Africa’s rendez-vous with music, commerce and the DJ

By George KAGAME

We Africans are renowned for our love of music, drama and dance. In fact racist people all over the world, coined the term Kumbaya, an otherwise spiritual song by black Americans, to identify with Africans. The term was given the image of short people with small bodies, big circled stomachs, huge heads and leaves tied around their bodies. They spent their entire time on the universe, drumming and dancing under the tree shades during the day, and under the brilliant moonlight in the nights. In fairness to the said racists, Gutarama was such a favourite pastime in my home town before the DJs and FM radios created customized entertainment. Everything about this Kumbaya image screamed kwashiorkor in your head. If you gave it a caption, it would read cynicism and sympathy, with words like, “Oh those miserable people, they are so poor but happy.” The idea that we love music is true, but the images that have been coined to the idea and thereby branding Africa and its people are wrong. Speaking as someone that has been blessed to visit and work in DR Congo and South Africa; I can write with some authority that indeed the love of music and dance runs in our genes. And is it not true that the people in those two countries have seen some really bad times? For all their talents and fortunes, west and North Africans have never really been known for music and dance, at least in mainstream Africa. Just as music and dance are so popular on the continent, the people that play it are revered. From the Fela Kuti dynasty in Nigeria, Salif Keita in Mali, Youssuo N’Dour in Senegal and your pick in DR Congo, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. These music stars enjoy iconic status. But since most of them ply their trade in Europe and overseas, not many Africans ever get to see them perform. And many of these fans are average Africans who sell produce in the local markets. They cannot also afford to purchase the work of their musical heroes. Therefore most of us were left to middlemen, to taste the sounds our favourite music tunes. These middlemen in my early teenage years were the DJs, and they worked in conjunction with the market cassette tape seller, who appeared on special market days near the village square along with other nomadic merchants. They appeared at intervals of a week or a month. The cassette tape salesman, set up his stall near the entrance of the market, but since most village markets were randomly set up in an open redundant expanse, they never had any structure. The cassette tape seller set up his shop at the most vantage point. He would attract clients by placing his small watts speaker in a large empty box that would act as an amplifier. The sound it produced was really annoying, but his intention was not to give potential clients quality tasting. The louder his makeshift boom box shouted, the happier he was. He only wanted to attract people to his stall and not to please them. Noise is a good and important thing for us Africans, but this is a topic for another day. The cassette salesman was responsible for the gradual death of Gutarama in my neighbourhood and all its side advantages. The cassette salesman, has been an eternal feature of African markets from the time the Arabs helped us change from a barter to monetary system of trade, and set forth the village market day commerce, that later gave rise to Africa’s first commercial centres like Timbukutu, Tabora and most urban centres on East Africa’s coastline. These were the first years of Africa’s liaison with mercantile trade, and this salesman, basically sold music composed and performed by the local church choir and local folklore. In later years, music performance evolved and there were many composers of other music genres and places yonder which came up. The salesman even became more important. And it was befitting that he was a VIP amongst all traders in the village market. To start with, we never had radio coverage in most parts of Africa till the late 1990s and as such, whenever there was a military coup de tat, ubiquitous throughout Africa, the most important instrument of power that the soldiers took first, and that which most symbolized the change of power was the radio station. There’s no point in explaining what radio station it was, as most African countries had only one radio station serving the whole country. In my hometown, which interestingly is only 35 miles from a capital city, there is a legend that once, there was a change of government three times in a row, and the locals never knew about it till one day, somebody came to the village speaking a strange language with a gun. In this village they have since sworn to hate the language this man spoke. This language was Swahili. The cassette tape salesman claimed to understand Swahili, and he also claimed that he never had anyone in the village with whom to speak. He in fact, sold music performed in Swahili by Congolese artists or so he told the community. We were later to learn that in fact the Congolese sang in Lingala not Swahili as the salesman had told us. But who were we to doubt the cassette salesman? He who had brought us music! Some of us that could not afford to buy his Judi Boucher, Don Williams, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Chiko Chimora tapes, would go to the market on the said special day not to purchase anything but to dance at his stall, inadvertently helping him to attract even more clients. But above the cassette salesman, was an even more important person, more prominent than even the local church priest. He was the DJ. In later years and as Africa developed and connected, the DJ was responsible for compiling songs of different artistes onto one cassette, which would be sold through the market cassette tape salesman as the middleman. The DJ was so important that the best musicians of the day composed songs in his honour. Chaka Chaka’s “Thank you Mr. DJ” comes to mind, you can add your favourites. The DJ, however, lost his place on our musical pedestal with the onset of HIV/Aids, as the man (there were very few female DJs earlier) schmoozed his way into many bras and pants of any agile women. In the process the DJ, the truck driver and later the motor cycle man, were responsible for the penetration of the disease and many other STDs in many families, schools and communities. This was all before the computer revolutionized Africa’s musical rendezvous and its people. And now the rules of piracy are catching up with the computer too. Ditto Rwanda’s piracy laws. Till next weekend!

