Late photographer and jazz promoter Rashid Lombard remembered as an icon
Lombard died in Cape Town on Wednesday, surrounded by his loved ones at the age of 74.
Photographer and jazz promoter Rashid Lombard. Picture: Supplied
CAPE TOWN - Cultural activist and jazz promoter Rashid Lombard has been described as an icon who not only documented South Africa's struggle history but cemented himself as a big player in the country’s rich heritage.
Lombard died in Cape Town on Wednesday, surrounded by his loved ones at the age of 74.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his condolences to the Lombard family and his extensive network of friends nationally and internationally.
He will be buried on Thursday morning, according to Muslim rites.
Originally from the Eastern Cape, Lombard was born in North End, Gqeberha on 10 April 1951.
At age 11, his family moved to Cape Town, where he would later become respected in media and music circles.
Trained as an architectural draftsman and later as an industrial photographer, Lombard began his career with a major construction company.
But his political consciousness was later amplified through the influence of the black consciousness movement and he left the corporate world.
He went on to work as a freelance photographer and television sound recordist during the height of the anti-apartheid struggle.
He worked for a few international media outlets, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), the BBC, and NBC.
Over the course of his career, he documented pivotal moments in South Africa’s journey to freedom, including the rise of the democratic movement in the 1980s, the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, and the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.
But the music was calling and in 1997, Lombard founded espAfrika, the company which steered him to become an influential jazz promoter and founder of the then Cape Town edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival.
He was at the helm of the company until his retirement in 2014.
His work received widespread acclaim, and he was honoured with numerous awards for both his contributions to news photography and his impact on music and tourism.
In 2014, he was awarded the prestigious National Order of Ikhamanga in Silver "for his excellent contribution to arts and culture and his dedication to promoting jazz music that has put South Africa on the map for many jazz enthusiasts around the world".
He is survived by his lifelong partner Colleen Lombard, his sister Fazoe Sydow and his children Chevan, Shadley, Yana, Zach, and Daniel, and six grandchildren.