1 botaki
2 botaki
Content Editors notes
5
Photographer
Cover feature
Siphesihle Mabaso
27-30.
Zinhle Mthembu & Tsuckiboy
6-16 Artprenuer
Creatives of the month
Ofentse Netshivangane”Virgoarth
Lesego Seoketsa ”Azania
0e”
Forest”
31-39.
17-22.
Musician Tamara Kambule
Special thanks
40.
23-26
3 botaki
Editor-in-Chief Onkemetse Gomotsegang Lekone Deputy Editor Promise Khoza Social Media Ntokozo Oliphant Lefa Mofulatsi Photographer [ Cover ] Calvin Tshireletso Assistant Thato Bokote Marketing Thato Phiri
4 botaki
Editors Notes
I
’ve been reading a book called Mis-Education of the Negros by Carter Godwin Woodson. The author takes the position that the consumer pays the tax, and as such every individual of the social order should be granted unlimited opportunities to make the most of himself. Such opportunities, too, should not be determined by forces set to direct proscribed element in a way to redound solely to the good of others but should be determined by the make-up of the Negro himself and by what his environment requires of him. I’ve
also learnt that the uniqueness in differentiations of races, moveover, is no evidence of superiority or of inferiority. This merely indicates that each race has unique gifts which others do not possess. It is by the development of these gifts that every race must justify its right to exist. I believe pushing people further beyond what’s expected of them is an absolute necessity. As the Law of Attraction states that ‘like attracts like‘. Always think positive thoughts, believe in yourself and always live in the present moment!
Editor-in-Chief Onkemetse Gomotsegang Lekone
5 botaki
Cover Feature
@uzinhle
Z
inhle Mthembu, who grew up in White City Jabavu, Mabaso Drive is a freelance fashion model and a creative business woman who grew up interested in beauty contests and Next Top Model Show ran by Tiara Banks and was influenced by Alek Wek which a lot of people still refer her too, and the Hollywood actress
Lupita Nyong'o. As a vibrant child in primary, she played chess, did spelling bee competitions and also sang in the choir.“ I've always had short hair because I had a sensitive scalp. I also did public speaking and I've been confident but the strength I got it from my Mama. “
6 botaki
Q:What is your greatest strength as a model? " I make any item or challenge given to work and any colours pop on my skin. " Q:How much interest you have in fashion? " its beyond interest, its LOVE at a blind sight. I don't follow all trends but my style reflects the times. "
" Yes like a runaway. You must be a certain height and for designs you must be a model size. "
Q:What's a typical day like for you? “ staying home and doing nothing. Drinking my chamomile tea perhaps “
Q:Do you have any experiences with criticism? How do you handle it?
Q:What advice would you give someone who wants to be a fashion model?
" Yes, I understand that we don't view things the same and I know that not everyone will appreciate or admire me so I keep on moving boldly and lively. You don't know who is looking. * winks * "
“ Do your research, look what you fit in doing other than fashion, diversify , familiarise yourself with fashion magazines / blogs/ posing tutorials and grow a thick skin , it's not all flashy as it seems sometimes it's a lot of work and pressure and lastly if you have a chance to study continue.!
Q:How has lockdown impacted your creativity? " Very positive at the end. It made me to rethink, revaluate , rebrand and find new methods of going forward. " Q:Are there any restrictions for different categories of modelling?
7 botaki
“THE RUNAWAY BRIDE”
8 botaki
9 botaki
10 botaki
”uQueen noSlime” 11 botaki
o
iginally from Botswana, Reabetswe Realeboga Motsaalore known as “Tsuckiboy” was born and raised in South Africa in a small town called Rusternburg. He is a qualified Graphic Developer, a self-taught Deejay, a
creative and a stylist. He loves coordinating his style, and draws inspiration from the 80s era also the things that happen around him. Being a creator since birth, he’s been good in sketching and that’s what lead him to doing graphics.