Wael Badawy: 2010 Calgary Immigrant of Distinction Professional Award

Distinguished Professional Award

Wael Badawy

Next time you enter a building or premises in Calgary with video cameras hoisted and recording happenings at the place; think of the vision of Calgary resident Wael Badawy. Following his passion for video analytics and related research, Badawy embarked on a long journey from his alma mater at the University of Alexandria in Egypt, moving to Canada in 1997 when he was accepted into Concordia University in Montreal for a M.Sc in Computer Engineering and then transferred to the University of Louisiana.

Upon the completion of his PhD in Computer Engineering in the field of video compression and architecture he joined the University of Calgary in 2000 from whence he has been to-date. At the U of C, Dr. Badawy is credited with helping to found the Lab for Integrate Video Systems. Later the lab led to the creation of IntelliView Technologies Inc which has spearheaded video surveillance technology in Canada and abroad.

The company's work can be seen at the Market Mall, Calgary Stampede Grounds, the Calgary Health Region and the U of C. Badawy has developed some of the most important software technology that the firm employs in its services and spearheaded the commercialization of Canadian video technology through IntelliView Technologies Inc. 

Some these include; systems for safety and security, integrated IP camera with built in DVR, video systems using multi-sensor and sensor fusion to profile cargo in containers that is used by the US HLS department at DOT weigh stations. Badawy is also the brains behind security systems that protect remote sites from intruders and trespassers, this technology is used by many oil and gas companies in Alberta and Canada. The firm has also created partnerships with multinational companies including Microsoft, IBM, Panasonic and Sony. 

IntelliView has offices in Calgary and Ottawa and its flagship technology is is giving video surveillance tools to companies to enhance their site security and operations, owns 11 patents in vidoe analytic development and applications. 

It is also developing a software that will be used in health centres and hospitals in monitoring the movements of patients on beds, this will prevent patient falls and reduce the risk of injury to senior citizens which is currently taking a big chunk on health care costs.

Badawy say; "I believe , technology should   improve the everyday lives of Canadians. If I can reduce stress and give people a sense of security then, I feel I have made a difference."

Peter Hacket, a Fellow of the National Institute of Nanotechnology and professor in the School of Business at the University of Alberta says Badawy is an excellent academic and entrepreneur, he notes; "I have known Dr. Badawy in my role as President and CEO of Alberta Ingenuity Fund as a Professor at the University of Calgary and CEO of Intelliview Technologies Inc. His students and company have won a number of Alberta Ingenuity's competitive grants and awards. He has also contributed greatly to the Alberta research and innovation community at large through his participation in a variety of consultations and initiatives."

As a testimony to the spirit of Canada, IntelliView employs more than 20 professional from a wide array of backgrounds with a shared passion for video software and securities. Badawy is married to Ghada and they have three young boys. In his free time he volunteers in various academic and management positions at the U of C, 

He has edited many professional journals in his academic field including Journal of Computer Science, Journal on Circuit and Systems, Sensor Letters, Canadian Journal on Computer and Electrical Engineering, as well as various academic publications in leading academic libraries.

Mrs Idrees A. Khan: Calgary 2010 Immigrants of Distinction Awards Community Services Nominee

2010 Immigrants of Distinction Awards

Community Services Nominee

Mrs Idrees A. Khan

Idrees A. Khan is very conscious of her identity and that of Canada, it tells from upon observation of her work with the Calgary muslim community. A muslim from a conservative background in her native Karachi in Pakistan, Mrs Khan arrived in Canada in 1972, with her degree in Economics from the University of Karachi and embarked on a career in the oil industry in Edmonton.

