DIC competition rocks

DIC competition rocks

 

Some of the winners of this year's DIC Nasheed Competition. Aisha Cassiem

The Cape Town City Hall was filled with the melodious voices of youth the entered the coveted Discover Islam Centre's 3rd annual Nasheed Competition on Saturday. It was a day filled with lots of emotion and tears as the youthful participants vied for the attention of the judges and audience.

With seven Islamic high schools and four Islamic primary schools competing in the nasheed contest, Habibia Primary and Darul Islam High school walked away with first prize in both categories. Dressed in white abayas and fully prepared, they took to the stage in the first half of the event. It was Habibia Primary that got the crowd moving from the start, adding a vigorous vibe to the evening.

DIC director Moulana Zackariya Philander said that it was a tough decision this year due to the contest being more competitive than last year. “There was a tremendous crowd in attendance with their own hopes on who should take the title as the DIC 2012 Nasheed winners. These students surprised us tremendously this year,” he related.

The judges who had to evaluate the perfomances based on strict criteria, echoed the sentiment, saying that the emotion of both students and their parents made the elimination process that much tougher. The judging panel included Sheik Ishmail Londt, Sheik Igsaan Abrahams, Sheik Muhamad Philander, Sheik Galied William, Sheik Siraaj Van De Schyff and Shireef Martin.

In the primary school category Hidayatul Islam and Darul Islam Primary came 2nd and 3rd place with Al Azhar High School and Islamia College winning 2nd and 3rd place in the senior category. The eliminated teams included Iqra Academy, Icra Comprehensive High School, as well as Oracle Academy.

Growth

Taj Akleker, who hosted the event for the evening, said that he would like to see the DIC nasheed competition move to a higher level outside the City Hall and into the stadium, drawing a bigger audience in future. There was wide approval from the females in the audience when he added the hope to see female participants joining the competition next year to showcase local nasheed.

As for the winners, there was plenty of smiles after a job well done. “We are overwhelmed to be walking away with the DIC award. It is by far the most exciting event for us students, knowing that we have practiced hard for this day,” said one participant of Darul Islam High school. But more than just showcasing local talent, the nasheed competition has the effect of encouraging educators from various participating schools to start their own nasheed groups. While it created a new hobby for these learners to practise after school, they believe that it also fosters a new love for nasheed.

With over 700 people in attendance at the event, which also serves as a much needed fundraiser for the da'wah works done by the DIC, the event could well be regarded as a huge success. One of the parents who attended said that although she came to support the fundraiser, the event also created "an amazing bond" among Muslims, which she hoped would continue at this annual event in Cape Town.

Sheik Ebrahiem Gabriels was among the enthusiastic audience who came to their feet to applaud the performances. According to the alim, he had been touched and amazed by the talent of the youth. "These young lads are our future leaders. Tonight has been a touching experience with a wonderful ambience and alhamdulillah, it is incredible to see our students this passionate about nasheeds," he said.

Events concluded with the heartfelt salawat, rendered by all the participants and lead by Sheik Muhamad Philander. But the evening reached a peak when this rendition was taken to the streets as Sheik Gabriels lead the departing crowd with the Palestinian war cry, paving the way for the Global March to Jerusalem on Friday as they sang out “Forward we shall march”. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

Spiritual train to S/Town

Spiritual train to S/Town

The Iqraa Naat and Qasida Academy (INQA) is inviting the community to jump on board and join them on their 'spiritual train' to Simons Town on Sunday 25 March as part of an effort to raise money for this year’s students to go on umrah. INQA believes that with the community's support, learners will have an opportunity to experience the spiritual journey of a life time.

INQA was established in 2001 with the vision to educate young students the art of naat recitations, thereby instilling the love for the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The organization has been involved with various projects throughout the years, under the sponsorship of Sheikh Ahmed Tahier Mohamed since the start. This year they will be sending away 15 -20 students and hope to raise enough money to cover the expenses. 

Organiser Faizel Sayed told VOC that they will be catering for 200 people on the day and would like to encourage families to join them on this trip. “There will be a variety of activities for guests once they arrive at their destination in Simons Town, including naats and recitations. Food has also been organized for the day,” he said.