12 botaki
13 botaki
When was the first time you remember realizing that you’re a creative person? When did you know that this was what you wanted to do with your life? How did you get started? “ I realized that I was a creative in my intermediate phase when I used to design artworks for the school that I used to go to at the time, that’s when I saw that I have so much potential and not everyone can do what I do.. I felt like the world needed me. My dad then took me to a Secondary school ( Selly Park ) that I can be able to have access to visual designs, that’s when I started growing and evolving in my professional career. “ Do you think creativity is an innate or learned? “ I personally think creativity is innate but if you put time to whatever you want know then it’s possible for you to be creative. Also my definition of creativity is finding an idea, and adding your ideas on, to make it your work. DO NOT FORGET TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE ITS DUE. “ What role do you think the culture that you live in plays in your creative efforts? “ I live in a creative culture.. I’m surrounded by creative that have different interests, those creatives play a big role in my creative
efforts because I am able to view their perspectives in my own way and make something new out of it. “
As a self-taught Deejay, what are currently your main challenges? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you? “ Being a self-taught DJ is challenging because you don’t have anyone to direct or help you when you flop, only the tutorials you were watching online last night. Also not owning equipments can be the biggest challenge ever because you get less time of training and learning. They call me TSUCKIBOY MAKE ME DANCE, I love making people dance. “ How has lockdown impacted your creativity? “ Lockdown played a huge role in my thinking and creativity. It served as an eye opener, where I saw an opportunity of improving my skills and making money, offering people my service. “
What is the best advice that you have been given? “ Moremogolo go betlwa wa taola, wa motho o a ipetla “ – Papa Stylez
14 botaki
What are the words of wisdom for someone starting in your field? “ Do the works, its either you want it or you don’t “
15 botaki
@tsukiboy
“Tsuckiboy make me dance”
16 botaki
Creative of The Month Lesego Seoketsa “ AZANIAFOREST”
M
ultitalented Lesego Seoketsa, better known as ‘Azania Forest’ is a visual artist and not only is she a visual artist, she’s a photographer, content creator and co-founder of Camagu Studio.
@azaniaforest
Azania who always had an inclination to art since childhood draws her inspiration from obscure things, overlooked details and thoughts. Her father’s love for music and film has an impact on her artistic expression.
17 botaki
“My mother says I used to sing and perform at the age of 3. I also remember drawing and painting in pre-school, and my friends wanting to copy my drawings. I enjoyed class projects that involved crafts. I now make art as a way of communicating my thoughts, however I’ve also moved into a more inituitive space where I allow the art to inform me. I create because it’s the only way I’ll keep sane, ideas come to me and sometimes haunt me.”
am doing. I went through a troubling time questioning my work and worrying if it will be received with open arms. I have now come to understand that it all doesn’t matter. There’s no point in overthinking and worrying about who likes the work or not. I feel free. I’m navigating the art world in this freedom, knowing that I have done the justice of releasing the expression or message of the art, and that is enough for me. I am open to engaging with those who receive art, however my role is to honour the calling which is creating. I navigate the art world knowing that what I do is a calling.”
Q : How have other artists or art genres
Q : Is there an element of art you enjoy
have influenced your sense of aesthetic?
working with the most?
“Definitely! I love and appreciate other artists. I am currently inspired by a photographer, Leslie Zlang. I feel that he is communicating what I am currently feeling. I feel connected to his work. I am also inspired by my parents when they were young, their pictures and facial expressions. I wish I knewthe photographers who took pictures of them.”
“Yes! I love colour. I think colour is a subjective element and it fascinates me how everyone feels connected to a particular colour(s). Also the fact that the human eye can only perceive a limited spectrum of colour blows my mind because I wonder what colours animals can see that we don’t. The human eye is limited and that’s so funny to me, how we think we know everything and how we think we understand aesthetics in depth, whereas we’re actually physically restricted.”
Q : How did you start making art? / Why do you make art?
Q : How do you navigate the art world? “Since my first exhibition in 2017, I took a step back to understand what it is that I
18 botaki
Q : Should art be used to express
Q : Are you currently working on
beauty and ugly and painful side of life? Should it or not?
something your readers should know about?
“I think the word ‘should’ puts an unspoken constraint on artistic expression. To me art is merely existing, being aware of that and sharing this with someone else. Beauty and pains are things we experience and express. I think the art is in the expression. The way you hold a fork, the way your eyebrows crease when you frown. Its all encompassing.”
“I am currently working on a collection of 20 paintings. I am more halfway through. It was all intuitive and I thank my good friend and artist Lulama Wolf for pushing me to explore different mediums and expressions. It’s a beautiful process and I can’t wait to show the full collection when the times comes.”
19 botaki
“Lady with brown eyes” 20 botaki
“Lady Liberty” 21 botaki
“In search for Mbona Lisa” 22 botaki
@azaniaforest
23 botaki
Musician Tamara’s new single “ Clockwise (Gold)”
T
amara Kumbula, born and raised in Pretoria and moved to Hollywood in 2019 draws her inspiration from a lot of sources, mainly from personal experiences she’s been through but also love channeling a lot of
inspiration from the likes of Beyonce, Kanye West and Post Malone. She describes her sound as more experimental and a mix of pop/hip hop with some rap elements.
