G
rowing up in an area that breamed of different people of different walks and cultural background, I lost the essence of being a son to South Africa. My daily routine was filled up with numerous competitions against my friends on whose culture is superior and whose isn’t. We would debate up to a point of anonymity of each other and our friendship will take a dramatically break-up, well up until the next day or hours later, when we reconcile. Through these, we would grow up with a mindset of tribalism. With the emergence of Social Networks on this part of the world, I began to slowly start a habit of alienating my friends and other people of a different culture of my own, through damning and degrading stereotypes. Quite funny come 24 September, each year I would celebrate Heritage day. I believe I am not the only one who grew up in this fashion. Heritage Day according to my newly found knowledge is a day to look in the mirror and see a South African son/daughter and not a Ndebele, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu or whichever culture. Go out with your boerewors and red meat, celebrate our diversity as a South African people and turn a blind eye to Tribalism.
This is a special heritage day issue, a little different from every issue we’ve had. A limited number of interviews are featured in this issue. K.O. from the award-winning group is on the cover of this very issue, sharing his life with us in a somewhat eye-opening interview, and as you know it there is more to the Y-Not Culture than fashion, music and dance, we also bring to you the best in food, religion, cars, relationships and questions answered. Enjoy, as we did while documenting your culture!!!
Una Ramses Unarine Ramaru Founder and Chief Editor
THE MESSAGE HASN’T CHANGED
#BringBack
kOurGirls
Y-NOT Spring 2014 â—Ś #IssueNo11
Unarine Ramaru Founder and Chief Editor Magnific Media House Publisher Hatsu Mphatsoe Content Advisor Pretoria
Nonsindiso Qwabe Sub-Editor Bloemfontein
Kimberly Pearl Moyo Journalist Johannesburg
Thenjiwe Vaughan Hugo Poetry Editor Bloemfontein
Refilwe Mphirime Fashion Editor Bloemfontein
Vuyisile Kubeka Interviewer and Columnist Bloemfontein
Pontsho Ledwaba Religious Editor Pretoria
Daphney Livhalani Columnist Bloemfontein
Contributing Writers Anathi Nyadu, Marck Maphori, Takudzwa Gezi and Lebogang Moeng
Y-Not Culture is published by Magnific Media House. All rights reserved. Contributions are welcome. All due care will be taken with material submitted, but the magazine and publishers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. The editor reserves the right to edit, amend or alter material in any way deemed necessary. Y-Not Culture is not responsible for unsolicited material. The opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher of Y-Not Culture Head Office 695 Kliplyster Street Nkwe Estate Rosslyn Pretoria 0200 Cell: 0767633021 â—Ś Fax: 0865294769
Y-NOT September 2014 â—Ś #IssueNo11
2 Editors Letter 25 Y-Not Fashion Tips 49 Y-Not Relationships 51 Y-Not Reviews 53 Y-Not Poetry 62 Y-Not Food 66 Y-Not Sports
16 Tiisetso Maloma 30 LOUD Clothing 54 Philippa 18 ZOT Media
12 Side Guy 24 Delightful African Literature 28 Signs that show a man that you are into him 38 Perfection 44 Through the eyes of Gran and Mom: Snippets of my heritage
K.O. design by Magnific Media House designs. See page 42
Side Guy
Very often we talk about side-chicks and mistresses when we refer to someone cheating. And this is quite unfair to be blatantly honest. There is a very serious case of "side-guy" that happens which no one ever talks about. Now the side-guy is pretty much the same as the side-chick. He is simply the guy who the girl is using because her boyfriend either lives too far or just bored with her guy. There are certain type of guys this usually affects, and this is usually the sweet, innocent and loving guy.
Let's dissect this issue. Now, there are many guys out there who really struggle with girls and this boils down to their shy personalities. Yes, the guys that usually get friend-zoned. These guys will end up with a girl who is committed to another man under the guise of friendship. As we all know, this friend was built on attraction rather than actual friendship. There will be a lot of "hanging together" and doing things that are supposed to be harmless. All looks well and safe to this point. Here is where it all starts to go downhill. The guy starts to give the girl major attention. He will drop everything he does to help his lady 'friend' through all and any trouble that may arise (Yes, even carrying her handbag cause it's too heavy). The two 'friends' will always be together in private settings as they prefer being alone. From experience, time can create the impression that feelings are developing and it can quickly escalate into the false impression of being in love. Somewhere, somehow there will come a time where the guy would get kissed and the girl utters these words which somehow drive the guy deeper into a place where he will drown. Those words are; "You know this is not serious, right?. I have a boyfriend". That sentence really irks me. There is a justification of the action which will the words I don't want to repeat.
