Black Coffee scholarship launched

Few artists understand the challenges of living with a physical disability better than the award-winning DJ from KwaZulu-Natal, Nkosinathi 'Nathi' Maphumulo aka DJ Black Coffee. What many may not be aware of is that he does not have the use of his left arm. Nathi at first did not reveal his disability during the start of his career to avoid using it as a marketing tool: "I wanted people to love and respect me for what I do, which is my music," he explained during the press conference held at the launch of the scholarship on Tuesday, 13 May at the SAE Institute's new campus at the Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town.   

 

 

Application details

 

Applicants for the Black Coffee scholarship will have to register online on the SAE Institute website. They will then be required to submit a 2000-word reflective essay. The candidates will then be whittled down to 5-10 essays, after which they will be interviewed. The scholarship will include face-time with the artists and a support structure during their tenure at the SAE Institute. The process will take between 2-3 months before the opportunity is awarded.  

 

"It's such a blessing to have this collaboration with Bridges for Music. It started off small, we started doing workshops, and now we have a scholarship in our name, and what's great about it as well is it's for someone with disabilities. These are the people that are often not taken seriously - they are part of society, and in most cases no-one really gives them an opportunity, or listens to what they have to say. For us to be involved in such a powerful programme, it makes us so happy to see that we are instilling change in society," said Black Coffee.

 

 

Importance of education

 

Ready D also attended the launch and press conference; the candidate for the Ready D Scholarship has already been selected and gave unexpected heartfelt thanks to his benefactor at the launch. Ready D is a strong advocate for education in the South African music industry saying, "The one thing we always tell people is that to have talent is one thing, but to have the business-savvy, the business sense - that's very important as well, and you need to be educated about that to a certain degree or you need to find trustworthy people that can handle your business for you." 

 

"It is very vital to understand the industry that you're getting into," agreed Black Coffee, "not just from the guy that's doing it on the streets, but in school. Go learn to structure things, go learn to build a career, because things are different now. Back in the day, all you needed was a record deal from a big record company. Today, big record companies are closing down in South Africa, so now you need to learn how to start your own, and how to grow your own, and how to sustain your own, and you need education to do that."

 

For more info on the Black Coffee scholarship, go to https://capetown.sae.edu/en-gb/campaign/2252.

 

For more on Bridges for Music, go to www.bridgesformusic.org, and for details on the DJ Black Coffee foundation, go to www.djblackcoffee.org.