Museke Online Africa Music Awards
Museke, an online portal for African music, started the Museke Online Africa Music Awards (MOAMAs) in 2010 and, in 2011, they have worked to improve the reach, size and administration of these awards as part of the journey to become the pre-eminent Africa music awards.
I Just Started Something …
Life is fascinating in its habits. How often have you had a moment, when it felt like everything was coming together perfectly? Or when you meet – and really connect with - someone and you discover you’ve been in the same spaces for years but never met. It is like the universe is saying … now is your time. Yes, as the cliché goes, ‘everything happens for a reason’ and, often, things happen when they are supposed to happen. Being a chronic ideas person, I have spent a lifetime buckling under the weight of “what-ifs” - things that would be great, if I could only get them going, which I don’t...
Sandbloom Serves Music For The Soul
US artist / musician Kevin Sandbloom embraces the extent of his creative ability with music that is soulful and stripped down to its bare essence. From R&B and soul to folk, he does not limit himself. And to watch him live, building beat, melody, sound with guitar and voice is amazing. I saw him by chance at the Nuyorican Poetry Café in New York and left with two of his albums. He is about the creation of good music, as opposed to dumbing down or selling oneself short. His cover of Sade’s Is It A Crime is simply beautiful.
Has It Come To This? (CP)
We seem to celebrate mediocrity and this has carried over into much of what the mass media pushes as great music. To find great, classic music, one has to look beyond what is thrown at us and seek out the gems outside mainstream.
Sony Ericsson Opens New Foursquare Horizons
There are so many different platforms, social networks, groups, etc, all designed to bring us closer and make us more social. When foursquare came on the scene, I just didn’t see its purpose … in the same way I didn’t really get twitter. After a chat with a friend and colleague about 6 months ago on what can actually be done with foursquare, I started dabbling. I do not have it linked to twitter – so I do not bombard people with my check-ins – and I only check in when in public places … and only sometimes. I like the idea of it turning into a resource where, when I check into a particular...
A Fokn Boi from No 1 Mango Street
M3nsa is a UK-based Ghanaian artist/producer M3nsa has, after years of working in the industry producing for the likes of hiplife godfather Reggie Rockstone and performing with artists like Nneka, The Roots and The Gorillaz, finally released a solo project No. 1 Mango Street. Coming off the back of his film and album – Coz Ov Moni – with Wanlov, childhood friend and other half of the group Fokn Bois, M3nsa’s album wonderfully marries his influences, whether it is hip hop, Twi and Pidgen English and Ghana, and is a sign of what happens when African artists are able to create balance.
The Media Decides? (CP)
The influence of the media and entertainment on society is unquantifiable even as those sectors endeavour to reflect society. They guide the discussions through what they put out. In Africa, we have often talked of how it is the West that determines the perception of us. This is not totally the case. The power bases on the continent – like South Africa and Nigeria – do so as well through the programming created on and for channels like MTV Base and Channel O. Because these spaces, based in SA, determine what is put out as being representative of Africa, can we comfortably say, this is the full picture?
Win His & Hers Blackberry Torch Hamper
For Valentine's Day, BlackBerry® in South Africa is running a competition in which one can win a matching BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone hamper for yourself and your loved one. To do so, go to Channel24 (<- click here) and vote for the person you would want to have as your BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) contact on your BlackBerry® smartphone. There are a bunch of people I would have wanted to have as an option on the list but I found at least one and I definitely want a Torch. BBM has driven a lot of people to the BlackBerry®. The BBM numbers bandied around during the World Cup were...
Death of Television (CP)
Written September 6th, 2009 I have always sought pastimes that allow me to escape from the trials of reality, albeit temporarily. From books, film to music and games, I’ve been known to shut myself off from the real world for extended periods of time. In fact, a strategy game called Age of Empires nearly killed my marriage in its first year. I would sometimes get home from work and play this PC game from 6pm to 6am. And the first time I bought a Playstation? It was Christmas season and I was home alone for a full ten days, including Christmas Day. I played from 10am to 5am every day, only...
Fields of Anfield Road
For those who engage with me on twitter, you'll know that I am a Liverpool FC supporter and have been for as long as I can remember. The last year or so has been difficult as a Reds fan, made worse by the way Roy Hodgson had us playing this season. Kenny Dalglish has come in as a caretaker coach to steady and re-focus the ship. Many of us are hoping that he carries on beyond this season and brings us the glory of old. There is something about being a Liverpool supporter; even when sitting on the other side of the world, one feels very much a part of the history and spirit of the team. I have...
Mind Your Language (CP)
Written September 29th, 2009 This is a mini-rant. Social media has become all-consuming. We live our lives in the public space, randomly sharing our private moments with a world we don’t necessarily know. It started with email, moved to MySpace and found a home in Facebook. Friends you hadn’t seen for years and people you would never ever meet otherwise, become your Facebook friends. You share pictures, moments and your state of mind in status updates, giving a running commentary of your life. You discovered blogs and now you share everything from recipes for your favourite dishes through to...
LG Crowns World’s Fastest Texters
When I was in high school, I regularly participated in creative writing competitions where we had to write essays around particular topics. In my final year of high school, we used to write a 7-page essay a week for English class. The world changes. On January 26th, 2011, two sisters from Panama, Cristina Sales Ancines (20) and Jennifer Sales Ancines (15) were crowned “World’s Fastest Texters”, beating competitors from 16 countries at the second annual LG Mobile Worldcup Championship. The finalists went through series of national texting contests in their home countries - Argentina,...
Soundtrack to a Lifetime (CP)
Written on September 22nd, 2009 Do you ever sit and wonder what music will sound like in 10 years from now? 20 years? With all the talk that television and cinema are going to dwindle in popularity, do you ever wonder what you will be watching in the future? Do you ever look at your parents and wonder what they really think about the music you are passionate about today? If your parents are over 50 years of age, they were probably born into an Africa with no (or very few) cars, no television, no telephones (let alone cellphones), no computers, no electricity, no running water in homes, etc....
Creative Ambassadors (CP)
Written on September 15th, 2009 Music is an amazing creature. It caresses the heart. It strokes the spirit. It inspires the intellect. It has served as soundtrack to a multitude of souls since the dawn of mankind and it continues to provide refuge, comfort and happiness. Despite the millions of songs created, across countless genres, through the centuries, artists continue to lay their creativity and souls on the line, mirroring our lives. As former President Thabo Mbeki said, in 2006, “As life is like a kaleidoscope that is dynamic and ever-changing, music follows suit. Yesteryear's music...
Win A John Legend Hamper
The second half of last year saw the release of a project that brought together exceptional musicians and timeless music. Wake Up!, a collaborative album recorded by John Legend & The Roots, is the perfect example of what can happen when it is about the music and not ego. John Legend, in his relatively short career, has created some beautiful music, both alone and in collaboration with other artists, and has already built the foundation to a solid discography. I am a fan and have had the fortune of seeing him perform live twice. I would comfortably go again and again. I've been able to...
Mutumbo’s Sweet Memories
Spoken word / poetry has stuttered across the continent, going through ebbs and flows as poets grapple to build platforms and garner the kind of support necessary to sustain a life dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in word, thought and craft. In Ghana, it is no different. Two years ago, I attended the Bless The Mic open mic series in Accra run by Mi Prime Entertainment and briefly met their resident poet, Mutombo. We shared thoughts on poetry, we shared a poem and went our separate ways. In that time, Mutumbo has been paying his dues, and contributing to the development of the scene in...