Sayed said that they approached Metro Rail last year asking them to help on this project. “Metro Rail has agreed to go ahead with this good cause and will be controlling the trip throughout the day. They have a number of safety measures for those who arrived with cars, and guests will be able to find parking at the station for the day," he explained.

The train will be leaving from Bellville station at approximately 8am, ending its journey at St James station. Passengers will return by 5pm later the day. Sayed said there were quite a number of people who bought tickets already. If the number increases, Metrorail will add more coaches for the day. Tickets are available from under R75 per person under the age of 18 years and R100 for adults.

If you would like to support INQA, contact Sheikh Ahmed Tahier Mohamed on 0837864885. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

Saldanha welcomes VOC

VOC's outside broadcast team had an early start on Friday as they made the long trek to Saldanha Bay for a special Jumuah broadcast at Nurul Mahribi Masjid in Vraagom Street. With a crew of 12 members on board, the team got off to a shaky start when first the OB needed to be jump started. Then they got stuck on the N7, after driving over a snake on the road. There was more bac luck when a bird flew into the high top of the van and as added insult they got lost on the way.

But despite the drama which started as early as 6am, the team made the 140km journey safely to the West Coast town to interact with the small Muslim community and raise the profile of he station in the more remote broadcast areas. According to Goolam Fakier, VOC’s technical manager, the overall planning went well.
“The road trip was one of the most exciting ones we have ever had and definitely a memorable one," he quipped. "Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by the wonderful hospitality of the Saldanha Muslim community, who made us feel very special. As Capetonians, it is great to see a masjid so far from the city and after this visit, I believe that VOC should look at investing a bit more time here."

Fakier added that despite the minor problems enroute, the journey lived to be an "upbeat adventure". VOC presenter Ayesha Laatoe hosted the Afternoon Cruise show from the Saldanha madrassa with presenter Jamiel Wallace co-hosting with her from 2-4pm. The rest of the team which included technicians, producers and members of marketing helped around making it a successful OB.

Warm welcome

For Laatoe who had been to Saldanha previously, this was the first time she had an opportunity to get to know as much about the growing Muslim community and its activities. "I was amazed to see the masjid and madrasa when we arrived. The warmth of the people was even more heartwarming and the fact that they went all out to make us feel at home was wonderful.”

A highlight of the program was the participation of the madrassah children in the program with the on air recital of some of their lessons. "I was amazed to hear how the children had practice for our arrival. Having VOC there to broadcast from their community was something big for them and it showed. We interacted with the community throughout the show and also enjoyed the fact that the little kids took over the kiddies club house section,” she chuckled.

The officiating imam at the masjid, Maulana Naim Abrahams, told VOC that Saldanha has a strong Muslim community with many Islamic activities that has been ongoing for many years. “This masjid has been a haven for foreigners and those travelling daily along this route. We have a number of qualified teachers at our madrassa and alhamdulilah, the number of residents who embrace Islam is increasing tremendously.”

According to the alim, they recently started something special in the Saldanha community byinviting Muslims from surrounding areas to join them on their fun days which is hosted annually. As such, they hoped to see VOC at their next event, a desire Fakier ecchoed. "Having been to Saldanha once more, we hope to stay in touch, but to extend this type of outreach to other parts of our rural broadcast areas," he said. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

Material aims abroad

Material aims abroad

Having hovered among the top five box office hits in South Africa since its release in February, making huge headlines in the South African film industry, lead actor whose own story inspired the movie, Dr Riaad Moosa, was hopefule that Material was now looking to break another barrier with plan to have it released internationally.

The film tells the story of a Muslim young man who works with his father in a material shop, but dreams about being a successful stand up comedian, without losing his cultural and religious identity. “The movie is going very well and we still have a great quantity of numbers on it," he told VOC, referring to the box office numbers. "The next step in our journey is to release it internationally, but it is based on how well we do here in South Africa and that’s why we have to keep pushing it," said Moosa.

But giving the power of the Hollywood industry and its media machine, local movies have a tougher time drawing attention. As such, the medical doctor turned comedian and father of two said he was very grateful for the support the local film is getting and urged those who have yet to see it to do so as soon as possible. Moosa said Material would only be able to reach the top spot on the box office if more cinemagoers saw what has been described by many movie critics as a truly "South African" rather than a "Muslim" story.
Apteker concurred with this view. “The movie caught everyone by surprise and is indeed a world class movie. Many people are stunned and I just wish more people can go and see it. This film was not made specifically for Muslims, but could apply to Greeks, Jews or any culture since it relates to family, especially family businesses," he related.

