Free Your Mind is still kicking… 18-year legacy continues to redefine Namibian comedy

NAMIBIA’S comedy scene began to come alive when Free Your Mind (FYM) was born from a vision for economic freedom and youth self-employment.

After prominent figures like Lazarus Jacobs and Neville Basson had sustained the local comedy scene for years, a group consisting of Ndemufayo Kaxuxuena, Jacee James, Mariah Guriras, Sebby Mbadhi, and Onesmus Upindi, along with others, united to establish the organization.

What initially appeared to be a straightforward solution to the holy grail of comedy quickly developed into much more. Within just three years, FYM transformed from a simple live comedy show into a comprehensive production house.

Ndemufayo Kaxuxuena stated, “Securing a television show on NBC and airtime on Air Namibia’s in-flight entertainment. Starting with just one comedian, our platform has nurtured over 50 comedians throughout the years. Ultimately, Free Your Mind stands proudly on the shoulders of giants and owes its success to an endless list of contributors, pioneers, and supporters.”

**Growing pains **

By their third year, they were producing a television show and airing on the defunct national airline Air Namibia.

“Talented Namibians were showing up at our door every other day, which allowed us to build an exceptional team. People often take for granted that we were never just a simple live show; we operated as an entire production house with a full team spanning comedians, musicians, makeup artists, film crews, sound engineers, lighting technicians, producers, production managers, promotions, catering, transportation, and ticketing,” said Kaxuxuena.

He further explained, “Running a full production, every single month meant everyone had to get paid, and Free Your Mind became a vital lifeline and networking space that offered relief and constant bookings for performers from all over the country.”

With such growth, FYM started facing growing pains, as some would put it: when your brainchild takes off, unforeseen circumstances start rearing their ugly head.

“We faced significant challenges, primarily remaining entirely self-funded despite operating a platform for solid employment that we always viewed as a national project. Unfortunately, many in the corporate and government sectors did not share that vision, limiting our reach and production value. Having been around for over 18 years, marking an achievement in itself, our biggest hurdle has been getting Namibian corporates and leaders to recognise the true financial value and opportunities of what creatives do,” he explained.

“Even with these structural obstacles, our reach extended far beyond borders as we were invited to perform internationally. However, the greatest challenge of all was Covid-19, which completely disrupted a highly functional system we had built over 14 years. What we initially thought would be a temporary halt ultimately brought our monthly events to an end.”

He added, “I remember our last show was meant to be on the second of April 2020. But it never happened; the venue landscape shifted, and our supporters and partners were left financially and emotionally bruised. Although adapting our strategy during the pandemic worked out reasonably well, the pre-Covid era was long gone, and we could no longer replicate the exact system we once had.”

**A different creative landscape **

Today, FYM remains active in Namibia’s creative sector, although it has not returned to hosting monthly events.

Kaxuxuena said the organisation is taking its time to understand how audience behaviour has changed since the pandemic.

“Post-Covid, many Namibians lost their purchasing power, and our modern competitors are no longer just other comedy groups, but rather bread, beer, Netflix and social media, a shifted audience behaviour that took time to recognise and understand,” he noted.

Over the years, FYM hosted renowned South African acts such as Khanyisa Bunu, Kedibone Malaudzi, Oscar Brown, Eugene Khosa and Joey Rashdeen, alongside Zimbabwean comedians including Carl Joshua Ncube and Learnmore Jonasi.

Looking back, Kaxuxuena considers the organisation’s longevity one of its greatest achievements.

“Simply having the vision to start something when we were relatively young and carrying it through for 18 years is a massive accomplishment in itself. We grew from featuring just one comedian, starting with Slick, followed closely by Fresh, who established a competitive yet friendly environment for others to emulate. Today, you cannot speak of comedy in Namibia without thinking of Free Your Mind; we became a definitive urban cultural staple.”

He added, “Many of the talents who went through our development pipeline are doing remarkably well today, acting as leaders in various capacities, and I’d like to think we helped cultivate that positive mindset. We managed a remarkable 14-year run of monthly events without external funding, extracting the absolute best out of the industry.”

FYM also expanded beyond live comedy, successfully launching a radio show on Eagle FM, producing its first national roadshow, Sounds of Nam, aimed at empowering musicians, and producing its first comedy film, Penda’s Dilemma, which aired on Showmax and NBC, was carried by MultiChoice, and screened at various European film festivals.

**Still growing **

Kaxuxuena stressed that the organisation’s reduced public profile should not be mistaken for a halt in its activities.

“There has been no pause in our growth; the only difference is that we are no longer hosting monthly shows. We’ll get back to that. We are simply in a space where we are trying to understand our audiences and their needs, and we have changed our business model as a result. As a result, we are less in the public eye, which is not a big deal for us as long as we are making a living,” he said.

He added that the original members remain involved, even though many have since established their own platforms.

“All of the original members are still on board; many have gone on to create their own platforms and are doing very well, even if I sometimes feel their content quality has dipped a bit. However, the core team still makes time to play vital roles, including advisory, support, brainstorming, research and communication. The potential is fully there and will only grow.”

“I look forward to a time when there are nationally recognised comedy awards and comedians secure a place in national dialogues. But for now, we need to work hard to ensure our content is competitive and drives positive social impact, so that the overall value of a comedian goes up,” he said.

Looking ahead, Kaxuxuena said FYM intends to explore opportunities beyond traditional comedy while remaining mindful of commercial and cultural relevance.

“We want to step into other spaces where we feel it is viable, both financially and culturally. I think the timing is great, given NDP6 and government plans, but we definitely need to lobby the government for a better understanding of the creative sector and its needs,” he concluded.

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