This will happen a couple more times till the point where the girl will either push the guy away or the boyfriend finds out. The sad part is that the girl gives the side-guy so much hope that he can be triumphant and claim the girl as his new girlfriend. Sadly the chances of that happening are really low. The type of side-guys I described earlier usually have troubles letting go and end up becoming clingy which will not do him any favours in the "get a girlfriend" department. So, here is what I prescribe to the Side-guy: •Leave the girl. Don't become friends with her. •Delete her number and avoid unnecessarily talking to her. •Next time you encounter this situation, know that any girl in a relationship is a "NO-GO" area. So ladies, I plead with all of you who are in a relationship to leave the poor lads alone. Rather give him advice and become the wingwomen and help get him a single girl. And to all the gentlemen out there who are single, don't be a destroyer of relationships by looking for someone who is already taken.
#ENTERPRENEURSLEKGOTLA
When it rained, with my very clean school uniform, I would walk into the pool of rainwater outside our front yard. Sometimes I would throw my grandma with stones. This was all in protest not to go to school. Such tendencies made sure I went through Sub A to standard 1 by the whip, grade 1 to 3 as it known today. The rod wasn’t spared. The child didn’t perish. S/O to Kwanamoloto Primary School. 1993. I was 6 or 7 years old. I still wet my bed and I stayed with “mma”, my grandma. I saved up money to buy vegetable seeds: carrots, cabbage and spinach. With passion and hard work I nursed my little farm. We didn’t have running water, most of the houses didn’t. Actually none of the houses in the area did. Every (or most) morning after noticing that I had wet my bed, it would be a reminder to water my garden. I did. When my garden had ripe fresh produce, neighbours came to ask for my veggies. My grandma, she is sweet, she gave them a bit. They were poor. To come to think about it, we were poor as well – mud houses and stuff. I dint know we were poor.
ABOUT WRITER: Tiisetso Maloma is a the founder of Startup Picnic and author of ‘Forget The Business Plan Use This Short Model, He researches on entrepreneurship, consult and does motivational talks. As part of our guest entrepreneur column, Maloma talks about his love for entrepreneurship
A bit for everyone was all of my produce. I didn’t make any cent off my first business. Grandma killed it.
“I give credit to grandma and her daughter (momma) for not only infecting me with the spirit of killing businesses. But also never discouraging me from doing anything I wanted to do in life, and actually allowing such space.”
Who knows, maybe I could have been the 1st rich and young black something. 1997 or 8, like a true m*^&&* I came back and started a farming business again, this time at my house (parents’ house). It wasn’t long enough till my mother killed it in the same fashion her mother did to my first. Mxm!! I guess she got it from her mother! Many years later, I also killed a lot of businesses. I give credit to grandma and her daughter (momma) for not only infecting me with the spirit of killing businesses. But also never discouraging me from doing anything I wanted to do in life, and actually allowing such space. They gave me the money to buy those seeds. I appreciate it. I am able to persist and move forward after a dead venture. I thought it would be fun writing this post, I couldn’t figure the moral of it. It is just a reminder of my love for entrepreneurship.
012 The Pretoria entertainment scene has produced talented youth of late. It's rare though to see a lot of the Youth handling the business side and actually striving in it.
So when we heard of the 012 movement and the moves they are making. We had to have a chat with them.
012 Entertainment Movement, the team behind the much popular THOFAs (previously known as HOFAs) is a group of young, creative, ambitious minds with the aim of being a formidable force to be reckoned with. The Movement was established in 2011 by four founding members.
It has since grown to have a total number of seven members, which comprise of M. Mdluli - CEO/Managing Director, M. Mulaudzi Chief Operations Officer/Communications Manager, N. Matshazi Marketing Manager N. McWazzer- Chief Analytics Officer/Creative Logistics Manager, P. SanyaneInformation Management Specialist, T. Msiza Publicist/Choreographer and T. MakgamathaChoreographer/Talent Scout. They have four divisions which are Coordination, Production, Music and Dance.
They want to be "the biggest Entertainment/Media
“
We aren't just building a company but a mindset as well, a life-style.
organization based in Pretoria - developing the much needed jobs, tourism attraction and talent nurturing needed in growing a solid cultural industry." With that said, it's no doubt they have had a few challenges along the way. They admit the past four years have brought a long string of them. "The biggest though has to be financial injection, the nature of the company hasn't yet developed an accurate way of assuring a consistent cash flow from month to month mainly because of the lack of funding from sponsors, venue pricing being ridiculously high and fly-by night entertainment companies that come and go giving creditable youth owned companies a bad reputation." Also things that derail their progress and that of many is the lack of support from the public, promoters, sponsors and such.
NOT JUST AN AREA CODE "We aren't just building a company but a mindset as well, a life-style. A company is made up of all those factors. A sponsor to help fulfil a vision, the venue owner to be understanding and reasonable, the promoter to spread the word and the masses to bring the vibe -it's a link of all these elements, but it depends on us the most as we must keep the ball rolling even when we don't have all that we need." Talking about keeping the ball rolling
The THOFA's are on their 4th year and they being their biggest and longest running event have come back under a new name and this is why "we decided to dub the 4th Annual THOFAwards with the Tshwane prefix. It is the perfect time seeing that 2014 has brought many more talented Cap Citizens. They have hit the bigger local Mzansi industry and are also carrying the city's good name on their back to assist our fellow patriots."