Having lost her father at an early age, Mrs Khan was raised by her mother who instilled in her a sense of love for community and serving individuals with less luck in society.  Khan was given a good education but she was very aware that even with her education success in her career would be deterred by cultural boundaries tied to women in Pakistan and so she moved to Canada to be able to explore her full potential. Upon arriving in Canada in 1972 she got a job with Esso-Imperial oil in Edmonton. Later she married Zia Khan an accountant and the family moved to Calgary and continued her work in the oil industry by getting a job with Sunoco.

But such is the power of her passion for community service that Mrs Khan changed careers and started to get involved with in the local and growing community of muslims. She was particularly concerned that many of the social issues affecting this Calgary community were not being discussed in the mainstream forums. Calgarians of the muslim religion needed help with education, guidance in getting acclimatized to Canadian culture, learning English as a new language, family and parenting issues as well as access to important basic services like food and clothing for many in difficult economic situations. She went back to Mount Royal College to increase her knowledge of Calgary social challenges  and studied various programmes in social work and administration.

The education she acquired from Mount Royal College helped Khan to found the Muslim Families Network Society in 2003. This initiative brought about a forum through which issues of refugees, immigrants, poverty and family hardships were discussed and solutions sought from a cross section of stake-holders in Alberta. She also started the Muslim Halal Food Bank in 2004 to help with the outsourcing and provision of food to poor Muslims living in Calgary, this food bank offers supplementary basic services to individuals and families on social welfare assistance or unemployment insurance, refugees and new immigrants. 

Mrs Khan offers counseling and support services at the North of McKnight Community Centre by bridging the knowledge and language gap for new immigrants and refugees by providing useful information about the various initiatives available for them as offered by the federal and provincial governments and where to find such services.

Further more,  Mrs Khan also started the Big Sister/Brother program where muslim children can fully embrace their identity, learn the importance of caring, sharing, tolerance, patience and team work. She also has organized many conferences in Calgary where issues that are important to her and the community are discussed by various stakeholders. 

These include; raising teenagers, spousal abuse, children and seniors' neglect and or abuse. In all her work, Mrs Khan gives the youth and parents an opportunity to share their knowledge and skills such that the young can develop into muslim leaders that have a balanced understanding of Islam and how it fits into the western indigenous culture. She continues to volunteer by hosting people in search of emergency at Inn From The Cold Society, Muslim Association of Calgary and at the North of McKnight Centre.

Bea Twumasi: 2010 Calgary Immigrants of Distinction Awards Business Award

Calgary 2010 Immigrants of Distinction Awards

Business Award

Bea Twumasi

Walking into her shop situated on 222, 17 Ave SE Calgary one is reminded of everything about customer care and 'feeling at home.' On top of an array of cosmetic products on display, smiles and laughter are among the most salient features of Bea Twumasi's business.

Beas Braiding and Extensions has been called "Calgary's answer to bad hair", it might as well be but the salon does much more than just hair. In fact it is among the most enduring features of Calgary for hair care and has been an icon of the city life for 17 years. The proprietor of the business; Twumasi, has been braiding and weaving since she was a child in her native Ghana of West Africa having learnt the trade from her mother, she started doing it as a businesses when she moved to Calgary in 1974 and her basement suit acted as a saloon. 

Such is the significance of Bea Braiding and Extensions that it has been featured in the business section of the Calgary Herald, the Calgary Sun, and Global TV's Breakfast show.  The salon is a major participant in the Calgary high schools Beauty Culture Program mentoring students interested in a career in beauty and costmetics. From this program students get a chance to intern at the saloon and some are even luckier as they are retained for employment. Twumasi has also provided hair extensions and accessories to Calgary's movie and music industry players. Currently there are 5 permanent employees of Beas Braiding and Extensions, the salon also exhibits art pieces made by new immigrants to Calgary.

