I recently interviewed South African hip hop artist, Lee-Ursus Alexander, who, until this week, was based in Brooklyn. (The video interview is for a proposed series on African immigrant life in New York City.
The video is directed and produced by the talented Nerina Penzhorn.
* Nerina and I plan to regular video features like this one in future; when our day jobs allow it. She is currently editing her debut feature length documentary, “iKhaya Means Home.” (I first met Nerina when she use to comment at my old blog. She later ask me to feature Africa is a Country on a Brooklyn public television series, A Walk Around the Blog. At the time we promised to work together again. Now we will. Watch this space.)
– Sean Jacobs
Excellent. Please may you and Nerina do more such interviews.
@Sean: Great interviewing style. I look forward to seeing more of this project. A while back you interviewed a DJ from Botswana in a restaurant in Brooklyn. Do you have a link for that interview?
@ekapa
Here’s the DJ Tsidi interview:
http://awalkaroundtheblog.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/africa-in-brooklyn/
@NP: Thank you.
Good Stuff! I look forward to more…
Thanks for the interview. Have always enjoyed listening to Lee-Ursus use of Afrikaans. “Lamguages are not owned by nations, but by the people use them and make them live.” – Abdourahman Waberi
@sunnysara, @Erica: Thanks!
@Graeme: To your Waberi reference, see this Cape Town project:
– Sean
@ sean: thanks. seen it. loved it for opening that dialogue (pun intended… and not) to a larger audience. judging by varied audience responses i’d say it had an effect. from the quizzical to the “oh really, i didn’t know that” to the inappropriate laughter (an indication that the afrikaans language as spoken on the streets in cape town is still an object of ridicule and laughter and not to be taken seriously). and kyle shepherd’s compositions were awesome.