Design Indaba – Poster Design Competition.
May14

Design Indaba – Poster Design Competition.

Have you felt the need to showcase your design skills? Well this is your chance. Design Indaba hereby invites you to design a poster for their 2014 event. As a creative you know what Design Indaba is capable of should your design be the winning poster. Don’t wait too long, competition closes 7th of June 2013. Details after the...

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Zaki Ibrahim presents Every Opposite.
Apr22

Zaki Ibrahim presents Every Opposite.

Recently we had the opportunity to interview Canadian-born South African singer/songwriter Zaki Ibrahim. We found out what makes her the ever soulful singer that she is and to our delight, she is one musician you’d want to spend your money on. Here is what Zaki had to say… Zaki, what was it like growing up in Canada? I lived in a small town on Vancouver Island, Canada’s westest coast.  My family seemed very different from the other families on the island. We were a “bi-racial” unit or “multi-racial in many ways, with a very African percussionist and social activist Father, a blond, blue eyed school teacher Mother. We stuck out like a sore thumb.  Different families from different places in the world lived with us at any given time; Korea, Russia, Japan, Nigeria, Jordan, Afganistan and Bask Country. We always had tenants that my parents “hosted” as they emigrated to Canada, as they started programmes through the local College for refugees and families seeking a better life for their children.  Home life was always filled with stories from all corners of the world.  As a teenager, I found it to be the most boring place on earth.  But looking back, it was the bomb. Your dad Zane Ibrahim is a radio legend, what role has he played in you choosing a musical career? He’s always encouraged me to express myself, but has been wary of     encouraging me to sell that expression.  My Dad is very anti consumerism.  He believes in humility and sensibility.  I think as his baby girl, he’s always tried to strengthen me and protect me at the same time.  I think my career choice as a musician was nerve wracking for him as he knew it’s something that flows out of me, but also shows vulnerability.  The day he gave me his stamp of approval was the first time he saw me perform here in South Africa in 2009. About her Career. What motivated you to choose a career in music? I suppose I’ve been motivated most by the encouragement of my peers and found that music began to take over once I gave it a fair chance.  I always felt that I wanted to protect the thing I loved doing most and not depend on it to live just so I could love it forever. What do you think every artist [new/old] should know about the industry you are in? The thing that I’ve found is like with anything in life, there’s something new to learn. Just when you think you know it all, there’s something else to get your teeth into. It’s worth staying open to the...

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Through urban’s Eyes: The View From her Camera
May30

Through urban’s Eyes: The View From her Camera

Sharpile to @_thanda_ aka Thanda Kunene for asking great questions of such an inspirational young South African creative, urbanmosadi. We ♥ the way urban describes why she loves living in Cape Town as well as her nickname for Johannesburg… and our favourite line from the interview has to be… “I seem to thrive outside of my comfort-zone, and in this case being away from home, is the only way I grow.” Representahs, make sure to shift your comfort zone every now and then – while you can, and always DO what you love.  We’ll leave it up to Thanda and Urban to convince you: Tiisetso Molobi AKA Urban Mosadi is an ever-changing soul with plenty of thoughts and silent serenity. She speaks deeply about her love of photography and the need for vintage in one’s life… The name is Urban Mosadi. How did it come into existence? urbanmosadi (with the lower case) urbanwoman. I needed to open up a new email account and I needed a name that described who I was, and what I wanted to become. Mosadi means woman. The t.molobi@blahblah was really not an option for me. For the longest time I have been a tom-boy, so wanting to blossom into a woman/lady one day, made it easy for me to stick with the word and name. I have had this alias for about 5 years now. Although I still have tom-boy tendencies, I feel like I’m evolving into this urbanmosadi I envisioned years back successfully. You now reside in the windy city of Cape Town. What made you change scenery from Joburg which is also your home town? I’m a rolling stone. The moment I am in myJoHo for too long I start getting ants in my dashiki pants…lol. After coming back from living in Los Angeles for most of last year (2009) I wanted to find a place that I could connect with back home, Capetown is alot like LA, or LA is alot like Capetown. Lots of landscape similarities, I reckon the C in Capetown definitely stands for Creativity. I love that about this city. Call it what you will Slaapstad, Apetown Little Europe, but there is an organic creative buzz about this town. I also love that folks out here are mad stylish. I love love that. But over and above that, I needed a place that would be kind to my heart. I seem to thrive outside of my comfort-zone, and in this case being away from home, is the only way I grow. I never understood the “cut throat” term used to describe myJoHo…I still don’t. I’m actually starting to...

