LM 003: The Luminescence Issue - The Emergence Series

LM

LA MEMOIRE YOUTH / CULTURE / ART / LIFESTYLE ISSUE 003

SEPTEMBER 2021

THE EMERGENCE SERIES

THE LUMINESCENCE ISSUE

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN MAGAZINE

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Foreword

WHY YOU GOTTA WAIT Presented By CHRIS MWELWA WORDS By CHRIS MWELWA

How convenient would it be if our

It may be that the timing for you to

heart

and

attain the things you want isn't exactly

effortlessly without us having to do the

in alignment. And thats okay. It doesn;t

time and apply any sort of effort?

need to be as complicated. Patience, is

Imagine

desires

having

came

ability

to

not supposed to instill a feeling of

anything

we

certainty. Patience has to come along

want and at anytime. That is at least an

with doubt from time to time, because

equivalent of an idea we are all well

it is with the weakness of doubt that

acquinted with called 'Heaven'. Things

one finds a conviction in that weakness

just dont work like that on this side of

to keep moving forward. Patience is

life. We have to wait. We have to strive

really a virtue. I urge all of you to

towards something greater. Something

continue pressing on, to continue

beyond the instant gratification we

moving forward and remember that

wish to experience. Whatever it is that

your turn is almost here. Hope you

it may be, we have to wait. It is in the

enjoy this Issue as much as we did

patience that character is forged.

putting it all together. Much love from

Sounds useless, but character is the

the team

immediately

the

swiftly

manifest

foundation in which one conquers the obstacles of life, in one stage or another.

IN THIS ISSUE...

The Importance of Youth Entrepreneurship LA MEMOIRE raises awareness as well as a brief conversation on the current predicament of youth unemployment.

HERITAGE LA MEMOIRE shares a short word on Heritage.

5 Essentials For Men | Spring Fashion Tips LA MEMOIRE lists 5 essentials men are to have this Spring

MajorSteez: The Official Interview Hip-Hop & Brother Duo, MajorSteez, give us an interview on life as artists, the music industry and all things alike

A Journey In Art with Blessing Ngobeni Talented local portrait artist shares his journey as well as his own share of his experiences becoming an artist

Disruption & Re-Birth | An EXCLUSIVE by Patricia Yumba House Of Nzinga head editor and writer collaborates with LA MEMOIRE to give a heartfelt story. AN EXCLUSIVE INTERPRETATION of Disruption & Re-Birth

The Importance of Youth Entrepreneurship AN OPEN CONVERSATION We briefly into the scary statistics in 2021 concerning Youth unemployment and some ideas on a way forward.

Entrepreneurship has been a discipline within the business sector that has been one of the contributing factors to the South African economic

We encourage the youth to briefly neglect the comfortability of their youth to sacrifice for the greater good of themselves and their

growth. But since we’ve been affected by the Corona virus and other underlying issues, now that ever

families. Being an entrepreneur comes with a lot of responsibility, failures and mistakes as well as

before, the youth (specifically the ages 15-26) have been on the receiving

success, joy and gratitude. With that being said, at the ages they are at, it

end, negatively. In 2021, now more than ever before the youth has been given the responsibility to support

is necessary to begin now to build their businesses and adopt the ‘creators mindset’ in order to pass

themselves as their start in life and fundamentally grounding their independence as they progress within their financial stability.

through this time we live in

Currently, the country has reached an

Investing time to ultimately learn new skills can serve and fill in the void that the youth might be feeling because this type of statistic is

all time high of 46% of the Youth unemployed. This statistic is mind blowing because there are a few implications to this statistic, which are that almost half the the youth of the country are unemployed, which as a

dismal enough to spark negative beliefs about one's future.

result could potentially bring about a serious case of unfulfilment, stagnancy and depression amongst the youth. In this day, technology rules many of the businesses in our country, and as a result, many of the youth can possibly venture into being entrepreneurs within themselves.

Learning new skills online and ultimately monetizing them can cause an improvement but this may not apply to everyone due to the various conditions, different individuals can

should be completely utilized. Let's have a conversation. We would love to hear your input on this topic as it is a highly important topic to be discussed.

find themselves in, however, at this point in time, Entrepreneurship seems to be the only solution.

to ensure basic needs are met.

The youth still has an advantage due to their acquaintance with Technology. In that light, that ability

the Youth might be facing this predicament, but as the possessors of the future, they still have a chance, despite how things may look at this present time. We urge all the youth to stand strong and to persevere in any means necessary

H E R I T A G E

On the 24th of September we celebrated the annual Heritage Day as many wore their traditional regalia and each represented their beautry by means of their culture and tradition.

