We would like to introduce you to Sarah Boden-Dawans. Sarah is the founder of Represent.co.za, a very resourceful lifestyle “blogazine” covering the arts, culture and technology scene in South Africa and abroad. Never heard of a blogazine before? Represent was coined a ‘blogazine’ as it is a hybrid between a blog and a magazine. 
In 2008 Sarah started Jova.co.za, an online community with a focus on creativity, culture, innovation, and social intelligence (often within an experiential marketing context)  in the digital and global era, that bridges South Africa with Europe and the world.

With so much understanding of the arts and cultural scene in South Africa we were of course very interested in having Sarah answer a few questions for us.

Beware: This is a long but real worthwhile read.

What led to the creation of Represent?
I had been back living in Johannesburg post a short stint in Europe, and during this time I was extremely motivated by the rapid societal, developmental and cultural changes I saw around me, particularly in my city of birth, Jozi (this is what we affectionately call Johannesburg). I have always been a kind of ‘conduit’ between different cultures and I found myself happily taking friends, family and visitors around to atypical places, promoting a multi-cultural and open-minded approach to living and loving in the transforming city.

At the beginning of 2005, a friend from Belgium came to visit, I was on holiday, so I spent a week showing him around my favourite hideouts and talking nonstop about the urban, arts and youth culture in South Africa – he was suitably over-stimulated and encouraged me to gather all my ‘bits and pieces’ into one place as a record of the cultural ‘zeitgeist’, so to speak. At first I visited the idea of a print magazine, which has always been a dream of mine, but my partner convinced me to go digital by designing me a beautiful website magazine instead.

A few months later, based on the growing popularity, my super digitally-savvy brother Chris introduced me to WordPress and convinced me to convert the magazine into a ‘blog’ format, it was the first time I had heard of the term ‘Blog’. And so we did. And Represent the Blogazine emerged. I have not promoted it much, but prefer for it to grow organically and attract its own crowd, luckily it has consistently grown (thanks to everyone that selflessly helped me!Sharpile!) and I am pleased to say the content is now strongly driven by it’s readers and citizens.

How important is music in South Africa’s society?
I believe it plays an integral part in everything we do, everything that we are. South Africans by nature are generally happy-go-lucky people, we love nothing more than a good song, a deep beat, an impromptu dance or just hanging out with friends and family – we are very sociable people, the weather helps of course. Music marks our past and plots out our present: put on a popular song and typically many people will be able to tell you where our country was in our history at that moment.

Unfortunately some popular music is still culture-based due to hangovers from our disparate past and the damage caused by separate media channels, however that is changing as radio and TV stations (those with vision) apply non-clichéd, colour-blind approaches to playlisting. I remember in the 90s reading at university that more South Africans have radios than mattresses. Makes you think! (Some would argue it’s for the sports coverage  ;) )

Who are the most influential artists in South Africa today?
Wow, that’s a tricky question that could get me into a lot of trouble – I’d rather focus on music styles if that’s ok. We have a large country as you know, with so many different people spread across numerous provinces, all coming from different cultures, with different tastes. You can’t really put us in a box.

So let me talk about the urban youth, as this is the market I am most familiar with. Whilst amongst the majority of urban youth our original hybrid music style known as ‘Kwaito‘ has dominated CD collections and party playlists for more than a decade, homegrown HipHop (using indigenous languages) has gathered in momentum, consistently attracting a somewhat niche audience seeking an outlet for conscientious expression.

Contrary to world trends, House music has retained its pull factor, as fans continue to flock to clubs to get down to their favourite local House DJ’s, who are considered legendary. Then there’s Afro Pop that has a broader audience and while less innovative than Kwaito or HipHop, it provides the ‘hits’ a more mature crowd are looking for at a wedding or bash and crosses through generations and cultures. We’re also a country of romantics, Sunday is not only the day of rest, it’s also the day of RnB ballads sweeping through many a South African lounge or… bedroom.

I have, however, also noticed a counter-trend to all the above mass trends: cross-genre collaborations caused a stir a few years ago and continue to be experimented with, think HipHop meets Rock as an example, consistent with global trends; and there are also many curious and quirky music rebels who go against the grain and the stereotypical music genres in SA, preferring a global, non-local flavour. We’re diverse, what more can I say?

Can you list some examples where music has led to shifts in behavior (in South Africa)?
The most memorable for me would have had to be the introduction of Kwaito music across cultures in the early 2000′s, kicking off with Mandoza’s hitsong Nkalakatha that was being played across all stations and at all barbeques (braai’s) cross-culturally (although the track is considered passé now) – this was an important shift that united cultures and backgrounds – it was needed.

