Thursday

YESU Mag: Desire Luzinda Quotes

Desire Luzinda is a Ugandan music legend with a majestic sultry voice. She turned to GOD after a scandal where an ex-lover publicised her full nakedness to prove that she was being untruthful by denying him as her boyfriend. Using electronic communication to disturb the peace, quiet or right of privacy of another person is a misdemeanour in Section 8 of the Computer Misuse Act. Punishment on conviction is a fine not exceeding 24 currency points (1 point = 20,000 UGX which makes it 480,000 UGX) or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both:

Some people do still look at me in a certain way. Others look at me as a sex object. Others as some crazy woman who has no shame...

I have been betrayed by someone I genuinely loved. I never loved him for the money, he is lying and he knows that. Helping someone is not a guarantee they will return the favour when in time of need. Be the friend in need knowing payment comes from GOD...

Treat everyone with respect, even those that do not deserve it. You never know when you might need the very person you despised...

[Courtesy of Salt TV's G.A.N.G. (GOD's Anointed New Generation) music show sponsored by Sumz:] (Being bornagain) feels peaceful above everything else! You can't trade peace for anything... My turning point was a bit gradual. Tewaliwo [There's no] moment that this was the specific one... I was going through a series of events... trials and testations... One thing led to another. Oli awo nga olaba obulamu bukyuka [You are there and see life changing] going down the drain, nogamba [then you say]: Oh, I need to give my life to GOD... The LORD changed me... Most people know in 2014 when I had a scandal; most people relate it to that but yes I could say it was the major turning point. That's when my life was brought out into the public in another twist of events, naye [but] to me, it revealed so much who people are... When I was publicly embarassed, ashamed, I got to realise so many faces, nendaba [then I saw] the true colours eza abantu [of people]... I did have a background of Christ kubanga [because]... tata wange yali Musilamu, mama wange nga Mukatuliki [my father was a Muslim, while my mother was a Catholic]... We grew up in Church... of Balokole [Bornagains]. I know GOD, my siblings are Balokole; some of them do not even know where clubs are, by the way... I was in Full Gospel Makerere... performed a couple of times in the choir... Besides, I really wanted to do Gospel music but as you know how people view Gospel music: We all look at money; that's the first thing that comes to mind. People will tell you: There is no money! I was a young girl, a young mother, I wanted to be independent. Then I said: If I sing these things of GOD, I will not get money. That's how I ended up in the secular world... I was in the school choir for a long time. It had been my dream and I used to tell my family that: I'm going to be a singer because that's what I knew I was gonna be; I could feel it... When the LORD is changing you, there are things HE takes away from you for purposes of wanting you to know HIM better. That was one of the hardest things I had to get used to, that I needed to calm down and level up and get used to the normal life... of being offscene. When I was out there in the US, noone knew me. I could do anything on the street: I would play with my daughter; something I can't do right here... You can't stay in a place that broke you. I needed to go away and find me and find my GOD.. With GOD, you have to be real... When you're in the limelight, you have to enter it knowing that it's what you've decided, it comes with its good and bad side... People will judge you... based on what they see, what is written in the papers, not the inside of you... When you know GOD, you understand how HE works. That Word works in you and then you get to realise that it's actually not about money... The first step is to try and know GOD. I was in the world for over 10 years singing secular music but if I tell you: I've never had the peace I've had with GOD... Money can't buy peace... In GOD, you get beyond the physical needs... Honey, you can have money and still be nothing. I used to cry on my pillow because I had everything else apart from peace and happiness... Someone has to find GOD and then everything follows... One thing I thank my family for is they've always been loving and protective... They will always look at the positive side: Tumuyambye tutya? Akivudemu atya [How have we helped her? How has she come out of it]? If you love someone, be there for them when they need you! Condemnation does not help... Love covers a multitude of sin; one thing that drew me to Phaneroo was love. It's the love that changed me. Teri muntu eya kera nangamba nti: Desire, tandika okuyambala ebigoye ebiwanvu [No one got up early to tell me: Desire, start wearing long clothes]... Many had tried but it was not working. But the love compelled me to change, it transformed me. Love does not fail...

Mowzey Radio helped me overcome my nudes scandal...

So many people ask me (about my nudity scandal in particular) if I ever talked to the Nigerian (after) and I tell them No, but I forgave him... I forgave him immediately after seeing my pictures... I forgave myself to avoid self-condemnation which is one of the things that keep holding us back... Forgiveness keeps my heart free from rage. Forgiveness heals and forgiveness helps me to move on. People who do not forgive always have bitterness on their hearts, bitterness leads to revenge... I urge you to learn to forgive because it will free your mind...

You can never walk out of a storm if you do not accept any of your glaring err, call it mistake. People who do not accept their mistakes are always on the defensive and always pointing fingers at others. How then will you come out of a storm if you blame your mistake on someone else? Accepting my mistakes has helped me win so many battles...

A positive mind finds opportunity in everything, while a negative mind finds fault in everything. I must say it is not easy to be positive when you are at your lowest, but nothing lifts you up better than being positive. Knowing that no condition is permanent, knowing that you can wake up and all is over, knowing that there is a GOD who is ready to love you. Try being positive and you will be my witness...

