Hijangua. A Journey into the Desert
Hijangua and Matjiua have always been best friends. Now Hijangua is supposed to learn how to become a king. But who wants to be a king when you have best friends? Together, Hijangua and Matjiua sneak out of their village and go out into the desert so they can stay together forever. But the desert of Namibia is really big; what adventures will await the two there…?
Hijangua. A Journey into the Desert is an adaptation of the opera Chief Hijangua, which premiered at the National Theatre of Namibia in 2022. The Namibian-German joint project was initiated by composer Eslon Hindundu and director Kim Mira Meyer. It stands for a multilingual and intercultural exchange between both countries and deals with the common history between Namibia and Germany during the colonial period.
The artists have developed a new version of the opera for children from 6 years of age especially for the Humboldt Forum. Hijangua. A Journey into the Desert was conceived by Munich-based Momentbühne in cooperation with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. The story line is based on a tale which is passed on from one generation to the next in Namibia. A narrator, two singers, and two dancing puppeteers guide the audience through the story and the world of Namibian myths. They will be accompanied by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, with this being one of the projects with which it celebrates its 100-year anniversary.
The Artists
Janice van Rooy – soprano in the role of Matjiua
Galilei Njembo – tenor in the role of Hijangua
Tanja Milosevic – in the role of the Jackal
Sean Morris Grimm – in the role of the Lamb
Tsatago Immanuel Garoeb – Narrator and narration
Eslon Hindundu – composer and conductor
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Nikolaus Frei – libretto
Kim Mira Meyer – director
Galilei is a young, queer and aspiring opera singer from Windhoek, Namibia. He is currently completing a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance (with a minor in Composition) at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Janice from Namibia received scholarships from the Ernst von Siemens Foundation, the Opera Europa Eva Kleinitz Prize and the Gundlach Music Prize this year. Since autumn 2022 she has been furthering her education with Marek Rzepka at the Hanover university of Music, Drama and Media.
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