You’re Invited: Dogg Pound Days At Pass~Port Gallery
All Photos & Text By Karabo Mooki.
Before the end of apartheid in 1994, the fight against the regime was fuelled by the powerful political ideologies of artists of colour, who expressed their indignation through rebellious music, art, and poetry.
Infamous artists like Lucky Dube, Hugh Masekela, and Brenda Fassie carried the voices of thousands from the townships to the ears of the world. Unbeknownst to these anti-apartheid leaders, their legacy would live on for years to come.
The band T.C.I.Y.F. is made up of Thula 'Stroof' Sizwe (guitarist), Sandile 'Tox' Mbatha (bassist), Nhlakanipho 'Jazz' Nkosi (bassist), and Puleng 'Peezy' Seloane (vocalist). Initially, they got together to share their love for skateboarding in Soweto. At a time when skateboarding was mostly accepted by people living in outer suburban areas, the restless youth of Soweto realized they needed to create something of their own, a scene they could develop and nourish from within South Africa’s largest township.
'We all met because of skateboarding,' Stroof explains. 'We're glued together by the skate family Skate Society Soweto (S.S.S). We spent so much time together that it made sense for us to do something more.'
In search of an outlet to express themselves off their boards, they developed a self-taught passion for playing music, which quickly lead to the formation of T.C.I.Y.F. and the systematic destruction of even more social barriers and stereotypes of residents’ interests and abilities in the townships. Their 'fuck what you think' philosophy resonated deep within the townships and spread through suburbs like wildfire, bridging the divide between different demographics and bringing attention to the waves of counter culture rising from the township.
The youth that once felt disenfranchised can now acknowledge the future possibilities thanks to a band of unlikely heroes that opened the gates. The band’s influence inspired all to freely express their identity in a safe space, to converge their creative ideas, and to foster more growth within the community.
Redefining the one-dimensional music scene in South Africa was never T.C.I.Y.F’s sole intention, but sharing their stories and giving the middle finger to the scenes that failed to recognize their early potential absolutely was. Their music and clout has given the future of misled youth a platform to be unafraid, to create, and to destroy any barrier that would set them back.
Dogg Pound Days is a photo exhibition exploring this sentiment, and the incredible community of skateboarders and punk rockers that welcomed my lens in the documentation of life in Soweto at a pivotal era in community and culture. I will be exhibiting a body of work created with love through struggle and patience at Pass~Port Store and Gallery next Thursday, September 7th. I don't just come as one but represent thousands.