24 botaki
Q : How did you establish your talent? “I’ve always been into music growing up. In high school I loved doing any form of art and music was always a really fun hobby for me. I picked up some guitar/theory along the way and started making beats and writing, and decided towards the end of high school I’d do it professionally.” Q : Please tell us more about your single and who produced it? “My new single is called ‘Clockwise (Gold)’ and I produced and wrote it. Essentiallu, I wrote it when I was going through a hard time as a message to motivate myself and to always move forward regardless of what may or may not happen in the future. Its out on all platforms so I’d appreciate it if you gave it a listen.” Q : What is the biggest problem you have encountered in this music journey? “Mainly accepting the lengthiness and time it takes to get to a finished product. I think a lot of people don’t see the work and time people put in songs they create and becoming ‘an overnight success’ . I personally
struggle a lot with ‘perfectionism’ and that can really bring down your psyche or it can motivate you to do better and push yourself. I think finding a balance between making songs that I’m proud of versus what may sell has been something I’ve been proud to resolve within myself and I hope other artist learn that mentality early on in the game.” Q : What difference do you want to make in the music industry? “Like I said before, I’m super into experimenting with genres so I’d definitely love to contribute to the game by making a sound no one has heard before. I also want to work with all the greats and be one of the few South Africans to cross that bridge but personally, I couldn’t think of anything cooler then introducing a whole new genre to the industry.” Q : Are you currently working on something your readers should know about? “Yes! I’m working on my debut album and I’m super excited about it. With the pandemic going around the release got delayed but hopefully it’ll be out by the end of July/ early August.”
25 botaki
26 botaki
Tamara in studio
@tamaraaaah_ah 27 botaki
Photographer Siphesihle Mabaso’s photography jouney
S
iphesihle Mabaso, born and raised in Pietermaritzburg KZN, grew up as a curious child and that drive to push himself to limits. Since he was living with his relatives, he never had father figure as his father was assassinated when
@siphesihle_mabaso
he was an infant and that led him to being raised by the streets where he learned about the culture, influence and its perspective. What inspires him the most is creating memories and capturing moments into images.
28 botaki
Q : What does photography mean to you? “To me photography is a means of expressing myself, being myself, exploring, sharing myself with the world and creating memories. I use photography as my therapy. Whenever I am feeling down every time I pick up the camera my soul lightens up. I forget about all the negative, and create what some people can’t physically see but my mind imagines.” Q : What is your favourite subject to photography? “Portrait photography does it for me! When you look at a portrait there’s a lot you see in terms of when you look at a person (subject/muse) eyes you feel as if you are in the lens looking into someone’s soul. High end street style fashion has to be my first love, I consume a lot of street style content and that has to be my happy place as soon as I prepare my own street style editorials.”
Q : How has lockdown impacted your creativity? “Lockdown has only enhanced the way I meditate on the creative aspects of my craft. It’s been
challenging as we hardly get access to models or locations as seen on my latest content I put out on instagram I have been creating at home. Maybe as the lockdown levels go down we will be able to travel to locations and have access to faces. And the creative aspect that has been cut short because of this pandemic will presume as usual as well staying safe by all means.” Q : Whose work has influenced you the most? “@shotbyngezi on instagram I can gladly and proudly say that’s someone that has really set the standard of inspiration in South Africa’s creative photography space. There are a few I see as inspiration but in terms of smooth grading, composition, streetstyle photography and street fashion editorials they are international living in Paris/London.” Q : What’s your intake on the photography scene right now with all the crazy things going on in the world? “Let’s not stop creating, photographers should keep creating and stop chasing celebrities that’s not content and stay safe we can still create after this pandemic.”
29 botaki
30 botaki
Artpreneur Ofentse Netshivangane ‘virgoarth0e
O
fentse Netshivangane, born and raised in Pretoria, September 2000 is well known as virgoarth0e draws her inspiration herself, ideologies, insecurities, daily experiences and sometimes trauma. Spirituality, portraits and the female body (and its nuances) are some of the key elements visible in her art. She also use a wide range of media to express herself, with painting and digital collages being the
“Art started off as an escape from the everyday world and in most cases, it was a cathartic experience, where I allowed myself to express my thoughts and feelings on paper, and it has now grown into the only way I know to express myself. I say this because I struggle to express myself verbally, even when it comes to the simplest dialogues. Also, I am an introvert, so I enjoy being in my own space.�
most used.