Heritage day is just that day that reminds us, South Africans, how colourful we all are.

This

is

not

just

about

color

of

complexion, but its about how radiant the country

gets

different

as

different

cultural

people

from

backgrounds

and

traditions have the honour to put on their traditional

regalia

and

represent

the

different facets of beauty they hail from.

With that being said, the COVID-19 didn’t completely

stop

the

people

from

celebrating, even in the smallest ways.

Looking

into

South

African

history,

Heritage Day was actually called Shaka Day,

named

and

commemorated

after

Shaka Zulu, The Pre-Colonial King of KwaZulu Natal. This is just a brief to the ethos and

the

spirit

of

what

Heritage

represents 'apha eMzansi. through

so

much

as

a

Day

We've been country.

The

spiritual scars are still very much evident but that has not stopped the smiles and the

joy

from

exuding.

We

owe

it

to

ourselves and flaunt our colours. As a sign of thanksgiving.

WE WISH YOU A WARM

Happy Heritage Month FROM US, TO YOU.

5 Essentials For Men | Spring Fashion Tips

LA MEMOIRE

gives the men this month 5 essential

accessories to have this spring to game up your styel

It’s 2021 and It’s undoubtedly evident that clothing has definitely become a more vibrant way for ones inner personality to be brought forth, a means of selfexpression, if you will. From the ages 20 and above, specifically for the men out

1. WATCHES

there, it is very relatable that dressing plays a huge role in confidence and all things alike, navigating the day to day grind especially. LA MEMOIRE chose these 5 male accessories that can give your look that spark and make it come alive

As we all know, time is very important. While on the grind, keeping a close eye on the short and long hands that govern the day can serve as more than important as you go from task to task. Having a good watch can add a bit of ambience and give you a more aesthetic and sophisticated look, transforming any simple outfit to a more stylish purposeful look. Whether you’re on the offensive and you’re more on the formal side of life or maybe its just a night out and you’re all on the casual vibe, a good watch can add a score to your frame. On the list of accessories you should have as a gent, this one is definitely a must have.

2. BAGS Most of the time, bags can be really inconveniencing, especially when traveling long distances without any viable mode of transport. What if the type of bag contributed to that? Having a good bag, especially as a man, can add more spice to your outfit.

Whether you’re still a student or you’re at work… a good bag is an essential.

3. SUNGLASSES We’ve entered our long awaited spring and best believe the sun its gonna be out.

With that being said gents, sunglasses are just that essential fashion piece you should have in our arsenal. A good pair of sunglasses that specifically fits your facial frame can enhance your look from “good looking” to “smart and elegant”.

4. TIES This one is more for those formal or casual formal events. Although it is possible to rock a good tie when you’re on the casual side, the true effect of a good tie comes out when you’re fully dressed in your suit. A good neutral coloured tie, or a silk styled tie can work wonders. But at the end of the day, you go with your flow in which type of tie or bow tie fits your style.

Otherwise gents, you definitely want to make sure that you have good tie or bow-ties waiting for you in your wardrobe.

5. CHAINS

Yes, chains are just that piece that gives your a massive boost on your style rating.

From silver slim pieces to thick gold chains, each can give off a different vibe, but definitely leaving your looking stylish at the end of the day. Either worn hidden on the inside of your shirt or worn on the outside, its still a huge yet subtle flex.

We go out every single day. With that being said, we have to prioritse our clothing and how it is presented, ultimately altering how it is reflected onto the world. There are a lot more accessories to add onto this list, but these are our ESSENTIALS that we've presented to you.

On the left: Major AKA Sandi-2000; On the right: Steez

Issue Feature

EXCLUSIVE

MAJORSTEEZ THE OFFICIAL

INTERVIEW

South African Hip-Hop & RnB Duo shine the light on their come-up, the music industry as well as some other juicy information

As a nation in a journey of progression, music has undoubtedly been an essential must have to maintain colour in a dull world. With that being said, it’s of utmost importance to have our gaze on the new wave of artists across all genres here in Mzansi. For this special exclusive, we linked up with the young and talented MajorSteez, Sibling Hip-Hop and RnB Duo (Steez & Major AKA Sandi-2000) who happen to be making waves all over the local music scene as they give a sneek peek on various topics of interest as well as some insights on their journey overall in the music industry

For those who aren’t aware, MajorSteez has been active within the South African music industry for about 7 years, building

As creatives and well recognized artists, they are still on the journey every creative eventually goes

their brand and simultaneously going through learning curves as well as embarking on journeys, finding out more

through: Finding their niche, which in essence is their sound. They are well aware that finding your sound

about the inner workings of how to thrive as a creative locally, discovering various harsh truths of the industry. “We learnt in

as an artist can take time, especially when surrounded by many different talents. The more

the 7 years of our come up that Everybody wants something, and we’d like other upcoming acts to watch out

practical thing to do is to simply enjoy the process because everything will fall into place as

and not believe that everything that glitters is gold” MajorSteez reiterate.

