Shafinaaz Hassim

This guest interview was compiled by Karen Lotter.

Izimvo is honoured to introduce Artist, Writer and Academic: Shafinaaz Hassim.

Since graduating from the University of Witwatersrand with a Masters of Arts in Social Science, Shafinaaz has gone on to publish two acclaimed books namely “Daughters and Diamonds” and “Memoirs for Kimya”.

As an identity theorist, Shafinaaz’s work involves biography and the documentation of narrative. “It is really about giving voice to woman, making their stories heard”.

Website: http://shafinaaz.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/shafinaaz
Location: Johannesburg

Shafinaaz was kind enough to answer the following questions:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: I’m running the possibilities through my head and thinking that there’s a number of ways I could be introduced at different social events! I guess this speaks of the nature of multiple caps that we tend to wear over time; so it would have to be, Shafinaaz, a 32 two-year old Aquarian, originally from what was Pietersburg in the Limpopo, having left the corporate world behind me, I am also a full time writer, author of 2 and a half books (kind of like a pregnancy, with cravings, minus the nausea) and the founder of WordFire Press.

Q: Your hometown is Polokwane. You now live mostly in Johannesburg. Tell us some experiences about growing up in a relatively small town in South Africa.

A: I left Polokwane in 1995. My fondest memory of high school, and being at home, has to be quality family time around the dinner table. And walking home from school with a throng of other kids from my high school (which was down the road in Nirvana, the “Indian” ghetto, where we lived).

I loved that our homes and gardens flowed into those of our neighbours, and that all their doors were open to us; at the end of Ramadaan, the Muslim month of fasting, everyone would come out into the street, craning their necks to look for the new moon.

I remember a tree that we used to climb in the garden around the house we grew up in, the smell of the mudcakes we played with, and the mulberries we collected near our school, only to return home with armfuls of them, and deep red stains on our clothes.

So in many ways, there’s a lot of inspiration for an artist in my memories of my childhood in a small town that did so much to awaken my senses while growing up.

Q: How about something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to a passion to your favorite movie.

A: Now, would I really want to broadcast something I may have hidden from scrutiny for all this time? :) Alright, let’s see. I have a phobia and an equal fascination for the ocean. I’m the only person in my family who cannot swim! Have I tried to conquer this? Yes and No. Favourite movie is a tough one. Thankfully, you haven’t asked me about a favourite book!

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: Painting…. I love the feel of oil paint in my hands, a new canvas, and an unplanned few hours of creative freedom. And I love washing dishes. I think the water, the monotony of the act, allows me to take my mind off anything that might be grating my nerves. Back to that water fascination :)

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South African would you like it to be?

A: I’ve lived in Polokwane, Johannesburg and in Durban. But if I had a choice, then I would opt to live in Cape Town; by far the jewel in SA’s crown, there’s magic between that Mountain and the ocean… something that I don’t think exists most other places in the world. A cottage with a view of the ocean and the sea would be my ideal home; a writer’s paradise, wouldn’t you say?

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Q: What book/books are on your bedside table?

A: I have a single bookshelf on the floor of my bedroom, but books that I’m reading at the moment, juggling research and leisure as follows:

“Walter & Albertina Sisulu- In Our Lifetime.” – Elinor Sisulu.
“On Writing.” – Stephen King.
“Gandhi’s Prisoner?” – Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie.
“Kaifi and I” – Shaukat Kaifi.
“The Essential Rumi” – Coleman Barks.

Q: What music do you listen to in your car or on the radio?

A: I alternate between the cd-shuttle and the radio: in Jozi it’s usually Highveld or Five FM, and in Polokwane its Jacaranda or Five FM. Spinning in the CD shuttle, usually Bollywood mixes, some Arabic recitations, some Sufi poetry.

Acedemic and Writer

Q: On Facebook you call yourself: Shafinaaz is a sociologist, a biographer, a writer & a poet, including brief flirtations with oil on canvas. She is the author of “Daughters are Diamonds: Honour, Shame & Seclusion- A South African Perspective” (2007) & “Memoirs for Kimya” (2009). Can you please unpack this?

A: I obtained my MA in Sociology at Wits University in 2004. My thesis inspired the manuscript for my first publication, “Daughters are Diamonds” and this work documents the biographies of six Indian Muslim women from South Africa; it looks at the various themes that emanate from their life narratives and uses these as template for testing, for example, common decision-making against financial independence.

But it also seeks to dispel myths that oppressive behaviour is coded in the pure text of the Qur’an. Rather than adhering to patriarchal cultural practice keeps women subjugated; that what people have come to accept as correct behaviour is far off from the nature of spiritual teachings that encourage growth and development of individuals.

“Memoirs for Kimya” is an anthology that takes from these ideas, short fiction, prose and poetry that encapsulates the struggling themes of autonomy, self-realisation, silence, devastation, inferiority, self-worth, shame, guilt, etc. http://shafinaaz.com/Books.php

Q: Academic, Writer, Artist – in which order would you put these and why.

A: Artist, Writer, Academic. I think that the order makes sense to me this way, because I think of life as a theatre of artistic expression. And whether I employ academic reasoning or the vehicle of fiction in order to present themes and messages, I am a writer first, and then take to the label of an academic.

