Lionisaac

About Lionisaac

BIOGRAPHY OF ISAAC RAMOSHIDI BOKABA.

Isaac Ramoshidi Bokaba was born Isaac Ramoshidi Moeketsi in Skilpadfontein clinic, Mpumalanga, South Africa, to a domestic worker mother during the former South African apartheid regime and five days after the controversial 1976 Soweto students uprising. His artistic career started at a tender age while mostly based in the Roman Catholic Church. He often found his refuge in books and music provided by his father Abram who unfortunately passed away while Isaac was still eleven years old back in 1987.

In 1989 he moved from Potchefstroom South Africa where he was staying with his aunt to Ga-Rankuwa, timeously getting involved with the Catholic Church Youth Movements fully participating in drama, poetry reciting and music composition besides day schooling.

He later moved to Cape Town to study in 1995 and worked with the likes of Dizu Plaatjies, pioneer and leader of the globally acclaimed Amampondo Cultural Group, lecturer at the University of Cape Town, among other South African musical greats, most of who were students then.

Together with his friend and talented artist and producer Mzwakhe Hlatshwayo, who was based in Sweden as a music teacher, deejay and African Music Activist, they formed a crew of dance acts,infusing african pantsula dance with hip hop in the late nineties, an underground band Divine Crew, part time work for a Children's Entertainment company and were highly aspirant and proclaimed University artists and entertainers.

Intense exposure to live music resulted in the group viewed as being ahead of the local music scene then, which was highly reliant on computerised recording and digital audio performances. Other successful projects include writing music for the Smirnoff Sghubu Project in 1999 for the then popular friday South African television music program Studio Mix, with one song titled Sghubu featuring South African world renowned diva Judith Sephuma as lead vocalist.

He is currently involved with the African Hip Hop Movement as the recording and performing artist Lionisaac, also locally acclaimed as Stseketseke, which implies ancient cursive writing. Previous experiences include working as a laboratory assistant for a design and water meter manufacturing company in Pretoria, fully embarking in Skills Development and Employment Equity policies as chairperson while serving as public relations officer of Footsteps Youth Movement of St. Martin De Porres Catholic Church in Sunnyside, Pretoria.

Isaac aims to share his talent with other South African youth, the disabled and old aged and through embarking in both local and global cultural exchange programmes. His previous work of art on the local underground scene makes him a talented songwriter, rapper, author, publisher and an african poet of note. His mission is to inspire talent, educate the youth, motivate the nation and to put across the message of dedication and right living through arts and culture.

© ISAAC RAMOSHIDI BOKABA