CHOGM to me is a word in motion and it represents the way in which the Commonwealth Meeting Came, Hurt, Organized, Globalised and Marketed the City of Impalas. Personally, lack of access to the millions of publicity money did not mean that I didn’t experience what the hype was all about.
I could not shake the Queen’s hand (failed to reach my uncle’s wish for me) nor publish a brochure for the Commonwealth Delegates (because dealing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was shifty) nor have one of my Artworks printed in a booklet for the Commonwealth Women’s Conference (I was informed too late) but in consolation painted a 5.5 by 7.5 metre backdrop of the “Kampala Skyline” as seen from Kololo Airstrip [Photo taken by myself even after a Policeman advised me to get a letter first but I didn’t] for KADS (Kampala Amateur Dramatics Society). They were going to use it for a Christmas pantomime about CHOGM beginning Wednesday 5th December 2007, about 10 days after CHOGM. I started working on it a few weeks before the historical event but two days before the meeting when I had gone to add more on the art piece at the Uganda National Cultural Centre, a Security Guard stopped me at the gate simply because I lacked the special CHOGM Identification Card. Can you imagine I got this assignment after the deadline for applying for IDs had passed but the watchman at the gate couldn’t allow me to enter even if an insider (employee) from National Theatre who had entered without a card could speak for me? Earlier I had tried to sneak in but was spotted and told to use the main gate. After this humiliation, I was so ANNOYED for being mistrusted and treated like a criminal in my own capital just because of a group of 54 earthlings who breathe the same air I breathe, eat the same food I eat (maybe just cooked differently plus priced highly) and can fall sick like I do that I switched off. I walked away furiously to board a taxi adjacent to the Social Securities Building on Jinja Road and went to Mukono in order to forget about uncool Kampala and the animalistic treatment I had just got. I could have designed those IDs myself and walked in like a sniper if I wanted but chose not to because I respect Her Royal Highness. Instead, going out of the city in anger was far better because I got a sharper and more expressive image of Kampala at the Mukono Media Bureau for the backdrop I was working on.
After CHOGM, it was back to painting and I did not want to hear anything about the queen from any security personnel since she had left. I do not hate Princess Diana’s Mother-in-Law; actually I treat myself as her loyal subordinate (even if I don’t pay ceremonious homage to her, afterall West Nile where my ancestors come from was originally Belgian Territory though I was born in British Territory) but I hate the way locals felt big and more equal unnecessarily. What security threat did a mere worker like me minding his own business pose to someone he honoured? If I believe that Hellen Mirren’s immaculate performance depicting Elizabeth in the movie “Queen” deserved its Oscar and my lovely mother is also called Elizabeth (I actually nicknamed her “Queen Mother”), then Aiko meets the equal. I had my own excuses to HATE on these Ugandans with a Passion…
Tuesday
(The Best of) Irene Manjeri Quotes
I spent the first Decade of my Life (January 1984 to May 1995) mainly in Jinja and got to hear about a lucky Lady from around there who went to Heaven while she was young. She visited my Primary School (Victoria Nile School) one day and ever since then, I have never lost Interest in what she has to tell simply because she has "met Jesus before" and been to a Place where every Human Being who has ever lived hopes to dwell eternally. Growing up as an Anglican, then Muslim (2002), I used to be very skeptical about People with such Stories and Powers. One day in 2009, I attended one of her Namirembe Road Services and got an Oil Blessing from her Hand. Having tithed only 2,000 UgX, I was telephoned exactly two Weeks later for Work worth over 1 Million. Below are some of her unforgettable Quotes I compiled from Impact FM, LTV and Pride Theatre Fellowships. Be blessed:
“Don’t glorify the Problems in your Life but GOD’s Power to remove them…”
“Slow-cooked Barbecue is what is sweet; GOD’s Delays are not Denials, so do not rush Things…”
“Be what GOD wants you to be…”
“People didn’t create me, so I jump off their Weighing Scales…”
