Axali Doëseb (1954 – 27 October 2023) was a Namibian music composer. He wrote and composed "

Namibia, Land of the Brave "Namibia, Land of the Brave" is the national anthem of Namibia, adopted in December 1991. It was composed by Axali Doëseb, who was the director of a traditional music group from the Kalahari Desert. Doëseb was chosen to compose it after winnin ...

", which has been the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

of the country since 1991. He also served as conductor of the Namibian National Symphony Orchestra. The composition of the National anthem was supervised by

Hidipo Hamutenya Hidipo Livius Hamutenya (17 June 1939 – 6 October 2016) was a Namibian politician. He died aged 77 after a short illness. A long-time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet ...

, then chairman of the ''National Symbols subcommittee''. In 2006 Hamutenya claimed that he authored the lyrics himself, "on the plane to Cuba", a claim that Doëseb denied.

Biography

Axali Doëseb was born in 1954 in

Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 45,159 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the B1 r ...

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 Martin Luther High School (MLH) is a boarding school in the village of Okombahe in the Erongo Region of central Namibia, named after German church reformer Martin Luther. The school 250 pupils in grades 8 to 12, and twelve teachers. There are dif ...

. 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. Doëseb later composed liturgy for the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) is a Lutheran denomination based in Namibia. It has a total membership of over 853,522 in 2023, mainly in Northern Namibia. Formerly known as the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango Church (ELOC) ...

. 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 The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

, Ethiopia. In 2014, he was given a lifetime achievement award at the

Namibian Annual Music Awards The Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMA) ceremony was the biggest awards ceremony in Namibia. It was established in 2011 by MTC Namibia and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). They would award a NAMA trophy to musicians in recognition ...

(NAMAs). Doëseb suffered from diabetes and had one leg amputated in 2023. He was granted "veteran" status by Namibia's government and lived in

Katutura Katutura (Otjiherero for ''We do not settle'') is a township of Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia. Katutura was created in 1961 following the forced removal of Windhoek's black population from the Old Location, which afterwards was developed int ...

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

. He died on 27 October, at the age of 69.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doeseb, Axali 1954 births 2023 deaths People from Okahandja Male conductors (music) Namibian composers National anthem writers 20th-century composers 20th-century male composers 21st-century composers 21st-century male musicians