“Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth.� ~Rumi
Mamela Nyamza
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06 Mamela Nyamza
19 Rhine Bernardino
23 Anam Xinwa 44
Infecting The City 11
Brian Lobel 21
Mzokuthula Gasa 33 Pedro Bustamante
Bring meaning back to creativity and expression. Okay, these “editor’s note” things are supposed to start off with something conventional like “Welcome to our exquisite issue blah blah blah…” But we are not one of those watered-down, diluted, self-important creative industry mags that make going past the first page as exhausting as listening to Mac Maharaj trying to spin another ANC mishap.
Southern Pulse is a publication that endeavours to have honest conversations with artists from different genres in the creative space and also give them a platform where they can find and be inspired by other creatives around them. We are creative purists and believe that art and creativity is about expression and uniqueness. This publication is not just for the artist though, it’s also about normal people learning a bit more about movements in the creative industries in their geographical areas. We also cover different lifestyle aspects especially those in line with creativity/creatives. If you are looking for material on KIMYE or Rhianna’s weave collection then you are not who we speak to. Try TMZ or Real Goboza. Now let’s give you a moment to excuse yourself… If you’re reading on, then pat yourself on the back for being part of such an awesome experience. Spread the word and grow with us. Trust us, you won’t regret it. This is not our publication, it’s yours! Before I let you gobble up this issue’s material, just one more thing. If you work in a creative field, studying something involving creativity, are hosting an event, or know of creatives that want to be heard or get their story told, drop us a line. Enjoy Southern Pulse. We’re fun and weird but we work hard and have a passion for all things creative. Our next issue will be dropping soon!
acKNOWLEDGEments: Southern Pulse Magazine Cell: +27 79 984 4007 southernpulsemag@gmail.com Managing Director: Jongisizwe Ntshuntshe Created by: Jongisizwe Ntshuntshe Bandile Nombutuma Contributors: Charis Le Riche Published by: Mgwevu Group Fourth Wall Media Photograph credits: Southern Pulse Team. Africa Centre. All other contributors used accidentally or intentionally but omitted to give credit. Acknowledgements: Palesa Moeketsi. Bjorn Rudner. Africa Centre. Mango-OMC. Disclaimer: The publishers and editors of Southern Pulse Magazine regret that they cannot accept liabilities for errors or omissions contained in this publication or any inclusions, inserts or cover mounted additions however caused. The opinions, views, and other material contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission.
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TAKING IT OUT THE BOX The citizens of the Mother City a.k.a Zilleville had no idea of what was in
store for them when the Infecting The City arts festival was launched at the event’s headquarters at 6 Spin Street in Cape Town. Early in March 2014 curator Jay Pather hosted an audience of artists, arts aficionados, volunteers, and lay-man at the curtain-raiser for the festival. The launch was a way to whet the appetites of those in attendance, and to be honest, Jay seriously downplayed what was to be expected at the week-long public arts festival that was draped in the theme “Private Moments in Public Spaces.” The festival had a selection of works designed to tickle all the senses. Some of this year’s works resonated with the celebration of 20 years of democracy.
Over three hundred artists descended on the streets of Cape Town for an entire week. The line-up for the festival featured a collage of local and international artist from different disciplines. Infecting The City is an annual arts festival whereby artists perform their works in various spaces around the city for free. One minute you could be texting your person or closing that merger, and the next you could find yourself enthralled by the genius of the artists in your path.
Hoity-toity creative-arts enthusiasts see arts as something that should be shown or performed in set spaces, but ITC disproves that theory. To think of the festival as “a bunch of artists busking” would be a narrow and primitive perception. Powerful artists with compelling ideas take this opportunity to comment on society through their work. “Taking the art outside does not mean it is worth less. It is an informal way of exhibiting works of excellence” Jay says about ITC. Infecting The City is not a concept unique to South Africa; it is part of a worldwide movement.