“Why do you plead with Demons, rebuke the Demon of Poverty! Thank GOD that you were sick and got healed…”
“Your Problems have a Time Limit…”
“GOD, give us a Spirit of Wisdom…”
“Girls, you are worth more than the few Dollars in Kampala City. A Sugar Daddy may buy for you a Dress and you think it is Love yet he buys them for many other Women…”
“No matter which Hotel am in, I keep praying. I’m not a Business Person, I’m a Servant of GOD…”
“The Cure for Poverty is not only Praying but also Giving…”
“Your Misery is your Ministry…”
“A Cemetery is the Richest Place on Earth because of unfulfilled Dreams of People killed by Drunkenness. Those were the Obamas of tomorrow…”
“There is No Free Money in the Streets of Germany, London and US; you have to work for it. GOD wants to give it to you…”
“Do not mistake my Confidence for Arrogance; my Power is from above. GOD fights for me…”
“Your Mouth blocks your Progress…”
“Satan cannot close a Door he did not open…”
“Ba Yuda eat with you now but talk ill behind your back. Some Preachers are like that, their Bornagainness only stops at the Pulpit but they are very abusive and irritable elsewhere. Using Knowledge gained from a previous Life of Witchcraft, they instill Fear in the Minds of Rich Guys trying to force them to pay exorbitant Tithes…”
“Keep your Traitors next to you and give them Chapatti. Don’t shout with Ba Yuda! GOD raises you while HE puts them down. When a Woman used Perfume on Jesus, Judas suggested they should have sold it to give Money to Paupers. But he wanted it for himself…”
“A Snake is a Snake; kill the Words that take you behind! They come in the Form of Friends before they destroy your World, Home and Business feeding other People with Bad Thoughts about you. The Spirit of Hypocrisy is very demonic and has a Snake-like Heart. Even if you give them a Car, they won’t appreciate and will talk bad about you. Saul couldn’t recognize David’s Miracle of killing Goliath which he failed to do for many Years; he wanted to kill David. However much you love a Snake, it will someday bite you. The People you help will either appreciate or continue hating you: O GOD, let me love YOU with all my Heart..."
“Remain in the Presence of GOD; you are about to reap what you have never seen…”
“Those People who laugh at you because you sell Fish in Sudan will have No Jobs while you have yours…”
“Even the Acholi are beautiful; many Miss Ugandas have come from there…”
“Say: I will kill the Goliath of Poverty…”
“With the ‘Lutwe’ (Spirit of Rejection) on you, even the Person you win will despise you, like if you give 500 UgX to a ‘Maskini’ (Slim Person) on the Street, he will appreciate the one who gives him 200 UgX instead…”
“You might be barren in Money Matters but GOD will release you and make you produce very powerful Things. A Man’s Wisdom stops somewhere but GOD’s Things last forever…”
“Change your Opportunities into Blessings! Even the Pharisees and Sadducees fasted and prayed but their Hearts were far from GOD…”
“When you get Problems yet you are Jesus’ Friend, He will not leave you in them. You become a Friend of Jesus when you are born again. GOD will not make you rich in five Years, HE means today…”
“Today, your Debtors will pay you; the Devil will leave you…”
“People see us today flying outside the Country regularly but they do not know where we came from. We had to pray hard while People laughed at us but GOD showed up for us, now we drive different Cars. Even if someone bought a Car at 150 Million UGX and rents a House in Kololo worth many Dollars per Month, I still don’t see why I should fear them yet they could have built their own. Instead of living within their Means, they probably borrowed Bank Loans to show off…”
“I refuse to die before my Time but will live to declare the Works of GOD…”
“Bethel Healing Centre is being built slowly because we want the Concrete to dry. A big House is not built in one Day like a Muzigo. It’s not bad that I do not have a House nor drive a posh Car. Don’t speak too much, Spirit of ‘Kunyomoza’ (Scorn)! Never allow your Goliath to leave before you undress or uncover them. I have ‘Mitayimbwa’ (steel Rods) in me. I wear a ‘conc(rete)’ Blessing. I will not sit on the ‘Ntoli’ of Satan but do what GOD has told me to do…”
“GOD will not let you be broken; the ones who fight you will break. Satan will bring you ‘Bayaye’ (Conmen) who will say, ‘Pastor Manjeri, be careful, this Village is full of Witches!’ I’m also full of Power; the Might of GOD burns Witches…”
