Latest news with #Grassroots
IOL News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Celebrating Rashid Lombard: A Legacy of Humility and Courage
Legendary photographer and cultural activist Rashid Lombard, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 74, surrounded by posters of iconic musicians. Rashid was a formidable news photographer and captured some excellent pictures of protests and police action during the 1980s, but his real love was taking pictures of people, especially musicians, says the writer. Image: Brenton Geach/Independent Newspapers (Archives) Ryland Fisher When I was introduced more than 40 years ago to Rashid Lombard, who passed away on Wednesday, I thought his name was 'Pusher'. Later on, I heard people calling him 'Moena'. I never understood why he had those two names. Such was the humility and popularity of the man that many people at the time did not even know that his name was Rashid Lombard. Not many knew that his second name was Ahmed. Also, not many people knew that he was born in Port Elizabeth before moving to Cape Town as a young man, such has been the impact that he has made on his adoptive city over the past 40 years or more. Even fewer people knew that Rashid was not always a lover of jazz music. In fact, in his earlier years, in the 1960s, he loved musicians such as Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, a story related by one of his best friends, the late James Matthews, when he wrote the foreword to Rashid's book, Jazz Rocks. 'I got him to listen to Nina Simone, whose words affected him deeply, placing him in another dimension. I thought to myself, this Rashid is a cool cat. And he still is.' Matthews wrote these words in 2013 and it was true to the end. I first met Rashid in the early 1980s on the protest-filled streets of Cape Town covering student protest actions against apartheid education, detentions and calling for the release of political leaders. I worked part-time at first and later full-time for the Grassroots community newspaper after being employed by a newspaper belonging to the Argus Company, while Rashid worked for an overseas photographic company. Rashid became one of many photographers who provided Grassroots with photographs that their bosses would not use, but they felt should be published. The fact that Grassroots had a 'no-byline' policy helped these photographers hide their association with a paper that would often be banned by the apartheid regime. Rashid was peripherally active in the Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA), but appeared to have found a new lease of life when a group of progressive journalists formed an organisation called the Association of Democratic Journalists (ADJ) with all of us proudly declaring ourselves 'media terrorists'. Rashid was a formidable news photographer and captured some excellent pictures of protests and police action during the 1980s, but his real love was taking pictures of people, especially musicians. He photographed musicians throughout the world, some of which pictures were reproduced in his book, Jazz Rocks, which was published in 2013. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Liya Williams, granddaughter of cultural activist photographer Rashid Lombard, rests her head on his coffin before his burial according to Muslim rites on Thursday June 5, 2025 in Cape Town. Image: Ian Landsberg / Independent Media After we became a democracy, Rashid decided to follow his first love, jazz music and worked as the first station manager at Fine Music Radio before joining P4 Radio (now Heart FM) as programme manager. He also took the audacious step in the late 1990s to bring the North Sea Jazz Festival to Cape Town and, within a few years, transformed it into the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, which is now one of the leading jazz festivals in the world. In 2008, as the CEO of Sekunjalo Media, I led the negotiations to buy a 51 per cent stake in ESP Afrika, the company organising the jazz festival which was formed by Rashid and his partner, Billy Domingo, who also acted as production director of the jazz festival and ESP. After Sekunjalo successfully bought into ESP, I became the chair of the company for about a year before I left to pursue other interests. It was easily my favourite job, and I learned so much about music and event planning from Rashid, Billy and Eva Domingo, Billy's wife. I also learned much about music from Rashid's daughter, Yana, who booked all the talent for the festival at the time. We worked together well and very hard to turn around a company that was doing well publicly, but privately it was struggling to make a profit, which is one of the most important things for any business. One memory that stands out for me from that time was travelling with Rashid and Billy to Mozambique to investigate the establishment of a jazz festival in Maputo. The idea was to have a series of jazz festivals throughout the sub-continent at around the same time, which would lead to economies of scale when booking foreign