Namibian telco earmarks $780 000 for music, fashion events

The money is intended for 081Every1 Music Fest and Windhoek Fashion Week, with the two events set to receive N$9.6m and N$3.6m for the next two years, respectively.  

“We know Namibians love music,” MTC Namibia chief human capital and corporate affairs officer Tim Ekandjo said. “It unites people and takes them to unimaginable places. Our last event, held at Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek, attracted more than 17 000 people. Through the 081Every1 Music Fest, the best Namibian artists will be sharing the stage with continental and international artists for the next three years.

“MTC has successfully negotiated naming rights to all these events and looks forward to working with these event organisers for the next three years. The sponsorship will be effective from 1 October 2020. We know that Namibians love music, it unites people and takes them to imaginable places.”

Ekandjo said MTC Namibia had carefully picked the two events it would sponsor while considering their value.

“We do not go into sponsorships just to give others a chance; you need to deserve the chance by providing us with a professional value-driven proposal that reflects you as a sustainable and sound brand that we can partner with. We want to give Namibians hope – hope that things will get better and hope that their dreams are not dashed.”

MTC Windhoek Fashion Week co-founder Luis Munana said: “You want to accommodate so many designers and industry people but you can’t due to limited resources, so the boost will allow more in terms of the event itself and thereafter as well. The aim is to have a formidable fashion store in Namibia that houses local designers with mini collaborations here and there but the end goal is local wear for Namibians and we would like to see this store starting in the capital and eventually spreading through the whole country.

“Fashion Week is an expensive venture: models have to be paid and other service providers need to be catered. We used to do this out of our own pockets. Some of the things we will be doing with this new investment are increase model fees and hopefully do that every year. As for the designers and other stakeholders who have to pay to showcase their work, that won’t be necessary. They will not be expected to pay that administration fee, as we will be able to afford that. Things have been made easier.”

The investment comes after MTC Namibia ended its sponsorship agreement with the Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) in November. The telco had supported the event for 10 years.