“GOD has ordered that you are moving out of Poverty. You need a Bigger Blessing, not about laughing for two Days and you are back to Sadness…”
“The Gospel that delivers you is a practical Course, not good Preaching…”
“Don’t mourn, celebrate with the good Friends…”
“A Ruth cannot easily be found among worldly Friends but the Church continues without them, i.e. good Singers, etc…”
“A Lady, who was about to commit Suicide just before I left to the US, had a Dream that I was going to unlock her Blessings through Prayer. When she awoke, the Cup which contained her Poison tipped over. She came for our Lunch-time Fellowship…”
“Don’t judge People without looking at their Background…”
“We went through Hell to get where we are, so no one can break us. I’m not easily broken. I’m going to concentrate on what GOD called me to do…”
“Women fear to look People in the Eye but I was called to preach by GOD’s Power. I was born in Poverty, the Back Seat but now I sit in Planes while those who were born in Kampala and studied at Makerere use taxis, the Front Seats of Taxis…”
“Some of you will never be called ‘Beautiful’ unless you call yourself the same…”
“The Anointing of Oil will heal your Illness. We are celebrating what GOD has done, not Problems and Reports of Negativity. I release the Oil that brings Dollars, Pounds and Euros…”
[Irene’s 43rd Birthday on Tuesday 28th May 2013:] “When Disaster follows your Testimony, GOD says, ‘Get ready for a bigger one!’ Saul’s murderous Enmity followed David’s Testimony of killing Goliath but later David replaced him as King…”
“(Acceptance Syndrome) If you work hard to be accepted by everyone, you might never accomplish Things in this World…”
“A very small Thing can save your Marriage; Men work with Women! The Grass is greener on the other Side until you find out the Problem there…”
“Don’t cry, GOD has already heard you even before you pray…”
“Staying in a beautiful City doesn’t mean you have Money. People want to go to America but if you do not work, you will have Problems. Americans have Tricks, they will give you a Car through Lending or Leasing but, Trading it in will be your Issue because of the mechanical Problems it will get…”
“Demons despise Bornagains who do not know how to pray but fear those who do…”
“There are People who earn 20,000 UgX a Month; you can see it in their Tithe. We are not here to collect Money and even if we do not look for it, GOD will bring it…”
“There is someone who came to me from another Church and wanted to serve, telling us the Reason why they left their so-called ‘Prophet’. In that other Church, the Pastor drives flashy Cars but there is No GOD in them. He sends his People to Rich Men to tell them to come with 50,000 UGX and so on…”
“Not all Pastors are in for the right Reasons. Some just want to do Business. If you look at their Past, you will notice a Record of unGODly Stuff. They may dress in Suits and Coats but the Things they say are only meant to scare People and force them to tithe. I do not need your Money so that I can buy fried Chicken. I have been eating that since the 1980s in America. When you tithe, I expect GOD to reward you back because you are sowing into HIS Kingdom…”
“Someone once told me that he fears me because I’m so faithful to my Husband (Mr. [Salongo] Vincent Katongole) yet the Wives of these Days cheat…”
“GOD brought me up. I’m always praying, while driving and everywhere. I do not have Time to yap and gossip. I’m beyond the Days of Crying. Only Thing that can make me cry is GOD’s Blessings, maybe when I get my own Plane…”
“I do not fear Anything because the Lion of Judah is within me…”
“The Time I see Boys and Girls who were laughed at getting married in respectable Ceremonies, I’m happy…”
“You pray at Prayer Mountain but have No Faith. Ignore People who speak inspired by Demons like some will say that you give in a lot so that the Pastor can see you…”
“Your Problem is the Opportunity for GOD to lift you up. Don’t abuse yourself…”
“Some of you are a Victim of what others say or think; is everything good on their Side? Why do you give them Credit they do not deserve? Worship GOD and think only of what HE does. GOD has more Power than your Problems. The Goliaths today are Nothing tomorrow. The Blessings of GOD are permanent, I refuse to fail. I’m blessed to remain blessed…”
“Don’t glorify the Problems in your Life but GOD’s Power to remove them…”
“Slow-cooked Barbecue is what is sweet; GOD’s Delays are not Denials, so do not rush Things…”
