“I WILL CATCH A GRENADE FOR YOU”; WHY THIS SONG BY
BRUNO MARS SHOULD NEVER BE A KENYAN WEDDING SONG…
Weddings! Women love them, men hate them! Over the
weekend I was listening to Nairobi’s
urban FM station- Homeboyz Radio and the presenter, G-Money made a comment that
got me thinking a lot.
Many couples choose a song to go with a jig
performance in their wedding. From old love tunes by Lionel Ritchie to tunes
like “Step In The Name Of Love” by R Kelly.
But G argued that, you know how you have in- laws who
don’t really like you that much. Well, if you choose Bruno Mars’ song- “I Will
Catch A Grenade For You”, then one in-law, with the rise in Al- Shabaab threat,
may just arise among the crowd and throw one at you, with a remark-“ really! At
your face! Let us see if you can catch a grenade for her!”
New president increases popularity with ongoing rejection of predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika's lavish lifestyle and policies
Malawi's Joyce Banda discards presidential jet and luxury car fleet
Joyce Banda has dumped her predecessor's presidential jet and fleet of luxury cars. Photograph: Amos Gumulira/AFP/Getty Images
Malawi's new president has made numerous breaks from her autocratic predecessor but few will be this popular: she has dumped his presidential jet and fleet of luxury cars.
Joyce Banda, who came to power in April after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, has barely paused in her drive to overturn his controversial policies and lifestyle.
Her decision to sell or lease the impoverished country's £8.4m presidential jet and fleet of 60 Mercedes government cars seems likely to cement domestic goodwill – and confirm her as a darling of the west.
Britain, Malawi's biggest aid donor, announced on Friday that Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, had raised the issue of the Dassault Falcon 900EX jet with Banda at a private meeting with the new government. Mitchell said: "At a time of austerity in both Britain and Malawi, president Banda's decision to sell or lease the presidential jet and expensive fleet of cars sends an enormously encouraging signal to British taxpayers and the international community about the seriousness President Banda is applying to overturn bad decisions taken under the previous government.
"The proceeds can be used to provide basic services to Malawi's poorest people who urgently need help following the vital devaluation of the currency."
Last month Banda was quoted in local media saying the cabinet would discuss the jet's future, explaining she had no problems "offloading it as I can well use private airliners; I am already used to hitchhiking".
Mutharika bought the presidential jet in 2009, claiming it was less expensive than leasing a plane every time he travelled. But it came to be seen as a symbol of African kleptocracy and some observers compared him with Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe.
Mutharika was also condemned for purchasing a 58-room mansion in his home district and granting a salary to his wife. His regime lashed out at allegations of corruption and cronyism at a time when Malawi was suffering severe shortages of foreign currency and fuel.
The president's sudden death from a heart attack changed the course of the country's history. Having thwarted an attempt by his allies to block her, Banda assumed control and has since appointed a new cabinet, sacked his police chief, announced the lifting of a ban on homosexuality and restored the country's independence-era flag.
The turnaround has been welcomed by western countries such as Britain, whose high commissioner was expelled by Mutharika for branding him "autocratic and intolerant of criticism".
During a four-day visit, Mitchell confirmed that the Bank of England will work directly with the Reserve Bank of Malawi to help it cope with the impact of slashing the value of the local currency, the kwacha, by one third earlier this month on the advice of the IMF.
The minister said: "I am also delighted to be in Malawi to relaunch Britain's development partnership with the new president. Britain is leading the international community by providing urgent balance of payments support and technical assistance to Malawi through the Bank of England."
In May this year Britain pledged £23m to help stabilise the Malawian economy and £10m for the country's health system.
Meles Zenawi death: Ethiopia 'stable', says
government
Meles Zenawi's body has now been flown back to Ethiopia
Ethiopia's government has insisted
the country is stable following the death of long-time Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi at the age of 57.
Mr Meles died at a hospital in the Belgian capital, Brussels, late on Monday
after a long illness.
His body has been flown back to the capital, Addis Ababa, and a period of
national mourning has been announced.
State media reported that Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn would
take over until elections in 2015.
Mr Meles's death has sparked fears of a leadership vacuum which could lead to
instability in Ethiopia.
“Start Quote
Meles Zenawi was an economic transformer, he was a strong
intellectual leader for the continent”
End
QuoteEllen Johnson SirleafPresident of Liberia
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga is among those who
have expressed concern that Mr Meles's death could herald a period of
instability for Ethiopia.
He told the BBC the situation in Ethiopia was "very fragile" and that he was
unsure whether the country was "sufficiently prepared for his succession".
"One would hope they could contain the various factions within the government
so that the transition is smooth," he said.
Mr Meles's death was celebrated by the al-Shabab Islamist militant group in
Somalia - where he twice sent troops to fight. They told Reuters that Ethiopia
was "sure to collapse".
But at a news conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian government spokesman
Bereket Simon said that Mr Hailemariam had been appointed acting prime
minister.
"There will be no election as the constitutional procedure allows us to
continue with the deputy prime minister acting as prime minister for now," he
said.
"He will take over in parliament and then he will kick off as a full-fledged
prime minister." 'Greatest leader'
Meles Zenawi was interviewed by the BBC in 2008
Mr Bereket said the parliament, which is currently in recess, would reconvene
as soon as possible to start the process and swear in Mr Hailemariam.