Around 2015, their career took an upshot as they realized that music was something they wanted to wholeheartedly pursue, after one of their first perfomances in high

time takes its course.

school, whereby the feedback and energy reciprocated from the crowd was unmatched, as well as also releasing most of their music on Soundcloud. It was at that very moment that their talents were widely recognized and to date, MajorSteez have collaborated with local talents Costa Titch, Blxckie, Uncle Vinny & The Big Hash.

As young creatives, their inspiration is simply fueled by none other than the craving for success and also for the women too! Besides being musicians, they are also individuals who have aspirations with the talents they give up. Looking onto that, MajorSteez have their eyes on working with local African artists Ruger of Rema of Jonzing world and SA’s very own Nasty C, International Artist Timberland, Justin Bieber, Drake, Chris Brown, Kanye West just to name a few.

BEHIND THE LYRICS We tag along MajorSteez as they give their ‘behind the lyrics’ take on 3 of their many hit singles, ‘Lies’ featuring Costa Titch alongside Uncle Vinny, ‘TOO EASY’ featuring Seekay & MustBeDubz as well as ‘Vaseline’ featuring Chris Saiyan.

'LIES' (Feat. Costa Titch & Uncle VINNY) “LIES” is pretty straight forward because people lie everyday you know? We just felt like making a Chant that almost all South Africans can relate to when it came to Lies but we have been lied to quite a few times ourselves in the industry as well."

'TOO EASY' (Feat. Seekay & MustBeDubz) “Too Easy’s message is supposed to be one of triumph and overcoming the stress and difficulty of being ridiculed for us both not having completed tertiary education as our family and parents fought for us to be able to do, the song may come off as a flex but we rally just wanted kids to understand No matter what you want in life, you can do it, even if it needs a degree to achieve you can make it look easy too... just grind and get your money up man!”

''Vaseline' (Feat. Chris Saiyan) “Vaseline” is literally just about how both of us can Shela smoothly like Vaseline lol, we’ve always loved RnB very much and wanted to give a feel of 90’s RnB without being too serious with that record.”

PU ESOLC EHT

Lastly, this additional bonus gets us a little closer to MajorSteez in a format of 10 interesting questions they should answer so they can give a little sneak peek as to the things they like, the things they don’t like and everything in between.

Q: Preferred Collab? Kanye or Drake?

A: Kanye!

Q: What's the weirdest fan reaction you've had while on tour or on a gig?

A: One girl tried to Grab my private parts it was so unexpected on stage even! Sandi Q: If you were superheroes, who would you be and why?

A: Iron Man and Spider-Man because they’re The leaders of the wave to be honest in marvel.

Q: What are your individual favourite singles of yours that you enjoy performing?

A: Steez: Lies Sandi: Slime and Lies!

Q: Do any of you have a dream location? Where and why?

A: "Dubai, on a yacht because life is bigger than what we can see in the city we live in."

Q: Dream Car? A: McLaren for Steez Lamborghini for Sandi Q: Chicken or Beef?

A: "Chicken!!"

Q: Got any features on the way? Any album in the works and when are we expecting anything?

A: "The Sweet Life of Majorsteez Drops this October and It's our debut project!"

Q: Most enjoyable things about being a musical duo.

A: "You get to share every experience with someone that appreciates it’s all the same way as you and understands because they’re going through the same things.

Basically you don’t have to be alone at the top."

Q: Any of you in relationships?

A: "Steez is With Influencer and Youtuber @SnowberryPizza and Sandi is in limbo but search Majorsteez girlfriend on youtube and you’ll see the rumours lol."

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

MajorSteez have announced that their Debut Album "The Sweet Life of MajorSteez" will be released this OCTOBER!!

MajorSteez' latest singles streamable on all musical platforms!

A Brief Journey In Art WITH BLESSING NGOBENI Hear an award-winning Johannesburg based portrait artist speak his mind on his art, his inspirationn and all things beyond.

