A tribute to Ashanti Kakaza

Ashanti Kakaza
Born: 08 August 1984
Died: 25 June 2008

'When a young person's life suddenly stops, life stops. Questions run through our minds about the injustice of the a life cut so short. But, in a way that we will never understand, she has served her purpose and we serve as her witnesses.'

Ashanti’s death has made me take stock of my life. It’s funny that her death, someone whom I wasn’t close to in the end, has impacted me in the way that no-one’s death since perhaps my father’s has impacted me. But then again last night, I was thinking that maybe I was close to her - in a way I never knew until now. Someone reminded me that in high school, I co-wrote a play that detailed her life to the tee – in the way she lived and the way she died- and the most hectic thing was that she was the lead actress in the play. I remember why we chose her – her voice. It was true and present…it gave her an ethereal divinity and she seemed almost fragile standing on that stage and performing that big role. And somehow, I think she has guided my talent to write and depict life and love through stories. She once wrote to me that I inspired her to be a better person, that even if she were to die today or tomorrow, I should know that I impacted her life. I didn’t take it seriously then – I hate being put on a pedestal because it makes me feel like I can’t be human but over the last week, since we heard of her passing – memories of her have been coming to me. I think she’s inspired me to write a book about us – The Greats, as we were called in high school. We always joked that I would be the one that wrote about us and our shenanigans and up until I met Zelipa Zulu who opened me up to a world of imagination, research through travel and just going to where you’ve never been with your writing, I didn’t really think I had that much of a story to tell. But on Friday, sitting in the bus with my friend Vangz , she teaching me all the lessons God is teaching her and humbling me to His infinite and divine love, I started feeling and seeing the characters form in my head. The five of us - each with their own story to tell, intricacies that make them up, journeys that join and divide us. I want to write this book as a tribute to her – Ashanti, who believed in my talent when no-one, myself included else even saw it. I thank God for her life – no matter how shortlived it was, she fulfilled the purpose God had planted in her soul – maybe that was to re-awaken us to our greatness. She has done her work and we serve as her witnesses.