Historically, the Topnaar community would walk from their village—an oasis amid the arid landscape—into these mountains to fetch water. Remarkably, they sang songs on both their journey to and from the mountains. These were not songs of lament but songs of social cohesion, carrying memories of childhood, family life, and community. Singing helped pass the time during these daily treks and reinforced communal bonds.
When we returned to Sesfontein in 2023, the landscape had transformed dramatically. The area resembled a dust bowl; water was scarce, and the once abundant springs had largely dried up. Water infrastructure, installed by Namibian water authorities, could not fully offset the impacts of climate change and desertification affecting the region.
The story of singing in Sesfontein exemplifies intangible cultural heritage—specifically, a coastal heritage that has been carried inland and adapted to new environmental and social realities. This heritage is vital for social cohesion and cultural memory during challenging times.
Ethnographic research, such as that by Sullivan et al (2021), reveals that reed singing was once prevalent in this part of Namibia. This orchestral musical form involved hundreds of indigenous peoples using reeds to create rich soundscapes, providing music for village life in places like Palmwag near Sesfontein.
The works of John Blacking, Steven Feld, and others demonstrate the central role of music in conserving intangible cultural heritage. Blacking (1974) famously argued that music is a fundamental human activity that organizes social life and expresses cultural identity. Feld’s (1982, 1996) concept of acoustemology—“knowing through sound”—underscores how sound shapes how communities relate to their world.
“Acoustemology is knowing through sound. It is a sensory practice that shapes how people understand and relate to their worlds — where the acoustic and the epistemological are inseparable.”
— Feld (1996, p. 91)
Colonial processes, including missionization and Christianization, profoundly disrupted indigenous musical practices in Namibia and across southern Africa. These efforts suppressed drumming, flute playing, and other musical expressions integral to indigenous belief systems, impacting psychological well-being and community cohesion.
Today, restoring these musical traditions forms a crucial part of intangible cultural heritage preservation in Namibia. During our 2023 visit, we found older community members still remembered these songs and shared them, preserving evidence of the Topnaar people’s resilience in the face of adversity.
Recognizing the significance of these musical forms and their connections to place, memory, and identity is essential not only for cultural preservation but also for environmental and social policy frameworks. Music, as a living cultural practice, embodies histories, relationships to land and water, and pathways to community healing and sustainability.
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References
• Blacking, J. (1974). How Musical is Man? Seattle: University of Washington Press.
• Feld, S. (1982). Sound and Sentiment: Birds, Weeping, Poetics, and Song in Kaluli Expression. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Feld, S. (1996). Waterfalls of Song: An Acoustemology of Place Resounding in Bosavi, Papua New Guinea. In Senses of Place (eds. S. Feld and K.H. Basso), Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, pp. 91–135.
Sullivan, A. Ganuses, W.S., Olivier, E and IIhawaxab, F. 2021. Tasting the lost flute music of Sesfontein: histories, memories, possibilities., Futures Past: Bath, UK.