret between them. When a stranger enters her life, long-hidden truths are revealed, shaking her family and community. The encounter forces her to confront the past and find new paths for the future.

Transnational collectivity

A Namibian-German artist collective has realized this unique project, combining music, drama and choral singing into a powerful work of art. Created between 2023 and 2024, this piece is an expression of lively transnational collaboration. The friendship between German director Kim Mira Meyer and Namibian choir director Osmond ! Owoseb forms the foundation of the entire creative process. The collective’s latest work, Chief Hijangua, celebrated its world premiere in 2022 at the National Theatre of Namibia, followed by its European premiere in 2023 at the Haus des Rundfunks in Berlin.

Once again, the central vision is to use art to highlight social issues such as memory, identity and change. Therefore, the ensemble travelled to northern Namibia in the fall of 2024, collecting songs and stories and working closely with local musicians. Traditional pieces were integrated into the production alongside new compositions from Namibia and Germany.

Choral singing meets symphony orchestra

The music of People of Song incorporates elements of Namibian musical tradition such as chanting, choral singing, and body percussion, combining them in a unique and unprecedented way to create a full-length musical theatre piece that stylistically falls between musical and opera.

A symphony orchestra, expanded to include traditional instruments such as djembes and marimbas, accompanies the choir ensemble and soloists. The result lies somewhere between tradition and contemporary interpretation — a synthesis of newly composed music combined with music by various Namibian composers.

The vision

In line with our fundamental understanding in all our projects, it is not only the final work or performance that is important, but above all the journey to get there.

The dialogue between the participating artists, the involvement of external specialist institutions, and the intensive exchange at all levels in the binational team are absolutely central to our work. The basic principle is based on the understanding that we cannot change what has happened, but we want to shape our future together.”