“Be what GOD wants you to be…”
“People didn’t create me, so I jump off their Weighing Scales…”
“Why do you plead with Demons, rebuke the Demon of Poverty! Thank GOD that you were sick and got healed…”
“Your Problems have a Time Limit…”
“GOD, give us a Spirit of Wisdom…”
“Girls, you are worth more than the few Dollars in Kampala City. A Sugar Daddy may buy for you a Dress and you think it is Love yet he buys them for many other Women…”
“No matter which Hotel am in, I keep praying. I’m not a Business Person, I’m a Servant of GOD…”
“The Cure for Poverty is not only Praying but also Giving…”
“Your Misery is your Ministry…”
“A Cemetery is the Richest Place on Earth because of unfulfilled Dreams of People killed by Drunkenness. Those were the Obamas of tomorrow…”
“There is No Free Money in the Streets of Germany, London and US; you have to work for it. GOD wants to give it to you…”
“Do not mistake my Confidence for Arrogance; my Power is from above. GOD fights for me…”
“Your Mouth blocks your Progress…”
“Satan cannot close a Door he did not open…”
“Ba Yuda eat with you now but talk ill behind your back. Some Preachers are like that, their Bornagainness only stops at the Pulpit but they are very abusive and irritable elsewhere. Using Knowledge gained from a previous Life of Witchcraft, they instill Fear in the Minds of Rich Guys trying to force them to pay exorbitant Tithes…”
“Keep your Traitors next to you and give them Chapatti. Don’t shout with Ba Yuda! GOD raises you while HE puts them down. When a Woman used Perfume on Jesus, Judas suggested they should have sold it to give Money to Paupers. But he wanted it for himself…”
“A Snake is a Snake; kill the Words that take you behind! They come in the Form of Friends before they destroy your World, Home and Business feeding other People with Bad Thoughts about you. The Spirit of Hypocrisy is very demonic and has a Snake-like Heart. Even if you give them a Car, they won’t appreciate and will talk bad about you. Saul couldn’t recognize David’s Miracle of killing Goliath which he failed to do for many Years; he wanted to kill David. However much you love a Snake, it will someday bite you. The People you help will either appreciate or continue hating you: O GOD, let me love YOU with all my Heart..."
“Remain in the Presence of GOD; you are about to reap what you have never seen…”
“Those People who laugh at you because you sell Fish in Sudan will have No Jobs while you have yours…”
“Even the Acholi are beautiful; many Miss Ugandas have come from there…”
“Say: I will kill the Goliath of Poverty…”
“With the ‘Lutwe’ (Spirit of Rejection) on you, even the Person you win will despise you, like if you give 500 UgX to a ‘Maskini’ (Slim Person) on the Street, he will appreciate the one who gives him 200 UgX instead…”
“You might be barren in Money Matters but GOD will release you and make you produce very powerful Things. A Man’s Wisdom stops somewhere but GOD’s Things last forever…”
“Change your Opportunities into Blessings! Even the Pharisees and Sadducees fasted and prayed but their Hearts were far from GOD…”
“When you get Problems yet you are Jesus’ Friend, He will not leave you in them. You become a Friend of Jesus when you are born again. GOD will not make you rich in five Years, HE means today…”
“Today, your Debtors will pay you; the Devil will leave you…”
“People see us today flying outside the Country regularly but they do not know where we came from. We had to pray hard while People laughed at us but GOD showed up for us, now we drive different Cars. Even if someone bought a Car at 150 Million UGX and rents a House in Kololo worth many Dollars per Month, I still don’t see why I should fear them yet they could have built their own. Instead of living within their Means, they probably borrowed Bank Loans to show off…”
“I refuse to die before my Time but will live to declare the Works of GOD…”
“Bethel Healing Centre is being built slowly because we want the Concrete to dry. A big House is not built in one Day like a Muzigo. It’s not bad that I do not have a House nor drive a posh Car. Don’t speak too much, Spirit of ‘Kunyomoza’ (Scorn)! Never allow your Goliath to leave before you undress or uncover them. I have ‘Mitayimbwa’ (steel Rods) in me. I wear a ‘conc(rete)’ Blessing. I will not sit on the ‘Ntoli’ of Satan but do what GOD has told me to do…”
“GOD will not let you be broken; the ones who fight you will break. Satan will bring you ‘Bayaye’ (Conmen) who will say, ‘Pastor Manjeri, be careful, this Village is full of Witches!’ I’m also full of Power; the Might of GOD burns Witches…”
