RAISED BY DRUM

Words: Lesego Ntsime | Images: Supplied

When it comes down to it, all we have are our stories for even when we are long gone - their impact on others will remain. We celebrate the storytellers of the past while recognising the storytellers of today. Among these, are Joburg-based creatives Lesego Seoketsa and Lelo Macheke who travel through time with us and share how DRUM Magazine framed their outlook on culture, art, and storytelling as the magazine celebrates its 70th anniversary. 

“An icon is someone who is a culture shifter, someone whose impact has played a role in changing history,” states Joburg-based artist - and culture shifter in her own right - Lesego Seoketsa, who also goes by Azania Forest. Her captivating and non-conformist art reverberates the very essence of the word.

Sparking conversations around spirituality, healing, and expansion - amongst a broad spectrum of other things - it is almost impossible not to be lured into her world of delicate intricacies. 

“I associate DRUM with South African icons, urban culture, lifestyle, and our beauty as a nation,” the multidisciplinary artist shares. It’s safe to say that DRUM and ‘icon’ are synonymous. Plastered all over its covers for decades are people who poured into South African pop culture, paving the way for what is still a vibrant, expansive realm occupied by storytellers like Lesego who are directing our gaze through matters that require our attention using art. 

There is, of course, no conversation about DRUM without fashion. The words ‘rouge’ and ‘perm’ saturated the vocabulary of people of colour all over the country. Glitz and glam had a new meaning and it was defined on our own terms. DRUM - the fairy godmother we never had. Style was a statement and an experiment. The Joburg-based artist is no stranger to fashion. Styling has been one of the various vocations she walks in.

“I also always reference vintage Drum magazines for styling myself and for fashion ideas,” she adds. 

As a household staple, the assumption that DRUM has been instrumental in informing the current socio-cultural landscape in this country is not farfetched. Positioning itself as a source of diversity and representation, it gave birth to the icons that are becoming. How could you possibly resist the vigorous fire of resonance when you see Lebo Mathosa for the first time as a black child?

“I remember seeing Lebo Mathosa on the cover of a DRUM magazine and I felt a strong recognition with how she was represented. I felt like she was the cool big sister. DRUM always celebrates iconic women in a way that honours and humanises them,” Lesego remarks.

It is the same undying fire that burns within her today, prompting her to explore the conversations others would much rather avoid. Like a child raised by “Africa’s leading magazine”, she beats to the rhythm of her own drum and like the icons whom she saw herself in she does so with or without the world’s permission. 

Another lovechild of DRUM and South African pop culture is Lelo ‘Suburban Zulu’ Macheke. Creating an artform out of “community, discourse and groove” the multi-dimensional creative’s deep understanding of the effects of powerful storytelling publications like DRUM is unquestionable. 

Referencing South African film, TV, music as well as other expressive mediums in their work - it is easy to dub Lelo a local pop culture aficionado. There is a sense of reverence that is apparent in the way they engage with local content. Perhaps it derives from an early immersion in DRUM.

“My parents worked long and late hours, so I was an aftercare baby for most of my prep school life. I remember there used to be a weekly delivery of DRUM and I would always make sure I was the first to get the freshest copies,” they fondly describe their first glimpse of the magazine.

Collaboration is a vital part of longevity. Nothing makes the dream work like teamwork. Inviting others to share your vision and enhance it has consequences that go beyond this lifetime - that is the essence of the Superbalist x Drum collection. "Collaborations are important because they bridge gas - ideological gaps, generational gaps, branding/marketing/communication gaps," Suburban Zulu asserts.

DRUM taught us to take charge of our own stories and tell them our own way because who better than us to do so? 

On celebrating 70 years of the magazine and its impact, Suburban Zulu reflects on the importance of publications like DRUM by noting; “As for celebrating publications like Drum, it matters, especially for historically oppressed people like Black people and LGBTQIA+ communities. Our oppression is often coupled with erasure. So, when publications like Drum come around, we have to lift them up and hold them accountable for preserving our stories, movements, and traditions, because it is one of the few ways our legacies will survive.”

When asked what message they had for DRUM, as it marks its 70th anniversary they add profoundly; “I want to express deep gratitude. Thank you, DRUM, for playing an instrumental part in envisioning and placing Black South Africans comfortably in a contemporary world that was not made for our inheritance. Through Drum, we made a way out of no way and pioneered something special. Remember this in all things you do moving forward.”

If there was a phrase that could sum up 70 years of creating space for people who were excluded from social and cultural conversations it would be “For us, by us.”

At its core, DRUM is concerned with preserving the culture of writing your own story and sticking by it even when the world tries to convince you otherwise. Paging through the magazine our existence was affirmed. By showing us in all our glory it opposed the current of the world to declare, “We see you, we believe in you. We are you.”

The Superbalist x DRUM collection coincides with a resurgence of people who will undoubtedly continue to gear art, culture, and storytelling in unexpected directions, as DRUM has over the last 70 years. A cornerstone of African stories and creativity - DRUM continues to pour into us as much as we pour into it and Lesego recognises this monumental exchange. She affirms affectionately, "May DRUM grow stronger and expand into a movement that upholds and celebrates African creatives and those who contribute towards the advancement of the African collective."

As such, “celebratory" is the word Azania Forest uses to describe the energy of this collaboration. Seventy years of being a voice of the people is indeed a cause for celebration. Still, DRUM beats on. And for the Suburban Zulu, “finding our way back to move forward,” is a phrase they associate with the Superbalist x DRUM collection.

"Remembrance, giving back, and paying homage are ways that are endemic to African people and propel us forward," they further reiterate. We are composed of the stories of others along with our own. Recognising that is the first step to impactful and intentional creation.