Musician Rita Kamale: 'I'm excited to share my culture and sound with Jozi'

⁠Tell us a bit about who you are and your involvement in the upcoming Bassline Fest.

I’m a multidisciplinary artist based between London and Casablanca (Morocco). I am a vocalist, instrumentalist and producer, and I DJ in parallel. My sound is best categorised as alternative soul/soft rap. I love to experiment. Each song is in its own realm, going from neo-soul and Moroccan ancestral melodies to 808 heavy hip-hop beats. It’s a massive pleasure to be invited to play at Bassline Fest, It will be my first time performing in South Africa, a country I have dreamt of visiting for a very long time. I’m excited to share my culture and sound with Joburg. 

I would describe myself as “a traveller”, for sure. As an immigrant living between two countries, I’m constantly going back and forth between Europe and Africa. My family and friends are scattered across the world so I consider myself lucky to have been able to visit many places. I have yet to explore Asia and South America. I feel like I connect with cultures I’ve never visited yet — Japan, for example. I see many similarities between their culture and mine. And I can’t hide the fact I love manga. 

I grew up in London and we would often go to Morocco for our holidays. The thing I remember most is the food. I spent so much time in the kitchen with my mum, aunt and grandma. Those are my most treasured memories. We used to have family dinner parties and my cousins and I would perform. We would play cards till the early hours of the morning, build forts and hang out on the roof of our building listening to music.

My hometown is London. If I were hosting a tourist there, I would take them to Shoreditch because there are a lot of art galleries, live music and great restaurants from around the world. I'd also show them Camden, which has a great market, vintage clothing stores and eccentric buildings. Finally, I'd take them to Denmark Street because I grew up spending my weekends there in the guitar shops and underground jam spaces.

My worst travel experience happened in Mallorca. It was an incredible holiday but I had an accident on a jet ski and was scared for my life in the middle of the ocean. 

I am an adventurous eater when I travel. I love to try different cuisines, especially when I was in Spain. I lived in Madrid for a year and I love the lifestyle there. Also, I love street food. London has been great at giving me the variety I search for — Moroccan, Jamaican, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Argentine, I love it all.

One thing I always do on holiday is see some kind of show. I love experiencing performances from different cultures. I’ll almost always buy a piece of art to take back as a souvenir. My favourite souvenir is one my father bought in Togo. It’s a cylindrical sculpture of a deity made out of bone. It has a hole on the top, which is perfect for a piece of palo santo, which I burn very often. 

Friendliest locals? I’m biased so I will say Morocco.

My perfect holiday involves the beach, the sun, a pool, nice restaurants, family and friends, adventures. 

My best holiday ever was when my now husband took me to Merzouga [a small Moroccan town in the Sahara Desert] to propose to me. 

My favourite international city is Marrakesh because its colours and patterns are healing for me. My close friends and family live there and it hosts some of the best festivals. That's also why it's my best place in the world for a night out.

What Moroccans think about South Africa: Moroccans know it is a beautiful country and love its culture — increasingly now with amapiano taking over the world and allowing for more global interest in the nuances and history of South African culture.   

• Catch Rita Kamale at Bassline Fest at Constitution Hill, Jozi, on Africa Day, May 25. For more information see here. Tickets available from Ticketmaster.