I am a regular cyclist. I walk and cycle every single day or on weekends in Grahamstown.
There really aren’t many good restaurants in Grahamstown, so one’s choices are incredibly limited. This is something I miss about Johannesburg, so to compensate for that I organise the best dinners in Grahamstown.
My friends come over for great meals and conversation.
My favourite city in South Africa is, without doubt, Johannesburg. I love its energy and the spontaneity of its people. I dislike the Jo’burg taxi drivers and its high electrified fences. I understand it’s a necessity but it’s an awful sight, a constant reminder of how much poverty we still have.
When I am in Jo’burg, I am a regular either in Rosebank, Melrose Arch or Parkhurst. My favourite mall is Rosebank. My Sunday mornings are usually spent at the Rosebank flea market. I love Tasha’s restaurant in Johannesburg — it’s one of my favourites. I am a seafood guy — I love prawns and I love fresh salmon.
Regarding theatre, I wouldn’t say that I have any particular production I like. However, I am more excited about a particular style that is beginning to emerge. An increasingly large number of artists are working across genres. This took root in Europe a long time ago but it is beginning to establish itself in South Africa.
For my music, I get serenaded by Susana Baca, a South American singer with an incredible voice. Her music is deeply politically rooted, yet it’s so soothing — it’s like being on a carpet made of silk. Susana still stands as my all-time favourite. I also love Abdullah Ibrahim. I try to listen to his music as much as I can.
Last week I listened to Busi Mhlongo’s music all week. That was because I was moved by her passing. Busi was the artist who closed the festival for us last year. She was a powerful performer and it was a wonderful moment for me recalling her voice.
I enjoy the tranquillity and serenity of Grahamstown sometimes. I enjoy the fact that I can walk the street. There are no high fences. The city is so small and in five minutes one can drive across into the township.
I like the fact that a large number of Rhodes students are making that trip into the township. I love that kind of engagement. It inspires hope and unity.
I am an avid book reader, but at the moment I am not reading anything. Instead I am reading some papers about heritage, legacy and leadership. It’s a series of papers from the United Kingdom written by arts practitioners that interrogates issues of leadership in the arts. In South Africa we face a lot of challenges when it comes to arts leadership, both at political and institutional levels.
In this past year my favourite book has been a collection of Zapiro cartoons. I have an entire collection of his works and I collect them like crazy. I like his honesty, straightforwardness and his fearlessness.
Ismail Mahomed is the festival director of the National Arts Festival, which runs in Grahamstown until July 4. He spoke to Duduzile Mathebula