Mamela Nyamza
BODY LANGUAGE
A few days before we had our official sit-down with Mamela Nyamza we experienced something that can be likened to an out-of-body experience. We had just come from seeing Neo Muyanga’s moving Thoriso Le Morusu and were walking down Queen Victoria Street to the spot where Mamela Nyamza was poised to perform her first show “Hatch”. There was an eerie silence on the street, even though it was littered with hundreds of art enthusiasts. Mamela’s “Hatch” performance was not a dance, it was an experience. Fast forward to four days later and we are sitting at the Headquaters of Infecting The City in Spin Street. Mamela is 10 minutes late for the interview, so we occupy ourselves with Diva jokes (she’s an award winning dancer after-all). Mamela walks in, nothing Diva like. She’s in a shirt, black jeans, and All-Star sneakers. She smiles ever so politely as she greets us and apologises for being a few minutes late. For someone flying to Berlin the next day, Mamela is wearing her stress well. SP: Who is Mamela Nyamza? MN: Mamela Nyamza is a girl from the streets of Gugs in Cape Town. She is a mother, a lover, and an artist. I’m actually a shy person and can be a bit of a loner. I put my life out on stage but after every performance I get very shy. I started dancing at the age of 8, and I fell hopelessly in love with the art-form. I was introduced to dance through ballet, and at the time it was nothing more than just an after-school activity. I danced for fun and it ended up being a career.
SP: Being skilled in so many styles, which one has your heart?
SP: Your trip to Berlin, what’s that all about?
MN: People know me as a ballet dancer but I'm skilled in many different styles. However, I have a love-hate relationship with ballet. I hate it because I never “made it” as a ballet dancer but at the same time I love it because it has made me the dancer that I am today.
MN: I’m on my way to Berlin to launch my new dance piece. The piece speaks about my life as a dancer in this industry. It touches on issues of being controlled by the “money-people” and feeling like a sham, and being made to feel like a puppet.
SP: What shapes you as a dancer?
MN: My experiences and my challenges. I haven’t forgotten where I come from and so I use those experiences to shape my art. I use my body as a pen with which I tell my story. My dance pieces are an honest conversation with the audience. SP: Which do you find more challenging, being a mother or a dancer?
MN: Raising a child is hard. In a weird way, my son keeps me grounded. I’ve travelled with my son to Paris, Holland, Singapore etcetera. He gives me the opportunity to live in two different worlds. His world - the new world, and the world that I come from. I know business women who travel more than I do but I get looked at differently because I’m a dancer.
I actually wear a puppetlike costume for this piece. Sometimes as black people in the industry, the people behind the scenes always feel like we’re not ready to be the stars of the show. And so they try and control us and sometimes they slow our growth. I actually had to grow some balls and take control of my career. People think it’s easy to be Mamela, they see me globe-trotting and think that’s all there is to it, meanwhile that is not the case.
SP: What sets you apart from other dancers? MN: I’m a very self-driven person. I also try to run away from doing things the same way all the time. Plus, I don’t wait for funding. People are so used to being employed by other people, but I’d rather be the one that employs people. I’ve done pieces with zero budget and those pieces tend to be the ones that audiences fall in love with. Works like “Hatch” and “Isingqala” were low budget pieces but they captured the imagination of audiences all around the world.
SP: What’s your take on the dance industry?
MN: Artists are a unique breed, today you’re just a girl from Gugulethu and tomorrow you are sitting with high ranking government officials or Royal families. People think artists are about sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, but artists are thinkers. The Industry? People say I’m difficult to work with. The reason they say that is because I question things and I protect my art and my creativity. I don’t take shit and I don’t want to showcase shit. I always challenge myself in my work and try to break boundaries, and sometimes in this industry people want you to do the tried and tested thing. Creativity is not stagnant. I’m not just a dancer; I’m a creator of art. SP: What’s been the highlight of your career? MN: It has to be winning the Standard Bank Young Artist Award. I was 34 at the time, turning 35. Thirty four was the cut-off age for the award. Winning that award opened a lot of doors for me. It also made me believe in myself because I realised that someone is watching and taking note of what I’m doing.
SP: Do you think that South African audiences show enough support to local artists? MN: Our people love adaptations of western material. This is actually an on-going phenomenon because it happened to the likes of the late Miriam Makheba as well. We get more love from overseas audiences than we do here at home. I performed “Hatch” here at home in 2008 and nobody understood it. Now I’m back home in 2014 and everybody is raving about “Hatch” because international audiences gave it a nod. Our audiences don’t trust our work until they see the international community embracing it. It’s sad.
SP: Why did you choose to take part in Infecting The City? MN: I wanted to showcase my work in my home city and also to educate people about what we do as artists. To perform in Cape Town, my home town, is such a great feeling. In South Africa, people only know about musicians and actresses, they don’t know about us as dancers. I’m sure I’ll be 80 years old before they know who I am and even then, they’ll only find that out through archives.
