MindMapSA Issue 9

EDITOR’SLETTERArt with meaningAmericanmusicmastermindJesse BoykinsIIIIam one of those people who believe that artgets a bad wrap. Partially I must admit is thatthis wrap is earned. Too often artists have allowedthemselves to become stereotypes of thecreative process, you know what I am talkingabout the type who spend a large amount of timecreating work that even they cannot explain,drinking heavily and taking hard drugs andeven walking around looking rather morose andpreaching how absolutely doomed society is.It is in response to this that the 9th issue ofMindMap-SA comes out. We wanted to showcase that art andartists can move beyond this default psychedelic living, towardscreating more social conscious pieces of work and beingvoices for change. Now in our South African context arthas played a vital role in articulating the social positions ofour country and its people. Even during apartheid (yes I justwent there) artists such as Miriam Makeba, Nadine Gordimerand Jane Alexander were creating seminal works of artthat not only were relevant to the social order of the time butwere also aesthetically enriched and ultimately endearing.Now as Jim Morrison once said every generation is lookingfor people that will define it, it would be attractive tothink of the people covered in this issue as those that will defineour generation but this is too simplistic but rather I optto think that their causes stretch beyond that and will live onmuch longer than them and will live on through their work.As part of this issue I spoke to rebellions performance artistAthi-Patra Ruga about his obsession with ritual, inspirationand how local audiences receive performance art. NosiphoMngoma interviews black feminist Simmi Dullay about herbody of work, the influence Steve Biko had on her and whyfeminism is still important in South Africa. Also in a groundbreaking cover feature we interview American music mastermindJesse Boykins about his romantic movement chasm.This edition aims to give a human face behind the causes and artwe consume and how that art is a form of protest. This issue wehope will serve as inspiration for other artists in Mzansi to createworks with wider social implications, away from the familiarlyof popular culture which so often dilutes creative identity.Away from all things rebellious Yolisa Tswanya visits thetaste of Cape Town which took place recently in the mothercity and sizzles her taste buds. All this in this protest editionof MindMap-SA. We hope you will enjoy it and untilwe see you in issue 10-until then keep mapping out.On the cover