SHOWBUZZ: Nameless battles Chameleone for ZIFF

Nameless and Uganda’s Jose Chameleone will go head to head for a coveted award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • The two legends, who both started their musical careers at Ogopa DJ’s in Nairobi, have been nominated for the East Africa Music Video Award at the festival.
  • However, they will face stiff competition from other regional acts.
  • Other Kenyans nominated in the category include Gilad, Naiboi and Mombasa based Dazlah Kiduche

Legendary East African musicians Nameless and Uganda’s Jose Chameleone will go head to head for a coveted award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival.
The two legends, who both started their musical careers at Ogopa DJ’s in Nairobi, have been nominated for the East Africa Music Video Award at the festival.
However, they will face stiff competition from other regional acts. Other Kenyans nominated in the category include Gilad, Naiboi and Mombasa based Dazlah Kiduche. They come up against Tanzania's Barnaba Classic, Matonya, Christian Bella. Ugandans include Eddy Kenzo, dancehall star Bebe Cool, and Weasel.
All the artistes are expected to perform at the week-long festival that started yesterday. The annual festival fetes East African screen productions: from TV series, features, short films, African animations, and Documentaries. East Africa Music Video is the only category for works from the music industry.

The FBI dance crew. PHOTO | FILE

FBI’s travel dilemma

Celebrated Kenyan dance crew, FBI Dancers, is appealing to well-wishers to help them raise money to acquire flight tickets to the US. They are to represent the country in this year’s World Hip Hop Dance Championships in Arizona in August.
The dancers received an invite to the competition three months ago but haven’t been able to raise enough money to cater for their travel.
They have only managed to get approval of their Visas. Time is running out for them as they are supposed to be jetting out of the country end of this month.
“We still need cash for the tickets and accommodations,” Ezra, a member of the crew, was quoted.
FBI represented Kenya in a similar event back in 2015, finishing runners up. They moved judges to tears with their performances in honour of the 147 students who lost their lives in the Garissa University attack carried out by al Shabaab in April, that year.

Tanzanian artiste Diamond. PHOTO | FILE

Diamond’s former aide mad at WCB

It is reported that Diamond, currently on his album tour "A Boy from Tandale" in the US, fired Mwarabu who is alleged to have complained of being mistreated by the star.
Tanzanian blogs claimed that Mwarabu had been absent in three key events that Diamond attended last month in Dar es Salaam. Instead he was seen in the company of Harmonize's bodyguard.
The reports claimed that Diamond decided to relieve the heavily built bodyguard of his duties, after he learnt that he had complained about the manner in which he handles him to Rayvanny's manager, Makame.
Since then, Diamond gave Mwarabu Fighter a few days off and has been ignoring him.
However, after recently suffering a serious road accident that saw him admitted for several days before being discharged Mwarabu cut ties with Diamond and his team
“…I haven’t received any form of assistance from Diamond or WCB... I thank God am doing well,” Mwarabu said.
He added, “What people don’t know is that I was relieved of my duties in February. I was told to stay home until I am summoned so currently I'm not his bodyguard.”
It is also said that Mwarabu had been pushing for a salary increment, something Diamond is not ready to do at the moment.

Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu AKA Bobi Wine, The Kyaddondo East MP, joins the Concerned Citizens at Centenary Park Garden in Kampala to protest against mobile money and social network tax. PHOTO | FILE

Social media tax infringing UG freedom

Renowned Ugandan reggae and dancehall musician turned politician Bobi Wine has joined forces with socialites in his country to fight the new social media tax that took effect last week. Online users are required to pay Ush200 (Sh5.20) daily, before using the social Apps.
They say the tax is a form of exploitation to limit their interaction and freedom of expression with their fans, and this is hurting their businesses badly.
Uganda’s parliament passed the new laws last month to tax social users on various platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Google Hangouts, Yahoo Messenger, Instagram, YouTube and Skype. The Member of Parliament for Kyaddondo East now wants the law repealed, urging the government to tax other items but not the social space.
Meanwhile in a long detailed statement, President Yoweri Museveni in his response said his government doesn’t levy tax on agricultural products, farm machineries, medicine, raw materials, exports and such productive aspects. He said social media falls under luxury goods and products especially foreign imports, where it majorly generates its taxes.

Gospel artistes riding the fame wave again, ignoring good news

Kenyan gospel industry has been receiving criticism from various quarters for its lack of content. Even with the constant criticism, a section of the Kenyan gospel artistes doesn’t seem bothered. A week after comedian Dr Ofweneke teamed with gospel singer Godson Jawabu to release a gospel song ‘Over Di Bar’, a comical tittle made after the viral chant by a Nigerian fan at the World Cup, another gospel rendition under the same tittle has emerged.
The song is by up and coming gospel singer Dokta Jones, who claims,

"My song is different. I believe it has content because it discusses how certain individuals will never let others prosper even if it means using dark magic on them.”
 While the tittle of the song has been coined from that famous chant, both songs appear to be a proclamation of how evil plans are bound to fail.