SP: You’ve been dancing since the 80’s, do you still get nervous before you perform? MN: I don’t go on stage just to give the audience a show. I don’t dance for people. I dance for myself. Before every show I pray and I talk to my ancestors. I’m not an entertainer; I put my emotions out through my dance.
“I dance with my soul. I’m not a “So you think you can dance” dancer. I value my culture and I dance from deep inside myself.” – Mamela
SP: What would you like to say to up-and-coming dancers out there? MN: You need to have a vision for yourself and work hard to achieve that. You don’t just shoot up. It’s a long road to the top and it takes hard work. I was the only black child in my dance class and I had to work harder than my white dance-mates. People must not let the ease of today’s life stop them from being disciplined. SP: How would you like to be remembered? MN: I’d like to be remembered through my work. I was never a trustfund baby. I’m just a girl from Gugulethu. I want people to remember me by how much work I put into what I do.
UK based American artist Brian Lobel’s performances, lectures, and art are geared towards how audiences relate to him as a performer, and to each other as people. His work takes on many different forms and includes both his own intimate stories and expansive public yarns in an attempt to show that the artist and the audience are the same.
His pieces are a result of him being diagnosed with cancer as a young adult, which led to Brian observing how people’s interaction with him had changed after his diagnosis. Two of his people-focused works are “Purge” and “Carpe Minuta Prima.” Some have described “Purge” as a brutal game of friendship maintenance, and the installation has real life consequences for the artist. Purge is an exhausting exercise, and the exhaustion is a metaphor for the hard-work that goes into maintaining online lives. In “Purge”, Brian deletes his Facebook friends with the help of the audience. He explains why he is friends with a particular person, and the audience decides whether or not he should stay friends with that person.
In “Carpe Minuta Prima” Brian pays for a minute of someone’s life. The artist gives out money on the street and takes a video recording of that person for one minute. The person being recorded can do whatever they like in that minute. You can sing, tell a secret, or just stare into the camera. Each one minute DVD is then sold to people on the street. In South Africa Brian Lobel paid random people R10 for a minute of their lives. “It’s a play on what it means to pay someone to do something for a minute, or pay for a minute of their life. It’s like the devil buying a piece of your soul” he says about Carpe Minuta Prima. Capturing people’s lives on video also becomes a portrait of the city where the installation is done. Connect with Brian at http://www.blobelwarming.com
Skyping an interview with Filipino artist Rhine Bernardino was probably one of the most testing things we have done for this issue. Thanks to our world class internet signal, our fragile connection broke no less than seven times. Finally, after much moving around we found the “sweet spot”- a tiny corner in the office where we balanced the laptop precariously on the edge of the desk and thanked the network gods for their wicked sense of humour.
The piece she calls BDSM – (“Because Those Who Do Not Suffer Are Masochists”) is about suffering and karma. It is about stillness with a hint of aggression. In the 10 minute video Rhine sits still as garbage is flung aggressively at her. There is a deeper meaning to BDSM. It is a way of looking at the relentless growth of cities and the garbage/filth that is a result of that. It is also about the loss of empathy. Another video in Rhine’s body of work is “Mechanised Intimacy.” In this piece Rhine kissed 20 strangers for 24 hours each. These were edited together to form a 10 minute video. “That was challenging. Some people even thought I was changing careers and becoming a porn star” she laughs at the thought. The work had a simple objective, is it possible to develop intimacy with a stranger via kissing, and can intimacy come out of mechanisation?
Connect with Rhine at http://vimeo.com/rhinebernardino
LIFE IN MOTION
“My wife asked me to try and bite my tongue in this interview. I don’t know if I can do that.” While chatting to teacher and choreographer Mzokuthula Gasa, it soon becomes evident why his wife asked him to watch his words. Mzo is the kind of guy who prefers to call a spade a spade. His honesty about the dance industry, artists, and world politics in general stems from his passion for Africa, and for his art. Mzo is also quick to admit that his veracity can leave people in a tizzy, but feels that it’s important to say what you mean and mean what you say. Surprisingly, behind Mzokuthula’s unfaltering persona lies a very modest artist who refuses to let his many achievements go to his head. Mzokuthula Gasa describes himself as a guy from Durban, Inanda Newtown C. He is a dancer, a choreographer, teacher at JazzArt, and founder of the Sibonelo Dance Project.
