Rahasia: Means secret in Indonesian language.
Mafiusa: Root word of Mafia in Sicilian language whereby the true meaning of both is perfection, grace, beauty and sheer excellence. The term mafia also has Arabic roots meaning place of refuge.
The vision behind Rahasia Mafiusa is to bridge the gap between segregated communities as a result of Apartheid.
Through the Rahasia Mafiusa programmes and workshops, the mission is to raise consciousness of the ramifications and repercussions of racial and cultural prejudice. This is achieved using Indonesian creative arts, photography, poetry and music.
Objectives
1) Raise awareness about Indonesian Arts and Culture to establish a new link to ancestral and historical past for all South Africans, ascertaining bonds between Indonesia and South Africa.
2) Using poetry and music as a tool for self-expression and healing.
3) Using photography to help communities to visualise their perceptions of local society.
4) Use a variety of art forms as a unifying factor between segregated communities.
Rahasia Mafiusa is a registered non profit organisation no. 172-523 on the 12 July 2016. Its goal is to bridge the gap between segregated communities as a result of Apartheid using Indonesian creative arts, photography, poetry and music.
We aim to connect the people of Indonesian descent in South Africa called “Cape Malay” to their ancestral roots through these educational projects. This will help gain a sense of identity to people that yearn to know more about their heritage but at the moment it is currently unavailable to them.
For South Africans of all cultural backgrounds, Indonesian traditional arts and philosophy of culture will help to unite, increase tolerance and create new relationships between communities. This is vital for a successful future for the youth of this nation in which I believe the Indonesian Arts will be a powerful and effective tool for social change. Rahasia Mafiusa NPO will inspire Indonesian Ambassadors and enthusiasts in Cape Town.
Finally, as an important step these projects will also bridge the gap between the nations of Indonesia and South Africa through positive promotion, inter-cultural art projects and tourism through specific tour assignments reconnecting histories, artists and cultures.
The Chairperson, Nina Alexia Brazzo, spent five months in 2011 on the Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship at a sanggar in Munggu, Bali. As a consequence, for the following five years she performed Balinese dance across South Africa representing Indonesia and the Indonesian Consulate. During this time she also arranged various events and projects to educate the public on Indonesian arts and culture culminating in the formation of Rahasia Mafiusa NPO which was launched in April 2016. In 2016-2017 Nina was awarded the Darmasiswa scholarship at ISI Surakarta whereby she learned traditional Indonesian dances (Alus Surakarta, Sunda, Jatim, Bali, Sumatra), Karawitan music for dance, Batik stamp, Batik canting and wayang kulit making. I the following year, she was bestowed with the third scholarship at ISI Padangpanjang learning traditional dance styles of Melayu roots (Traditional Minang Melayu, Minangkabau, Zapin, Sumatera Selatan), Randai, Dendang Minang Darek singing, telempong and gandang Sarunai.
To enable these projects to happen we rely on sponsorship for the dance costumes, musical instruments and equipment for the fine art crafts. We encourage you to take a careful look at the further information about the organisation, what knowledge skills set will be shared about Indonesian arts and the proposed projects for social change.
Events & Workshops
Lyrical Pilgrimage Open Mic
Revealing sacred journeys through creative expression
Launched in 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa
Where: Traveling to different physical venues to encourage movement between areas or online via Zoom to bring people from across South Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia as the focus as well as other countries across Africa, Europe and beyond.
Organiser: Rahasia Mafiusa NPO
Each event has a theme and it is open to all forms of self-expression including poetry, rap, movement, song, sound, storytelling, visual art and whatever your heart is called to share!
Join us in sharing your creative expression or simply enjoy being inspired by the eclectic array of perspectives in language, culture and art genres on the theme.
It is a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded people, even with varying perspectives, languages and styles of self-expression. As in our diversity there is beauty, power and knowledge. Lyrical Pilgrimage Open Mic creates a safe space for new voices to hear one another through sincerity, truth seeking, honouring tradition and heritage. Through this mutual understanding and respect we raise our positive energy, our voices and come together in upliftment.