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Represent ♥’s Everyday Tweeple – Meet @mnazania
May17

Represent ♥’s Everyday Tweeple – Meet @mnazania

Cruise from the tropical heat of Durban down round the coast to that breathtaking city we rate for December holidays and retirement (once we’re rolling in $$$’s big pimping it…soon soon!) and you’ll eventually pull into…  Cape Town… Meet Milase Mzamo, our fifth interviewee in the Represent ♥’s Everyday Tweeple series. Milase finds Cape Town a lonely place and Nando’s current advertising dumb; she believes the boysboys could win the World Cup and that running makes you wrinkle. We agree on three of the above.  Follow Milase on @mnazania and keep up with us on @sisiwami for the next installment… another dude, this time from Jozi, just for a change 😉 Location: Cape Town,south africa Bio: Enlightenment and a higher level of awareness is true wealth. Tell us about the everyday practicalities of true wealth in your life? I believe that increasing our level of awareness between humans/nature/energy/universe reduces our obsession with ourselves and gives us true happiness and thus true wealth can be attained. Racism is a big example. In the bigger scheme of things, we are all so equal. We are equal in all the things that matter, like giving birth and death so why do spend our lives focusing on things that do not matter. When mother nature takes revenge on us, it does not chose white people, coloured or black people. It strikes us all. So why can’t we use all our collective wisdom to preserve our world to teach our children what is right to generate enough positive energy. Sometimes, I can see it happening albeit in small measures. Have you spent 10000 hours on anything? What would you call your expertise? Always have been an aspiring writer. Building up enough hours to write a science fiction novel. I’m fascinated by science fiction because I believe it’s a preamble of things yet to come. If you follow sci-fi movies and track technology developments, you will see how they are related. Why are you Labour for life – do you have a connection to the UK? Met 2 people who influenced my direction in life. During apartheid SA, I worked at the Young Vic theatre in London and I was hosted by a lady who was an author, I told her of my ambition to be published and she advised me to become a journalist, saying, “ That’s the fastest way of seeing your name in print darling” The second one was Neil Kinnock, leader of the Labour party, who was a champion against apartheid SA Besides flying, what other fears do you have? I hate driving and moving things whilst being motionless. Think I...

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Represent Review: Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2010
Apr10

Represent Review: Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2010

Between bracing the Cape winds, running between stages and having dinner with Bilal (coughcough), our two fabulous Jozi representer’s Lebogang and Akona (you’re always a Jozi girl for us) still managed to cover the Cape Town International Jazz Festival for us this year… and with such panache… What can we say besides a massive Sharpile. Watch your snailmail for your thank yous 😉  See Lebogang’s gorgeous photostory of the event here and read Akona’s review below:  Represent! This year’s 11th annual Cape Town Jazz Festival, which took place last weekend, once again got it’s stamp of approval for being one of the grandest music festivals in the country, I also think this event, previously known as North Sea Jazz Festival, is one of the better organised festivals out there save for the crazy Cape Town wind trying to get it’s time in the spotlight. The line – up was incredible, the most exciting part for me are the number of fusion artists I had never heard  of – you see, the Jazz Fest for me is the place I go to be introduced to new music without being caught out as an ignoramus by die-hard fans. T his is where the artists have to bear their souls through their craft, this is where they introduce themselves to the possibility of new fans – me being one of them of course. 42 acts, over two nights, on 5 stages = a whole lot of dancing, singing, crying, with a healthy dose of soul touching music to keep you entertained.   On the first night, with a late start to the evening, I was blown away not only by the Cape Town wind at the ‘Bassline’ stage (which was setup outside of the International Convention Centre) but also by the Japanese fusion jazz group – a six man group playing what I’d call dance music, with a very jazzy root. It was impossible not to be mesmerized not only by their energy, but the way in which they got the audience involved, singing hooks, dancing, clapping along and creating a measurable heat out in the open stage (audience by now had to do just about everything not to succumb to the thrashing of the wind). What was most important is how the band didn’t seem bothered nor allowed themselves to be distracted by the wind and sand smacking them about on stage, they never skipped a beat – at one point I saw the saxophonist cough out some dirt only after blowing his instrument to the tunes. The Soil and Pimp Sessions is a vibrant band who transcend any expectations, MC, trumpet,...

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