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Tags: Facebook, IPhone, Online Communities, Social Networking, South Africa, Spar, Spar World Trip, Twitter, YouTube, Zakumi
VANESSA SMEETS
There is majestic colour in Stellenbosch as well as the Bo-Kaap of Cape Town, South Africa. It comes in the flavours of the Cape Malay people who settled here from as early as 1654, after being exiled or imprisoned by the Dutch East India Company.
Think of jazz music on special occasions, while eating Bobotie (a delicious light curry flavored with sweet raisins) as people dance around you or the sound of the mosque calling people to come pray.
I explored both towns, camera in hand, and was welcomed open-armed into various mosques to take unique pictures, which each reflect a particular theme important to Islam in South Africa.
BREAK OF DAWN: Ibrahim wakes up when it’s still dark every morning to open the mosque in Stellenbosch, for a minimum wage. PHOTO: Vanessa Smeets/ copyright
Enlightenment…
PATIENCE: Ibrahim owns a small salary of R2000/ month to take care of the mosque. Every day, he wakes up at 4am to open the windows and doors before prayers. PHOTO: Vanessa Smeets/ copyright
Time…
TIME-SET: Islam consists of up to six prayers a day, with those attending facing towards Mecca. Mosques are open to the public, as long as they are quiet and remove their shoes. They are not allowed during prayers, unless they have special permission. PHOTO: Vanessa Smeets/ copyright
Friendship…
FRIENDS FOR LIFE: Omar and Ahmed after prayers at one of the eleven mosques in the Bo-Kaap. Originally Cape Malay, they have lived in the Bo-Kaap for all their lives and have been friends for 45 years. PHOTO: Vanessa Smeets/ copyright
Love…
LOVE-BIRDS: A Muslim couple take their wedding pictures in the Bo-Kaap. The bride claimed she preferred a western feel to her wedding. PHOTO: Vanessa Smeets/ copyright
Prayers…
BACK FROM PRAYER: Entisar is a tour guide in the Bo-Kaap. She charges R100 for half an hour. Here, she is returning from sunset prayers. She claims her business was strong during the World Cup, but now she is struggling to make a living. PHOTO: Vanessa Smeets/ copyright
Journeys…
REFLECTIONS: Entisar brings tourists daily to the shrine dedicated to her “forefathers.” She claims it is the most popular site for her tourism business: “People claim to know a lot about Islam. Here, there is peace they understand for the first time.” PHOTO: Vanessa Smeets/ copyright
Tags: Bo-Kaap, Bobotie, Cape Malay, CapeTown, Islam, Muslim, South Africa, Stellenbosch
The South African music industry is bustling with talent, but what makes one musical artist stand out above the rest? VANESSA SMEETS examines Marcia Moon’s determination to stand ground in a world increasingly plagued by mental disorders.
SURVIVOR: Marcia Moon suffered a lot to reach a point of stability through her music. PHOTO: Margot Scholtz
“Obsession and fear seem to draw near to the place I call home, to the people I owe laughter to. Obsession and fear seem to interfere with my lifeline, my love, with the place I used to rest so. I forgive, I forgive, I forgive… Oh the anger side, visions in my mind…”
- Obsession and Fear, A Gradual Awakening
As a little girl, Marcia Scholtz would sing along to musicals, memorise jingles from television advertisements and fell in love with her parents’ collection of music. It was not a phase or childhood fantasy. Instead, it created a burning desire within her to perform.
Born in 1976 in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, she was born at the height of the Apartheid struggle and the birth of Black Consciousness. At the age of ten, her own musical consciousness emerged, when a family friend taught her how to play guitar. “He was blind and inspired me to see beyond; into the spiritual, ever moving world of music. It was magical,” she says, her blue-grey eyes glistening.
The musical artist “Marcia Moon” may have been born during the years she would serenade her friends at their windowsills, perform at shopping malls and in streets. People were attracted to her haunting velvet voice, not realising how a horrible breakdown had unleashed this creative energy.
“One day, like the moon has its phases, I died. It was dark then. But, I was re-born with an incredible sense of self,” she explains.“Moon” came from the symbol of the celestial body’s madness, yet mysticism and its ability to influence tides and moods.