The intention behind these Open Mic sessions is to present an appropriate space for poets, spoken word, storytellers, dancers, visual and sound artists on a spiritual journey. By offering an alternative to the usual Open Mic nights in bars and clubs, we hope to create a clean new platform particularly revealing Muslim and other spiritual seekers talent thus instigating a new movement to conscious expression. This is a critical niche and need within the community and society in general. Currently, Muslim artists either share exclusively only in homes and religious settings, not at all (particularly the case for women) and some brave the arenas that cater activities adverse to their beliefs but leave them prone to them.
Islam is based on an oral traditional. Before the revelation came, the Arabs had a strong tradition of poetry. Poetry was something that was imbedded in the culture and Poets had a very high status in the society to the point where they would hang different poems in the Kabah and have competitions between the Poets. The winner of the competition would have their poetry hung inside the Kabah itself. Poetry was something that was never frowned upon by the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam rather, He encouraged it after the revelation came.
In Arabic a poet is called a shaeir. It is also the same word used for to notice, to sense or to perceive something. So, the Shaeir is really the one who is sensing things. He or she is coming to know things and is expressing what he/ she is sensing in that poetry. The Arabs have an idiom when they say all good is in two things; a house that has poetry in it and a house that is made out of hair. One can have a tent made of hair inside and this is the best type of tent that one can have!
So there is this meaning of sensations. Thus, the poet and the artist is the one that senses the world around him/ her and relates those senses to everyone else.
This will support several of Rahasia Mafiusa NPO’s objectives:
Create professional platforms for Muslim Artists. For example, theatre, live concerts, art productions, media and poetry spoken word events.
The aim to bridge the gap between segregated communities using arts and culture.
Promote the Universal self so that people can connect on the spiritual human being between one another.
Repeal the conditioning of traditional views about their ancestral and cultural heritage to a perception that is a more accurate and truer image.
Prevent loss of cultural heritage from onslaught of globalisation, modernisation and its effect on cultural ancient heritage and tradition.
Upcoming events:
Date: example 01.07.2025
Event Archive:
Past Event Recordings
Here you can find an archive of my past events available for purchase & download.
19th August 2025 - Theme/Title
10th June 2025 - Theme/Title
17th March 2025 - Theme/Title
13th February 2025 - Theme/Title
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Nina Alexia Brazzo is originally from Essex, East London, England from Sicilian and English parents. Brazzo has a BA Hons in Photography from Southampton Solent University and has worked as a freelance photographer and exhibiting her work ever since. In 2007 Brazzo travelled around the world for two and a half years on her own exploring cultures, religions, lifestyles and philosophies. Tasting traditional arts and culture in Indonesia, finding her true sense of home in South Africa and piecing the jigsaw of spiritually together leading her to embracing Islam.
On 19th June 2009 she embraced Islam and took on the name she is affectionately known by her friends, Nusaybah; a brave warrior, strong, out-spoken, loyal and close companion of The Prophet Muhammed SAW. She emigrated to Cape Town, South Africa in 2011 after an arts and culture scholarship in Indonesia. From 2014 Brazzo starting sharing her poem “Broken” which was about the domestic abuse she experienced in her marriage. At first it was just a way to share with close friends, but then being invited to activities which eventually lead to performing, made her realise that it was a responsibility to share because it helped so many people who related to her story. She found the tools to move forward out of that dark space. Through the courage of her sharing her poetry about the frank depths of domestic abuse in Cape Town, it spiralled into publications, invitations to workshops, seminars and events. Not only was writing her story cathartic but also healing came through sharing the experience and gradually transformative as shared narratives came to surface; thus gaining extra strength through not feeling alone in struggle. Her firm, unwavering belief in The Almighty gave her many spiritual unveilings, the courage to face each obstacle and brave to make the necessary choices. In light there is an element of darkness and in the darkness there will always be light, no matter how dim it seems. Therefore, with this being a catalyst to her healing, the knowledge and skills she has learnt through this experience are used to benefit others through her NPO Rahasia Mafiusa. It inspires others through shared experiences and give rise to hope, motivation and belief in The Creator. The workshops and events are delivered in an interactive, open discussion format allowing for a safe space of engagement.
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