(The story of National Women’s day and Hip Hop’s own lady Lee Kasumba)The year was 1956 when Lilian Ngoyi nd Helen Joseph 2gether with other women activist including Albertina Sisulu, from diff races mobilised al women of Mzansi for a march dat will c to change the face history in politics South Africa. It was the courage of these women dat stood nd fought tyrant laws of the prime minister J G Strijdom. More than 20 000 women marched to the Union Building in the capital PTA in protest to an amended Urban Areas Act known as the ‘pass law’. It was a law that required women and men of SA 2 carry the pass (special identification document book) with them always, any where in the country. The petitions left @ the Building signed by more than 10 000 women nd the legendary ‘Wathintabafazi Wathinta imbokodo’ can only mean one thing, women r nd always been the corner stone of our nation, civilisation, freedom nd politics.
It’s been 53 years and yes, its 9th Aug 2010 we are commemorating the day wen our moms, sistas, aunts and grand mothers took to the street in a true soldier style to voice out their state of mind. Theplatform2 is applauding to the struggles dat these women went through to give us such a day to remind us where we coming from as nation and where we going 2 as fathers, mothers, women, children nd future kidz….the Late Mariam Makeba puts bluntly in a song ‘aluta continua’
…and the struggle does continue and one of the women whom I feel honestly she’s carrying the womenship flag very boldly is Lee Kasumba. This young woman, originally frm Uganda is talented, humble, intelligent, outspoken, a Hip Hop fanatic nd she has been @ the fore-front of African Hip Hop for more than a decade now, she’s wat I cal the epitome of modern age female species. Leslie Kasumba, although sometimes I think she’s underrated, makes a day(9th August) like these special, wen I think abt contributors like her in da society, it makes me wanna write, it makes me wanna rap, blog or shout. I wish I was graced with an opportunity 2 interview her. But like they say ‘the route is not 2 the swift nor the battle 4 the strong but time nd chance is given 2 dem al’ so my chance is still coming. Beside her controversial exit frm Y-FM station which she worked for 4 8yrs, Lee has been one of the influential instrument in da media circle. She jumped ship frm working with Bad Boy-T on Harambe to gracing the pages of Y-Mag as an editor nd b’live me u she did an xtraordinary job. Well until the Mag was pulled off from the shelves. I paid my respect 2 Lee as a Hip Hop supporter wen she was on Y station, her knowledge of the musical history and the culture surprised me. Well I guess I wasn’t the only observer cuz she was chosen amongst many to host Channel O’s Sprite Emcee Africa, a programme dat searched and chronicled the best of African Mc’s.4 two seasons she travelled Africa from Niga, to Tanzania to Malawi, Botswana n Uganda listening 2 the best nd worst of Africa’s fine craft of Hip Hop. I envied her job, I marvelled @ her talent, I followed her through the competition xpecially the 1st season. Miss Lee has made a lot of guest appearances in local music vids nd hosted a lot of sessions, events and TV programmes. Did I mention she had work done for the United Nation and also interviewed heavyweights like Dead prez and Mos Def; it’s a pity Y station lost such a young vibrant talent. As someone who embraces da culture of hustling and acknowledges the Hip Hop in us, I say more deservedly, Lee u represent the women in our society, women of da 21st century, u epitomise the ‘u strike a woman u strike a rock mantra’
In respect 2 al the women of this world on this day I say Happy Woman’s day