“
A company is made up of all those factors.
O
nly a few people in my circles know who the genius that is Athol Fugard is. And only a handful have the advantage of knowing that there’s an African writer by the name Nguni wa Thiong’o. Needless to say, these friends are not ashamed of their lack of enlightenment about whose the great Africans of our generation are. On the flipside, almost all of them know who Shakespeare is. Out of the more than ten friends I asked, not even one knew who Athol Fugard is. The plan was to at least ask fifty.
I would’ve carried on with my asking had my friends not given me the ‘you-think-youare-smart’ looks. Some of them on hearing my questions would be quiet for a little while as if pondering – searching the caves of emptiness for a name, familiar but foreign – and then they would ask ‘who the eff is that?’ It is only when you tell them that Athol Fugard is the man who wrote the novel Tsotsi, from which the awardwinning screenplay was adapted, do they say ‘Oh! There’s even a book? I need to get myself a copy.’
Interesting enough, they all knew who Shakespeare is, and without any provocation whatsoever they would even name some of his works. If you are lucky they might even quote a few lines of his poetry, but can they do the same with Shakespeare’s namesake, their very own Keorapetse William Kgositsile? No! This tells you something about how much people know themselves, their own continent and its legends, so to say.
“Interesting enough, they all knew who Shakespeare is”
What makes African fiction even more interesting is the fact that it is about us – Africans. It explains the mysteries, intricacies, ironies, and tragedies of life in a language we understand without going extra mile of checking Google. In it we encounter ourselves; we come face-toface with the hideous truth of our continent. We learn the histories of our people; learn African proverbs; learn African values.
Needless to say, I’m no big fan of the Bard of Avon – Shakespeare. In fact, when I learnt that I will be doing Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice for my second year English I wanted to kill myself! No, no, no – make no mistake, the guy is a good writer! Or at least that’s what people, including our education system, believe. Unfortunately, the Shakespeare bug never bit me! To begin with, I cannot relate to his setting and storylines. His archaic way of using words is a speed bump; his round-about way of saying even the simplest things makes reading a complex issue.
Which is why I prefer my Gordimer, my Achebe, my Mphahlele—my African literature! African literature is not important only because of its relevant setting and relatable storylines. It also increases our social conciseness, and raise awareness of social, political, and economic crises that the African continent is facing.
The other day I was reading Siphiwo Mahala’s I African Delights. Good timing, I have to say, because I was starting to wonder where the hell the writers of our generation are. As a result I ended up reading works by fresh young African writers such as Wame Molefhe’s Go Tell The Sun, Thando Mgqolozana’s Hear me alone ¬¬– and I was convinced that indeed African tales are delightful. Now, there’s only one question, I would like to ask my non-reading friends, and the youth at large: if you don’t read your own writers who will read them? I mean there’s no harm that can be done in investing in a book that will open your mind to the complexities and pleasures of being an African.
“What makes African fiction even more interesting is the fact that it is about us – Africans. It explains the mysteries, intricacies, ironies, and tragedies”
Comes and goes but style. ..Style ladies and gentlemen is forever, it is eternal
oon we'll be saying goodbye to winter and Hello to spring! How I can't wait! This winter season wasn’t the worst, but I’m one hundred percent a spring baby! I know I’m not the only one, I can't be the only one. I don't like winter at all, I really struggle to get dressed and I gain a whole lot of weight. I know as spring approaches many think they need a whole new wardrobe, but can I please be the one to tell you that it’s not true! You do not necessarily need a whole new set of clothes. And besides some of us can't afford to go shopping every season, so why not learn to work with what you already have? Fashion comes and goes but style...style ladies and gentlemen is forever, it is eternal. Why do fashion when in fact you yourself can be fashion? Why follow trends when you can create them and be totally authentic? Too often it’s like we try so hard to be like the next person, and this might sound redundant, but c'mon- seeing that that person already exists, we don’t need another copy, BE YOU.
S Be You To Be Stylish
The most gorgeous accessories one could ever wear is your smile and confidence. It’s often said fashion is what you buy & style is what you do with it. I dare you, yes you reading this TO BE 'STYLISH' every single day, even on Monday’s. A trick I learned to beat the Monday blues, is to dress even on Monday’s like its Friday. That lil’ myth about feeling good when you look good is actually true! I swear I’m addicted to crop tops. You wear them with anything; skirts, pants, shorts, all sorts of everything! I'm even getting 'spring ready' just so I can rock them. What’s your addiction?
