Teddy Bear Tribe

TeddyBearTribe is a group of creatives- in love with photography, fashion, music, poetry, storywriting and the dramatic arts.

Honestly anything in the arts. The belief is that through art we can heal people and break barriers. Being a Bear means being about your art and even helping yourself along the way. 

While striving to create and be part of a generation of passionate art-advocates, they consists of a couple of young unknown artists- that are ready to shake the world one masterpiece at a time; Amogelang Mpete (instrumentalist, producer), Omphile Tlalang (drummer), Tlhalefo Makunye (basketball player), Obakeng Mosadi  (writer, pianist), Oboitshepo Tladi (writer), Tlotliso (writer), Lesedi (artist-draws), Jacob Seatlholo (rapper), Galaletsang Monare (fashion) & Dimpho Mokgotho (fashion)

We have had the privilege to communicate with one of the insightful and poetic members of the Tribe and it went a little like this...

 

 













You go by the name Panda?

My real name is Obakeng, it means “Praise Him”

How old are you?

16

Where are you from?

I’m from a beautiful little town called Mahikeng.

When did you start writing poetry?

I started writing in grade 7, I was 12 and my first poem was called ‘Africa’

How would you describe your work?

Heavy. Fantasy. Vibey. Too many emotions

As young as you are do you think you have something to offer the youth of the world?

Not yet, I'm still trying to figure myself out but I'd like to teach others who are younger than me.

How?

By just helping them grow their skills because I feel art itself is a ‘lost art’ amongst our youth. We're too focused on impression rather than expression.

This is an odd question but why do you think the way you do?

I'm not sure how I can answer that but I think it’s because of the music I listen to. I listen to J Cole, Drake, Kutthrowt, and Tajan. Tajan & Kutthrowt are producers - they just make soothing beats, which calm me- I also listen to jazz , 90s hip-hop and spoken word clips.

Advice to other young poets...

Don't be afraid to speak.

Name one of your favourite poems that you have written and quote your best line from it:

Dear Lover

“Our hearts are interlocked in deep conversation. Thoughts and feelings in graceful motion, love never known.”

Your favourite poet is?

Jeff Bethke

What do you do in your spare time other than writing poetry?

I play piano. I read poetry. I jam with my band. I live

Describe the process your mind goes through before you write?

Its free-flow. My mind forms sentences, I just piece them together. Before I write something, I have to be listening to a song from the artists I mentioned before, from there I look around, I absorb my surroundings and then my mind does everything.

One more thing- do you like what you write?

Yes- sometimes

Do you always believe what you write?

Always

If you could draw a picture of your words how would it look like?

It would look like my family, by family I don't only mean the people I live with but also people I have close bonds with.

In case you want to keep up with the latest and past TeddyBearTribe adventures:

teddybearpoet.wordpress.com  

 

Yes, Ken Robinson, school does kill creativity.

Watching the TEDx talk was nothing short of an AMEN moment at every point Ken Robinson brought up. We are all born artists (as Picasso once said) but as we grow older, our artistic abilities are slowly deteriorated by school. Mainly because we only focus on one side of the brain - according to research - the left side, which is more 'academic', therefore the other side - the right side - is the creative side, is, in actual fact, numbed. 
SIDE SIDE SIDE SIDE...
And I'm sure, if you care to watch the talk, you'll definitely find yourself passionately agreeing with this guy. And I'm quite sure we've all been through that moment in high school - or even primary school - when you have felt so stupid for not excelling in the hierarchy subjects; for choosing to do Mathematical Literacy rather than Maths; or your subject choices mainly consisted of 'artsy' subjects.


To sum it all up in one sentence: I rate what he's trying to emphasize is that education is not the problem here; the education system is. He goes on to bring up a profound point that should get us all thinking. It basically went along the lines of "We're teaching and 'preparing' our youth for a future we don't even know of." 

Hmm.

We have the responsibility now. Our parents, teachers, lecturers can't live forever - they'll die eventually. They're preparing us for a future they won't even be around for. These hierarchy subjects are only enforced because of society's naive attitude. What I'm trying to get at is: This whole system affects everything. The whole point of going to high school is to get a matric certificate then go to university. The whole point of going to university is to get a degree then get a 'good job'. The whole point of getting a job is to get paid well. Fine. We've established that....but imagine this...