“GOD has ordered that you are moving out of Poverty. You need a Bigger Blessing, not about laughing for two Days and you are back to Sadness…”
“The Gospel that delivers you is a practical Course, not good Preaching…”
“Don’t mourn, celebrate with the good Friends…”
“A Ruth cannot easily be found among worldly Friends but the Church continues without them, i.e. good Singers, etc…”
“A Lady, who was about to commit Suicide just before I left to the US, had a Dream that I was going to unlock her Blessings through Prayer. When she awoke, the Cup which contained her Poison tipped over. She came for our Lunch-time Fellowship…”
“Don’t judge People without looking at their Background…”
“We went through Hell to get where we are, so no one can break us. I’m not easily broken. I’m going to concentrate on what GOD called me to do…”
“Women fear to look People in the Eye but I was called to preach by GOD’s Power. I was born in Poverty, the Back Seat but now I sit in Planes while those who were born in Kampala and studied at Makerere use taxis, the Front Seats of Taxis…”
“Some of you will never be called ‘Beautiful’ unless you call yourself the same…”
“The Anointing of Oil will heal your Illness. We are celebrating what GOD has done, not Problems and Reports of Negativity. I release the Oil that brings Dollars, Pounds and Euros…”
[Irene’s 43rd Birthday on Tuesday 28th May 2013:] “When Disaster follows your Testimony, GOD says, ‘Get ready for a bigger one!’ Saul’s murderous Enmity followed David’s Testimony of killing Goliath but later David replaced him as King…”
“(Acceptance Syndrome) If you work hard to be accepted by everyone, you might never accomplish Things in this World…”
“A very small Thing can save your Marriage; Men work with Women! The Grass is greener on the other Side until you find out the Problem there…”
“Don’t cry, GOD has already heard you even before you pray…”
“Staying in a beautiful City doesn’t mean you have Money. People want to go to America but if you do not work, you will have Problems. Americans have Tricks, they will give you a Car through Lending or Leasing but, Trading it in will be your Issue because of the mechanical Problems it will get…”
“Demons despise Bornagains who do not know how to pray but fear those who do…”
“There are People who earn 20,000 UgX a Month; you can see it in their Tithe. We are not here to collect Money and even if we do not look for it, GOD will bring it…”
“There is someone who came to me from another Church and wanted to serve, telling us the Reason why they left their so-called ‘Prophet’. In that other Church, the Pastor drives flashy Cars but there is No GOD in them. He sends his People to Rich Men to tell them to come with 50,000 UGX and so on…”
“Not all Pastors are in for the right Reasons. Some just want to do Business. If you look at their Past, you will notice a Record of unGODly Stuff. They may dress in Suits and Coats but the Things they say are only meant to scare People and force them to tithe. I do not need your Money so that I can buy fried Chicken. I have been eating that since the 1980s in America. When you tithe, I expect GOD to reward you back because you are sowing into HIS Kingdom…”
“Someone once told me that he fears me because I’m so faithful to my Husband (Mr. [Salongo] Vincent Katongole) yet the Wives of these Days cheat…”
“GOD brought me up. I’m always praying, while driving and everywhere. I do not have Time to yap and gossip. I’m beyond the Days of Crying. Only Thing that can make me cry is GOD’s Blessings, maybe when I get my own Plane…”
“I do not fear Anything because the Lion of Judah is within me…”
“The Time I see Boys and Girls who were laughed at getting married in respectable Ceremonies, I’m happy…”
“You pray at Prayer Mountain but have No Faith. Ignore People who speak inspired by Demons like some will say that you give in a lot so that the Pastor can see you…”
“Your Problem is the Opportunity for GOD to lift you up. Don’t abuse yourself…”
“Some of you are a Victim of what others say or think; is everything good on their Side? Why do you give them Credit they do not deserve? Worship GOD and think only of what HE does. GOD has more Power than your Problems. The Goliaths today are Nothing tomorrow. The Blessings of GOD are permanent, I refuse to fail. I’m blessed to remain blessed…”
Friday
Do the Dew, Busaana Modern-style!
