Motlatsi Khosi (MK): The South African music and art scene has seen a new growth in the quality and success of her local acts. Artists such as Nakhane Toure, Moonchild and Elo are setting the bar high for the next generation of music entrepreneurs. I sat down to talk with Kazim, a young man neck-high in the UK creative and music scene who has frequented Johannesburg and other local cities. We met through mutual friend on his earlier visits and was quickly amazed by his stories and where his travels had taken him. I wanted to get a better sense of how he as a global citizen from London had been experiencing our local budding creative industry.
Please give us an excerpt of what you are about, where you come from and where you are going?
Kazim Rashid (KR): An abstract question to kick things off, you’re not for the feint hearted are you Mo. How to answer this? Where I should say, I am Kazim, full name Kazim Rashid, the artist formerly known as Kazim Kazim Kazim. I am a part of the Indian East African diaspora whose parents came as Immigrants and settled in the UK. I come from people who move about and thus it explains my current situation – one of nomadism of sorts. Where I am going Is a tricky one, tomorrow I leave for my next burst of activity [Berlin-Ethiopia-Johannesburg-Ibiza-London-Moscow-Paris-New York-London] but where I am going spiritually, emotionally and creatively is a question I don’t have an answer for the first time in my life and what I hope we can discuss today.
MK: I guess not having answers can be somewhat of a blessing in disguise. Having the answers can be a burden and I’m sure there is an old Chinese or African proverb that warns us that it is the wise who don’t have all the answers. Well, hopefully its through this interview that some answers will pop up but I’m also hoping the right questions will manifest themselves to our readers.
Coming to South Africa meant tapping into local talent and in your last visit you even scouted for some new music acts. Joburg has become somewhat of a favorite for you and you seem to be venturing here each time on a new mission.
KR: Originally I came as a guest of the British council for a project they were running called Connect ZA which invited leading entrepreneurs from the UK and Africa to Joburg to connect, workshop and hang. I immediately fell in love, head over heals, with the city, Its people and a spirit in the air. It reminded me of Berlin when I first moved there now around 8 years ago. A feeling I haven’t had since then, even having travelled all over the world; a truly unique magnetism and chemistry between the environment and myself. As of today I have now been here 3 times and each time it has been for different reasons and work, including a working Residency, an artist tour and of course the original British Council trip. The 4th time is happening in a couple of weeks where I will be returning to finish a TV project where I will be directing with some local friends and TV people.
MK: You get around Kaz. To me you represent a new stage in what it means to work. Multiple skills will be needed for an ever-globalizing world. You started out making music and DJing at parties. Your next move was working in the record company where you honed your entrepreneurial skills and now you’re working for the British council where you’re running workshops and moving onto teaching as part of your career. In your experiences there is plenty of on the job learning and you have also been blessed with the opportunity to travel as part of your training. Yet you have also gained from working and hanging out in Johannesburg.
KR: If I’m honest, most of my learning has been on a human level. I have spent my time with people who have had a very unique experience of the world; it’s history and the culture. In doing so my exposure to new ideas, new approaches to creativity and crucially critical discussion has been greatly influenced. In that sense, I think that has been both my greatest learning as well as my greatest stimulus and inspiration and most probably the reason I keep on returning. My experience and the community I work and hang with employ a level of critical discussion that I just don’t experience outside of SA, and it hugely inspires my thought process and thus my work.
MK: The Jozi bug has definitely hit you! Johannesburg historically has been seen as a place where anyone could come to make their fortune. Even its name says it all Gauteng, which translated means city of gold. Yet you’ve tapped into another side of her wealth less applauded in the mainstream. You see it as a place of ideas and knowledge I’m proud to say. Your biggest influence has been engaging with her people, her artists and business starters but with her youth in particular. You recently told me an anecdote where you were talking with one such community where you explained to them where you were at and where you had been. They responded with such amazement and awe yet you were quite dissillusioned with yourself. You had come this far yet something was missing and you could not look back at your own life with such vigor. You seem to be at your peak, one in which you are actively needing to look back on your life and more introspectively.
KR: Right now I’m at a very interesting stage in my life, a stage I hadn’t prepared for, nor had I anticipated or expected. I have been fortunate to achieve what I had set out to do. I have done great things with my work, things I also never set to do or never even imagined. My work has seen me travel to nearly every continent, all but the cold ones, and have friends in some of the best cities in the world. In doing so I have also come to realize that this feeling is flawed, it’s a trap I never thought existed. I have held many positions and am able to express myself through music, film, editorial and art. I have reached what you could describe as a somewhat professional and creative utopia. Having spent most of my life being driven by work and now realizing most of those ambitions, I have also come to realize that in fact, this isn’t the recipe for emotional or spiritual happiness – in the truest sense of the word. So, having not even reached 30 yet, how do I plan to live the rest of my life, in fact, how do I plan to live what will be the majority of my life? In a way which is both stimulating and satisfying.
MK: Its funny how life will always find a way to bump you outta action. You make your plans and you achieve them and yet you realize that actually that is not enough. Your experiences show two fundamental key points for any creative. The first being that you have to be willing to constantly learn and add new skills to the craft. There is this overwhelming need to work hard, keep busy and keep moving forward in order to reach your goals because there are thousands of others in the industry ready and wanting to take your place. But then there is the second point of choosing your goals wisely. We need money to survive but will it be enough to thrive on? You speak of spiritual wellness, of something beyond the immediate desires, for a more holistic approach to one’s well-being and identity. It’s not enough to reach our goals but to look deeper into who we are and figure out whether this is the person we want to become. This now, more then ever will be a very important question for the artists and entrepreneurs in South Africa’s booming music and cultural industry.
Thank you so much for having this interview with me Kazim and for sharing thoughts with our Bubblegumclub readers.
Kazim can be followed on Instagram through the handle @kazim_kazim_kazim