OMAR ADAMS ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER
The man behind
the moppie
I
• O AR A A
Omar was born in Claremont, Cape Town, in 1945. He has used his passion for music to nurture and develop young people, keep them off the streets, and provide opportunities for them to use their spare time constructively. He created the group Kinders van die Ses and started a drama workshop for young people in his own home. He is the father of the famous singers and actors Emo and Luqmaan Adams.
was born in Claremont, grew up in Retreat because of the Group Areas Act and my family moved to Eastridge in Mitchell’s Plain in 1982 after staying in rooms all over the place. Mitchell’s Plain was still very raw back then. The kids had nothing to do, and I knew I had to make a plan to keep them busy and out of trouble. I got involved in entertainment and started taking kids to shows. “I started to do things in my own house too. I started with my two sons, Luqmaan and Emraan (better known as Emo), Alistair Izobell, and three local girls: Zubeida Bowers, Carlen Meyer and Rashieda Solomons. These initial six children were the inspiration for the name of the group ‘Kinders van die Ses’,
“I’m a Malay choir singer. I write moppies.”
not children from the area District Six. That was way back in 1989. Two weeks after the formation of the group, two more members joined, Shamiela Alexander and Zenobia Daniels. More and more kids joined and today all the kids in my group are still from Mitchell’s Plain.
Without any sponsorship or training, the group took off like wildfire. When they performed, the crowds filled up the Luxurama, the Joseph Stone and Cape Town City Hall. We played everywhere from Wellington to as far away as the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
“Our productions included Kanalla Tietie, Die Mardi Grass, Kom Binne As Jy Wil Skinner, Wag ‘n Bietjie, Lag ‘n Bietjie, Sing ‘n Liedjie, and many, many more.
“My sons are famous because I made them so. I took them to the airport to welcome the tourists, they sang at churches, the Nico Malan (now Artscape)
“The kids had nothing to do, and I knew I had to make a plan to keep them busy and out of trouble.”
MITCHELL’S PLAIN: A PLACE IN THE SUN |
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2011/12/13 10:07 AM