"My journey has been mostly from the experiences I have had in my view of life, experiencing and analyzing certain aspects about life and express them through my artwork…"

ARTWORK: Blessing Ngobeni

As Africans, art is the fundamental expression of our beliefs and journeys, from generation to generation. Not looking too far off, residing within our country are individuals who were gifted with the ability to interpret deep messages engrained within our existance down to the workings of society itself. From the days of our ancestors to the present day, art has become the bridge in which people all over the world have a chance to cross over and have a dose of what we’re made of, through the colours, style and even the fundamental way of life.

Blessing Ngobeni, originally from Tzaneen, is a creative artist, who’s artwork has won multiple prestigious awards such as Rainhold Cassiror Award as well has having

an art gallery that sells and represents him and his artwork, The Jenkins Johnson Gallery, located in the United States. Ngobeni’s journey began when he moved to Johannesburg as a teenager and lived most of his adulthood, spending his time and energy perfecting his craft, ranging from using various artistic disciplines to convey ideas and underlying issues not discussed in the open such as sketching, canvas works, and even collage creations. His art has carried him through as far as purchasing his own piece of land as well as become an entrepreneur, building businesses in which ultimately form a part of what will be his legacy.

Talent is one thing, but being an instrument of nature is just as unique, and it is safe to categorize Blessing as such. His very placement in the viral South African creative space is one that was given and guided to him through dreams. Despite having being incarcerated for a time, the natural artistic fire within him continued to burn, showing him the light and ultimately becoming a vessel of creativity and depth.

Going forward within his career aside from the artwork, is dealing with various challenges such as not being compensated for collecting his artwork, being devalued as well as many other things as such. However, the passion Blessing possesses for his craft doesn’t not allow him to be crushed under the weight of the challenges he faces.

The deepest roots of his inspiration stem from his passion and his drive to raise conversation on issues such as the past and present social, political and social issues, his very own life experiences across the different stages of his life, his take on Black Excellence blended with his own emotional journey, all merged into one. Besides creating memorable and timeless art, the motion behind his creative hand is to attempt to use his art to fundamentally rewrite history and tell a rather compelling and gripping story through his unique perspective and worldview.

ARTWORK: Blessing Ngobeni

The Creative Process Upon creating artwork, Blessing takes his time researching in detail for the idea, message, aspects, expressions and generally anything that he wants to speak about through his art. Through this, Blessing can get a hold of a deeper understanding of what he wishes to express and how he wishes to express it on canvas, ultimately processing these concepts, blending them with his unique perspective and understanding, from doing rough drafts and sketches, putting thoughts and ideas on paper before moving forward to complete the final artwork.

Different artists in the society, play different roles and achieve different goals.

According to Ngobeni’s perspective, artists assistthe society in having an alternative view on certain ideas and issues that influence our society. “As an artist, we also form part of the movement to preserve our different cultures within our society.” Having being an artist, his focus is also heavily directed in being an inspiration to the youth of South Africa, encouraging them to persevere, work hard, improve their craft and for them to believe In themselves and what they wish to achieve. We are certain that Blessing’s career will continue to reach greater heights as his artwork will continue to make waves and be a direct representative of South Africa's diversity of gift and talent. Interact with Blessing on the links below: blessingngobeni.com @ngobeniblessing

W W W . L A M E M O I R E M A G . C O . Z A

DISRUPTION & RE-BIRTH | A PERSONAL TAKE

BY PATRICIA YUMBA House of Nzinga X

LA MEMOIRE

- House of Nzinga Head

writer and Editor gets personal as she expounds extensively on her heartfelt and personal journey through disruption and her story themed after Re-Birth.

Disruption /dɪsˈrʌpʃn/ noun 1. disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process.

“The scheme was planned to minimize disruption”.

2. radical change to an existing industry or market due to technological innovation. “no industry is immune to digital disruption” (Definitions from Oxford Languages)

For the past few weeks, months even, I have been deeply immersed in thoughts about how to deal with the current state of disruption. It’s been over a year, that we’ve been living through this COVID-19 pandemic situation. Every aspect of our lives has been significantly DISRUPTED. Most people around the world, well at least the ones working in the formal sectors, have now transitioned to working from home.

School curriculums have also been heavily disrupted over the past 2 academic years.

Students have to alternate between in-class and online schooling. Not to mention, the pupils of disadvantaged areas/families who are falling behind because of a lack of digital tools available to them.

