By Feni Hiveluah
Guitar maestro Ulrich Busch returned to Namibia on 1 August 2026 at the Sandwerf Retreat in Windhoek for a night of food and live music.
Director of Ondjila Y ́Ondjaba Concert Agency Ernst Herma highlighted that the inspiration behind launching this monthly series was the love of music, dancing and performing arts by Leon Barnard, the owner of Sandwerf.
“The owner of Sandwerf is a lover of music, dance and performing arts and his wife has a strong affinity to horses and animals in general.”
He added the show looks to target Namibian artists who have mastered their craft and pointed to Busch who has so far been an exception and even though he is a German national, he has worked as a musician in Namibia for almost ten years, has married a Namibian and considers Namibia his second home.
Every month, Sandwerf Retreat invites selected musicians and small ensembles to present intimate performances under the banner of Sandwerf Live.
The purpose, Herma said, is to bring energy and excitement to the estate, offer audiences a close encounter with outstanding artists, and celebrate the richness of shared cultures in a uniquely Namibia’s setting.
With the performance program blending 19th-century classical works with Beatles classics and flamenco traditions Herma highlighted that the concert offers enjoyment to the serious music connoisseur who is being offered a rare opportunity to divulge in quite demanding classical and Spanish guitar music on the one hand.
“It is with a touch of humor that Ulrich Busch occasionally takes a step further and ventures into presenting modern popular music, first as a means of surprising his audiences, but also to show his personal admiration for great composers of popular music.”
According to Herma, the event pairs the acoustic performance with a three-course dinner prepared by Sandwerf ’s chefs.
Herma pointed ou that it is a challenge not to let the enjoyment of the food distract too much from the performance and vice versa hence why they time it in such a way that the performance is divided into two parts – one part at the very beginning and when visitors enjoy their starters and one during and after the desert.
“This way guests can indulge and focus on their main course – as well as their company.”
Sandwerf offers far more than a concert venue, Herma said and added that guests can encounter its gardens, natural landscape and animals, including alpacas imported from Peru, whose wool supports Sandwerf’s revived weaving enterprise, as well as miniature donkeys, horses, impala and lechwe.
According to Herma, the weavery is just one employment creation aspect amongst many at Sandwerf and added that old weaving machines have been restored and new machines installed on which carpets and wall ornaments are being crafted again.
“The philosophy behind is one of community involvement and revival. The place used to be a small village, which became a ghost town when the old weavery collapsed. With the revival by the owners of the weavery and the introduction of a touristic venue a venture was established where 72 staff are being employed on an equal number of hectares of land – and many are again being accommodated there.”