WAXING AND WANING: Just as the moon goes through phases, Marcia found a burning desire within her to perform.
Judged by her sexual orientation, Marcia suppressed a storm of emotions: “There was pressure to be heterosexual, feminine and ordinary. It eventually led to a nervous breakdown.”
Raised by Afrikaans parents, she describes her childhood as a constant struggle:
“I never felt male or female. I was someone in between: androgynous. My creativity came from a deep, psychological place. It was a very difficult and dark time.”
Although her first passion was music and she spent more time studying it than anything else, she did three years at the University of Pretoria doing her LLB (Bachelor of Law) in the late 1990s. Law has constantly followed her and she still wishes to pursue criminal law.
Law has also brought her a sense of stability: “It has taught me a lot about people, culture and politics. What makes us, us. Law continues to inspire ideas for songs.”
After living in Sunnyside, Pretoria, for a year, she decided to work in London for two years. There, she would keep busy doing odd jobs as a cook, factory worker, photographer, waitress and butter packer.
“There’s humility in working long hours for little pay,” she says, grinning, “You find yourself.”
She reluctantly returned to South Africa, singing in Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Her years as a modern-life gypsy allowed her music to be an interesting mix of soul, passion and desire. Her songs vary from ordinary, mundane topics like washing dishes to more complex philosophical subjects like same-sex relationships.
“I’m more interested in friendships, love stories and daily tales that I go through,” she explains, “I’m a gypsy through the boundaries I’ve created. You can be mentally unhealthy or suffer through unhealthy relationships, but you only grow once you stay grounded. Like a tree, you need those deep roots. I’ve learnt to have both: incredible experiences within boundaries.”
AWAKEN: Her debut album is a symphony of symbolic elements.
Like her first album describes, it was a gradual awakening.
The CD cover is a network of symbols close to her. The butterfly symbolises the metamorphosis of rediscovering herself.
The spider symbolises the darkness she had to go through alone.
The subtle African print is proof of her love for Africa, its diverse cultures and people.
The dice on the corner symbolise luck by not always following the rules.
The pair of birds come from the nostalgia of watching David Lynch’s Twin Peaks as a teen.
She says, while fidgeting with the tablecloth: “Those birds in the opening of the first season were about mystery, obscurity. It was dream-like yet frightening. Part of who I am.”
Today, she describes herself as someone whose “intense, obsessed, searching, yet balanced.” Her eyes glisten now with tears: “It has been a long journey; one where I have deepened by finding more tools a long the way. These tools have allowed me to bask in spirituality.”
From the depths of despair, as she puts it, she has grown into four successful spheres: singer, performer, guitarist and songwriter.
Her voice is suddenly deeper and confident:
“I want to be one of South Africa’s best songwriters and performers.”
PENSIVE: Marcia Moon finds inspiration within the ordinary. PHOTO: Margot Scholtz
It shows. Marcia puts a lot of effort into every gig, capturing her audience not only with her voice, but her potent facial expressions. While watching her fans, it is clear the music speaks to them. Some even cry while singing along.
“I’m not just singing. It’s a performance. It’s theatre.It’s interacting with your audience. I want to take them into the mood. My music may not be political, but it is a form of activism.”
Marcia explains her views on the South African music scene: “In the last twenty years, we have been creating culture: cultivating and moulding it. I want to be part of that.”
Experience has taught her to be intrigued with daily experiences. Playing chords on her guitar inspire future ideas and words for songs: “Sometimes, it will take ages. But it often happens quickly. Like soft rain after a dry thunderstorm, everything just falls into place.”
Marcia believes there’s still a gap in the Afrikaans music scene, especially when it comes to song writing: “Most of them sing without much passion about what they say or feel. They are just words or nice tunes. I don’t want my words to make people dance, but help their souls take flight.”
Her debut Album A Gradual Awakening is available at PLUM CD in Rosebank Mall and Revolution Records in Observatory, Cape Town. She is currently recording a bilingual album and working on songs for a third one:
“People take the writing part for granted. If it sounds good, that’s often enough. I write for fans that want to experience and explore. It’s a psychological process. I see music as the other mind: a different, profound dimension.”