Mzo has been involved in the world of dance for almost 20 years. He has performed in Spain, London, Madagascar, Dubai, France, Israel and all over South Africa. He swapped football for dance after S’duduzo Mbili, a dancer from the world acclaimed film Sarafina invited him to watch a dance production at the Playhouse Theatre in Durban. His Sibonelo Dance Project is an African Contemporary Dance company in Newlands, Cape Town. Sibonelo is a Zulu word that means “set an example” and Mzo is setting a lot of those. The dancers at Sibonelo all come from disadvantaged backgrounds. His work pays homage to the African continent and gives respect to African dancers. “People look down on African dance and on local artists. African dance has technique, it’s not random. Why should our art be seen as inferior to foreign genres? I can’t do Romeo and Juliet. I don’t know those people. We’re too busy telling other people’s stories, who’s telling ours?” Many of Mzo’s compositions are inspired by what he sees in the world around him. One of his pieces “Going Places” was inspired by people in taxi ranks and bus stations. “You see people and they have a destination. Some of them are in long distance relationships and are on their way to be with their partner. Some are on their way to achieve something, or chase a dream. But only THEY know where they are going and for what reason” he says about the inspiration for the piece.
Another one of Mzokuthula’s works that always leaves audiences awestruck is the more political “Ubunye.” This is one of those dance pieces one has to witness for themselves in order to feel its power and energy. “Ubunye” deals with issues of race and class segregation. It also uses pack-animal imagery to reinforce the idea of ubunye (Unity). “We come into this world the same way regardless of your skin colour or geographical location. We have more in common than we are different but decision-makers split people and sow seeds of racial or class divide.” Mzo shakes his head as he leaves the thought floating in the air. Artists like Mzokuthula Gasa are that breed that makes us stop, look, listen, and question. Connect with Mzo at http://www.sibonelodanceproject.com/
Cosi Cosi was one of the works that could easily be seen as an allegory for ITC. The production was a collaboration between 10 artists and 12 contributors which included local residents of Cape Town.
You’re probably wondering what Cosi Cosi is. Cosi Cosi is a walking audio route through a section of the Mother City. “The journey juxtaposes contemporary observations of the cityscape with an imagined landscape informed by traditional non-urban understandings of the environments” says Jonathan Eato, one of the creators of the production. Hannah Bruce and Jonathan Eato conceptualised the piece together with Stellenbosch based performer Luvuyo Mgijima. “We didn’t want people to sit down and watch us perform. We wanted people to have a unique personal experience with the soundtrack” Luvuyo points out.
For Cosi Cosi audiences were supplied with headphones and an mp3 player. The audio journey is guided by narration and voices in the headphones, and it awakens the listener to a different way of experiencing a familiar environment. The mp3 contains snippets of the history of Cape Town, especially those bits of history that did not make it into the books in libraries. The poets, sounds, musicians, and text in the recording makes the walk an artistic experience. The recording also contains snippets of the lives of everyday people like car-guards, taxi drivers, book shop owners, and street-sweepers. Having walked the route myself, I must say there was something weird and wonderful about it. It was also phantasmal to walk past a cigarette stand and have the voice narration in my headphones telling me to not stop at the stand as I walked right past it. Cosi Cosi is recorded in Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa, and two San languages. The mp3 recording is available for free download on the net. All you need is a Smartphone, Tablet, or mp3 player with a set of headphones, and you can walk a section of Cape Town in a way you’ve never done before.
Most traditional art galleries can be found with the help of your GPS navigation device. You arrive at the gallery, usually in a quaint part of town, the parking marshal meticulously helps you dock your vehicle, and now you can go feast your eyes on some fine art. This is the image curators Rose Mudge and Marion Sandwith wanted to step out of when they created “Cubicle” for Infecting The City. “Cubicle” was mobile art gallery that popped up in different places in Cape Town’s CBD. All the works in the gallery were sold at R40 each, and were creations from students at UCT’s Michaelis School of Fine Art. The curators kept the locations of “Cubicle” secret to avoid having the “normal” art gallery crowd snatching up all the artworks. The idea was to get people who would not normally walk into a gallery have an encounter that would make, and help them understand fine art. “We were trying to remove the stigma that people have about art galleries. Most people see art galleries as intimidating spaces where one feels they need to be an art fundi before they walk in” says Marion Sandwith. The gallery encouraged everyday art collecting. Rose and Marion have put the blueprint for the design of the mobile gallery on the web in an effort to have more “Cubicles” materialising globally.
