20 Apr 2020

Music and live entertainment, like any other sector, have severely bled from the catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking in an interview from her base in Augsburg, Germany, Botswana’s afro pop sensation Pamela Bhulu, fondly known as Nomina in the showbiz industry, has decried the impact, anxiety and panicin in her musical career.

Nomina had her two top drawer shows in Europe were cancelled owing to strict travel measures undertaken globally to curb spread of the corona virus.

She was billed to perform at a top gala dinner concert in London and also by virtue of her being selected the official ambassador of the United Nations (UN) World Peace Day, she was penciled to perform in Berlin on September 21.

“As a musician in the diaspora, I’m going through a very difficult period. It appears it would take time for the music industry to recover from the catastrophic impact of the virus. I have now resorted to doing interviews and online performances, which are not as influential as live performances,” she added.

The soft-spoken songbird has been living in Germany for the past 10 years. She travelled to Botswana during the festive break and spent Christmas with her family before travelling back to her base on New Year’s Eve.

Nomina, a Motswana born in Zimbabwe, grew up in a family of five and now lives in Germany where she began her music career after finishing a business studies degree. 

With her first singles Mamaland (2016) and Don't Cry Africa (2017), she gained millions of fans globally, particularly in Africa where her music is played in several radio stations and TV.

Nomina takes her listeners on a journey through passion, fun, misery, pain, hope and love. Her music is more than an inspiration, it is a gift to share with the world.

Germany, where Nomina is now living and eking a living through music received a great deal of attention due to its low death rate for COVID-19 than most European countries.

The country has reportedly taken its first steps back towards normality today (April 20) with shops opening and schools set to partially open in the coming weeks. Germany has been applauded for its robust and rapid testing programme.

Its first case on January 27 and first fatality was not recorded until March where a national lockdown was instituted.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel was herself quarantined for two weeks earlier this month before testing negative for the virus. 

As at Sunday afternoon, the country had 145 743 reported case, 4 642 deaths and over 91 000 recovered cases. Ends