Remembering Pops Mohamed

Born Ismail Mohamed-Jan on 10 December 1949 in Benoni, Gauteng, Mohamed’s musical legacy spans over five decades.

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He was amply referred to as the ‘Minister of Music’, due to his prolific fusion of traditional African music with jazz, kwela, soul, world music and contemporary influences.Mohamed was a brilliant composer, producer and a masterful multi-instrumentalist with exceptional command of an array of instruments including the kora, mbira, African mouth bow, didgeridoo, berimbau, guitar and keyboard.

He was a true cultural custodian who drew from the richness of his father’s Indian and Portuguese ancestry along with his mother’s Xhosa and Khoisan heritage. This blend of backgrounds shaped his open-minded approach to music.

During apartheid, his family was forced to relocate to Reiger Park, a township situated in Boksburg, Gauteng. This hostile experience influenced both his worldview and the stories behind his music.

His childhood was a carnival of different sounds — from traditional African instruments to jazz and popular music. His musical identity was also shaped by hearing migrant mine workers playing mbiras and mouth-bows alongside jazz musicians.

In high school, he frequented cultural hubs such as Dorkay House and the Bantu Men’s Social Centre in central Johannesburg, where he heard prominent jazz artists rehearse. At age 14, he founded his first band, known as The Valiants. Later he played in groups such as Children’s Society, with whom he scored a township hit called I’m a Married Man.