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Saturday
... An Indian in State House Entebbe?
“Blimey, Yes We Can…” could also become a slogan for Indian Ugandans. Now that Obama is the first Black American in the White House, I think it might just be the opening of a door for the Patels in the Pearl of Africa to dream about taking over State House. Who said an Indian should not become Ugandan President or join Parliament? One of the Speakers in Parliament's History was a South Asian, right? How about this Indian parliamentarian from the East of Ug and Katongole Singh? More are coming up.
Sometimes I wish Amin had not chased them away (despite the economic threat they posed), they would have had better chances probably. Every human must have equal rights, first were the women, then blacks and next foreigners in Africa will have their chance. I have no problem seeing Indians prosper in my home country Uganda. As long as I can enjoy their success without being patronized, I’m okay with that. The only thing I object to are their multiple gods, that’s all. Otherwise East Africans should also beware ‘coz if the EAC federation comes through, then ‘Why Not?’. Imagine an Indian ruling Obama’s ancestral region ...
Sometimes I wish Amin had not chased them away (despite the economic threat they posed), they would have had better chances probably. Every human must have equal rights, first were the women, then blacks and next foreigners in Africa will have their chance. I have no problem seeing Indians prosper in my home country Uganda. As long as I can enjoy their success without being patronized, I’m okay with that. The only thing I object to are their multiple gods, that’s all. Otherwise East Africans should also beware ‘coz if the EAC federation comes through, then ‘Why Not?’. Imagine an Indian ruling Obama’s ancestral region ...
November is Grasshopper Month
While growing up in Jinja (Busogaland), one of the best moments of my childhood was chasing the seasonal delicacies called nsenene (Luganda for Grasshoppers). When the season came, I would spend days and nights chasing the insects from around my neighbourhood to unknown territories. When I came to Kampala permanently around 1995, I continued with the nsenenexcitement.
At St. Mary’s College Kisubi (1997 - 2000), grasshoppers usually migrated while we were at school. That was when I noticed the trend that it usually happens in November. The month always found me in boarding school so one time, the SMACK secretary told me and a classmate named Mukasa to catch for him as many as possible since he had a big family. We obliged and he fried some for us in appreciation. But since Mukasa had suddenly gone (away from school to try and link up with his parents in UK), I received his perishable share which I savoured during evening tea.
At St. Mary’s College Kisubi (1997 - 2000), grasshoppers usually migrated while we were at school. That was when I noticed the trend that it usually happens in November. The month always found me in boarding school so one time, the SMACK secretary told me and a classmate named Mukasa to catch for him as many as possible since he had a big family. We obliged and he fried some for us in appreciation. But since Mukasa had suddenly gone (away from school to try and link up with his parents in UK), I received his perishable share which I savoured during evening tea.
Wednesday
Tribute to my 4 Grandparents
Within the same fortnight Barack Obama lost his white grandmother, I also lost my last grandparent, the mother of my mother. Something great should also happen in my life now that the Blackman is in the white house. I got an SMS from my third sister on Wednesday morning (22nd October 2008) that Wupa had passed away but tried not to cry because I was attending a COMESA Forum in Kasese and did not want to look all too sorrowful among the delegates. However when my father called me during the tea break, tears just flowed naturally though I did not cry. Big boys must not cry, but can shade tears. Seasoned UG journalist Joachim Buwembo was also on his phone talking about how some lady stole info from his computer after allowing her to use it. I told my dad that there was nothing I could do about the tragedy and he replied that it was okay. I could not even call to console my mum up to the time I got back to my room in the night. There was just too much intellectual work to be done and I shouldn’t have let sorrow ruin my composure. Mum also told me not to mind; I would just go to pay my respects later on in Aliba, Ayivu County where she was buried near her home. Otherwise, she had been sick for some time.
Four years before that (on 3rd December 2004), my father’s mother named ‘Ita’ (Lugbara for Esther) passed away. I was still at UCU Mukono University then but got the information only by reading my big brother’s email five days later. No one informed me because they thought I could not handle the pain but I took it well. Actually, I only shaded tears and didn’t wail while trekking towards town on Bishop Tucker Drive after reading the email at Technology Park in the night. It was the examination week and I dedicated my very last papers to her.