What if we changed society's opinion of hierarchy jobs. By showing them that being an artist is of the equivalent success of a professor - if not - more. Jobs would probably not have such a steep difference between them, therefore, opening more doors & opportunities for good paying jobs. THEN this will affect university/college/high school and primary school. THEN it will affect the education system!!

YAAY.

Because everyone will have come to the realization that Maths is not that important for them to get a great job in the future. People will end up loving their jobs, because they are doing what they love. Resulting in a good economy, because at the end of the day, everybody loves working (because it is their passion).

If you can't bless yourself with the opportunity of watching the talk - here are a few quotes that struck a chord:

• "If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original."
• "We are educating people out of their creative capacities."
• "Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status."
• "Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just laying around on the surface."
• "Many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they’re not — because the thing they were good at at school wasn’t valued, or was actually stigmatized."
• "All kids have tremendous talents — and we squander them pretty ruthlessly."
• "Every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy of subjects: at the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts."
• "I believe this passionately: that we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it."
• "There isn’t an education system on the planet that teaches dance everyday to children the way we teach them mathematics. Why?"
• "You were probably steered benignly away from things at school when you were a kid — things you liked — on the grounds that you would never get a job doing that: ‘Don’t do music, you’re not going to be a musician. Don’t do art, you won’t be an artist.’ Benign advice — now, profoundly mistaken."
• "The dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg. What it doesn't count are all the kids who are in school but being disengaged from it, who don't enjoy it, who don't get any real benefit from it."
• "The real role of leadership in education … is not and should not be command and control. The real role of leadership is climate control, creating a climate of possibility."

#c

This Is A Straight Line

"I don't know why they would call this a 'revolution'

I mean, 

Mathematically speaking, a revolution is a 360 degree turn that ends at the very same place it began...

So technically, 

This is not a revolution,
This is a forward movement-

So it's more like a straight line,

180 degrees to be mathematically correct."

- Conformists

Review | Soul Sista Tilo's One Love Jam/Exhibition - Regime Records

Ever entered a strange room filled with familiar faces that do not hesitate to smile and share their space with you?

Well, this is exactly how it felt entering the doors of the Cape Diamond Hotel (Saturday 27 July) and conveniently falling into the light of the One Love venue. A small space filled with talent, love, spirit and art. With the lovely portraits of Soul Sista Tilo covering the walls, blessed with quotes from artists and activists, from Bob Marley to Erykah Badu and even some inspiring words from Soul Sista herself made it hard to not feel comfortably at home and easily blend into the artistic gap that is freely felt by every person there.

Boldly including the thought provoking and distinctive art on exhibition, as well as sick apparel from Dutch Like This and BAAS, the surrounding air urges you into feeling that you’re in for an eventful, chilled yet holistic night.

Sitting comfortably on a floor draped with blankets and pillows, you and a couple of beautifully free-spirited people bob your heads to the soothing sounds of Soul Sista Tilo and her good friend the Juke Box (a ridiculously astounding beat boxer and drummer who is as well involved in the I.AMovement) as she sings and raps her truth while sanctifying the floor with some old jams and also a few of her very own uniquely booming songs.

Joined by artists such as Blaq Slim, Chris Gaudy and A.D.I who are from a very prominent hip hop movement called I AM Movement (who charm the mic with pure hip hop underground elegance), they are by far an extremely determined and genuine group of young rapper.

With the blessing of having artists such as Supreme Soul whose rhymes are so good he freestyles the room into a total hip hop frenzy and more amazingly talented creatives such as Lyrically Inclined, Blaze Ryders, Ryan Adams, Cicatrixx (a mad writer and owner of Regime Records with artists such as Soul  Sista Tilo under his label) and a vibrant emcee known as Just Macmillan, you can’t help but notice that you’re sharing a room with such great and authentic souls, it is almost too hard not to try and keep up with them as they spit their verses and create a family all moving in unison to the sounds of untainted and wholesome skills.

Imagine the excitement when hearing that this event will surely be a monthly occurrence with different groups of originals (people such as you and me) joining together forming a family of artists and thinkers who are ready to take a stand and keep art to its truest and purest form.