5
SIGNS THAT SHOW A MAN THAT YOU ARE INTO HIM
So I was given the task of coming up with 5 signs that a guy must look out for in order to know whether a woman likes him or not. And believe me, I jumped at this opportunity and quickly connected ideas in my head, ranging from checking out how the girl in question looks at you, to how many times a day she tries to make convo with you. At first this task seemed pretty easy and straightforward, I mean you always hear how guys say to each other “dude, that honey is into you, check how flirtatious she is with you”, so with that in mind I was certain that 5 signs wouldn’t be so hard to pin down. However one morning as I thought about this again, I hit a mental block of sorts. Your 21st century woman is driven, headstrong, and goes for what she wants the minute she lays her eyes on it. This is the kind of woman who isn’t afraid to go up to a guy she likes, makes her feelings known, and state what kind of arrangement would suit her best. For this woman, typical signs would speed a guy up on where her intentions lie.
But then, you meet the kind of woman who was taught that keeping her feelings to herself is what being respectable means, along with not showing a guy how she really feels as this makes her look cheap and desperate. The woman who believes that playing hard to get, or rather hard-to-figure-out, is what intrigues a man. For this woman, loving a guy could be torture because these feelings are either kept to herself, or made known to everyone but the guy. The poor guy might not even have an idea that some woman is head over heels in love with him because she’s too busy trying to act normal. And those feelings, because they aren’t made obvious, will die as words unspoken. What I’m trying to say is, when it comes to women, not everything is as it seems. We’re complicated like that. I could be crazy in love with you and you wouldn’t even have an idea because my actions don’t say a word, or I could be showing all “signs” of liking you, only to find that you’ve been strictly friend-zoned.
L
Wearing It
OUD
And Proud
What happens when you put two indubitably confident personalities together with an equal amount of love for tailoring? LOUD Clothing. Meet Tshepo Mareka and Lenka Damazane, two friends who hail from deep within the Free State, Botshabelo and Welkom to be exact. Since most of you probably don’t know these two small towns, you’ve probably never heard of LOUD Clothing either, but it’s their star-quality suits that spoke volumes when they caught my attention two years ago. Still hungry to penetrate the industry, it goes without saying that this duo has just the persistence, determination, raw talent and their desire to take customers ‘beyond comfort’ that will earn them their major break. It brings me great pleasure to introduce you to LOUD Clothing…
Please describe the kind of background you both came from and the role fashion played in it, also how your partnership came about. Tshepo: I don't come from a wealthy family, but we managed to survive in the dusty streets of Botshabelo by designing. I come from a background where fashion played a huge role because my mom is a designer which helped me a lot when I went to study fashion because I knew the basics very well. Lenka: Well, I come from a very spiritual and poor family, whereby we always hustled for all the fancy little things we wanted. We sold chickens to make ends meet for a very long time. So things were very tough. Tshepo: Lenka and I met in 2008 at the Macufe Fashion Show (lightly laughs); we met very weirdly. He didn't have a camera and he asked to borrow mine, and just like that; I didn't even know him, but I saw a very humble ninja. Only to find out we have the same ambition, sense of style and taste in music. I met Andile Mndende in 2012 in Cape Town as a friend which I introduced to Lenka and that is how our partnership came about.
Growing up, was fashion always the career you knew/thought you’d want to pursue? Tshepo: Nah...I'm very good at drawing, so I've always wanted to be a graphic designer until 1988, my mom was swamped with orders and she asked me to help her iron. That's where I started developing a love for tailor made clothes. Lenka: Not at all. I used to think I'm good at playing soccer, so I saw myself becoming a future soccer star, only to find out I suck (laughs). Later when I was in high school, I started printing t-shirts and altering pants with my mother's old sewing machine. Have your families always been supportive of the career path you’ve chosen? Tshepo: Yes in a way, but my mom was always there for me, sadly my father wanted me to become a teacher which I didn't like at all because that's what he wanted. My dad eventually came around when I participated in the 2008 Macufe Fashion Show as a student. He then gave me his blessing.
Lenka: They didn't actually know the benefits of being a fashion designer as they thought I'm just going to alter clothes until I gave them the bigger picture of the fashion field.
We are however on Facebook; LOUD Clothing.
Describe your brand and how it’s unique to other brands.
To get as much exposure as possible and make it globally.
Our cuts are simplified but in a very classy way, using old school fabrics, bright colours with high quality. We always prefer our fitted cuts with less detail.
What are your plans with LOUD from this point onwards?
Who were your biggest fashion icons before you started putting together your own garments? Lenka: It was a Gianni Versace, which I still adore, but right now it's Roberto Cavalli.
