Cape Town: President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his condolences following the passing of photographer and jazz promoter, Rashid Lombard. “We have lost a cultural icon who not only documented our history of struggle but made history in his own right. Rashid Lombard’s fearless depiction of apartheid’s endemic inhumanity and violence and his compassionate focus on the lives of oppressed communities and disadvantaged individuals is a powerful record of our struggle for basic human rights and dignity,” the President said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to South African Government News Agency, the renowned photographer, cultural activist, and jazz organiser passed away at the age of 74. Lombard was an esteemed member of the National Order of Ikhamanga (Silver), which he received in 2014 for his 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.
“His creative and entrepreneurial ability gave rise to his establishment of the Cape Town Jazz Festival through which he bolstered South Africa’s integration into global culture and linked this prestige event to the development of historically disadvantaged communities. Rashid achieved a remarkable feat with his love for the diversity and vibrancy of our nation. He did so with passion and humility that endeared him to everyone with whom he interacted and whose lives he touched. We reflect on his life with gratitude and with liberation and joy he leaves behind as his legacy,” said the President.
Expressing sadness at his passing, President Ramaphosa offered his condolences to the Lombard family and his extensive network of friends, comrades, and creatives nationally and internationally. Lombard had been the organiser behind the positioning of South Africa through the arts in the North Sea Jazz Festival, Cape Town, now known as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and was the Festival Director of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
He was born in North End, Gqeberha, and moved to Cape Town in 1962. Originally qualified as an architectural draughtsman, Lombard became an industrial photographer and later a renowned news and documentary photographer, and photographic artist. He built on his creative media career by becoming an influential jazz promoter and founder of the then Cape Town edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival.