APC OSHIKUKU HISTORY
In 1992, Bishop Hausiku from Windhoek asked me to give a workshop in making Batik Dresses to the NACAWA (Namibian Catholic Woman Action). The reason of such a workshop: It is cheaper to create own dresses instead of buying it from the stores, which were all imported from South Africa at the time.
At night time the heat inside the house was still high and did not let me (Ms. Lis Hidber) sleep. So, I played Guitar outside under a Marula tree in front of the Mission church. Some young people were passing by and heard the sound. Later they came back and asked me to show them how to play this “thing”. They set around me, and I started to teach them the Guitar. After I have seen how they got very fast to stroke chords, we started to build some Guitars from old oil-containers and flutes out of Bamboo pipes. I discovered in a store room of the Mission a whole new Marimba set. The owner was a religious sister who was killed by a car accident before end of the war time in 1989. I paid these marimbas to the community where the sister was working. So, I started to teach Marimba.
The sounds attracted more youth and children to learn these musical instruments every afternoon and also in the evening; but this Orchestra became too loud for the nearby Hospital. Therefore, the Mission leader Father Hans Leu, (who founded in this Ovambo region 39 parishes to decentralise the big monopoly of the catholic church), the workshop chief of Oshikuku Gerhard Wiesenmüller, the headman Herbert Shiningyamwe, the translator and secretary Moni Nauta and me Lis Hidber) were looking for a big room for our Orchestra. We did not find an unused room in that big mission station, but outside of the mission gate we saw a huge plot, a so-called no-man’s-land. The headman was happy and thankful for this possibility to have a development-project for the jobless youth, and with a kind handshaking he said: “Thanks, take this place and do it:” He sent his grandchildren to us for learning Violin. These kids became later music teachers.
APC TSUMEB HISTORY
End of 2002, I have given over the APC Oshikuku into the leadership of the indigenous people. The leader James Avelinus for Oshikuku and Petrina Shilongo for the little APC at Omagalanga. I went to Switzerland back to wait for the permanent residence, which was still in process. I flew back to Namibia with the intention to take my belongings; like the big Concert Harp etc. back to Switzerland. Arrived at the Airport in Windhoek, Hans Leu and the medical Doctor Barbara were happy to welcome me back for the important work with the music and arts education. They brought me to the Home Affairs for getting the permanent residence.
They drove me to Tsumeb where youth with a warm welcoming were dancing. Hans Leu knew very well the history of the passed war in Namibia. He said:” There is an unused big place which was a maintenance place for the military weapons and cars. Let’s go there”. After the plot for APC was given at disposal from Municipality, we begun cleaning this place, we started to build up one house after the other one, instead of bottles we used bricks, because the bottles were brought back to the stores. (The disadvantage of the bricks: They did not exchange the temperature like the air in the bottles did against heat and cold).
Omicron, an electronic Factory from Klaus in Austria, the Lentenfund of Switzerland and private friends sent us money to build this APC (Arts-Performance-Centre). After eight houses were built, the Founding President Dr. Sam Nujoma paid a visit to APC. Early in the morning some soldiers inspected the place with German Shepherds. These dogs started to bark around that military office and dig till the soldiers found hidden drugs. I was called for an explanation. Now it was clear: That group of some strange people who were all the time fighting for the whole place in a manner of gossiping maliciously against me has been the group who was hiding drugs. I was glad, that this group did not get anymore the full right to occupied this place. But the rage went on: They broke often into my house, and once 2 of them came after midnight with knifes pointing straight in my face, but like a wander: I started to fight, and they run away with my laptop. After a few hours of hospitalising, I went to a security company for a night watcher in APC and for my house an alarm system.
This crime story should actually not appear in the History of the APC Tsumeb, but for me it is important, because it has turned my work in more actions in favour of a better APC with more open eyes for what is really a need for our people. At the end of the constructions of 14 houses we changed the four (4) old and dirty garages, where the strong military ‘Lorries’ (trucks) were repaired during the apartheid time of war, in four (4) big beautiful houses with grass roofs. This was a hard work for the builders to set doors and window frames in fire safe walls. At the end all the building gave a flair of an African Lodge. As well the big openair stage, covered with grass and the half-round audience place for 250 people set the entire place in an artistic harmony.
The garden engineer Alois Baumann from Switzerland was called by Hans Leu to design a suitable garden for the weather in Africa. Today every tourist admires this harmonic environment of APC. Ignaz Hidber, an electro engineer from Switzerland, installed the right sound -and light equipment for the stage and trained 2 young people for the correct use and maintenance for concerts. The so called “drug youth group” (“Youth” I can’t name so, because they were all older than 29) started to act against APC to get THEIR APC ground back. After many useless meetings, a long court case took place. The CEO Mr. Benjamin said: “This place belongs to Municipality, and I want that APC will go on, because APC has shown us great success for the children and youth.” All teachers became stronger, more and more children and young ones applied for getting lessons, and our houses were overfull. Hans Leu got more sponsors, special from those who came to visit the APC.
At last, we build a big house for the Pre-Primary-Music-Education (PPME) for the little kids from 3 to 6 years. Hans Leu as a psychologist new very well the positive impact such early education will have for a human’s life, and he gave workshops for some interested woman who wanted to be a teacher for PPME. We employed 2 Ladies for the PPME in APC. The place became again too small, that’s why we constructed the last 2 houses. The Leader of the Trust Fund Omicron from Austria sent us Mr Wilfried Bertsch, who opened here a workshop for constructing own Marimbas and to show how to repair broken Violins and Cello, to repair burst waterpipes, Toilets etc. That was a big milestone in the development of APC. He trained 2 young man for this workshop. Later we employed 2 other young man who learned from the first 2 workers, because they were taken away by the police in order to give their knowledge further to the young prisoners.
It was in 2016 when we elected the most advanced students to become teachers for Harp, Trombone, Trumpet, Dancing, F-Horn, Cello and Piano. I was lucky to get best volunteers for 2 to 3 months, mostly from Wien, Basel and Zürich, who were lecturer at Music High schools and Conservatoriums.
Our place shows the most colourful and active place in Tsumeb. APC is an attraction for tourists and for other town leaders who want to have such a place for their youngsters. We created a transparent and logic system of arts-education: If one student has finished his or her school and worked out his music- or dancing -or drama-talent in APC with higher degrees of the Trinity method from England, he or she can be a helping teacher and later a full teacher with his/her own class room for teaching. We are teaching in groups, what is more effective in financial and compete style; and for a child to be in a group is fairer for Africa. In July 2018 our big breadwinner and chief of the Board Father Hans Leu passed unexpectedly away, what was a big shock for all of us, special for me, because I knew his perfect order in the whole administration and in the quality of leading the Board and the ongoing formations for teachers will sit on my shoulders. Luckily another secretary came, and she took over the administration system.