![]() ![]() I had a chance to venture into some other things that I did not have a chance to explore as I was busy focusing on my art and tourism. I'm struggling to maintain things, as I haven’t made any income since lockdown.”Īnd yet, he remains hopeful. “Covid has affected my business and life in many ways…. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has decimated the local tourism economy in Cape Town, and with it, Tozamile’s lifeline as well. As the residents of Langa, and many in South Africa, lack the discretionary income to spend on art, visitors are Tozamile’s best customers. This tourism, and the sales that often come with it, are Toz’s main source of income. He hopes this work with tourism and foreign nationals will heighten the profile of his community, educating people on the area’s complex past and its artistic present. In addition to his art, Tozamile works in conjunction with iKhaya Le Langa, giving educational tours of the township. All my paintings I did sold and I never stopped from then…It means the future, so I'm very serious about my work.…I want to live my life as an artist.” “So after the market, I bought painting materials and started painting. Toz approached them, and soon learned they were making even more money than he was, for work he knew he could do himself perhaps better. ![]() Working among the stalls was a group of men from Malawi, selling their paintings. That summer, he visited an open-air market in East London, a city in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. By 2016, he was still fixing shoes, selling clothes and crafting jewelry, but he felt unsatisfied. He soon settled on making and repairing shoes.Īlthough Tozamile had loved art in his youth, he never thought it could be a viable way to earn money. These jobs varied from selling fruit and vegetables in the streets, to other stints, like buying and selling clothes. Before his foray into art, he held numerous jobs to get by in an economy scant of formal work for young people ( The youth unemployment rate in South Africa hovers around 50%). Like many of his peers, Tozamile dropped out of high school, spurring him to find income however he could. Originally from Port Elizabeth, Tozamile, or Toz as he’s known by many around Langa, made his way to Cape Town in 2003. He began painting professionally just four years ago. But his rise to recognition has been quick. ![]() Today, he’s an award winning painter, last year winning the township’s street art competition. ![]()
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