URBAN TRADI TIONAL
“It is not about glitz and glam. It is about blood and sweat.” – Anam Xinwa
He believes that one has to love and take pride in what one produces. We caught up with Jo’burg based entrepreneur and fashion designer Anam Xinwa to talk fashion, design, and fatherhood. This is what the man who calls his style “urban traditional” had to say:
Who is Anam Xinwa?
I am an artist, innovator, entrepreneur, visionary, and a professional designer. I grew up in Mdantsane, moved to Amalinda in ‘94 and relocated to Jo’burg in 2011. I can proudly say that I am the man that I am today because of my mother.
She encouraged me to try a clothing production course at Zwelethemba FET in King Williams Town and that’s when my love for fashion started. I actually wanted to be a Veterinarian but got hooked on fashion. I want to change the face of fashion in this country and I know I will achieve that. Most people don’t know this about me but I’m actually a very good cook, but that’s something I do to unwind.
SP: What’s your label called? Mshotolo inc. That means “The Short one.” I’m not the tallest of people so “mshotolo” was a name that I was teased with in high school. I never liked the name but I finally gave in. I took it, embraced it, and owned it.
SP: How do you define yourself as a designer/artist? I do not follow trends. Trends come and go, but being fashionable is a personal lifelong journey. I am self-motivated and have a passion for what I do. I want to do more and be more than I am today. I think that is what sets me apart from my competitors. SP: What shapes your designs and styles? I draw a lot from our continent. It’s a beautiful place with beautiful people and vibrant colours. Africa has different textiles, textures, and cultures. Those elements of the African continent motivate and inspire me. SP: Which is tougher, being a father or being a designer? Being a father is definitely more challenging. There’s a change that happens in a man’s life especially when he becomes a father to a baby girl. You want to protect your little princess, and make sure that she knows she is loved. Yes being a designer is difficult. But to raise a child, an active and thriving member of society is the greatest calling that a man can take up.
SP: Coming from East London, how have you found the Jozi fashion scene? Jozi people are a lot more adventurous and daring. Designers here support each other’s events. You get fashion events happening almost daily and I love that. People in Johannesburg buy designer clothes as opposed to mass produced retail material.
SP: What are some of the challenges you have faced in the industry? Not getting support from my own province and their lack of understanding for my vision. That’s one of the reasons I left the Eastern Cape. Here in Johannesburg things are finally taking shape for me. SP: What’s the first thing you’ve ever designed? It was a pair of pants, which I got totally wrong. But I did not care. I wore them every weekend when going out. The crotch was wrong, the zipper was wrong, the pockets were in the wrong position. It was just a disaster! SP: What are people wearing right now that you think is crap? Leggings. I’ve never liked leggings. I also hate it when people follow trends and they end up looking like they all dressed by the same person. Fashion is about using clothes to express who YOU are as an individual.
SP: Ilaph’lam Mag, how did that come about?
Local designers were not getting the exposure they needed and deserved. I took it upon myself to start a fashion magazine that will help people in the fashion industry. The original idea was that I wanted to do a fashion catalogue but the idea evolved into a magazine. My brother Nathi was responsible for this evolution and he is also the layout designer for Ilaph’lam. People can find the magazine on our website www.ilaphulam.com SP: Any advice for aspiring designers out there? Up and coming designers should have a clear vision of what they want, have a mission and also a 5 year plan. Fashion is now a business and people should see it like that. It is not about glitz and glam. It is about blood and sweat. So be patient your time will come. Connect with Anam Xinwa and Ilaph’lam team: Facebook: ilaphulam Afrikan fashion journal/ Anam Xinwa Pintrest: Anam Xinwa Tumblr: TheShort1 Twitter: @mshoga/ @ilaphulam Behance: ilaphulam AFJ
Nelisiwe Xaba
“Uncles and Angels” is a 2013 FNB Art Prize winning work by Soweto born dancer and choreographer Nelisiwe Xaba and filmmaker Mock J Van Veuren. The piece is a combination of video, and a stage performance by Nelisiwe Xaba. In the installation, Nelisiwe interacts with a live video duplication of herself on stage. “I was interested in how I could multiply myself. I wanted to see if I could do the Domba dance alone. We then realised we couldn’t do that without technology. So the piece balances technology with performance” Neliswe tells us when we asked her about the overall presentation of Uncles and Angels.