31 botaki
“Virgin Mary reimagined� 32 botaki
33 botaki
Q : Who influences?
are
your
biggest
“Growing up I was surrounded by powerful women. Even to this day, women are huge advocates in my life. I draw my inspiration from their teachings, the relationship they have with their bodies, their realities and trauma and how they deal with all these things. I only make art with women as my subject. When it comes to selfportraiture, I am heavily influenced by artists like Frida Kahlo and Tony Gum. I create a lot of subjective work, mainly displayed in digital collages, where I am able to share my thoughts in a conscious way, even though it is often misunderstood. Q : When did you first become interested in art? “I’ve always had an interest in art and creating. I remember grade 2/3 my friend and I would always make cards for Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day and sell them to our peers. But it was in 2013 that I started nurturing my love for art and that I started creating art with
intent. I realized that I was artistically skilled after I had a drawing project in my art class and my drawings were praised by my teacher and peers because of how realistic they were. Selecting visual arts as one of my main subjects in high school also aided in me having respect for art.” Q : Does your creative work come easily or you struggle with ideas? What obstacles (if any) do you experience when you are creating? If you do face obstacles, how do you get past them? “Creativity is the natural order of life. The artist brain is associative and freewheeling; it’s always making new connections, yoking together images to invoke new meaning, so no, I don’t struggle with creative work and coming up with ideas, I have plenty of those. The issue is always execution. I don’t know how many ideas I have written down, but I am yet to give birth them and bring them to life. The main hindrance being my lack of resources and sometimes, motivation.“
34 botaki
35 botaki
Q : What does your artwork represent? “My subject matter covers a wide range of topics, so I can’t put it all in one sentence. But I think one of the conversations I would want women to have when looking at my work is how they, too, can tell their own stories. Their stories, feelings and thoughts are valid and should not be muted in fear of what the rest of the world will say. The expressions may not be elegant and pleasing to the eye, but they arereal and need to discussed.” Q : How does your work comment on current social or political issues? “As an individual, I am not really a fan of politics, not that I turn a blind eye to the things that happen in the
world, I usually observe what is happening around me and educate myself on these issues and challenge these matters amongst peers. Societal issues that I touch on in my art, include mental health, sexuality, and the female body as a site for life and violence. These are found in the digital collages that I do, and are often disguised as just pretty collages but I always leave some kind of text in the artwork to serve as a hint of what the collage is about. In some of my works I exhibit vulvae, a body part that mainstream culture deems illicit and shameful, and I adorn the vulvae with flowers to portray their elemental power. I also celebrate the diversity that exists in the sphere of female bodies and try to show that each body boats a completely different shape and size and they are all comparably beautiful.
36 botaki
Q : Please explain your creative process “My creative process changes according to my mood and whatever side of Ofentse decides to shine through at the specific moment, but it always starts with me as the source of inspiration (or the others that I have mentioned), or me relating myself to a particular subject, e.g the smell of a coffee. Sometimes I enjoy sitting in complete silence when working, drinking some kind of tea and sitting on the floor of my room. In this way, I am alone, with my thoughts and somehow feel led by these thoughts and emotions but I enjoy the organic nature of this process.
PS : all the art I make is created in my bedroom, which I often turn into a studio. Q : What’s the best advice you’d give someone especially if they want to be an artist like you? “Make the most of your uniqueness. Nobody else can draw from your childhood and lived experiences. Be prepared to be yourself and live your truth. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but as a creative, accept these characteristics and use them to your benefit. The advantage of being yourself is that you will be original.”
37 botaki
“untitled” Acrylic on canvas board 30cm diameter 2020 “ for these portraits, I wanted to place focus on the identities of African women and what their faces reveal about who they are. On the left, we have Nikiwe Dlova, a creative who believes that every women’s crown is an expression of who they are and she showcases this in the dynamic and versatile hairstyles she wears. On the right we have Aduta Akech, a Sudanese model who grew up in a refugee camp in Australia and later became a successful model. Today she continues to inspire many girls of her complexion and those with afrocentric features to be confident and comfortable in their own skin. “
38 botaki
Untitled ( 4 black women dancing ) A3 Acrylic on canvas board 2020 Commissioned piece
39 botaki
Special Thanks To
B
otaki Ba Afrika is a non profit organization that aims to assist disadvantaged artists mainly focusing on children, youth and substance abusers existing through various art mediums namely : writers, fine artists, performing
artists, photographers, fashion designers and crafters. By providing artists with a platform and incubating centre through various art programmes which offer developmental and economic growth.
Their main OBJECTIVE is to :  enrich the community with any necessary skills in the art field, and provision of opportunities for the community to practice art and to promote art literacy.
 Create an art network.  Establish the spirit of critical thinking through social cohesion. www.botakibaafrika.org
40 botaki
CREDITS TO : COLLABORATOR BOTAKI BA AFRIKA Photographer _ Tshireletso Calvin @insta_calvin
Photographer assistant _ Thato Bokote @mantarikisi
Cover Features _ @uzinhle_mthembu & tsuckiboy
Creative of the Month _ Lesego Seoketsa @azaniaforest
Tamara Kambula _ @tamaraaah_ah
Siphesihle Mabaso _ @siphesihle_mabaso
Ofentse Netshivangane _ @virgoarth0e
BOTAKI YOUTH MAGAZINE TEAM
41 botaki