Nadine Nahimana

DJ, performer, founder of African Mirror podcast and force of nature, Nadine speaks about the essence of creativity in her life.

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Nadine Nahimana. I moved from Burundi to Aotearoa 16 years ago. I’m privileged to now call this beautiful land my home. My motherland, Burundi – also known as the heart of Africa – is located in the East Central part of the continent. I came to New Zealand as an economic migrant and since then I have acquired a degree in communication management from Massey University and managed a charitable trust, a radio station and an art gallery. My current work focuses on creative community projects operating mainly in the areas of education and events management, DJing and broadcasting, with the aim of promoting Africa and its communities in Aotearoa.

What role does creativity play in your life?

Creativity feeds what I do. The moment I decided to work for myself, I knew I had to reinvent myself. I looked at what I had passion for and I invested myself there. I am pretty sure you can imagine the incredible amount of creativity that goes into preparing projects from inception to delivery. For instance, take organising a dance class. Choosing the song, creating moves and teaching the choreography all relies heavily on creativity.

The same goes for my podcast, African Mirror. Creativity plays a huge role in finding newsworthy or interesting topics to share, preparing the content, presentation. Creativity is the essence of my professional life.

How is your creativity connected to your culture?

Most of the work that I do is mainly about promoting Africa in a bright perspective. I’m known professionally as the DJ that only plays African music and Afrobeats. And my podcast broadcasts content about the motherland. The dance classes I used to run were about promoting African dancing moves. Plus, all the arts events that I have organised were all about facilitating easy access to African arts and products to the wider community here in Aotearoa. Africa has so many cultures and is rich in creativity. My job is to marry them in an attempt to showcase Africa in a new light.

How do you express yourself?

I express myself through my dancing, my DJing and music, by having a voice on my podcast as well as platforming Africa’s local talent, crafts and products through the events I curate. I always try to have a positive look on things. I enjoy meeting new people and seeing the best in them. I also come from a culture where fashion is an expressive statement. i.e I love being embraced as a warm, down-to-earth and easygoing person, and my choice of clothes and colours, hairstyle and jewelry represents that.

What does ORIKoL mean?

Haha. ORIKoL is spelled differently but has the same meaning as Oracle. At the beginning of my DJing career, I had no clue what to pick as a stage name. I happened to be chatting to a couple of my friends about this, and based on some circumstantial events, one of them suggested that I take on ‘Oracle’ as a stage name, and the other came up with the spelling. They believed that I spoke to situations in their lives that later came true, and that's how the name was birthed.

What are your experiences of being an African woman living in Aotearoa?

Aotearoa is such a beautiful land and I love it here. Being an African woman trying to instigate and/or influence a change of

perspective about Africa, I can honestly say that it has not been easy. When I look at my profession, for instance, it was very hard

to find a job in my field. There is not much funding support I can access to empower my work. Even as I strive, it is still hard to bring my work to the level it deserves due to a lack of resources. I count myself blessed when I look at my chosen family here in Aotearoa. I am here by myself, so my friends mean so much to

me. I love and respect the culture of this land, too. It reminds

me a lot of my homeland. I have found similarities in certain

activities – such as the Haka and Intore. Intore were the royal

warriors who would perform a dance of bravery before and

after fighting the enemy.

I love your podcast, African Mirror. What do you hope to

achieve with it?

Thank you for your feedback, it makes me happy to hear that. African Mirror hopes to help the audience see Africa in a better light as opposed to the many negative images seen in the media. It’s probably safe to say that if you don’t know then you can’t be accountable for your wrong thinking. I would love a time when I don’t have to explain that Africa is not a country or the time when the world acknowledges African richness and respects the continent and its people. I guess I am doing my little part in bringing awareness to those willing to have a better

understanding of Africa.

I really enjoyed your fifth episode about Remembering & Reflecting. Can you tell me more about your spiritual practice and how it helps you stay connected with your cultural past?

I was born and raised within a Christian background. I don't think I can completely erase this part of me. I have grown to be open-minded when it comes to spirituality though. I seek to be the better me to myself first, then to others. The mirror I speak of is something I try to practice on a daily basis. Reflecting on myself is key to the start of my day. I believe that if I am kind, caring, and generous to myself then I will be in a better shape to face the world, and it will probably be easy to replicate that Ubuntu to my fellow human beings.

What’s your opinion on racism in Aotearoa? Have you experienced it?

Yes, I have and it’s a terrible feeling. There is definitely racism in Aotearoa and the sad thing is that most cases are not reported and end up unpunished. So much work still needs to be done, I reckon. Even judging from my circle of friends who have gone through such abuse, I’ve observed a common sentiment and behaviour which is bound to be destructive to our wellbeing in the long run. I’ve seen victims retrieving and accepting the abuse. Saying, “life goes on.” I also think that recent events in America have opened people’s eyes to what is really happening. I am not sure exactly if this changed much, but I know it brought more awareness around racism.

From where do you take energy to keep doing what you do?

I’d like to think of myself as a people person and spending quality time with my friends and family refuels me. I am all about people, and having a sense of belonging to a community where we share skills, encourage each other, and work in a team to make different things happen makes me tick on the daily. I take my social life very seriously and I invest into it to avoid that sense of loneliness and hopelessness. It comforts me to know that I can be confident enough to face whatever may come my way, only because I have true friends and family I can rely on.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

If I could change something in the world, it would be to have the world seeing and approaching Africa and its children with due respect. In case you do not know yet, I invite or dare you to check the true colors of the continent Africa. It’s a google search away.

Look into how the motherland is contributing to the rest of the world – culture, music, sports, minerals, and so on. Then, let's have a conversation about how this whole continent is viewed as poor with suffering children, just to start.

How do you make a difference in the world?

I believe I make a difference in the world by sharing who I am, if that makes sense. Haha. I mean in all I do I share my culture, my joy, my love, my lived experiences, my knowledge and my dancing, etc., and I encourage others to share their full selves too.