Your slogan is ‘Go Beyond Comfort’, what do you want that to mean to your Tshepo: It was my mom, I know it customers? sounds weird but, she was my designer. I was that kid back then that everyone We basically want for them to know that wanted to go out with. they will feel beyond comfort in our clothes. How has your mother shaped your fashion/style choices? Being a start-up business, what are some of the challenges that you’ve Tshepo: Oh well, she hasn't shaped it that faced thus far, and what have they much because she specialises in tailoring done for LOUD as a brand? for women, I'm in the men’s department, and we cater for men. Marketing has been the biggest challenge we should say, getting the word out so Lenka: (Laughs sarcastically). My that people know what we can do, and mother isn't into the fashion world at all. funds. My friend and business partner here (gestures to Tshepo) moulded me as I'm With that being said, what have you still looking up to him. He works magic been doing to put your brand on the on a garment. I respect him. market? Lastly, what does a woman’s style say We are still not financially stable as we about her upon first glance? are working out on our own pockets, but we are wearing our own clothes with Damn...it says a lot about her, it shows or confidence and pride which is a tells you about who she is, without even marketing platform. having to ask. And not forgetting how she applies her make-up.
PERFECTION
No I’m not stressed, I just occasionally sweat blood. I am barely in my 20s but I feel like I have already suffered from menopause, a mental breakdown, insanity and a mid-life crisis (more like pre-life crisis). Am I the only one who feels like life is going by just a little too fast? Leaving us with so much to do with so little time?
The past few weeks have been nothing less than hectic. And my response to this has been nothing less than dramatic. I found myself negotiating with my own body to cooperate. Lashing out at myself to calm the heck down before I get a heart-attack. Yes I am being dramatic. There’s one thing that I have taken form this experience. The fact that most of my stress was caused by my constant and impossible impulse to be perfect. I know that I am not the only one who experiences this, it seems to be some kind of thing going around these days. If it is not your best and if your best is not perfect then it is not good enough. To some degree I bought into it; kept running even though I was running on empty, only to realise when I crashed. The media, as in most cases have a hand in this formed perception. In this modern age (talking like I’ve lived in any other age), everything we see around us and what is sold to us is all about the perfect fit, the right alignment and most importantly we are told that in order for us to succeed we have to be perfect. Think about it, most of the lead characters in the biggest TV shows are perfect at what they do. Think of Mike Ross, he has a brilliant mind and therefore gets away with everything. Olivia Pope, a master at reading people and getting out of sticky situations, she never loses at anything. Which then makes it ok for her to be the most “dignified” side chick in the history of all side chicks. What I am saying is that we have indoctrinated with the notion that if become perfect in what we do, we will inevitably get away with murder and the rest of the world will then accept us. Forgetting that the best lessons are learnt through making mistakes. Making mistakes is human, it shows that we are alive and that we are not stagnant in our lives and actually doing something. I am probably not going to stop striving for perfection but what I need to do is learn to accept that I will not be perfect. Perfection is knowing your imperfections.
Through
The eyes of Gran and Mom Snippets of my heritage.
I
am a Zulu woman living in 2014 in modern day South Africa. My heritage, whether knowingly or unwittingly so, has shaped how I carry myself in life. Embarking on a journey of understanding my roots; and the essence of who I am; I engaged in insightful conversations to get a genuine and vivid image of my heritage. I sat down with the two women who
continue to play significant roles in my life - my maternal grandmother, my personal definition of a strong woman, who has raised even stronger women in her lifetime and my mother, quiet and meek, but very dynamic in the way she carries herself. These women have shaped who I am today; and I realize now that at the heart of once seemingly insignificant things like cooking big hearty meals for my family,
wanting lobola from my future husband, and absolutely loving the idea of a big traditional Zulu wedding celebration; are deep rooted values which have been instilled to me by those who have raised me. My grandmother is 70 years old today. She has raised 4 generations: her siblings, her children, her grandchildren, and since recently, greatgrandchildren.
If I had to sum myself up in a sentence I would say I am a strong Zulu soul who embodies a very colourful and modernized way of living She grew up at a time when your heritage as a Zulu woman meant taking pride in walking with your breasts bare, and being able to perfect house chores meant that you were raised well. “I learnt how to cook and clean at 8 years old. By 9, I knew how to fetch wood for fires and cow dung for the mud houses. Education was a myth to us at that time; I’m privileged to have made it to what is now known as Grade 2. Women weren’t seen as having anything worthwhile to say-how much more young girls. Marriage is also a great value in the Zulu culture. As a girl, through lobola, you increase the cows in your father’s kraal; therefore his riches, and because of this, getting married is celebrated, especially at a younger age when you are still “fit” to bear many children for your husband”. At the age of 15, my grandmother was a married woman. She bore 7 children; 2 girls and 5 boys. Her children are successful in various fields. Both daughters grew up to hold directorate positions in South African government; and I have a lawyer; businessmen; carpenter, and manager for uncles- yes I’m bragging. “When I raised my children; the only vision I had for their lives was that they be better people; even my daughters. I gave them education with the little I had because I realized that being black didn’t mean you had to be backward in life.