artists. For three days, we were hosted in Maputo by leading jazz guitarist, Jimmy Dludlu, who proudly showed off his hometown and country. Over the years, Rashid and I would often meet, either at functions or sometimes just to catch up. I remember how proud he was a few years ago when he announced his partnership with the University of the Western Cape to preserve his photographic archives along with that of some other photographers, such as the late George Hallet. Rashid was a humble man and did not always know the influence he had on the lives of many people throughout South Africa. He loved music and photography (he was never without his camera), but I suspect he loved people more. He was one of those people who could never leave a party without speaking to everyone in attendance. He loved to party and would often be one of the last to leave. I remember offering to give him and his wife a lift home from one party and then having to wait until he had said all his plentiful goodbyes. Over the last year or so, Rashid became ill and did not venture out much. In fact, when his good friend, James Matthews, passed away in September last year, Rashid was conspicuous by his absence. But he was already very sick at the time. Rashid married the love of his life, Colleen, in 1970 and they had three children, Chevan, Shadley and Yana. Colleen had been a trade unionist and ANC underground activists during the 1980s. He had two other younger sons with Heidi Raizenberg, the daughter of one of his friends. Rashid returned to Colleen a few years ago after she became very ill and he undertook to look after her. But they did not know that he too would become ill and that she would eventually outlive him. The last time I saw him was at a gathering of struggle journalists in Kalk Bay last year where we talked about ways of intervening in the media landscape to give more voices to ordinary people. Yesterday, his funeral was attended by a who's who of South African politics, business and civil society. Most people arrived way before the starting time of 12h45 and only left as the sun set in the early evening. Rashid received a simple Muslim burial, with a sendoff from his house in Burwood Road, Crawford, the coffin being carried through the streets to the mosque in nearby Taronga Road, and finally being laid to rest in the rough clay ground at the Mowbray cemetery, in the shadow of Table Mountain, before the mourners returned to the family house to wash their hands and have a meal. The simplicity of his burial belied the greatness of the man. * Ryland Fisher is a veteran journalist and former newspaper editor. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Celebrating Rashid Lombard: A Legacy of Humility and Courage
Legendary photographer and cultural activist Rashid Lombard, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 74, surrounded by posters of iconic musicians. Rashid was a formidable news photographer and captured some excellent pictures of protests and police action during the 1980s, but his real love was taking pictures of people, especially musicians, says the writer. Image: Brenton Geach/Independent Newspapers (Archives) Ryland Fisher When I was introduced more than 40 years ago to Rashid Lombard, who passed away on Wednesday, I thought his name was 'Pusher'. Later on, I heard people calling him 'Moena'. I never understood why he had those two names. Such was the humility and popularity of the man that many people at the time did not even know that his name was Rashid Lombard. Not many knew that his second name was Ahmed. Also, not many people knew that he was born in Port Elizabeth before moving to Cape Town as a young man, such has been the impact that he has made on his adoptive city over the past 40 years or more. Even fewer people knew that Rashid was not always a lover of jazz music. In fact, in his earlier years, in the 1960s, he loved musicians such as Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, a story related by one of his best friends, the late James Matthews, when he wrote the foreword to Rashid's book, Jazz Rocks. 'I got him to listen to Nina Simone, whose words affected him deeply, placing him in another dimension. I thought to myself, this Rashid is a cool cat. And he still is.' Matthews wrote these words in 2013 and it was true to the end. I first met Rashid in the early 1980s on the protest-filled streets of Cape Town covering student protest actions against apartheid education, detentions and calling for the release of political leaders. I worked part-time at first and later full-time for the Grassroots community newspaper after being employed by a newspaper belonging to the Argus Company, while Rashid worked for an overseas photographic company. Rashid became one of many photographers who provided Grassroots with photographs that their bosses would not use, but they felt should be published. The fact that Grassroots had a 'no-byline' policy helped these photographers hide their association with a paper that would often be banned by the apartheid regime. Rashid was peripherally active in the Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA), but appeared to have found a new lease of life when a group of progressive journalists formed an organisation called the Association of Democratic Journalists (ADJ) with all of us proudly declaring ourselves 'media terrorists'. Rashid was a formidable news photographer and captured some excellent pictures of protests and police action during the 1980s, but his real love was taking pictures of people, especially musicians. He photographed musicians throughout the world, some of which pictures were reproduced in his book, Jazz Rocks, which was published in 2013. