Christi Warner is a British Namibian-born R&B singer, songwriter, poet,

theatre for development Theatre for development (TfD) is a type of community-based or interactive theatre practice that aims to promote civic dialogue and engagement. Theatre for development can be a kind of participatory theatre that encourages improvisation and allows ...

practitioner and freelance journalist for the New Era ArtLife.

Career

Warner is probably best known for her role as television presenter "Lady Makhosa" on ''Soul Makhosa'', a Namibian music video show broadcast on NBC television in 2003. Early on in her music career she teamed up with Bolie Mootseng, T.C. (member of the Kalaharians) and Stoopie to collaborate on the song "On a Sunday Afternoon". Although her vocals can be heard throughout the song, she and the other collaborators were not credited. The only artist recognised for the hit song was Boli Mootseng. It was only in 2001, when she became a group member and producer of the R&B group X-Plode featuring members Jaicee James and Lizell Swartz, that she became known in the Namibian music industry. Today Warner "has carved a niche as an indigenous Namibian poet, able to stand shoulder to shoulder with her male counterparts". In May 2008, Warner released her debut album, ''I Found My Rhythm''.

Early life

Warner was born in

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

, to a single mother with Liberian ancestry. Her mother, Margareth Warner, was a fashion model in her younger days, and worked for

Air Namibia Air Namibia (Pty) Limited, which traded as Air Namibia, was the national airline of Namibia, headquartered in the country's capital, Windhoek. It operated scheduled domestic, regional, and international passenger and cargo services, having its in ...

before retiring. Warner is the third of five children. At home, she is best known as Babatjie (

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

), which means "Baby". She is fluent in

, a language she uses with her Namibian family. Although born in

, she spent most of her childhood in

Oranjemund Oranjemund (Dutch for ''"Mouth of Orange"'') is a diamond mining town in the ǁKaras Region of the extreme southwest of Namibia, on the northern bank of the Orange River mouth at the border with South Africa. It had a population of 7,736 peopl ...

, as her mother moved there with her step-father. She spent most of her secondary education in boarding schools in small towns such as Steinkopf, South Africa and

Keetmanshoop Keetmanshoop is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is named after , a German Empire, German industrialist and benefactor of the city. Keetmanshoop had a population of 27,862 people in 2023. History Before the colonial era, ...

, Namibia. Warner began writing poetry when she was in primary school. Only after high school, she managed to share her words with people outside her family. She credits her French teacher at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre for helping her find a way into the world of poetry. "Her lecturer came across her notebook full of poems, and directed her to the Bricks Community Project".

Personal life

Warner is married and lives in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, UK.

References

External links

Homepage of Christi Warner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, Christi Living people Namibian television presenters Year of birth missing (living people) Musicians from Windhoek 21st-century Namibian women singers British women songwriters Namibian emigrants to the United Kingdom Namibian poets British poets Namibian artists Artists from Oxford