But then, while typing this, it also appears that this is a rather academic analysis as opposed to a straightforward response; so I would say at the outset that we wear our labels as layers, super-imposed and fluid, changing as we might need them to. Some days the academic must stand before the others; while on some other days, it is the academic and reason that must take the backseat, while the emotive artist is heard. I wear my different caps gladly, knowing full well that we’re multi-dimensioned in our expressions of choice.

Q: There must be a next book in the pipeline…

A: I have just completed the manuscript for a novel, called ‘The Silence of A Hundred Tongues’. The title is taken from a poem by a 13th century poet, Rumi, and goes something like this: ‘…let your voice silence the lily, famous for its hundred tongues.’ It refers to the loss of voice experienced by women in abusive relationships; and the plot outlines the story of a woman whose husband abuses her, and she presents a glorified public façade until it all falls apart for her. The manuscript has been sent to an agent and so we await the results on that.

I am currently working on a political biography that will most likely be ready for peer review later this year. It is to be the life of Maulvi IA Cachalia, who was Mandela’s deputy chief in command during the defiance campaign, was sent to the Bundung Conference in 1955 along with Moses Kotane, also set up the first ANC mission in Delhi in the 60’s and went on to win a prestigious Padma Shri Award in India for his socio-political contributions. Interviews have been ongoing for a year now, and the results are developing into a rather fascinating narrative.

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: We were robbed at our home in Polokwane sometime in 2001; I was held at gunpoint while my dad was beat up by the robbers. The incident was traumatic and continues to be so, and I remember that we took a vacation soon afterward to recuperate, and to appreciate the life and togetherness that we have.

Living in SA makes you constantly aware of becoming a crime statistic, but it hasn’t made us leave the country. And I don’t think that it’s about being neutral to the concept; just about being vigilant, making safety choices, and counting quality of life by the proximity to loved ones in this country we call home.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: I’ve travelled the world, and while I love many countries, especially in the East, there comes a point when you know that you need to get home. If there was a place that I would emigrate to, it might be Dubai for a short while.

Q: Is their one factor or element that you think can unite South Africans and why?

A: The clichés come to mind: Love, Peace, Freedom. But they’re not really cliché if they allow for a collective conscious of our spiritual oneness. If we recognize the humanity in each of us, then we really won’t have the time to nit pick the supposed differences.

Q: If you had the opportunity to sit down with President Zuma, what advice would you offer him?

A: This is getting tougher. Advice for the charismatic leader Jacob Zuma would be to watch Spiderman. With great power comes great responsibility.

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: Tzaneen/Haenetsburg- not far from where I grew up in the North, the tea plantations and scenic waterfalls make for an amazing experience of South Africa’s beauty; Table Mountain (and Cape Town in general); and Port Alfred.

Q: South Africa’s greatest export is?

A: Diamonds, Gold and Mandela.

Life in Johannesburg

Q: What are favorite venues for a great night/day out?

A: Ocean Basket, Primi Piatti, Moyo and JB’s @Melrose Arch are of my favourite places. Jimmy’s and Nescafe in Fordsburg. Bokhara and Papa’s-on-the-Square in Sandton. Also hotel coffee shops at Melrose Arch, the Hyatt and a host of others as we’re constantly finding new places all around the city, Rivonia, Norwood, Mellville, etc. Favoured place for a Friday night is home; after a long week. Friends are most welcome, of course. Mugg & Bean Killarney is my favourite daytime place; with the view over the highway, I find it a great place to write. Second only to M&B Suncoast with its ocean view.

Q: What do you most enjoy about living in Johannesburg?

A: Johannesburg is central, in that I can take a flight to anywhere I need to be. But I also see the city as the essential heartbeat of Africa. And with that kind of vibe flowing from streets to veins, it difficult not to be inspired to write, to create! It’s a pretty addictive city. Just not for the feint hearted.

Q: Who makes the best breakfast in Johannesburg?

A: My Mom does!

Q: Do you think Jo’burg is geared to cater for Muslims who must have Halaal facilities and food? In fact for any other religions with special needs.

A: I think that for the most part, special needs catering is still ghetto-ized as a concept in SA. Fordsburg is teeming with Halaal outlets, as is Lenasia. You will find the odd place in Sandton, at the airport, in Randburg.

For a strict vegetarian, I’m not so sure that catering is given the discipline required to make people comfortable with eating out. Concerns about utensils, dual use of cooking oil for food prep, and a variety of other details might crop up, and as compared to Durban, there aren’t a significant number of food places that cater specifically for purely vegetarian meals.

Options do exist in most restaurant chains. Kosher and Halaal food’s are stored by community butcheries and grocers, probably within range of their target market; ghetto-ized as I said earlier, but clearly within the reach of people who need them. Also, it’s easy to find a range of imported foods and other items from around the world that cater for special meal needs.

General

Q: What are the luxury items that accompany you on a long trip?

A: I travel with a cell phone. I can actually do without a laptop (the internet) for a few days at a time. I think that’s quite a feat considering that just about everything is done online, these days.

Q: How do you keep yourself motivated after a tough day?

A: Meditation and prayer. Surrender to the tough is the best way to understand it, and then also the best way out of it.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

A: White Oleander by Janet Fitch.

Q: Favorite South African brand?

A: Zam-buk!

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you ask them?

A: Mr. Thabo Mbeki: Why so quiet, dude?

We’d like to thank Shafinaaz for taking the time to answer our questions and wish her every success with the future.

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