Buddha: “Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
Tags: Acceptance, Africa, Cape Town, Homosexuality, Lesbian, Moon, Music, Musician, South Africa, Twin Peaks, University of Pretoria
VANESSA SMEETS
Rachel observed the cord that now hung loosely around his neck. She flung her body around his torso: “WHY? WHY? WHY?”
His face was ashen, but smiling. His fingers were stiff and there was a note in his pocket:
“I’m sorry. I lived. Better to burn out than fade out.”
These were the words from Kurt Cobain, one of his musical idols. He was a musician, artist and poet. He was a rising star. He had so much joy and love to give. Although Rachel hadn’t seen him in two years, she had seen him in a dream just days before:
“I had never dreamt of him before. He was dancing and laughing. He was trying to tell me something, but the music was too loud. ‘Next time!’ I shouted. He nodded, but looked disappointed. ‘Next time’ never came… He used musical chords to live, but found solace in the other type… I can’t believe it.”
MENTAL PRISON: Those suffering from depression often find themselves in a mental prison, unable to escape what many describe as "the big black wolf." PIC: online
Rachel knew she had been there, dangling mentally from the tightened cord:
“For years, it was a dark horrific secret. You dream of screaming into a void but no one can hear you. Suddenly, the silence gets a face. It looks like a huge black wolf, eating various parts from the inside out. First, it takes your voice. Then your thoughts. Then, swiftly, your actions. You think of it constantly: death.”
She describes how she had stared death in the face five years ago. It was after her boyfriend had ended it for the twentieth time:
“It’s like switching a light switch constantly on and off. I knew he was cheating. I knew he didn’t love me. I knew I didn’t have the strength to fight him, carry on alone or start over again. He broke up with me just before my degree ended. I never finished my year and never got my degree.”
Rachel was an A student, dreaming of becoming a doctor. A few months later, she found herself helping people in a mental institution instead. She was diagnosed with both clinical depression and bipolar disorder:
“Everyone goes through phases of depression. But my lows were outnumbering my highs. I was constantly on shopping sprees, trying to get rid of suicidal thoughts. I didn’t love my life or myself anymore.
At times, I would look into the mirror and see a monster. It looked like that huge black wolf… My thoughts were killing me. I decided to end it all with a few pills the first time. I felt so ashamed when I woke up.
Product of divorce, you often dream of that perfect romance. Or, the one that gives you the most kicks. You’ll look for it wherever you can. I found it in a charming abusive guy, who fed me compliments but told me how to live. You can’t escape the clutches of someone that possessive. I kept going back.”
Rachel shivers when she describes her survival strategy:
“Thinking about death smells like a rotting corpse… It sticks to you constantly, howling at you every night when you’re alone. You become fascinated by the sounds it makes, how it seems to know your name. You think of constant ways to lure it: by teasing those potent thoughts, finding ways to ward them off and searching for ways to subtly warn your friends and family that you are going through them. Often, they suspect nothing. Even the music you listen to doesn’t warn them enough. I’d lock myself up in silence. The only true way is to examine your behaviour and what you write constantly about in your diary…”
SECRETS: The only way to observe whether you are truly suicidal, is by keeping track of what you write in your diary. Focusing on the past and old mistakes shows an unhealthy way of dealing with the present and making progress with the future. PIC: Online
> Speak to them alone soon as possible.
> Avoid judging or criticising them.
> Highlight their strengths without exaggerating them.
> Call the person they are closest to.
VANESSA SMEETS
A report I did on South Africa for Erasmus Mundus radio show Accents Weekly.
Listen to the podcast:
Tags: Africa, Cape Town, crime, Erasmus Mundus, Gay Pride, Johannesburg, Knysna, Madiba/ TATA, Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Sikelela iAfrika, Pretoria, South Africa
To all my readers,
Thank you for being part of this incredible journey.
I decided to start this year off with some colorful quotes, before writing about the heavy topics.
May it be a year filled with happiness…
With love…
With new chapters…
And incredible lessons…
Vanessa
Tags: happiness, Happy new year, lessons, love, new chapter
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 26,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 10 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Click here to see the complete report.
Tags: Annual report, blog, blogging, Chica Papillon, Sydney Opera House, WordPress.com, WordPress.com Stats
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