As for my grandfathers, they both died before I was born. The only memories I have of my maternal grandpa Onesimus (Reverand Onesemu A. Banito Inima) [1919 to 13th May 1983] are stories narrated by my relatives and also the books he left behind with his signatures. He is buried at St. John's Church Ajara.
Four years before that (on 3rd December 2004), my father’s mother named ‘Ita’ (Lugbara for Esther) passed away. I was still at UCU Mukono University then but got the information only by reading my big brother’s email five days later. No one informed me because they thought I could not handle the pain but I took it well. Actually, I only shaded tears and didn’t wail while trekking towards town on Bishop Tucker Drive after reading the email at Technology Park in the night. It was the examination week and I dedicated my very last papers to her.
As for my grandfathers, they both died before I was born. The only memories I have of my maternal grandpa Onesimus (Reverand Onesemu A. Banito Inima) [1919 to 13th May 1983] are stories narrated by my relatives and also the books he left behind with his signatures. He is buried at St. John's Church Ajara.
Tuesday
The 2008 Pammys
I wasn’t among the gathering at Shimoni on Saturday 1st November 2008 but got a glimpse of the rhythmic action live on WBS TV where quality matters. It was my first time to watch the PAM - Pearl of Africa Music - Awards live on telly and Gordon Wavamunno, the godfather of Ugandan entrepreneurship was on screen to bless the telecast before it started. The colour and contrast quality might have been less sharp but I have to admit that the ceremony was well organized. My favourite artiste Bebe Cool (Actually Wavah also confessed that he was his favourite) scooped three awards (Best Reggae, Ragga and Male Artiste of the Year) after 9 nominations (The next artiste had only 5).
The soulful song “Zuena” (which won Best New Act) is personally My Song of the Year (simply because that is the name of Bebe’s beautiful wife. People talked en talked saying the singer Mozey had beef against my main man in composing it). Radio’s other track entitled “Nakudata” with Chameleone’s kid bro Weasel won the Best Song Pammy and used to be my favourite when still fresh but on this night I wanted “Kuss Kuss” to take it since they were thrown in the same category. I first heard Bebe’s hit while working on a Maisha short film in August 2008 and was totally blown away by the exciting spirit in it. For sure, “Bebe Cool munene munene (Big is big)...” Daniel Arap Moi’s reading of the news headlines from Shimoni seemed out of place but was good for the humour it provided as the sleek talking Mitch and pompous J. Kazoora emceed.
The inaugural Best West Nile Artiste Award went to Dogman, not bad since he has been around hustling for quite some time (even in the Best Northern Artiste Category now reserved for only Acholi, Langi, Karimojong plus Teso Regions). Airplay for his music in the capital (mainly on UBC TV) seems to outweigh J.M. Kennedy’s (played on KFM) but I hoped the latter could win it because he is my preference and sings in high Lugbara. Despite all that though, I was very pleased to see Black Harmony chosen to perform on the 2008 Bell Lager PAM Award stage ushering in a new dawn for West Nile music. They came along with funky queen dancers wearing shorts and a lady singing a Luganda hook. The duo from Arua had verses in Lugbara (and a little English I guess).
Overall, the show sizzled … Isaac Mulindwa (the Brains behind the Awards) sat next to the Chief Guest Queen Sylvia Naginda (of Buganda) and so was the King for the Night. New comer Toniks who had a really compelling duet ‘Beera Nange’ (Probably took some anointing oil from Judith Babirye’s Gospel track with the same name) won a well deserved award. Pastor Wilson Bugembe meanwhile performed that night and received his accolade for ‘Best Gospel’ which Judith had rejected the previous year for his song ‘Komawo Eka’ whose video features local entertainers such as Bobi Wine and the Amarula Family. Best Artistes from all the other East African countries were also awarded making PAM a really big thing.
Juliana Kanyomozi (who looked beautiful like Halle Berry in a leopard-print dress) was the highlight of the Year and won the Most Important Nod to become the first woman in six years to clinch the “Artiste of the Year” Pammy beating ‘Mazzi Mawaanvu’ that is His Excellency the Ghetto President and ‘Mr. Munene’. I’m not a big fan of hers but she did wonders in the duet entitled “Sirinayo Omulala” (“I Don’t Have Another Lover”) with Sweet Kid.