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Liya Williams, granddaughter of cultural activist photographer Rashid Lombard, rests her head on his coffin before his burial according to Muslim rites on Thursday June 5, 2025 in Cape Town. Image: Ian Landsberg / Independent Media After we became a democracy, Rashid decided to follow his first love, jazz music and worked as the first station manager at Fine Music Radio before joining P4 Radio (now Heart FM) as programme manager. He also took the audacious step in the late 1990s to bring the North Sea Jazz Festival to Cape Town and, within a few years, transformed it into the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, which is now one of the leading jazz festivals in the world. In 2008, as the CEO of Sekunjalo Media, I led the negotiations to buy a 51 per cent stake in ESP Afrika, the company organising the jazz festival which was formed by Rashid and his partner, Billy Domingo, who also acted as production director of the jazz festival and ESP. After Sekunjalo successfully bought into ESP, I became the chair of the company for about a year before I left to pursue other interests. It was easily my favourite job, and I learned so much about music and event planning from Rashid, Billy and Eva Domingo, Billy's wife. I also learned much about music from Rashid's daughter, Yana, who booked all the talent for the festival at the time. We worked together well and very hard to turn around a company that was doing well publicly, but privately it was struggling to make a profit, which is one of the most important things for any business. One memory that stands out for me from that time was travelling with Rashid and Billy to Mozambique to investigate the establishment of a jazz festival in Maputo. The idea was to have a series of jazz festivals throughout the sub-continent at around the same time, which would lead to economies of scale when booking foreign artists. For three days, we were hosted in Maputo by leading jazz guitarist, Jimmy Dludlu, who proudly showed off his hometown and country. Over the years, Rashid and I would often meet, either at functions or sometimes just to catch up. I remember how proud he was a few years ago when he announced his partnership with the University of the Western Cape to preserve his photographic archives along with that of some other photographers, such as the late George Hallet. Rashid was a humble man and did not always know the influence he had on the lives of many people throughout South Africa. He loved music and photography (he was never without his camera), but I suspect he loved people more. He was one of those people who could never leave a party without speaking to everyone in attendance. He loved to party and would often be one of the last to leave. I remember offering to give him and his wife a lift home from one party and then having to wait until he had said all his plentiful goodbyes. Over the last year or so, Rashid became ill and did not venture out much. In fact, when his good friend, James Matthews, passed away in September last year, Rashid was conspicuous by his absence. But he was already very sick at the time. Rashid married the love of his life, Colleen, in 1970 and they had three children, Chevan, Shadley and Yana. Colleen had been a trade unionist and ANC underground activists during the 1980s. He had two other younger sons with Heidi Raizenberg, the daughter of one of his friends. Rashid returned to Colleen a few years ago after she became very ill and he undertook to look after her. But they did not know that he too would become ill and that she would eventually outlive him. The last time I saw him was at a gathering of struggle journalists in Kalk Bay last year where we talked about ways of intervening in the media landscape to give more voices to ordinary people. Yesterday, his funeral was attended by a who's who of South African politics, business and civil society. Most people arrived way before the starting time of 12h45 and only left as the sun set in the early evening. Rashid received a simple Muslim burial, with a sendoff from his house in Burwood Road, Crawford, the coffin being carried through the streets to the mosque in nearby Taronga Road, and finally being laid to rest in the rough clay ground at the Mowbray cemetery, in the shadow of Table Mountain, before the mourners returned to the family house to wash their hands and have a meal. The simplicity of his burial belied the greatness of the man. * Ryland Fisher is a veteran journalist and former newspaper editor. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