Twumasi grew up as an only child with a single mother in Kumasi a major commercial centre in @@@@Ghana. Her mother Agnes Okyem ensured Twumasi learnt about entrepreneurship earlier in life, she was taught hair braiding at home but the daughter turned out to be a teacher instead but hair care remained her first love was hair care. In 1974, Twumasi immigrated to Canada and has since been living in Calgary with her husband Emmanuel Twumasi an oil engineer, they have three children. 

Immediately after arriving in Canada Twumasi enrolled in the University of Calgary and graduated with a bachelor of Education. Having learnt the ethics of work earlier on from her mother she worked for the Calgary Catholic School Board and cleaned offices in the evenings to take good care of her young family then, she later worked as a Rehabilitation supervisor for people with mental and physical difficulties at the Legion Group Home. In her free time Twumasi started a hair care business in the basement of her family home.

While she worked as a manager at Legion Group her basement salon continued existing and later hired more staff, her client base expanded from a predominantly ethnic composition "and crossed cultural lines" according to Gloria Mensah who has known Twumasi for 25 years . Demand for her services grew so big that her home salon needed an independent premise of its own. In 1993 Beas Braiding and Weaving opened its doors on 17 Eve SE, it was among the first ethnic hair saloons in Calgary back then and Twumasi resigned her managerial job to concentrate on her love of hair care. She hired 6 staff members and according Mensah, many of these maiden staff members have since gone on to open their own hair saloons. 

As a living witness to the great Canadian success story Twumasi wants to share the inspiration of her transition and her success from being a child of a broken family, young and challenged immigrant to Calgary in the 1970s to entrepreneur. Twumasi a Calgary role model, she is part of efforts that enhance the spirit of Alberta as a home for all. From new comers to Canada, young people that are in need of guidance in life and celebrating the true joy of living in Canadda. 

She is currently working with the McBride group which seeks to help job seekers learn skills and trades that they can use to find meaningful employment. She participates in various events like the Carifest, the Calgary Women's Show and Afrikadey. These events are some of the features that make Calgary city a community of fun, work, love, peace and creativity for Calgarians of all walks of life.

Natalia Estefania Echeverria-Dubon 2010: Calgary Nominee for the Community Services Award

Nominee for the Community Services Award

Natalia Estefania Echeverria-Dubon was born in 1974 in Guatemala and grew up along with her four of her siblings in a region troubled by inequality, poverty and war. However Estefania's mother dedicated her life to educating her children and grooming them into compassionate and visionary citizens of the world.

Estefania as a result was endowed with a love of people and the world at an early age. Faced with the troubles of Guetamala and the limit these troubles were bestowing on her life she emigrated to Canada at the age of 18 in 1992 settling in Calgary. Estefania says that her philosophy is influenced by the spirit of Canada which she is says is an open country and welcomes people from different places of the universe and turns these people from being strangers to one community.

 "All human beings need someone or something to corroborate their existence. A mother. A friend, A nation. A law. A God. It is my belief that we all need entities that would constantly reassure us that we have a purpose in life and that we belong somewhere. That we are not outcasts, but rather we are welcomed, that we fit in , and that we are in the right place."

She came to Canada in 1992 fours years before the civil war in Guetamala ended. Upon her arrival in Calgary she enrolled in Father Lacombe High School and entered an essay writing competition about "What Does It Mean to Be Canadian?' and was selected as a winner. The next year she emerged second place from a short story writing contest organized by the Latin America Association in Calgary. Since then, Estefania has used her first language (Spanish) to benefit other individuals involved in missionary work as well as students interested in learning Spanish for leisure as well as career purposes.

Currently she teaches Spanish in the non credit continuing education department at the Mount Royal University and her students have but praise for her. "She is by far the best language teacher I have known in my many years of teaching," says Catrina Loman a retired teacher with the Calgary Board of Education. "She is a shining example to other immigrants," Constance Hunt a former Law Professor at the University of Calgary says while another one says; "she stands head and shoulder above all the language teachers I have been exposed to."

In her free time Estefania volunteers her time by teaching Spanish and Latin American culture to different groups and missionaries traveling to the region. She also volunteers at Bow Valley Christian Church, Spanish Christian Fellowship and FairChild Radio 94.7.