For instance, the Department of Basic Education in South Africa has estimated that ” between 50% and 75% of learning that takes place during a normal school year had been lost.

The workplace environment has been transformed completely. Many companies are realizing that employees working remotely can be trusted without being micromanaged. Furthermore, polls worldwide are showing that a lot of people do not want to ever return to the office again. Some would rather resign than go back. Companies like Zoom, the virtual conferencing app and superstar of the pandemic (Zoom game night this weekend anyone? ) are now exploring a hybrid approach, as a return to the office strategy.

Sadly, the most difficult aspect of this phase is however having to deal with loss.

At this stage, we all have friends, relatives, family members, acquaintances, friends’ relatives ( including public figures and celebrities) that have succumbed to this deadly virus. Losses of health, jobs, opportunities and incomes included.

The constant state of grief, loss and flow of bad news has taken a heavy toll on individuals’ mental well-being.

This is the first pandemic in recent history, where global governments have had to ‘shut down the world’. Travels, social gatherings and movements of people are restricted as many countries are going through numerous lockdowns, to try to control the spread of the virus.

This makes me wonder: have you ever found yourself in a situation, either personal or due to external factors, where you had to put your life literally on pause?

These drastic changes made me reflect on specific events, where the course of my life has been completely disrupted.

Three events that forced me to pause, regroup and start again, come to my mind. I’m going to break them into chapters.

This chapter is probably the most intense and personal one. My insane birth story. This could literally be a book. I would love, at some point, to be

I had to undergo the C-section at around 33 weeks, almost 9 weeks earlier; a full term is 42 weeks. A haemorrhage ensued my C-Section. Thankfully, I was

able to share every detail about my birth experience. A real testimony.

Social media has liberated women’s

able to tell the nurses in time that I was feeling like I’m passing out moments after leaving the theatre. Everything

speech around pregnancy and birth.

Internet is now full of women sharing

started to look and feel blurry and dark.

Fortunately for me, my gynaecologist

their birth and delivery stories.

“Mommy bloggers” constitutes a huge part of blogs’ market because,

immediately understood what was going on when the nurses called him back. He demanded (shouted rather) that I’m

pregnancy, birth, motherhood, parenting is a life-changing experience.

The stories are unique and endless.

I’m also glad that more women are empowered to share the ugly side of pregnancy and maternity. The risks and

taken back immediately into the theatre.

They had to re-operate me to stop the bleeding. I fell unconscious for I do not know how long and stayed in ICU after that (I guess I was in a coma for a short while). I had to be operated on several

struggles associated with it, like postnatal depression or the heavy toll on women’s bodies.

Besides all the wonderful maternity and baby shoots, baby shower videos, gender reveals (a trend I absolutely

times during the same weekend.

I would forever be grateful to an amazing medical team, my dedicated gynaecologist (and intuition), God, my guardian angels, my ancestors (the whole gang!) because without them, I

hate. Read how the woman who started the trend also hate it now ), we need to be aware that not all pregnancies are wonderful experiences and go according to plan. Maternal deaths remain in many parts of the world, a highly possible outcome for too many women.

A near-death experience My birth story is a near-death experience. Because of fibroids (non cancerous uterine tumours, situated in or outside the uterus), I couldn’t give

wouldn’t be here today (This sounds like an award acceptance speech right?). I would also like to thank my son, a little warrior whose first scents and love, kept me alive. Born prematurely (at 33 weeks and 1.860 Kgs) he had to stay in the NICU (Neo-Natal ICU) for a few weeks.

Anyway, my body completely shut down after that. I had mild renal failure. A nurse later told me they couldn’t get my blood pressure from the BP monitor at some point because it was so low. I by now should have been a maternal death

birth naturally. I was scheduled for a CSection. But I started experiencing bleeding many weeks before my scheduled “due date”.

statistic right now...

I

To conclude this exclusive, head over to www.houseofnzinga.co.za

NEW FEATURE!!!!

AS FROM 28TH OCTOBER WHEN WE RELEASE OUR NEXT ISSUE, WE WILL ALSO HAVE INCLUDED WEB CONTENT TO OUR RELEASES! BE SURE TO HAVE A LOOKOUT ON OUR WEBSITE TO BE INFORMED FOR MORE!

WWW.LAMEMOIREMAG.CO.ZA

LM

We would like to give a special thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue, especially fulfilling the criteria to keep information as condensed as possible. We hope all the readers loved and enjoyed it.

ISSUE 004 Coming Soon

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