Axali Doëseb (1954 – 27 October 2023) was a Namibian music composer. He wrote and composed "Namibia, Land of the Brave", which has been the national anthem of the country since 1991. He also served as conductor of the Namibian National Symphony Orchestra.[1]

The composition of the National anthem was supervised by Hidipo Hamutenya, then chairman of the National Symbols subcommittee.[2] In 2006 Hamutenya claimed that he authored the lyrics himself, "on the plane to Cuba", a claim that Doëseb denied.[3]

Biography

Axali Doëseb was born in 1954 in Okahandja into a musical family; his father Casper Doëseb played the violin and his sister Mathilde Doëses was a singer. Exposed to music during his school years, he took piano lessons at Martin Luther High School, Okombahe. He also joined a school band, The Ugly Creatures, which was judged as "pioneers of church and dance stage music". The Uglies released three albums.[4]

Doëseb later composed liturgy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia. Doëseb earned his degree in music at the Musikschule Herford, in Germany. In 1997, he earned a B.A. in Musicology at Marlborough College, in the United Kingdom. As a well-known composer, Doëseb was asked by several schools to write their school songs. He was also the chairman of the committee tasked with composing an anthem for the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 2014, he was given a lifetime achievement award at the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs).[5]

Doëseb suffered from diabetes and had one leg amputated in 2023. He was granted "veteran" status by Namibia's government and lived in Katutura, Windhoek.[4] He died on 27 October, at the age of 69.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Neshiko, Selma (2 May 2014). "NAMAS honours surprises Doeseb". Windhoek, Namibia. New Era. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "National Anthem of the Republic of Namibia Act, #20 of 1991". Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. No. 321. Government of Namibia. 17 December 1991. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Sibeene, Petronella (11 October 2006). "Dispute Over National Anthem's True Author". New Era.
  4. 1 2 Angula, Conrad (22 September 2023). "The man behind the nation's anthem: Axali's living legacy". The Namibian.
  5. ↑ "Namibia: Axali Doëseb to Be Honoured As a Lifetime Achiever at the Namas". AllAfrica.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "President pays tribute to anthem composer Axali Doeseb". The Namibian. 27 October 2023.
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