Do you agree with the controversial reggae hit below also performed on the night: “Njagala kugenda ko Juba…mpulira Uganda entamiye, ejude nugu.” (“I want to go to Juba…I feel I’m tired of Uganda, it’s full of jealousy.”)? Well, personally, jealousy or less of it, Uganda’s music (plus maybe movie) industry, as Straka (WBS Late Show) said, could now be rated second only to Nigeria on the African continent. Don’t care what jealous haters say, play your role whether in music, film, business, agriculture, construction, politics, art, trade, tourism and so on! What I have discerned is that jealous people are just “the devil in disguise” trying to derail you from reaching your heaven-sent visions. Entertainment is now a well-designed business in Uganda and those who work hard at it will reap from it …
The soulful song “Zuena” (which won Best New Act) is personally My Song of the Year (simply because that is the name of Bebe’s beautiful wife. People talked en talked saying the singer Mozey had beef against my main man in composing it). Radio’s other track entitled “Nakudata” with Chameleone’s kid bro Weasel won the Best Song Pammy and used to be my favourite when still fresh but on this night I wanted “Kuss Kuss” to take it since they were thrown in the same category. I first heard Bebe’s hit while working on a Maisha short film in August 2008 and was totally blown away by the exciting spirit in it. For sure, “Bebe Cool munene munene (Big is big)...” Daniel Arap Moi’s reading of the news headlines from Shimoni seemed out of place but was good for the humour it provided as the sleek talking Mitch and pompous J. Kazoora emceed.
The inaugural Best West Nile Artiste Award went to Dogman, not bad since he has been around hustling for quite some time (even in the Best Northern Artiste Category now reserved for only Acholi, Langi, Karimojong plus Teso Regions). Airplay for his music in the capital (mainly on UBC TV) seems to outweigh J.M. Kennedy’s (played on KFM) but I hoped the latter could win it because he is my preference and sings in high Lugbara. Despite all that though, I was very pleased to see Black Harmony chosen to perform on the 2008 Bell Lager PAM Award stage ushering in a new dawn for West Nile music. They came along with funky queen dancers wearing shorts and a lady singing a Luganda hook. The duo from Arua had verses in Lugbara (and a little English I guess).
Overall, the show sizzled … Isaac Mulindwa (the Brains behind the Awards) sat next to the Chief Guest Queen Sylvia Naginda (of Buganda) and so was the King for the Night. New comer Toniks who had a really compelling duet ‘Beera Nange’ (Probably took some anointing oil from Judith Babirye’s Gospel track with the same name) won a well deserved award. Pastor Wilson Bugembe meanwhile performed that night and received his accolade for ‘Best Gospel’ which Judith had rejected the previous year for his song ‘Komawo Eka’ whose video features local entertainers such as Bobi Wine and the Amarula Family. Best Artistes from all the other East African countries were also awarded making PAM a really big thing.
Juliana Kanyomozi (who looked beautiful like Halle Berry in a leopard-print dress) was the highlight of the Year and won the Most Important Nod to become the first woman in six years to clinch the “Artiste of the Year” Pammy beating ‘Mazzi Mawaanvu’ that is His Excellency the Ghetto President and ‘Mr. Munene’. I’m not a big fan of hers but she did wonders in the duet entitled “Sirinayo Omulala” (“I Don’t Have Another Lover”) with Sweet Kid.
Do you agree with the controversial reggae hit below also performed on the night: “Njagala kugenda ko Juba…mpulira Uganda entamiye, ejude nugu.” (“I want to go to Juba…I feel I’m tired of Uganda, it’s full of jealousy.”)? Well, personally, jealousy or less of it, Uganda’s music (plus maybe movie) industry, as Straka (WBS Late Show) said, could now be rated second only to Nigeria on the African continent. Don’t care what jealous haters say, play your role whether in music, film, business, agriculture, construction, politics, art, trade, tourism and so on! What I have discerned is that jealous people are just “the devil in disguise” trying to derail you from reaching your heaven-sent visions. Entertainment is now a well-designed business in Uganda and those who work hard at it will reap from it …
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