Goodbye Friend
Very few people know that Nina Simone stayed in Bokaap, Cape Town for a part of her life. When my friend Richard Ismail still stayed in Bokaap, I’d sometimes pop around to his house and talk about all things literary and listen to her music. Richard had known her well and sometimes his eyes would add a twinkle to his everpresent smile and he would pause to soak in the melody.
I never quite got the story between him and Nina Simone but he did promise to write a book. Sadly it’s a book I will never get to read. On Saturday, Richard was heavily assaulted in his Woodstock home. Yesterday he passed away.
Richard was the ultimate patriot. After being heavily involved in the Struggle, Richard was stoked by the New South Africa. He loved where we were going, the new government the new energy. His cafe in Adderley Street was for many years the lifeblood of poetry in Cape Town. When his cafe closed, the Monday poetry sessions moved to the Armchair Theatre in Obs and Richard went on to become the managing director of The Big Issue magazine. Here he spearheaded the recent Homeless Football World Cup that took place in Cape Town.
On a personal note, Richard was responsible for me considering my writing on a more serious level and I used him as a sounding board for my scriptwriting. We had big plans but that was Richard. He had big plans for everyone, the whole South Africa, and he had the faith in us and the willingness to help us make it happen. Always with a smile on his face.
Goodbye my friend. Cape Town’s creative community has taken a blow, but I hope we still live up to your hopes and dreams.
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