Fox News
7 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
GOP ad war kicks off in heated battleground state primary: 'We've barely just begun'
EXCLUSIVE: The campaign advertising war has already kicked off in the Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary – over a year away from the August 2026 election. Turning Point PAC announced on Tuesday that they're launching a $500,000 media buy across platforms in support of Rep. Andy Biggs on "strategic cable, over-the-top, radio, and direct-to-voter placements" targeting Arizona voters. The ads will begin Tuesday and will air for the next 3.5 weeks. The ads will air on Fox News' local designated market area slots, conservative talk radio streaming services in addition to targeted digital ads. "Andy Biggs was the best Senate President Arizona has had in decades and he has been President Trump's most reliable friend in Congress. He is Trump-endorsed, Charlie Kirk endorsed, and Turning Point Action endorsed," Tyler Bowyer, COO of Turning Point Action and Turning Point PAC, said in a statement on Wednesday. "His campaign momentum is already building at an incredible clip and we've barely just begun. The media buy combined with Biggs's impressive earned media exposure shows how enthusiastic the grassroots is to make Andy Biggs the next governor of Arizona," he added. The effort's announcement comes as the group held a rally in support of Biggs over the weekend in the Phoenix area. "To see a room packed with thousands of Biggs supporters this far out from the primary was truly historic, and it's proof of the grassroots energy that is already gathering behind his campaign," TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk said in a statement. The organization is headquartered in Arizona. "There isn't a world in which voters will not be aware of Andy Biggs being on the ballot, and the more who find out, the more his double-digit lead over all other competitors will grow. Andy Biggs is ready to bring a President Trump and Ron DeSantis level of leadership and competency to governing Arizona, and Turning Point is proud to get behind his campaign," Kirk continued. In the primary, Biggs is running against Karrin Taylor Robson, a businesswoman and former Arizona Board of Regents member who sought the nomination in 2022 but lost to Kari Lake. A Taylor Robson ally said that she has been spending that amount of money weekly "talking to voters across all platforms." Her campaign recently touted a "multi-million dollar" ad buy with a commercial touting Trump's endorsement in April. "I'm proud and honored that President Trump has reaffirmed his endorsement of our campaign," Taylor Robson said in a statement at the time. "It's time that we take our message of America and Arizona First leadership to voters across Arizona. Katie Hobbs has been a disaster and has tried to stand in President Trump's way. As Governor, I will work with President Trump to build a stronger border, a stronger economy, and a stronger and safer Arizona." The Taylor Robson ally added that Turning Point's decision to spend on advertisements this early affirms that it's a competitive primary race. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he is backing both Biggs and Taylor Robson for governor, as whoever wins the primary will go up against Gov. Katie Hobbs in what's expected to be a highly competitive general election. "I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so," Trump said in a Truth Social post in April. "When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" the president added. The advertising push this early is a testament to the Grand Canyon State's competitiveness, as it was one of the most widely watched swing states in November, which Trump ended up sweeping. Cook Political Report currently ranks the governor's race as a toss-up.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lima dispensary looks to break the stigma
May 21—LIMA — A newly opened cannabis dispensary in Lima is looking forward to supporting local initiatives and educational efforts around safe cannabis use. Curaleaf Cannabis Dispensary opened its new Lima location, 2151 Elida Road, on May 16. It's a leading international provider of consumer cannabis products such as Briq all-in-one vapes, Grassroots flower, Find items, edibles and more. Curaleaf Lima is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The location offers a drive-thru for express order pickups. Customers must sign in and show they're 21 or older with an ID at the front desk before entry. Once entered, the customer can communicate with staff or access a kiosk to find more about what Curaleaf Lima offers. A wave of momentum was just one of many reasons Lima stood out to Curaleaf when seeking a third location in the Buckeye State. "Due to its growing community, strategic geography within northwest