Yes gender roles were set up by my society; but I wished success for each of my children. I never thought I’d be inside a car in my life, and your grandfather was able to buy one for us. If my dream of riding a car could be fulfilled; I believed in the even bigger dreams of my children. Today, because of them, I get to ride in the latest cars. The joy that brings me is indescribable”. The second pillar of my heritage, my mother, is in her late 40’s today. She holds a deputy director post. You wouldn’t believe this about her merely because she’s a simple and reserved woman; until she opens her mouth and you’re left speechless. “I never imagined I’d be where I am today. Growing up, education was not a priority for a woman. Taking care of the household was mandatory, and I too felt the wrath of this societal idea. I could cook, clean, and hand wash laundry at 14. As the eldest girl in my family, these were non-negotiable responsibilities. My culture and roots instilled values that I still pride myself in today. Love, respect, pride in being a woman, humility, and strength are qualities that were passed down to me by my mother. I do not consider myself as a “cultural” woman today, and as a result I’m raising my daughters to take pride in being educated and vision driven;
However at the core of who I am, my upbringing beats heavily. Instilling values that have gone for generations to my own children is still a daily act. Because of how I was raised; I am raising modern Zulu women who take pride in their heritage, are respectful and well mannered, loving, and adhere to cultural values and morals. I’m a modern woman. When in my day I had Umemulo to signify my coming of age; I’d much rather help my daughters plan their 21st birthday parties. I still want lobola though. I’m not raising 3 girls for nothing” she says with loving humour. I have long and wonderful tales about these two women, and our conversations provided understanding of, and pride in my heritage because I believe that I am in many ways an extension of the two of them; although as a modern young woman, I’m also the total opposite of their personalities! If I had to sum myself up in a sentence, I would say I am a strong Zulu soul who embodies a very colourful and modernized way of living, which is rooted in strongly instilled cultural values and principles.
We didn't expect for it to do so well hey! But when I made the record I knew that it was going to resonate with the people. You featured KidX in the single Cara Cara; why him? You derived from Teargas and he derived from Cashtime Fam. Is that similarity the reason why this collaboration came about? Our plan was to launch him as a solo artist as well after the whole Cashtime FAM thing. Cara Cara just happened to be the tool to make that dream a reality. What is Cashtime Life? Is it a recording label, or a movement? Both. But we’re also involved in other things like film and event productions. Being in the limelight is not always amazing; you come across obstacles that you are expected to tackle in the humblest of ways possible. How do you handle such? We are dealing with a fickle bunch of people here so expect them to switch on you at any minute. All you need is a thick skin. What do you think of social networks and the power that they possess? Social networks are an effective extra tool in a public figure's campaign. However, it makes you more accessible to people even those who are not rooting for you. To an extent it has given cowards an outlet to act tough behind their computers or smartphones. What is your opinion in regards to the current state of Hip Hop in South Africa? I'm excited coz for the first time it looks like we are now running neck and neck with House music. From here on the aim is to become the most successful genre in S.A. Do you feel that there's room for other upcoming rappers in this industry and what do you think should be done in order to introduce them to the masses? There's plenty room for hungry and determined artists! These days no one is will to give hand-outs, an artist literally needs to get their own career of the ground; the same way L-Tido, Aka and recently Cassper, did their thing. All independently. Finally, 2014 started off very well for K.O. What are you currently working on; can we expect a follow up single to Caracara or an album? Yeah my 3rd single drops in August (by when the interview was done) or so and I'm looking to drop an album shortly after thereafter
“ ” You Deserve Look if he’s/she’s making your life difficult why are you still there. You deserve way better than going to bed with a broken heart. You need to wear a smile every day because that’s just how it should be. No one ever died of waiting for their perfectly imperfect person whom with their imperfection, they are still able to make you smile because they are meant for you. That what’s meant for you will definitely make you smile more than you cry.
If you cry more than you smile with or about your partner than you are involved with the wrong person and you definitely need to move. You cannot sacrifice happiness for someone. Do yourself a favour and leave. As you wait, ask God who is your perfect Father for that one person that’s made for you and prevent the mistake of being impatient just because you don’t want to be alone. “Weeping may last through the night but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) The sun will shine for you too. KEEP THE FAITH!!
What is God saying/What did God say In this days, it is rare to find the partner you have wished for but it is not impossible. You can plan out your relationship and get almost exactly the same thing you were looking for.
Now the question is, what God is saying concerning that relationship. Is it something you planned out yourself or is it God’s will? Many of you may be asking yourself “but how do I know if it’s my will or His – God’s will?” Well it is pretty much simple. First thing is first. How did that person end up in your life? Did you ask God for him/her? Before you get into the relationship, did you ask God if it was the right thing to do? Were you patient enough to really hear from God or you were too scared that they might just go? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself before getting into a relationship with someone. It might look good in your eyes and the people around but God knows best. Let Him take the lead. And if you get too scared that they might leave, well they were just not meant to stay. Don’t be in a rush. God has the best in store for you. “Those who wait upon the Lord will not be put to shame.” KEEP THE FAITH!!