Memoirs of the first Msope

BY GEORGE KAGAME

The weather is good today, the sun is fully out and the skies are clear and like all mid mornings on such days the good old the First Msope just finished having what he calls a balanced breakfast. It is the second breakfast of the day. Earlier In the morning before he left home the good old Mfasha, his genial wife, had prepared a nice wonderful send off comprised of a warm cup of milk tea, a banana, mandazi and bread. 

the First Msope loves carbohydrates. They make his cheeks chubby but that is a sign that Mfasha is doing her job well. These are good days in Citi for the First Msope, he has  some concerns and issues with fitting in the new Citi but he lets the complaining and bitching about these issues to be done by others on his behalf. 

For now he is enjoying the good days and he knows fully well in his heart that he has never seen better but paradoxically he believes that someone else is enjoying the benefits of the good days more than him. As such he is jealous and when he returns home in the evening after work he will complain about the current system in Citi to Mfasha and his close buddies at the watering hole, the famous Ship&Anchor in Msingi wa Mji the business capital of Citi.

the First Msope is reveling in the new found fortunes of Citi, he never thought that things would be this good for him after Citi had earlier slid into calamity and then recovered to the gem it was now becoming today. So as he licks his lips and pulls up his trousers concealing a fast protruding belly while readying to sign numerous documents about Misio and fishi, as business trips and their expenses receipts are called in Citi he is joyous. 

Today is Friday which means the working day ends at 12pm upon which he will sign out and head straight to the watering hole in the official Suzuki Grande while the afternoon shift, otherwise dedicated to Siporo, will be spent chastising the new trends of Citi in private.The Grande is the new big man signature in terms of automobiles running the streets in Citi they replaced  Rengi Roveri and Renault. The latter wowed the crowds in years yonder. Life in the new Citi is a paradox!

The Suzukis now crowd the road leading to  Marutarama a suburb in Msingi wa Mji that hitherto had been a shrub but now was turned into a Malibu estates look alike.

But it is unfair not introduce the First Msope properly as it would rob you the understanding which is crucial in discerning why he is enjoying today so much. You see the First Msope was born in the Citi country side and never dreamed of big things as were happening in Msingi wa Mj currently. When he was a younger man, the authorities in Citi were uncouth, they mismanaged the country and got the Citimen as confused as an intoxicated homeless man. Citimen as a result hated each other so much that they unsuccessfully tried an apocalypse once. During this time the First Msope was starting out his teenage years. Problem is that some of the people in the authorities at that time were well known to the First Msope and in fact some of them might have been related to him by extension. Even at that time, all evidence pointed to him being a big man in the system one day.

In school the First Msope studied in a foreign language but this was to prove a disadvantage as the teachers were not very generous with their language so he only learnt the language partially. To compound the mess, that language was out of sync today and that is the reason that he was uncomfortable with some of the changes in Citi currently. He detested the new language and what it represented but the new language had also introduced him to the English premiership. 

The First Msope circled on Arsenal for the club managed by a Frenchman gave the First Msope a sense of identity as the lonely Frenchman in the English premiership. But in hindsight, Msope's newly found zealousness for soccer blessed the fortunes of the Citi national team in its hey days. The Citimen had even qualified for the continental bonanza, a fete that was hitherto unknown. The leading club in the land had also dominated regional tournaments and attracted the best players from all counties surrounding Citi though this did not stop the First Msope from going to Ship&Anchor to watch Arisenali instead of Siporo on friday afternoons.

As soon as the previous authorities in Citi were abolished the First Msope found out that the language he studied in school and managed to learn only partially was no-longer trendy. And so in order for him to flourish well today he had to learn another foreign language. This was particularly a difficult task at his age and big man status. 

But this new foreign language was essential in the economical and political dynamics of Citi, many language centres opened up all over Msingi wa Mji and other urban or commercial centres such that many, like the First Msope, would learn the new language and take advantage of newer opportunities in Citi. The language centres opened up in mosques, churches and markets.

He relied on his dexterity in farming on steep hills in the country to hustle in the new Citi. It did not help that all the new development programmes in Citi were compiled in a new vision and everything was written in the new foreign language. In order for the First Msope to climb the new big man ladders he found it necessary to learn this new language.