“The piece has evolved so much that it doesn’t have an end to speak of. It’s not a story but a thinking process that bounces between conceptual thinking and technical thinking. Both of these are integral to the piece” says Mock .
He describes the piece as a combination of choreography and experimental video. The projection also uses a video feedback cancellation system that Mock developed for the show.
Uncles and Angels is a reflection and critique on the reed dance and the Vhenda Domba dance. The performer (Nelisiwe) together with the multimedia projections of little girls playing outdoors, drum majorettes, and the audience are all part of the piece. The installation lacks the masculine element one finds at these cultural events but the creators of the piece found a silent way of introducing this aspect. Those who are familiar with the Domba and reed dance would know that in these events old men sit and watch while young girls parade half naked. The audience of Uncles and Angels, by sitting and watching the piece, represent the men who sit and feed on this cultural heritage. The piece also asks the question - “Why is life harder for women?” In the initial stages, Mock and Nelisiwe researched the Domba dance and saw the similarities between it and the reed dance. Both rituals are about girls coming of age. These rituals are also marketed as a way of curbing the spread of AIDS. Nelisiwe and Mock started to question the idea of only controlling the girls and divorcing males from any responsibility. “For me it’s important to not just do a performance about falling leaves. We could’ve just done a piece on beautiful images. But if it lacks meaning then it’s not worth my while, or the audiences’ time” – Nelisiwe Xaba.
The piece also looks at facets of chastity, virginity, gender politics, patriarchy and tradition. The video frames become a metaphorical elaboration on these concepts.
Bringing African poetry to the world Badilisha is an initiative that aims to re-introduce the world to the African poet. Linda Kaoma has been with Africa Centre for two years and is the project manager of Badilisha – an Africa Centre initiative that aims at promoting African poems and poets. We caught up with the writer and poet to talk about Badilisha, and how she wants to re-empower the poet. What is Badilisha? Badilisha is an online platform that is dedicated to showcasing African thought. We showcase African poets while simultaneously archiving them. A lot of the archives of historical poets are not based on the continent. This is our way of starting a database that is accessible to everyone. When we initially started off, Badilisha was a festival that we were using to showcase what Africans are really doing. But because it was a festival, our reach was limited to Capetonians. We transitioned to the website in order to capture a wider audience.
How do you select the pieces that go on Badilisha? A certain percentage of people find us online and send in their work, while the other percentage we source, research, and record ourselves. We are an international platform, so I think it is important to us to get rid of this perception of African stuff being not up to par compared to the rest of the world. We try to maintain a high standard of quality. We have established poets who come in and have a listen to the pieces, and tell us whether it can go on Badiilisha or whether it needs more work. Why did you go from a background in finance to art? When you come from a specific background you get told to pursue careers such as CA, doctor, or lawyer. When I got to UCT, that was the expectation. I knew in my first year that I was on the wrong path. I spent my free time dabbling in writing and jewellery design. I completed my degree, I went to work and I realised that I couldn’t do it. Being in the finance industry is really demanding, and you don’t have time for anything else because the hours are so crazy. I felt very caged. I slowly started to do more writing. Eventually I met D’Bi Young who was at the time the project manager for Badilisha and she mentored me. Africa Centre had an opening for a researcher and that meant dealing with poets, poetry, and a lot of amazing writers. I grabbed that opportunity. I never regret the years I spent at university because they give me a good balance. A year ago I would have said that I wanted to be a fulltime creative. What I realised is that I am already a fulltime creative – I am a poet, a writer, an aspiring novelist, I have an online magazine, and I’m hoping to put out a collection of poetry. I guess the future goal is to live those things out fully.
Layers
Linda Kaoma
http://badilishapoetry.com/
What I am is the attempted flight of bruised and broken wings The journey of two lovebirds with clipped but untrained wings Birds who flew out of their incubators with weak limbs And build their home with withering twigs What I am is a home with manicured lawns and shinny windows But the inside never knew any sunshine and warmth An abyss of unfinished DIY projects and falling wallpaper A mother with no interior designer to fix her What I am is a collage of his dreams that never came true A father with a darkroom where pictures never developed Where the Polaroid never manifested what he captured All he wanted was a wall of pictures he never had What I am is the ignorance of the power she held in her mouth She could have created dreams Instead she slung the confidence of a scholar far away Leaving me in a place where scavengers come to hunt for their prey What I am is a combination of broken homes that never sheltered their young I am the place where they came to relieve themselves of all their shit A dump for their infected sense of self A result of “I love you� never said and hugs never given This is what I am. But who am I?
