Rediscovering My Youth- Africa’s Infatuation with 90s Music

I’ve noticed that many Africans (I hate to generalize the whole continent, but it’s true) have a deep appreciation of 90s RnB and Contemporary Pop music. And I love every minute of it!!! Today while doing work in a local coffee shop, my colleague and I were crooned to the sounds of Boyz to Men, Brandy’s entire Full Moon album, Aaliyah, and I almost jumped for joy when Shania Twain and Celine Dione came on. She thinks that I am completely cheesy for enjoying it so much, especially Celine Dione- my colleague is also Canadian, but I can’t help myself! There’s something about hearing “Water Runs Dry”, “Full Moon”, “At Your Best You Are Loved”, “From This Moment”, and “It’s All Coming Back to Me” consecutively that just soothes my soul!
Some of the best music was put out in the 90s and I wish there were public radio stations that were dedicated to it. It was probably the last period in music where I appreciated music from every genre. Aerosmith, Tanya Tucker, Alanis Morrisette, Nirvana, Greenday, Hanson, Total, LL Cool J, Jodeci, Wu Tang Clan, Brandy, Whitney Houston, and of course Mariah Carey- you name it, I liked it! And they play it allll here!

Kalibrados and Other Musicians Stand Up Against Xenophobia

Last Sunday there was a concert in Johannesburg, South Africa called, "Not In Our Lifetime", where Kalibrados an Angolan rap group and other musical acts performed to raise awareness of the negative impact of xenophobia. The proceeds from the concert will be used to support refugees and others victimized due to the xenophobic attacks that took place in May.

Here is a peak of Kalibrados' music.

African Idol

I was recently made aware of the existence of "African Idol" through an article questioning why contestants had to sing Western songs to gain legitimacy on the song. I supported the authors critique, especially because I am a fan of various genres of African music and also find it nonsensical for Africans to not use the show as a platform to showcase their own talents.
Because I had never seen an episode of African Idol, I decided to youtube it, take a look at how the show was produced, and better understand the author's critique. I was more than surprised by what I saw. Take a look at the video!

As Simon would say, it was absolutely HORRID! I think we do better when we stick to our own songs. It sounds so sweet!





But I'll give props when it's due, this was a damn good rendition of "Faith"!

No Paparazzi Allowed

Last night, I went out to a club in Ntinda. I’ve always enjoyed the nightlife in Kampala because the music is a mix of hits from all over the world. No matter which region it comes from, the deejays just want to play good music. This night, the dj was particularly on point as he played music from West Africa that made me feel at home in so many ways. An artist named Priscilla even came out and did a surprise performance. Her songs were really good and she could really dance! In the states we’re often amazed at Ciara’s talent and the control she has over her body when she dances, but I’ve seen so many artist here who would kill Ciara in a dance off. One girl in particular, named Aisha, at MYDEL has so much talent, I wish she had the avenues to become a wider known entertainer…
But back to my night out, I had a fabulous time! Another thing that surprised me about Priscilla’s performance was that though she was a well-known performer, the crowd wasn’t fazed by her presence. They enjoyed her performance, but they were no where near as star struck as Americans are when celebrities are around. She performed right on the dance floor of the club and once she was done she continued dancing in the club with the other patrons. She was treated and regarded as any other person in the club.
Towards the end of the night I decided to take pictures of the group. My friend had already told me that cameras are not allowed in the club, but I had a big pocket book and was able to smuggle it in. But in the midst of my photo shoot, I was stopped by a bouncer and told I couldn’t’ take anymore pictures. He wanted me to delete the ones I had already taken, but I quickly put my camera away and assured him that I wouldn’t take anymore.
I asked my friends why people weren’t allowed to take pics in clubs and they said that some people don’t want others to know that they go to clubs. Kampala is a fairly liberal city, but there are still some groups who are very traditional and believe that drinking and dancing is sacrilegious. Even though it is against their beliefs many people still sneak off to clubs and bars, sinfully. Funny enough, tabloids in the region seek to expose members of the community who claim to be righteous, but are out and about town drinking and dirty dancing. For this reason, clubs try to protect their patrons by banning cameras.

Back to Basics

Today, I did the first thing that is usually on my mind when I visit the continent. I got my hair braided. I always take advantage of the fact that I can get my hair done exactly the way I like for an extremely small fraction of that which I would pay in the States to get it done very subpar. Of course, I sent my friend over ahead of me to bargain for the price because once the braiders heard my accent, I’d have a great deal of difficulty getting the local rate.
I was successful getting it done and I love it!
I also did the usual tasks like exchanging money, and got a cell phone.
I also met some of my friend’s family. He has a million and one brothers and they are all very nice. Their family store is the local hang out spot and when I got there, there were about 20 of his friends and family to meet. I apologized ahead of time because I knew that I would not be able to remember all of their names.
During this time I actually realized how horrible my memory has been getting. There were people that I met last year and who even met me at the airport the day before and I could not remember their faces, much less their names for the life of me!
The rest of the day was spent hanging out with friends. We watched music videos and had some drinks the earlier part of the evening. This was actually more enlightening for me because when I am home I rarely have time to watch television and definitely not videos. Here there is a music channel that plays videos all day long and a good majority of them are from the US, so I was able to put a face to the voices that I often hear on the radio and in the club.
The second part of the night we went to a bar in town and that was also a good time. The music was great. It reminded me why I like being here so much. They play the best songs, new or old and I love that.
Overall, it was a great way to start the trip.