10 Questions For: Sne Dladla

This award-winning performer is also a witty comedian, puppeteer and musician who is all about making a difference in the world using his multidimensional set of skills

1. How would you describe what you do for a living?
I make what people wouldn’t be comfortable in talking about possible to be laughed at and embraced. I teach and open up people’s eyes to see what’s happening in the country. Mostly I encourage people to embrace their inner child – to imagine and simply enjoy the moment.

2. What is your most vivid childhood memory?
I remember being woken up to do the garden chores with my brother. This was a family ritual that would always begin with being woken up by the sound of my mom knocking on our doors screaming “Nilaleleni? Vukani, vukani, vukani!” (“Why are you sleeping? Wake up, wake up, wake up!”). We’d wake up with the question of: “Why else would we be sleeping?” but we’d never vocalise that because my mother was very swift to give you that beating.   She would then delegate the maintaining of the house garden and my brother and I got the grass area.  We had finished mowing the lawn inside the yard and proceeded to do the lawn outside the yard.  My brother would normally speak to me during this time while I got the mower started but this time, all I could hear behind me were huffs and  puffs. You could clearly hear that he was in despair.  I turned to see what the problem was and I turned to see that the neighbour’s dog was no longer in the yard but on the street near us.  This dog was close to being the size of a horse and it was coming towards us!  My brother had been attempting to climb up the tree to get away from the dog but eventually gave up and accepted his ending.  The memory will always be vivid to me because that’s the first time I realised that if someone were to try stab me, my brother would fight for me but if there’s ever a dog, I’m on my own…

3. If you could invite any three people, dead or alive, for dinner, who would they be and why?
It would be Bobby McFerrin -hands down.  He’s one of the most amazing musicians of our time.  He makes up melodies on the spot and sometimes involves his audience to help him with tunes.  He has an incredible voice and I dream of getting just one lesson from him.

4. If you ever found yourself auditioning for a music reality TV show, what song would you sing and why?
It would be the lyrics to Khona by Mafikizolo, simply because no one knows the lyrics to the song so I’d be sorted in terms of trying to learn lyrics.  Fake it till I make it.

5.  How would you complete this sentence?  
The South African cabinet should include a Minister of POINT OF ORDERS.

6. What would you say is the biggest misconception about you? 
That I have a car and that I’m rich.  No my dear comrades. I’m cabbing it up as much as you and I find myself looking for a benefit too.

7. What is your (honest) opinion of Cape Town? 
Cape Town is unbelievably amazing.  It’s a harbour of a new start, a place to just be what you want to be and that’s what I think also makes people here so attractive.  But at the same time it feels very hostile and I feel that one has to prove themselves time and time again with a challenge you’ve overcome many times in front of the very people challenging you again.  Trust is difficult to earn and the poor vs rich dilemma is a huge problem in Cape Town.

8. What's the greatest fear you've had to overcome to get where you are today?
The greatest fear I’ve had to overcome is knowing that I could  go broke any second [because of the nature of the industry] that I could  be unemployed and that it’s not easy to make it in the arts industry.

9. What's the one thing you'd like to achieve before you die? 
It’s impossible for me to stick to one because I have many dreams but for now I want to own a theatre/media company that will create amazing works and at the same time create such an amazing environment for the actor and performer, especially because of the lack of respect and consideration that this country has for its performers.

10. Which well-known South African personality would you , without a doubt, be able to beat in a street fight and why?
Hugh Masekela. He’s old.

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ABOUT #CapeTownMag10Q:

CapeTownMagazine.com’s 10 Questions project gets to know some of the Mother City’s most creative and inspiring people. From television personalities and musicians to politicians and entrepreneurs, we find out more about well-known and up-and-coming Capetonians. You can follow #CapeTownMag10Q on Twitter and Facebook to track recent interviews or read more here about our other awesome 10 Questions candidates. 

A FEW OF OUR OTHER 10Q CANDIDATES:

10 Questions For Comedienne Shimmy Isaacs

10 Questions For Writer Rebecca Davis

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