White Space
IMAGES OF A PENDING REVOLUTION
To call Berlin based Spanish native Pedro Bustamante an “artist” is simply not enough. Pedro is a professional architect, a thinker, humanist, an activist, and a philosopher. His art works look at, and examine the effects of religion, society’s virtues and morals, greed, the internet age, politics, and capitalism. One of his installations “The Accumulation is Primitive” was exhibited at a public arts festival in Cape Town. “The Accumulation is Primitive” is another one of his works that looks at what Pedro calls “the religion of Capitalism where everything is permitted as long as one is willing to pay or willing to get into debt.”
“This piece is about the last modality of domination called capitalism” was his response when we asked him about the installation. It was inspired by his reading of "Capital" by Karl Marx. Pedro felt that South Africa was a significant place to have the installation as the country is part of the phenomenon. The work consists of candles that are arranged to depict different continents and countries and also the Gross Domestic Product data of those areas. It speaks to exploitation and enslavement of people and countries through globalised mechanisms.
Pedro chose to use candles in the hope that candles of different heights can express the idea behind the "primitive accumulation", and that a good part of the capital "belonging" to the dominant nations was in fact "taken" from the "poor" nations through a long historic process. The candles also have a religious and funerary connotation, the solemnity, the smell, and the melting. The work itself is open to different interpretations and that’s what he thinks an artwork should be. “It has "things" to say, but also they are not said in a categoric way so that a response of the audience can take place. This two-way condition is so important...” he says. The installation of the piece was done in collaboration with South African artist Justin Brett, and the piece belongs to a wider project called "Delirious Heterotopias" (deliriousheterotopias.blogspot.de) which attempts to express concepts through images. Pedro believes that art and culture need to be "anti" by definition. “At this moment there are so many mechanisms in our societies which make us "believers" in the system, so it is healthy to also have "anti-system" to remind us that there are alternatives.” He is also quick to point out that we should not forget that we are all part of the "system", and that the term "anti-system" is used by the dominant discourse to demonize others. Pedro’s works have a strong message that warns humans against following world and religious leaders blindly especially since it often results in some kind of enslavement.
“Our reality is nothing but a provisional agreement, in which in fact some kind of domination hides. We need to believe in US.” – Pedro Bustamante
Culinary Arts
“MZANSI CUISINE” Switching up Kasilicious
UMFINO SWITCHED UP A time-honoured traditional delicacy, it's cheap and easy to make. Time: less than 45 minuets Recipe Type: Side dishes Serves: 6 Main Ingredient: Vegetables
Main Ingredients - 750 ml water - 250 ml white rice - 1 medium cabbage, shredded - 300 grams spinach, or Swiss chard, shredded - 1 handful spring onions, finely chopped - 2 punnets baby marrows, 300g each, finely chopped - 2 medium onions, chopped - 1 handful parsley, chopped - 1 dash salt and ground pepper, or to taste - 250 ml maize meal
Method - Place water and rice in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. - Add vegetables and parsley. - Simmer for 10 minutes and season. - Add maize meal and stir well to combine. - Cook over a low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. - Serve with chicken ‘walkie talkies’ (heads and feet) or any other meat dish if you prefer.
NAME: WATERSIDE CHARDONNAY ESTATE: GRAHAM BECK YEAR: 2009 TYPE: WHITE PRICE: R32.00 We thought it would be fun to just throw in a bit of wine review for the nonpompous people who don’t give two corks about the angle of the slope where the grapes are grown, or where sommeliers get their laundry done. This is what we thought...! The Chardonnay carries beautiful scents just like the label promises. It’s very citrusy and reminds one of a fruit market in a quaint rural area where deadlines are a foreign concept. However, when one gets to sipping, which is what you are supposed to do with wine, the chardonnay disappoints a little. Those smells don’t translate on the tongue. Yes, I said tongue not palate. The wine has a peculiar after-taste on the first two or three sips. It’s slightly acidic but not in a way that makes you worry that your liver will write an open letter to the liquor control board. All humour aside even if mostly true, the wine is a good wine. If you are hanging out with friends having a couple of drinks on a hot day and not looking for anything heavy then get this one. It’s reasonably priced and refreshing.
“The world is not ready for some people when they show up, but that shouldn't stop anyone.�
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