JEHOVAH JIREH, my provider! JEHOVAH JIREH, YOU are all I need. YOU lift me higher than the mountains. JESUS, YOU are all I need... YOU never leave me, nor forsake me. YOU're my everything. YOU go before me, YOU reign in battle. I overcome, JESUS, I overcome... All my pain is gone... My JEHOVAH RAFA... Think of that moment, when everything seemed to go down. And the LORD came through for you... The GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the GOD who never fails... The GOD who split the Red Sea. I'm talking about that GOD who loves you even when you're not faithful... Holy Spirit reign... I've seen YOU work in my life... my GOD... YOU're all I need, my LORD! Only YOU, my GOD...

[Growing up in Bantuland, I picked Irene Namubiru as my favourite female Ugandan musician in the early 2000s. However, since Sheebah Karungi who broke out in the late 2000s resembled the Lugbara woman I loved the most, I kind of drifted towards the Queen though some of her opinions about her father and marriage plus dress code brought slight reservations, but I understand her point of view because it's what she went through: Sheebah's music is great even if she wears a gomesi, omwenda lesu or long dress in the videos like Adele and her offscreen (Muslim) GOD-believing-self. Most of the girls in Obsessions which she joined in 2006 saw her unfit to be among them, but she refused to incline to rejection and quit the group to become a formidable star with hits like Jordan, Nkwatako, Ayi, Binkolera, Twesana, Enyanda, Rambo, etc. On the sidelines after my Top 2 plus Leila Chandiru from Arua was Uganda's Desire Luzinda whom I regarded as the East African music artiste with the Best Hips alongside Tanzania's curvaceous Ray C (aka Rehema Chalamila who attempted suicide more than once after struggling with drug abuse but was always rescued); even tweeted about the attractive shape of both ladies. My favourite jams by the beautiful mother of Michelle Kaddu (born 1st July 2004) include Nyumirwa Nyo, Fitting (ft. Radio & Weasel), Ekitone, Mubiite, etc. When a jilted Nigerian boyfriend Franklin Emuobor Ebenhron leaked her nudes in October 2014 as revenge porn accusing her of cheating with a long list of men, I felt basically no blame towards my UG countrymate coz dat's life: Love is like a flask; when it falls, it can break unless it's metallic! People (both men and women) switch up or step down in relationships like there are no good memories to replay. However, it's mainly men who publish nudes as revenge after a separation. The scandal actually redefined the word kitone [Luganda for (natural) talent] which she capitalised on. In Twenty23, I was stunned to watch an excerpt of the heartfelt music video of "I Overcome"; I could recognise the voice of the woman in a long maroon dress performing but it took me two days to finally confirm and accept that Desire Luzinda (the real Miss Curvy of UG to me) had turned to Gospel though she started the transition around 2016; it was a renewed image of DL...]

FOOTWEAR BECOMES HEADGEAR

The Hebrew Bible says that the last shall become first. No matter what that means, positions definitely change: Sometimes you lose, other times you win. Do not fear failure, rejection, curses, difficulty, bad energy nor imperfection; negative vibe is the testimony of the Devil! Do people make you feel at the bottom like a shoe when they despise; ridicule; rebuke; mock; degrade; downsize; insult (as daft, stupid, fake, boring, poor, with no future, unimportant, skinny, cursed, irresponsible, etc); make fun of; disrespect; forsake; fire; belittle; criticise (as quiet, unsocial, etc); judge harshly; slander or spread false stories about you (like gigolo, has a sugarmummy, thief, dog, child-molester, witch, pauper, hyena, rapist, Devil worshipper, womaniser, Illuminati, fucking his workmate, chief slut, etc)? Keep walking! Do not get furious! Opinions ain't facts; you have your own views. Do they treat you like trash? Recycle yourself and get more cash! Waste not, want not! Use the stony gravel, broken china, shattered glass and used plastics thrown at you to calmly blaze your own trail and solidify your path to victory with GOD's help! Pray, pray, pray! Failure is not sweet, but it's a bypass to success because it makes you work harder and smarter. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, improve and grow stronger wings! Eagles use the wind blowing against them to soar higher than all other earthly creatures. Haters meanwhile pluck your feathers to decorate themselves. GOD doesn't create junk people; you have your own strengths. Public opinion cannot define who you are nor devalue your Heaven-sent worth. Rejection is liberation; it redirects you to where you ought to be like GOD's Will. Be yourself! During Senior 5 in a new school, I dropped out of my beloved Fine Art Class because my average grades kept dropping constantly by 7 percent every year since Senior 1. Some Macos schoolmates actually debated that I did not know how to draw. After a few assignments in Fine Art, I worried that I might fail in UACE the following year and opted to try Technical Drawing instead. The TD teacher refused to let me join his class and reasoned that since I hadn't studied the technical subject in O-Level, it was too late for me to begin: You cannot start climbing a tree from the stem! Silently, I walked back to my Literature classroom, dejected with tears in my eyes, having felt the deadly sting of rejection serrated with hopelessness. There and then at age 17, I sat down humbly, stopped writing the name GOD with lowercase letters and vowed secretly in my heart to teach myself Art which the wider market can buy, not just for school marks. Funnily, a TD student relit the fire for my Art career by getting me gigs: Talent teaches itself through practice. During one African History lesson a few months later, my name was mentioned in chorus by classmates after the teacher (Mrs. Okello) asked for the Best Artist who would be tasked to draw a History chart for the school's Open Day; it was quite a therapeutic moment since numerous students offering Art as their 4th principal were present! Did they offload the work to me or was it a genuine opinion? My secret was ink and focus. I got many other assignments at Macos that year plus the next including an Agriculture chart for a young girl in Senior 2 who looked for me tirelessly until she found me (She probably braved the A-Level bullies on the steps to get to my upper floor); the happiness she exhibited after I finished the artwork was beaming. Peace, be still and know that GOD is GOD! Mental problems are solitary, but can be overcome through prayer and mindshifting. FREE COUNSELLING: When you find yourself sinking in the depressing quicksand of gloom, lean back, lift up your hands and worship GOD! HE will pull you out.