Ohio and the opportunity to increase access to safe, regulated cannabis products for customers," said Steven Delich, regional vice president of retail, via email. Curaleaf Lima is also looking to break the stigma around cannabis and cannabis products. "For too long, outdated views have overshadowed what cannabis truly is today," Delich said, "whether it's a source of relaxation, creativity, connection, wellness or to simply feel good." The location will bring more than cannabis to the community. "It brings jobs, tax revenue and community engagement," Delich said. Curaleaf Lima staff members are excited to meet and educate customers no matter where they are on their cannabis journey. "Our focus is on educating the community, delivering a welcoming retail experience and ensuring our menu offers something for everyone," Delich said. "Whether they're experiencing cannabis for the first time or long-term medical patients." Building strong partnerships with the community and an evolution of product mixes based on customer feedback are just two long-term focused goals for the dispensary. "We want this location to become a regional destination for education and high-quality cannabis," Delich said. Curaleaf Lima's grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce is slated for 11:15 a.m. Friday, May 23. To celebrate the grand opening, the dispensary is offering 35 percent off RiveraCreek products, 25 percent off Gron or 3 for $50, 30 percent off storewide for patients, 20 percent for veterans, 25 percent off Select Find, Jams, Grassroots and Plant Precision products and buy-one-get-one for $1 Stiq vapes, according to signage inside the store. The dispensary also sells merchandise items such as hats, jackets, pullovers and T-shirts. As of Dec. 7, 2023, adults 21 and over can legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis in plant form or up to 15 grams in extract form, according to flowhub. The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy licenses and regulates medical marijuana dispensaries. Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351 Featured Local Savings
Leader Live
03-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Funding boost for future of Deeside Ice Skating Club
The Grassroots Sport Lottery, which launched on May 1), is the brainchild of Sported, a UK community sport charity, which provides grants and support to more than 5,000 local organisations nationwide who use the power of sport to transform lives and address social issues. Deeside Ice Skating Club is among the first to link up and run their own in-house lottery. By generating additional income through their lottery, they will be able to finance items such as equipment and facilities, as well as to keep physical activity accessible to all within their communities. Read more: Stuart takes on 1,200-mile 'zigzaggy' ride for good causes The launch follows extensive research showing 82 per cent of clubs advised that raising funds was their highest priority and 85 per cent cited that there is insufficient investment from government into the sector. Jo Gillmore, chair of Deeside Ice Skating Club, said: "We recently joined the Grassroots Sports Lottery to raise awareness of our club, whilst also raising funds. Our club aims to offer affordable skating, which will make us accessible to as many people as possible. "We have been working with Sported for a number of years and they suggested the sports lottery to us. It's a great way of raising funds whilst also giving people the opportunity to win prizes at the same time. Read more: Is this Wales' most unwanted dog? No home for good boy Zeus after more than a year "We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2024 and our aim is to make sure our club is sustainable for many years to come." The lottery is being set up in partnership with leading lottery operator Gatherwell and will allow Sported - founded in 2008 as a legacy initiative from London 2012 - to inject extra investment into local sport for good initiatives. "The Grassroots Sport Lottery is all about ensuring grassroots sport remains at the heart of local communities, with Deeside Ice Skating Club among the first to get involved," said Sported's CEO Sarah Kaye. Read more: Special riding centre given a lifeline after urgent appeal "We hear repeatedly of the difficulty that grassroots sport has in raising the cash to underpin the incredible contributions clubs and groups make within our communities. There are significant challenges in running costs for those operating their own facilities while also ensuring activities are affordable to all parts of society. "Over half of the groups we work with have flagged young people dropping out because of cost pressures. Our hope is that the Grassroots Sport Lottery will provide a simple, cost-effective way to generate priceless funds to ensure their doors remain open." Tickets for the lottery will cost £1 with a draw each Saturday and a top prize of £25,000 - with half of the price of each ticket going directly back into grassroots sport.