Mr Meles had not been seen in public for weeks and speculation about his
health mounted when he missed a summit in Addis Ababa last month
The Council of Ministers announced his death on state TV on Tuesday.
The statement said Mr Meles had been receiving medical treatment abroad for
the past two months and that his health was improving. But he developed a
"sudden infection" on Sunday and despite emergency treatment, died at 23:40 on
Monday.
Meles Zenawi
Emerged from Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which carried out
armed struggle against Communist military regime in 1970s and 1980s
Became president in a transitional government in 1991 and then prime
minister in 1995
Married another TPLF veteran, Azeb Mesfin, and had three children
Under his leadership, a closed and secretive country gradually opened to the
outside world
But reputation tarnished in 2000s amid increasing repression in
Ethiopia
Foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said Mr Meles had
been "the greatest leader that Ethiopia has witnessed" and that the country was
in shock.
But he said it was now time to work together and "bypass this challenge".
There would be no change in foreign or domestic policy, he said.
"The policies will stay the course and be implemented as usual and things
will continue." Western ally
Mr Meles took power as the leader of rebels that ousted communist leader
Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Mr Meles would be remembered "for his
exceptional leadership and advocacy on African issues within and outside the
continent" and for overseeing his country's economic development.
Mr Ban also praised Mr Meles's "active commitment to working with the United
Nations on numerous global peace and development challenges".
But critics say economic development came at the cost of respect for human
rights.
"He was always talking about democracy, civil rights,
adherence to [the] constitution and the like. But it was only a lip service,"
one rights critic, Commander Assefa Seifu, told the BBC.
Under Mr Meles, Ethiopia became a staunch US ally, receiving hundreds of
millions of dollars in aid over the years, and hosting the US military drones
that patrol East Africa.
He won accolades from the West for sending troops to battle Islamist
militants in Somalia, but concern had been growing about the lack of democracy
and human rights in Ethiopia.
At least 200 people died in the violence that followed the 2005 elections,
and many journalists and politicians have been locked up.
This is a real Ghetto Story about a young man living in the streets of Nairobi, Kenya's bursting capital. The story is about a guy, James Kang’ethe ‘Tete’ Kimani, now nicknamed 'Bonoko'. Bonoko has now become a kind of a cult figure in the Kenyan society, even as he is an ordinary 20 years street kid, who happened to be in the wrong place, wrong time. Or maybe right place right time, that all depends on the perspective you can have in a day-to-day struggle, best described as fitting an ocean into a cup: Nairobi streets.
So Bonoko was interviewed by media back in 2008 as the Kenyan police had just shot a suspected thug in Ngara village, the hood now famous for hosting Ghetto Radio offices. He had this amazing story as he had seen the police killing a young boy, caught urinating at an alleyway. Come to think of it: this is is a common story in Nairobi, where life is worth not more than 50 cents.
After cops shot the young boy dead, they had put a fake gun in his hand to make it look like a legitimate killing. This scenery all being watched by our boy, Bonoko, and bluntly addressed to news hunger media teams. 'Bonoko' was not his nick name back then as we should understand that a Bonoko in street slang is synonymous with a fake gun. This name Bonoko was only dedicated to Tete after his interview got remixed successfully on a Genge beat. The song and 'artist' Bonoko have hit airwaves all over Kenya now.
And now for the real trigger: why is this story making us feel proud? Ghetto Radio, as a citizen radio station, has adopted the Bonoko kid, not only out of pettiness but mostly because he seems to represent so much of the ordinary Kenyan boy. Kenya's economy is showcasing an annual growth of over 5%, Nairobi CBD is well-known for multinational headquarters housing in shiny sky scrapers. On the surface it looks like all prosperity but come darkness a shady fog is covering basically all of the daytime sunshine. Police brutality is still on the rise and the Bonoko story is giving us clear example on that. Asking you, can a country develop where citizens without property are permanently under siege?
Ghetto Radio team has supplied Bonoko clothes and housing. Most important they have given him an honest chance to show his skills on air, representing the real Ghetto Story of Nairobi. Now that is a story, a real Ghetto Story.
You can find Bonoko co-hosting in morning and drive hours on Ghetto Radio 89.5.
NB. BONOKO AND MBUSII WERE RECENTLY NOMINATED IN THE 2012 CHAT ( chaguo la teeniez awards) AND RECENTLY BONOKO MADE AN APPEARANCE ON "MALI- KENYA'S FIRST SOAP OPERA."
I got up this morning and found this email from Mr Kipkoech
Choge.
Hey! I invited you to be
an author in my blog so you can help me out. Am so caught up at work man...
working two jobs pretty much everyday. Please accept the invitation.
Well it is
a tough call but one that I am willing to pick up. So I sent him a reply back;
Hey Mr. Kipkoech Choge;
Wow I am indeed honored. Well let me know what you wish
to post on your blog- the details and how I can chip in to hone my passion and
skills for writing. We take it from there and see where this will lead us to.
My contacts are- 0716 659 166 or on facebook you can
search for me- Oracles Vincent Libosso Chronicles. I look forward to this
partnership sir.
It is a tough call but I believe it is a journey for me! And
one that I am willing to travel through.
God Bless brother.
With regards…
Vincent Libosso.
so we now embark on another journey guys. And I am calling
you to travel with me on this journey. Take your time to comment on this and
shoot me an email too on what you wish to see more on the two blogs. Xoxoxoxo!!!!!!!!!
I love you my family…