In the interim, the film makers are already eyeing festivals in London, Canada and Mumbai  later in the year to expose the local movie to the international circuit. Ronnie Apteker, director of the movie, said that they are working closely with Nu Metro, as well as DSTV Box Office hwo will be featuring the film in July or August.

“The movie is now into weekend number five and has a total of 41 prints on circuit.
"We are hoping to get a higher number on this, but not complaining as all reviews thus far has been positive." Apteker said that the movie is popular in the cosmopolitan areas with over 230,000 South Africans having viewed it thus far.  Apteker added that there has been a demand in various places for the movie to be screened, while new cinemas have opened up or movied around in other parts of the country, such as Bloemfontein and East London.

As for Moosa, who had spent seven years working with fellow writers on the script, it was a work to be proud of. "As a Muslim living in South Africa I am very proud of this film. I think All Muslims in South Africa should be too. So we would like to take this movie internationally and show the world (what SA Muslims are like)."

Material is currently screening at the following Sterkinekor theatres – Cape Gate, Cavendish, N1 City, Parow Centre, Promenade and Tygervalley, as well as at these Numetro cinemas - Canal Walk, V&A and GrandWest. For more info on the Movie Material you can check out the movies website on www.materialmovie.com. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

Heart disease rising

Heart disease rising

Cardiovascular’ heart disease seems to be hitting poor communities more frequently than of those living in more affluent parts of Cape Town. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, the disease leads to disability and premature death and has called on government to help create awareness among particularly poorer communities on how to adapt to a healthier lifestyle.
Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, CEO of The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, told VOC’s Afternoon Cruise that heart disease is the second leading killer in the country after HIV/Aids and that it was critical that people pay attention to its impact. “Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel disease), includes frequent difficulties, many of which are related to a process called atherosclerosis," Mungal-Singh explained.
"Atherosclerosis is a condition that develops when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries and the build-up narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. If a blood clot forms, it can stop the blood flow. This can cause a heart attack or stroke." Mungal-Singh added that the government had already hosted various health events, but feels the issue should be prioritised in order to educate more people.

Mariska Fouche, Public Affairs Manager for Pharma Dynamics, concurred, saying that there was very little information on what is happening within the poorer communities in relation to this disease. She said that once people get the relevant information, they would be able to access resources and tools to help develop a healthier lifestyle.

The team recently embarked on a project to promote this message. “Cooking from the heart is a mission we embarked on, along with a well-known cereal company. This forms part of one of many projects we are busy with, to push the prevention of heart disease. Our aim is to provide educational programs on health and preventing the risk of heart disease within the society," Fouche said.

“We are asking the community to send their favourite meals to us in orde to make it more heart friendly. The top recipes will go into our health book which is set to be launched in September.” Fouche added that book seeks to improve the lifestyle of South Africans, in line with a government directive. “We aim to make this book a practical tool to educate and motivate families, educating consumers on what foods to spend their money on.”

With obesity also huge local problem, Fouche believes that these projects will also benefit children who are also tipping the scale at alarming levels. She said it was critical to start watching diet and lifestyle at an early age to prevent heart disease and obesity later. Those who have recipes for inclusion in the book can email it to Recipe@heartfoundation.co.za or sms 'recipe'm followed by their recipe to 32697.VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

MPlain group urges support

As Mitchells Plain battles a drug scourge of huge proportions in the Western Cape, the Mitchells Plain Drug Action Committee is calling all NGO’s to come on board and be pro-active in dealing with substance abuse. A study conducted by the provincial Department of Social Development last year found that Mitchells Plain had a considerably higher rate of substance abuse than the national and international averages.

The chairperson of the Mitchells Plain Local Drug Action Committee and director of the Sultan Bahu Drug Treatment Centre, Shafiek Davids, said Mitchells Plain was the country’s teen drug capital and had the most drug-related crimes for many years now. “The government has come to realize that they should put greater emphasis towards preventing drug usage, and not only by giving them treatment but also to drill and educate children in schools from a very young age,” said Davids.