Book Review by Unarine Ramaru From necessitous upbringing to one of the
where a Spaza is the immediate outlet, the
youngest South African authors, Tiisetso
book managed to get me form part of the
Maloma’s story in business is one to share.
scenarios.
In this Township Biz FastTrack, Maloma shares the principles which the township business down the road, applies to keep in business longer than expected. By recounting his failed start-up businesses, Maloma’s Self-Help book advice entrepreneurs, on how they will accelerate the growth of their businesses and the country.
His past ventures in Gabble heights Clothing, Rural Joss and Bhovas & Sam, and his (co-founder) current DVD disc based Edu-training-app authoring company, DVDapps, provides him with
reference on how a business can be in its springtime today and out of business a week later. His practical knowledge and history to this, serves the purpose of the
Throughout the book, it is an easy read and
book. In the book, Maloma details how
written in a way that creates an
South African township business owners
understanding, especially for people my
perish in business when there is competition
age. He incorporates his real life business
available. He also provides an all-important
experiences and interviews with other
advice on how they can withstand this to
business owners into the book, helping the
also expand their business from maximum
reader learn from their mistakes and failures.
profits to expansion of the business.
Being a person from a similar setting,
.
Her veins are a river brimming sweet waters of life Her tears are gold: the treasure that falls from her eyes Her strength is amazing like that of a digger in a mine in filthy Jozi Her skin as brown as caramel, her hair black diamond She is nature itself‌ Her heart is a rock impeccable with incredible might It braves cold winter mornings and hot summer nights It embraces windy springs and the dryness of autumn It battles the odds of life and always comes out tops It is nature in itself‌ Who is she? But a woman A woman who knows how to treat her man The pillar of the strength of the world; Forever oozing confidence and forgiveness in her word She is nature itself
She is nature itself
Goddess of the world, mother of the nation Shepherd of lost flocks always there to guide them to the right directions She carries the weight of the world in her diminutive shoulders Her womb is a safe train that delivers her off-spring She is nature itself Who is she? But a woman of insurmountable might and power A woman overflowing with love and protection In terms of love, she gives more than necessary The best of qualities and the greatest in quantity, But she never regrets
She understands that she is a spot on creature resembling peacefulness of nature And in her ways she reflects the calmness, gentleness and beauty of nature Who is she, but nature itself?
P
I
t’s not every day where you
read or hear about women in architecture. The design and structure industry has been known to be a predominantly male one, so you can imagine how intrigued I was when I discovered Philippa Tumubweinee…. Philippa Tumubweinee is a senior Lecturer at the Department of Architecture at the University of the Free State [UFS] South Africa, a coFounder and Director of IZUBA INafrica, and a Doctoral student at the University of the Free State, South Africa. She has also served on the Board of Directors for: VEGA: School of Graphic Design and Adverting, iMPAC: The Moving Images Festival, and GIfA: Gauteng Institute for Architecture. Philippa is an ideal envisage of a 21st century woman. This Ugandan beauty is bold, strong-willed and authentic. However, on her definition of how this woman is, she feels that she isn’t there yet. According to her, the 21st century woman is “diverse, operates in different settings, is skilled in various areas and knows at least 4 international languages!” .
We sat outside, conversing over a cup of coffee, and it came across how comfortable she is around nature. Not fazed by the bees finding comfort zones all around her; she answered that in her culture, bees are a sign of good luck! So seeing those bees actually came with great expectations! With such an impressive resume, it’s amazing how humble she is. She doesn’t consider her achievements anything worth bragging about. We talk about her innovations, and she reveals that the Esquared house in Johannesburg, along with the 40 000 Bubbles club for wine drinkers come out as her favourites. She loves collaborations in design, is passionate about food, and is totally appealed by structures. The shoes she’s wearing on this particular day reflect the latter very much! Asking her about her interest in architecture, I’m surprised when she tells me that it wasn’t her first love, but fashion design was. In an effort to reach an agreement with her parents-whom she says developed her sense of self and pushed her to discover what was out there- on which interest to follow, she jobshadowed an architect for a year, and that’s when the architectural bug bit her.
A 21ST CENTURY WOMAN
She then pursued a Bachelor of Architecture in 1999, and has since then bagged a lot of achievements in architectural design. In 2006, she was introduced to Academia teaching at the department of Architecture at the University of Pretoria as an assistant Studio Master in the First Year Studio. From there she progressed on to join the dept. of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg [UJ].
She taught at this department from 2007 to the middle of 2012, also working as the First Year coordinator, and the Design Studio master, while co-founding the design and architectural firm IZUBA INafrica alongside Architect Denver Hendricks in 2010. In 2012 she served on the National Judging Panel for the SAIA Awards of Merit and Excellence. In 2013 she became a part of the prestigious AfriSAM Sustainability Awards panel.
