DRESSING THE CAST OF ‘CHIEF HIJANGUA’

Namibian-German colonial history in the form of European opera? This is exactly what happens in september 2023 on the stage of Haus des Rundfunks in Berlin, Germany: in a collective effort, the Momentbühne e.V. portrays the reality of Namibia in the early 20th century and proves that the genre of opera can do far more than just string together complicated coloraturas.

The Namibian journalist Martha Mukaiwa accompanied the process and reports on the development process, special encounters and the creation of 'Chief Hijangua'.

There are many things that define an opera but most apparent are its vocal stars.

From the very first note, they are meant to enrapture and part of this enchantment is their costuming.

In ‘Chief Hijangua’, Namibia’s first opera, costume designers Naomi Nambinga and Twapewa Amutenya retool ‘Yamwe’ - their Windhoek based clothing and haute couture brand - to create the 60 costumes that enrich thecast’s embodiment of Namibian  royals, villagers, German missionaries and soldiers who tell the story of a lovesick and wandering Namibian prince’s tragic encounter with German settlers in the late 19th century.

The opera which was first performed at the National Theatre of Namibia in 2022, recently made its international debut at Haus des Rundfunks in Berlin. The Namibian-German co-production was composed by Eslon Hindundu with a libretto by Nikolaus Frei, co-directed by Kim Mira Meyer and Micheal Pulse and ushered Yamwe costume designers Amutenya and Nambinga onto the world stage.

Both graduates of Windhoek’s College of the Arts, Amutenya and Nambinga founded Yamwe in 2016 and met Hindundu through their shared participation in local choirs.

“Over the years, if I met Eslon in a cab or in town he would say that there’s a project he wanted me to work on. He was saying the same thing to Twapewa. He knew I was a fashion designer and he knew Twapewa was a fashion designer but he didn’t know we worked together,” says Nambinga. “Eventually, Eslon and Twapewamet about ‘Chief Hijangua’, she told me about the opera and we began talking more seriously in 2021.”

Though Yamwe is a notable fashion brand in Namibia, the designers’ interest in the opera was augmented by their love of choral singing, a passion shared by Hindundu, as well as by the challenge designing costumes forthe opera presented.

“I love classical music but, at first, I wondered how fashion could actually fit into an opera,” says Nambinga.

“To help us visualize the costumes, we heard the story of the opera and what kind of stage they would set up. We also did a lot of research and came up with a concept that fit the budget for the first performance in Windhoek which also had a quicker production time. So that’s how Yamwe got introduced to costume-making,  something we’d never done before.”

For the Windhoek premiere in September last year, Yamwe’s focus was functionality, speed of production and to work within the constraints of the limited budget. However, with an increased budget for wardrobe and wigs for ‘Chief Hijangua’ in Berlin, Yamwe saw an opportunity to truly shine.

“We were really excited and nervous at the same time because the opera was going to be on a bigger stage, an international stage and everybody was looking forward to seeing it. This year, the task was still the same, coming up with the whole costume concept and colour palette,” says Nambinga.

To begin this year’s costume design process, Yamwe joined a ‘Chief Hijangua’ workshopping session in Berlinin February during which they liaised with the broader production team and ultimately settled on a colour palette inspired by Namibia’s natural landscapes.

On Yamwe’s mood board for the opera, there are images of traditional Namibian homesteads, cracked dunesand local flora as well as scenes of where the Atlantic ocean meets the Namib Desert. Each of these elements are suggested in the Namibian royals and villagers’ colour palette of brown, orange, maroon, copper and camel with notes of blue and green. The indigenous people’s costumes are contrasted with the tones of grey and black that define the clothing of the German missionaries, settlers and soldiers.

The soldier uniforms are inspired by the fashion showcased at the MTC Windhoek Fashion Week 2022.

Blending traditional Namibian elements with more modern and minimalist silohuettes, Yamwe’s costume design is built on principles of practicality, sustainability and collaboration which not only gives the wardrobe a contemporary feel but further spotlights local Namibian brands.

“For the soldiers’ costumes, we really wanted a lot of pockets and cargo pants,” says Nambinga. “We got a clothing brand called ‘Sirenga’ to do the soldier scene for us because our ideas were similar to a collection that she showcased and I admired at MTC Windhoek Fashion Week last year.”

‘Chief Hijangua’s’ costuming also includes shoes and belts from celebrated Namibian leather producers Shilongo Leather Works, 32 handmade, OvaHimba inspired wigs and innovative braided headpieces designed by Igracia Mize Kaluyombo’s ‘Zeria Beau’ as well as copper toned accessories - meant to tie in with the copper pipes in the stage design -  sourced from independent street vendors in Opuwo, a town in northwest Namibia.

“Yamwe is a ready-to-wear brand so what we wanted to achieve with the costumes is for them to still be ready-to-wear for future performances,” says Nambinga.

“Yes, maybe, we’ll create more costumes later on but these are things that are re-wearable. We also made the costumes with materials that are more elastic meaning, if the producers decide to take the opera to another town, almost everybody can fit in them,” Nambinga says. “Also, with the jackets, they are not lined so it’s easy to take out the seams or take them in for adjustments.”

On stage, audiences may note that many of the woman’s garments are loose-fitting and flowing, particularly the dancers meant to symbolise the sea and the rippling dunes of the Namib Desert.

“We used a lot of linen, satin, chiffon and organza. Chiffon and satin are good for movement and linen is cool on the body,” say Nambinga. “We wanted the performers to feel comfortable and really be able to act theirpart.”

Considering what Yamwe was able to accomplish in terms of costume design, ‘Chief Hijangua’ co-director Micheal Pulse is effusive.

“Yamwe was able to rethink the original style that was on stage in Windhoek  and reimagine it with more vibrant colours while honing into each character having their own individualness,” says Pulse.

“Yamwe has really been able to upgrade and actually bring it to the next level of showcasing ‘Chief Hijangua’s’diversity while building on the characters in terms of how they look, how they dress and what their outfits mean in terms of the village or how their outfits correlate to being in the mission,” says Pulse.

“Yamwe was able to achieve a lot and they really did take risks in terms of creativity. We really wanted to focus on how the clothes and the hair help with narrative, how they aid in better telling the story,” Pulse says. “In terms of the colour palette, we have elevated by making sure certain group members have a certain colour. Like the royals have a certain colour that is only worn by them.” 

For hair inspiration, Yamwe and Zeria Beau drew on local and broader continental hair cultures.

“The team was really inspired by African hair heritage,” says Pulse. “So we have a couple of pieces that are reflective of Himba people but we also have a couple of pieces that are reflective of West and Central Africa.”

A thrilling undertaking and a point of professional elevation for Amutenya and Nambinga, ‘Chief Hijangua’ made its international debut in Berlin on 15 September 2o23 dressed in Yamwe’s handmade costumes which were faithfully shipped from Windhoek to the German capital ahead of the international premiere.

“This was a fantastic opportunity and my hope is for Yamwe to grow and do more,” says Nambinga.

“The only other person we knew who was in to costumes was (the late) Cynthia Schimming so I’m sure she’d be so proud of us. She was one of our fashion lecturers and I think she would be super, super proud,” Nambinga says.

Imagining future audiences, Nambinga hopes ‘Chief Hijangua’s’ costumes inspire exploration.

“I hope they see art and they see Namibia through these costumes,” Nambinga says.

“I hope they want to see where the inspiration for the costumes comes from. That they want to see our Sandwich Harbour and the mountains in Otjinene. That they want to see our desert and our sea. ”

Text by: Martha Mukaiwa, 2023.