There is a shortage of treatment facilities, as most centres treat drug addicts over a period of three to six months and many of those in need end up on a waiting list. The committee is made up of almost 120 NGO’s and various organizations, who have banded together to fight the problem. They recently embarked on a pilot project to monitor the most drug-infested schools in the Mitchell Plain and Khayelitsha area.
“We need to start somewhere, and the reason we targeted high schools, was to give an idea of where this could lead to…before they drop out of school and not complete Matric,” said Davids. Children who experiment with drugs at an early age continue to use them because the substance either makes them feel good, or stops them from feeling bad.

In many cases, however, there is a fine line between regular use and drug abuse and addiction. Very few addicts are able to recognize when they have crossed that line. While frequency or the amount of drugs consumed do not themselves constitute drug abuse or addiction, they can often be indicators of drug-related problems. 

“These signs are noticeable at a very young age. We see it in many children who are high risk in many schools. Signs of aggression and character are always the signs of behavior in these learners,” said Davids. “I think that research has taught us now that over the entire spectrum of usage of all those who use, mis-use and abuse, eventually they become dependent at some point. We therefore have to see that this does not become a norm and must be treated immediately.”

The goal of the committee is to assist families affected by drug abuse and to ensure they have the necessary support. Davids encouraged the community to come on board and support them. For more information, contact the Mitchells Plain Drug Action Committee on 0213722945. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

Salt River High School is celebrating their 50th anniversary

Salt River High School is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and inviting all ex-students to jump on board with their upcoming events. On Saturday, the school hosted a food fair which attracted over 200 ex-students and people within the community. "We are fortunate and honored to still have our ex-students and alumni on board assisting with various events for the past few years. This has helped the school tremendously and we are grateful for it," said principal Russell Bell.

The event was jampacked with entertainment, including marimba bands, car shows, jumping castle, learners performing on stage and over 50 stalls. “We are currently trying to raise funds for our latest projects for the school where we are looking at starting our own bursary fund ,library and media centre,” he said, adding that they have been asking the Western Cape Educational Department (WCED) to support them on this project for the past few years and that they are still waiting on a reply.

Because of the alumni, the school was able to start a feeding scheme recently which feeds the majority of the learners. He said most of them come from poor households and at most times, have no lunch. Most of the fundraising will go towards the feeding scheme in the week. Bell added that some of the fundraising that they have managed to raise for the past few months will go towards the commemorative year book and marimba classes they recently started, in order to buy appropriate equipment for the band.

The school will host a number of fundraising events throughout the year and are asking the Salt River community and ex-learners to help out. Bell said that this is also an opportunity for all ex-learners to meet up and actively contribute. If you would like to participate in any way you can contact the secretary of Salt River High School on 021-448 1405. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

W/stock fights noisy bars

Woodstock residents are urging local bar owners and the Woodstock Police station to step up their action and do something about the late night parties and early morning drunken brawls within the area. Following a barrage of complaints from local residents, Woodstock CPF chairman James Cowley told VOC News that they are trying their best to root out the problem within the area.
"Most of these pubs are legal and have licenses to do what they doing, but the problem lies within the fact that these business owners are exceeding their conditions." Cowley added that they are engaging with SAPS to step up their efforts as it has become an immense problem throughout the past few months. Not only are these bars taking advantage of this but also some of the residents within the area who are hosting late night, rowdy parties. 

"The area police station needs to do something about this situation as it is getting more and more out of control each and every weekend. There are lots of drunken fights early in the morning,women and men slapping each other and cars speeding off after these late night parties," said one resident, Liesl Smith, adding that they can’t easily invite people over to their home to enjoy a great peaceful evening as this situation gets out of control. Cowley said that this is affecting the broader business community and that these activities are frequent in the Woodstock and Observatory region.

"The Woodstock police who are on duty at that time of the night are very good. I always phone and am assured that they will be there within a few minutes time. These are the petty things they have to deal with and the management of pubs should take responsibility. Seeing that there’s no mandate on the part of the owners to take control of these people, at numerous times we’ve been woken up by  fights as well," said another resident, Jamielah Muhammad.