And most importantly, before you go on and press that play button, be sure to check out Soul Sista Tilo’s and Chris Gaudy’s new track – Sugar Man.

And if you're interested, please do check out:

A.D.I's Introspective 

Chris Gaudy's The//Grey//Trek 

BlaQ-Slim's The Dreamer

One Love.

Are you interested in these acoustic performers? Please do contact them.

Artists:

-Soul SistA Tilo - @soulsistatilo
-Regime Records - @regimerecords
-I A.M Movement - @i_amovement
-Cicatrixx - @thecica
-Supreme Soul - @its_supremesoul
- Blaze Ryders - @blazeryders

Emcee:

-Just MacMillian - @just_macmillian

Local wear:

-Dutch Like This - @dutchlikethis
-BAAS - @baasclothing

Support local talent.

#c

Behind the scenes

conformists behind the scenes of the Lookbook his & hers 

A 17 Year Old Tupac speaking on education (1988)

"School is really important: Reading, writing, arithmetic.
But what they tend to do is teach you reading, writing, arithmetic... then teach you reading, writing, arithmetic again. Then again, then again, just making it harder and harder, just to keep you busy.
That is where I think they messed up.
There should be a class on drugs.
There should be a class on sex education.
NO
Real sex education class, not just pictures and illogical terms...
There should be a class on scams, there should be a class on religious cults, there should be a class on police brutality, there should be a class on Apartheid, there should be a class on racism in America, there should be a class on why people are hungry, but there isn't
Their class is on... gym
Their class is like Algebra.
We have yet to go to a store and say, "Can I have XY+2 and give me my Y change back, thank you."
You know?
Like foreign languages, I think they are important, but I don't think it should be required.
Actually they should be teaching you English, and then teach you how to understand double talk; politicians double talk.
Not teaching you how to understand French and Spanish and GERMAN.
When am I going to Germany?
I can't afford to pay my rent in America! How am I going to Germany?"

a letter to the 'Reblog' Blogger

Which ever way you take it.
I've been meaning to ask, what's the point?
Scheming through your site and something doesn't feel right. 
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I failed to find relevance in your art,
No, in your work and it pains me. 

We are South African, 
We are breathing, crying, creative, growing and fighting South African youth,
So
What does a picture of a semi-naked Someone have to do with the epidemic of ignorance found in the minds of us as the youth?
What will your prada bag or manolo glasses do for the young boy who is aspiring to be something which you, yourself can't be (in reference to your blog).
Beyonce is not an activist,  Kanye is not Jesus, I'm still an African hoping that my philosophy is valued enough to be uprooted yet you sadly claim to be innovative.

As far as my knowledge goes, the youth is the future and therefore we should be inspired to be real and not waste our potential idolizing celebrities. 
We are modern 
But another post on colourblocked Italian suits, commercialized stoner lifestyles and some celebrities goods (which are pretty much insignificant to your life, as well as mine) won't offer thought and definitely won't urge me out of my bed to initiate change.

What we are promoting, whisper it in my ear?
Because to most, you're just another space reminding others of what they are not, instead of inspiring them to become the best one can be. 
South African you say? That's a bit odd, all I see is superficial, superstitious superstars publicly living their lives.
So why aren't we living ours?

So
How do I fit in?
What would you like me to do?
How do I support you and still stay true to the depth of my roots?
This is not some black thing, this is deeper than race,
If we're proudly South African let's drop the phony act. 
Offer me a forum where my ideas are valued, blow my mind and engage instead of blinding me with lies because your content is far from authentic.
I want real people, who have real identities and not deceptive alter-ego's
Show me the hereditary legacy us as youth are re-evaluating,
I want to be South African and mean it!
Show me how to be the best kind of me by being genuine to yourself and not to what society exclaims, i.e 'Kim Kardashian gaining weight'
SO WHAT?

So if you're the example of what the future of South Africa is and will be...
I would rather wait here and die as an activist of all things real. 

#c

p.s yes, this is directed to you too.

june 16 documentary

A documentary engaging some youth on their thoughts on June 16.
Watch some of them expose their thoughts and while others share their insight.

A big thank you to all that were involved; Sipho Mpongo (camera man).

#c

the creatives

Special thanks to Lynn Seale!

#c