A more recent example could be DJ Fresh, adored for his seminal house music collections that have always brought cultures together, who recently released an ‘electro’ CD, a music style typically associated with contemporary cutting-edge Western culture, Fresh has always been edgy and is hugely influential on urban youth so we await to see the takeup… I must reiterate that we don’t like to be kept in boxes, so an Electro album from Fresh was not necessarily surprising, just noticeable for those of us that observe music and culture closely.

What is required to stop the current trend of rape and violence in South Africa?
It seems like a fight against windmills?
SHO! I am certainly not qualified to answer this question, not only as it is not in my expertise, but because it is clearly not a simple problem – and it therefore does not have a simple solution. In my non-expert opinion though, the culture of violence and rape is a multi-faceted issue, symptomatic of our divisive, destructive and unjust past that lingers… It is worrying and heart-breaking for all good citizens of South Africa, we all abhor and are distressed by rape and violence that touches on many of our lives.

The situation is aggravated by ongoing issues of unending poverty, the lack of education and job opportunities, which all result in despair and hopelessness; I truly believe it should be a top priority for our leaders across the board. Many selfless community members work tirelessly to make sense of, understand and stem the violence, but it I believe it is also the responsibility of every citizen to work towards eradicating violence within our society, guided by our leaders and wise elders, within a community context.

What is your personal advice for Project South Africa – Time for Ubuntu?
Where would you start and what would you focus on?
Ubuntu is all about the community. So, I would start with an intensive period of immersion within South Africa of all the key members of your team (the entire team if you can afford it), where you surround yourselves in the diverse communities and learn about the country from inside out, during a viable period of time, remember it’s a big place. I would also urge you during this period of immersion, to identify and connect with South Africans on the ground who could ‘twin’ the members of your team, bringing their grassroots knowledge and hands-on expertise to the party, making the project a true collaboration.

Unemployment is rife in South Africa and by twinning your team with South Africans resident within the communities, you not only will change the lives of many (Ubuntu style!) but your project will be so much more authentic, meaningful and welcomed. Us Africans tend to be skeptical and have a negative perception of outsiders ‘coming to save us’ who may ‘talk down’ to us or impose their typically ‘Western’ rules and life knowledge onto us, without getting to know our narratives, systems and way of life.

This is the ugly history of our entire continent, hence our skepticism. However, we do respect those that get to know us from amongst us, and those that make a real effort to listen to our stories, understand who we are, where we are from and why we are, like we are. This is important in Ubuntu.

Would you encourage someone to start a business in South Africa?
Absolutely. Firstly, the inherent talent in so many of our people is waiting to be shared. We are so far down South and our people tend to be quite modest, so we don’t always brag about the talent innate in nearly every citizen, but after your visit, you will know exactly what I refer to here.

Secondly, it is a growing, exciting, vibrant and fast-moving economy, those that work hard within it, generally reap the rewards due to them.

Thirdly, unemployment as I mentioned, is sadly way too high, we need all the investment we can get, you will be amazed at the response to your recruitment drive. Fourthly, to live in South Africa is to truly feel alive and a part of a dynamic, incredible society, it will change your life and you will never be the same again. This is a gift, if you are able to take it up, I urge you to do so.

The last reason is obvious, the people, the nature, the weather and the diversity is overwhelmingly pleasurable, it is a good life, with good people. What of the risks? Well, if you follow my advice on immersing yourselves within the culture first, you will be guided by caring citizens as to our ‘way of life’ and you will soon learn how to live within our society and be empowered with the rules and ‘streetwise’ approach we all adhere to, that will help you avoid potentially difficult or trying situations.

We cannot deny that there is a lot of crime in South Africa that again touches on all our lives, but this should not limit your desire to invest in our country. We need creative, innovative and optimistic businesses in our country, if you can offer that, then don’t hesitate.

What are your feelings about the 2010 Soccer World Cup?
I will never forget the sheer joy and delight experienced by all of us the day it was announced. We have had a tough history and though we continue to suffer some minor (and some not so minor) setbacks, we are a resilient, brave people and we somehow manage to pull together and overcome them.

For me, it was only a question of time before the world recognizes Africa’s and South Africa’s value and potential on the world stage. I firmly believe our time is now, Africa’s time is now, so… I advise you to get amongst! Quickly!

Sarah, thank you so much for your in-depth answers!