Cowley advised the Woodstock and surrounding community to lodge their complains to 10111 and to request a reference number as well as well as the operators name when calling in. This gives them a record of all  complaints. He added that they are working closely with the SAPS on a regularly basis to reduce this problem. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

Letter competition for youth

The South African Post Office is once again inviting learners up to the age of 15 years old to partake in their 41st international letter writing competition. The contest was first introduced a few years back by the Universal Postal Union, a coordinating body based in Switzerland for all postal administration worldwide. Martie Gilchrist, the regional communication manager for the SA Post Office told VOC that this year has an new exciting theme and encourages learners and schools to participate in this event.

"Scholars are required to send in their letters, writing about their favourite sportsman and what the Olympics mean to them," he said. This year’s theme  was announced throughout last year which gave learners enough time to do research. By taking part in this event, learners will improve their writing and reading, one of the major  problems schools face today.

"There are so many learners who are struggling to read and write in our community. The local post offices within various areas are always open to offer their services and one should actually take this as an educational opportunity," said Gilchrist. To make the competition attractive to schools, there are a host of prizes awaiting learners. A panel of judges will select top letters provincially and from there select the top three to go through to the finals to compete worldwide.

A reward of R5,000 will be given to each learner provincially, with a R15,000 cash prize to the school as well. Gilchrist added that those learners who are still interested in participating have until 31 March to enter and can download the application forms from their website www.postoffice.co.za or contact her on 021-590 5660. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

K/ton rehab needs funds

The Kensington Outreach Organization will be hosting their first annual fundraiser event for the year on Saturday 24 March 2012 at the Kensington Civic Centre and is inviting the community to show their support. The organisation's project manager Kevin Alexander said they were in dire need of transport to fetch and drop off parents and kids who participate in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation programes at the center.

"There are many who miss out on it due to transport problems," said Alexander. The fundraiser came up during a meeting and various workshops last September and the outreach are finally taking a step further to make it happen. He said it was important for the people within the community to be he educated and especially parents, to be able to know how they should handle their child in a situation like this.

With the event starting at 6pm on the day, Alexander added that there will be various entertainments, including well known singers Ivan Collision, Trevor Sampson, SA’s Got Talents finalist for 2011 Limited Edition and lots more. The non-profit organization has been in existence for the past few years and is funded mostly by the Department of Social Development to get through with most of their needs.

"We would like other companies to get involved with the organization, sponsoring and assisting where they can, and giving into the community at the same time." Alexander said that they were forced to upgrade the centre to accommodate more people and that they are receiving more and more calls for help each and every week. He added that most of the children have no other place to go after rehabilitation and that they aim to educate parents on how to handle their kids after reintegration.

The organization will be catering for 400 people on the day and tickets will be sold for R100 per person. If you would like to support the Kensington Outreach Organization on this good course, you can contact Kevin Alexander on 021 593 3484 or 072 279 3170. VOC (Aishah Cassiem)

a few of Voice of the Cape Radio staff

A few of VOC staff

BABY SHOOTS

shukr ya Rabb

Assalaam everyone hope you are well.
Alhamdulilah i must say today is one of those days that just gives you a reason to keep smilimg beautiful day ya Rabb!!!
may Allah swt protect us all inshallah ameen
sitting in lecture thinking about everything that has happened thus far and alhamdulilah i am most greatful ,shukr to Allah.

Aishah Cassiem Photography

Aishah Cassiem Photography

aishahcassiem@gmail.com

0799662228

I love you

So there you got it,the guy who puts a smile on my face 24/7.
T'hree words for you sweety ''I LOVE YOU''
Fasiegh Petersen, Presenter on VOC radio and night shift supervisor

photography : these beautiful women

Apart from writting up articles and loving the everydayaction and fun of a journalist, I enjoy photography as well and totaly obsessed with taking pictures!!! check out these few pics i snaped,unedited and must say these chicks are gorgous...

Protest in Cape Town

Went out to catch the protest at 11am in town on Wednesday 06 March 2012, COSATU and many others protesting on labour laws and much more. must say first time out on such a story and loving it. the songs reminded me of one of those Apartheid moves heheh it was awsum as a young journalsit experiencing this....

happy snapping

I love taking pics,probably of each and every thing i see or come across, evens heels and make up!!! lol

the fun of having a cam and just capturing each and every moment.

well happy snapping to myself, coz im loving this!!!

s