The language was further necessary because the new authorities had ensured that many new people arrived in Citi and they were not just visiting. They had come to stay and in order for the First Msope to get along with them he had to learn not just a new foreign language but new cultures. He was worried that the road rules were soon to be changed and that even his cherished friday Siporo would soon vanish.

Memoirs of a Musajja

BY GEORGE KAGAME

He was born and bred in Musajjaland but basajja never considered him a bonafide 'son of the soil' and like Wyclef Jean sang in 'peace God' when he died his life was not even worth paperwork. He grew up learning that he was different. He was not bothered in his existence but there was no doubt amongst his hosts that he was also not welcome. He was the Musajja.

As a result of his confusing and often compelling economic history, he was left with no option but to wander the entire expanse of Musajjaland trying to find one place that would make him comfortable, the search for a home. The less neighbours known to him the better for his existance. It was perhaps due to this that he chose to be a nomad. But even that economic activity, like the endless summer nights, has a cycle. And so the cycle stopped. The Musajja was tired of the rat race, he decided to try his luck in Citi.

In fact prior to this event, he was not even aware that he was a Musajja, this identity was tagged to him the moment he crossed the line and entered Citi.

Years yonder after entering Citi he never knew that when the Citimen talked of Musajja they were referring to him. Many lives in exile had successfully robbed him of his identity to a point that even when all those around him reminded him he was different, the musajja never bothered. To start with, he did not have one particular language with which to identify. And he was right. He had acquired this 'deaf' skill from his sojourns in Musajjaland. His hosts had called him many names, that even he, forgot who he really was. Perhaps it was because of a mixture of his vigilance and misery. How can a refugee be so vigilant in fighting for the overall freedom of his hosts? Either the hosts were arrogant, dumb or unreasonably proud or maybe the refugee did not have an option and so was left to be used as a condom to fight other people's wars. After-all he was considered to be so hapless that the only means the refugee had used to get to Musajjaland was hopping on top of fishes and swimming across borders. 

The means he used to cross borders ending in Musajjaland withstanding, the Musajja had acquired the characteristics of a chameleon. He became a successful cattle herder, a community organizer and a freedom fighter that many of the dictators reigning in Musajjaland would not have been disposed of without his compliance, his cattle, his homelessness, his love for action, his despair, his cattle and above all his elegant women.

So it was with a sense of both relief and hurt that he had acquired an identity upon entering Citiland, even if Musajja seemed inappropriate it was all the same welcome. However, in  Citi more than Musajjaland, they had been incarnated with a spirit that told them who was whom. Any slight difference amongst individuals could be detected within a distance of 70 miles away as a result of this training. The Musajja tag was therefore coined according to his accent, his recipe, his talking manners as well as his adaptability. What however remained a dominant feature was that he was also considered a foreignor in Citi.This was hurtful.

What was relieving however was the fact that the musajja was more comfortable with the physical features that defined him as a person and that on occasions he could compete for work on equal terms with everybody else in the job market. But even in this Citi life there was balances of foreignors and locals that had surfaced once the musajja crossed the borders. So as the musajja competed for one particular job for which he qualified the employers were faced with a small problem of balancing the two. The musajja, for his limited French, for his distaste of pause, (that proverbial afternoon siesta prevalent in Citi, was considered a 'bad air' in the working environment.) So he lost out on all the jobs of NGOs and public parastatals. The musajja as a result found willing employers in the private sector and the government of Citi, which itself was almost operated on the principles of a profit motivated private corporation.

The ideas that the musajja was a foreignor was further strengthened and enhanced by the opinions of the visitors of Citi, since the musajja was not very eloquent in Citi he got along very well with many of such visitors to Citi but the visitors had their own agendas and quite often they interpreted the musajja as not being proud of other Citimen and wanting to align himself to foreignors. The visitors therefore suggested that indeed the musajja was not one of the bonafide Citimen and so he belonged to lands ashore.

Faced with this paradox the musajja had to rely on his refugee skills. The skills of believing in good, in the unlimited depth of the human spirit to love, in the drive to forge and develop a community and in the hope that one day Citi will be a home for all. Foreign and locally born.

donuwagiwabo@gmail.com