Jack Ma, the creator of Ali Baba failed thrice in college, applied 30 times to get a job but was always rejected. When KFC went to China for the first time, 20 people applied but Jack was the only person dismissed. He wanted to join Police but was the only one not accepted. He applied to Harvard University in the US about 10 times but was always rejected...

Michael Jordan was cut from his High School's basketball team because of his height and "lack of skill" but grew taller plus very aggressively athletic to prove his coach wrong in the NBA. The Detroit Pistons invented cruel Jordan Rules to frustrate his climb to the top thrice in the late 1980s but Mike became untouchable in the 90s...

When I was in Primary 5 at Victoria Nile School (Jinja), there was a legend of a beautiful Indian classmate who performed last in the End of 1st Term exams, disappeared to I do not know where in 2nd Term but returned to round all of us in the final promotion term including me in 7th place out of 84 pupils (From Worst to Best; Bottom to Top). She was a classic climber like the Detroit Lions in the mid 1950s and Golden State Warriors in the early 2020s; actually inspired me to believe that anyone can top a class including the one who is regarded least knowledgeable or dummest! It's just a matter of reading words [BIGAMBO like Lugbara Ganda English] and numbers...

Thomas Edison's teachers told him he was "too stupid to learn anything". After 10,000 attempts, he invented the lightbulb which teachers use all over the world...

Albert Einstein's parents thought he was sub-normal (because he did not speak until he was four years old) while his teachers described him as "mentally slow" plus would "never amount to much"; well E = MC2, let all his naysayers explain that!

Oprah Winfrey was defiled while young and later fired from her reporter job as "unfit for TV" but now owns her own TV called OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) and gives people freebies to own...

Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for "lacking imagination" and "having no original ideas" but the companies he left behind named after him now generate so many original ideas...

Eriya Kategaya lost in a political race to become Chairman in his village, but then became the Prime Minister of the whole of UG which included his village...

Tom Brady was picked after six quarterbacks and many other players in the 2000 NFL Draft, moreover by a team that had never won the Super Bowl. Waiting for a very long time to hear his name called was quite emotional for him and his parents, but he got over the snubs and went on to become the Greatest Of All-Time...

Lionel Messi was redcarded in his debut game for Argentina; he walked off the pitch crying. Many times, fans burnt his jersey because he couldn't win trophies with his nation despite the 2008 Olympic gold medal and even retired at a certain point because of failure, but destiny is enormous: Now he's arguably greater than Maradona whom Argentinians had regarded superior for ages. For me, Messi is the Slickest Footballer I've ever seen on Earth and neighbouring planets; forget goalscoring. His dribbling movement was 97 percent magnifique, a joy to watch...

Leicester City came from the 2nd tier of English football (where relegated clubs drop) the season behind where they finished 14th out of 20 to win the 2016 Premiership; talk of newcomers showing oldtimers how to win, Ngolo Kante. There is always at least one newly-promoted side that shows no fear of top flight survivors but they never finish the season on top of everybody else. The Foxes basically shocked everybody in their 2nd season up though my beloved Arsenal in 2nd place defeated them home and away including that dramatic Valentine's Day return from injury for Danny Welbeck...

At 30 years old, Steve Jobs was removed by a Board of Directors from the company he started. Although devastated and depressed, it did not diminish his prowess because after the company went down, it called him back and he took it to new heights earning 1 US Dollar per year...

That person, job, village, trading centre, church, school, book, idea, etc near you that you put in the Useless/ Lousy (Can't Help) Category might have the solutions to the problems that are bothering you. Despise noone! GOD is omni-present. The blessing of GOD brings wealth (or good things), to this hard toil adds nothing (Proverbs 10:22)... The brick that the builders rejected became the chief Cornerstone who is Christ JESUS HIMSELF (Ephesians 2:20)... Through the Gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel... GOD's riches are incomparable...