THE TRIBE

The Tribe Exclusive featuring Mpho Monyai

If you are an avid follower of contemporary Namibian music, you will know this soulful singer better by her previous stage name – Lovey.

After years of being out of the spotlight she has rebranded and shared some new music with fans under her real name – Mpho Monyai.

A Namibian woman with a beautiful message of hope and recovery, Mpho opens up about her troubled past in this instalment of The Tribe Exclusive. She shares with us what it meantfor her to step out of the limelight and focus on her healing. She also gives us the scoop on her new single, in which she bears the truth about her childhood trauma.

Where have you been and what have you been up to all this time?

I’ve been taking time off to heal. Obviously, after the divorce and everything that happened, I thought that I should take time off to find myself and heal from all the traumas that I’ve been through all my life.

You mentioned that ‘I Forgive You’ is a song that you actually wrote way back but you only released it now. Tell us more about the song and the inspiration behind it.

‘I Forgive You’ is basically a personal story that I’ve been through. I’m a survivor of childhood sexual assault and I never went through the kind of healing that I’ve gone through now. So one would ask, why is it now the right time to release the song. It is because I’ve finally healed from my trauma. I want to use this song to send a message to others to say that they, too, can heal.

You also made a documentary about this journey, tell us about it?

I go into detail about what happened to me as a child and how it turned into depression and how it got me to realise that someone had violated me. I tell the story of what I went through as a child and the confusion that followed for me. The documentary has all those details.

I tell the story of what I went through as a child and the confusion that followed for me.

Who helped you to bring this message to life?

I normally tell people that it’s easier to talk to someone who has gone through the same thing, but I didn’t have anyone for that. It was hard for me and I never received empathy. This is why I established the Hear Our Cry Foundation which is aimed at helping all survivors heal and speak out. To teach them about the power of forgiveness and show them its healing qualities.

Are you working on an album and can we expect you to get back into music?

I’m not too sure about that. I don’t think I want to go back into music full-time but I want to use music, arts and culture as a tool to share awareness on social issues.

For more music and to keep up with Mpho’s work, subscribe to the Hear Our Cry Foundation on Youtube.

Watch The Tribe on One Africa TV (GOtv 90, DStv 284, DStv Now) every Friday at 18h30 with repeat shows on Saturdays at 17h30, and Mondays at 21h00.

Alternatively, listen to The Tribe on 99FM every Friday at 19h00, and follow The Tribe on Instagram @thetribenamibia and on Facebook @TheTribeNamibia.

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