“If you love what you do, it won’t feel like work. It’s simply who you are”.
These ladies and gentlemen, are just snippets of Philippa’s life. And this won’t be the last we hear of her. The future looks just as innovative, with more collaborations underway. I asked if she considered herself a workaholic, to which she calmly replied: “If you love what you do, it won’t feel like work. It’s simply who you are”.
60
Y-Not KITCHEN
I chose this recipe because it’s quick, easy, and you really can manipulate it the way you please. No one wants to spend hours slaving away in the hour to produce a good meal; the quicker, the better. So here it is; Quiche. It’s got no label to it because I don’t provide one specific filling to use- you can literally add anything in your fridge, or even get adventurous and try weird combinations. I mean YNot! Preparing this meal will take less than 30 minutes. Hope you enjoy getting creative as much as I do!
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A fresh take on the original green salad Ingredients: Head of lettuce 1 cucumber 2 tomatoes Mild Vegetable atchar 1 bottle of Mild fruit chutney
Method: Finely chop lettuce Dice cucumber and tomatoes into small cubes Add spoonfuls of atchar Tablespoon of aromat Chutney according to your taste Stir everything together and leave in the fridge. It's great when served cold
Enjoy!
500g mince meat 1/2 finely chopped onions 2 slices white bread 1 tspn dried parsley 1 tspn salt Pinch of black pepper 1 tspn barbecue spice 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 grated cheese (any kind) 1 egg
Soak the bread in milk and leave it until later In a bowl add the mince, onions, parsley, salt, pepper and spice. Mix these together. Add the egg, cheese, and breadcrumbs to the mixture. Drain the milk out of the bread, mold the soaked bread into a pulp, and add it into the mince mixture. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, leave mixture to rest for 15 minutes Form medium to large sized balls. Brown the meatballs in a hot frying pan. Once evenly browned, put the balls in an evenly greased dish, and sprinkle Worcester sauce for flavour. Grill for 25-30 minutes, turning them halfway through.
KEEPING UP WITH Marck Maphori
SPORTS
#YNOTSPORTS
5 games into the English Premier League season and already we have been dealt surprises and plenty of goals. We have seen the continued struggle of Manchester United even under a new boss (New boss Louis Van Gaal has worked hard to avoid defeat by buying the squad new pencils so that they could learn how to "Draw"). We have also seen the might of Chelsea and the surprise package in the form of Swansea with Manchester City probably having the strongest squad on paper. We shall have a look at these teams and pick out 2 key players will be instrumental in the top 5 teams. We shall have a look at the Champions League qualification specialists, Arsenal. Arsenal have qualified for the Champion's League an astounding 17 seasons in a row. For Arsenal, there are two players who are going to have to step up to prove their worth and that is new signing Danny Welbeck and Mesut Ă–zil. Danny Welbeck for me, is an underrated player who was played out of position most of the time. Ozil as we all know loves playing defence splitting passes and it will be key for the Gunners that he forms a partnership with Danny Welbeck.
Manchester City just has so much talent. With that said, they still have question marks around their defence. They will be hoping that Vincent Kompany stays fit and avoids suspensions. Man City will also hope that Sergio Aguero remains injury free. These two players have a way of inspiring the team to success and will be important for them. Liverpool has been impressive in the past season and managed to secure Champions League football (Manchester United must be livid about this fact). With the departure of Luis Suarez in the English summer one feels that Daniel Sturridge will be a key component to a successful season for the Anfield team. Liverpool's defence always got questioned last season and Dejan Lovren will need to be the backbone of that defence. Chelsea has been arguably the best side in the league currently. Having bought a number of players in the window, JosĂŠ Mourinho has managed to draw in talent out of La Liga in the form of Diego Costa, Felipe Luis and former Arsenal skipper, Francesc Fabregas. My two key players for Chelsea this season will be Diego Costa because he is the type of goal scorer the
club needed, a poacher and the second player is Nemanja Matic. Matic is a player who has done well in containing players in and around the midfield area. The only reason I am including Manchester United, it is because they actually have classy players who will probably do well (Note: I am not a United fan). They have spent the most money in the transfer window globally even after Real Madrid and Barcelona splurged on James Rodriguez and Luis Suarez. Man United for me, need to look to Wayne Rooney once more to lift them out of this hole. Now, more than ever, he needs to step up after being announced as captain of the side following Vidic's departure. David de Gea will also be key in the survival of United. De Gea will be paired up with a real shaky defence that will force the Spaniard to stop a lot more shots than he should. That is it, the top players to look out for during the league season. While I am predicting who key players will be, maybe I should predict who will be on top at Christmas. And I am going to go for Chelsea based on the current form as well as the depth on the bench. It is bound to be an exciting season ahead and it will also make for good representation in the Champions League.
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