Why should you vote again for President Kagame

Seven years down the line since the last poll, millions of Rwandans (almost double the last figure) are heading back to the ballot box.
I got my voters card and crosschecked the voting list. However, a few questions have come begging as if President Kagame is what Rwanda needs today.
This past few years, a number of events have unfolded and some of which will be deciding factors as we head to the poll. To name but a few, Rwanda denounced bilateral relations with France shortly after its anti terrorism judge Bruguiere indicted a number of Kigali officials. However, this seemed to be a turn of events as a number of African tabloids portrayed Rwanda as a force to reckon with and a country with dignity. The relations between the two countries were later restored with the French President visiting Kigali and coming short of an apology for his country's role in the 1994 Genocide against the tutsi.
From this, i read a president who, over the years has fought so hard for Rwandans to restore their dignity, something we lost, years ago. For this reason, together with many more, this is my man! Viva Kagame.

Why Pay for Powerplay? Advice to Local Artists

Recently, Uwineza Josiane, better known by her stage name Miss Jojo, was quoted by a local entertainment website, saying that radio presenters are "killing" the industry, by being bribed by young and upcoming artists. She went on to say that the presenters are not professionals. Claims, that now i hear, she refutes!!!
C'mon, missy! You are probably right on one thing! A number of local artists have been ill-advised by their so-called managers into spending the meager resources they have on radio to get power play. Quite a desperate move indeed, that shows that competition is getting stiff and those among you who are not confident enough, have opted to corrupting morals of a number of local radio presenters to play their music.
However, i would bring to your attention that a collective character assasination could mean doom to your own profile, and maybe a complete a career freefall...
Anyway, the music industry in Rwanda has grown tremendously over the last few years, and thus many young aspiring artist doing everything in their capacity to be noticed. However, the root cause of their trouble is themselves.
As soon as you start bribing presenters, whom a number of them are not so well paid by the way, you will have sentenced your music to death.
An obvious case scenario! So stop that madness of pointing fingers at the presenters, or accusing them collectively, since it will be reason enough for the decent ones to overlook your efforts... Do good work and see if it will not call for attention itself. We have many media outlets that people will find out about literary any appealing song, wether one or two presenters want it or not...

Happy New Year, 2010

Nasty Lee on Facebook

Dj Stylez back in the Mixx

He proved his worth and created a strong fan base in Kigali. Dj Stylez is coming back to Kigali for 2 Explosive concerts, one at the Carnival Nite @ Royal Villa, and the other at the Butare campus on August 30th.
After their hit track Nakudata, Radio & Weasel will be back to rule and in Butare, Michael Ross will be joining the party..
If you missed the jungle party last month, make sure you miss nothing on this one... Step in your dancing shoes..

The Jungle Party with Brick & Lace... The rise of the stars..

You might deny it or not, but my opinion to this Jungle Party is simple: Rwanda has finally come of age as far as this whole thing of entertainment is concerned and how people are appreciating music.
Hardly did i ever imagine in my wildest dreams that people can travel from as far as Kigali to the border town of Gisenyi to have a night to remember, reveling with the highly celebrated Brick & Lace, Redsan from Kenya and not forgetting our very own, Rafiki and the Family Squad..
Whatever you say about it though, i have to admit Redsan, Rafiki and of course Dj Stylez of Kenya stole the show.. The Family Squad managed to keep the crowd on their feet despite the failure by organisers to avail enough microphones for the group, forcing them to use dummy mic's, to put their act together.
All in all, my sincere apologies about that joke about the minister of youth and his dress code!! It was part of my job and Uncle Austin of Radio 10 as MCs not to compromise with our stage act...
And finally, my compliments go to those girls who were there! For sure they were dressed to kill... I wished i was still single but....... ALAS!!!

Family Squad is still together despite......

After so much rumour-mongering that Kigali's most celebrated music group of Family Squad had split to follow individual careers, they are now reminding their fans and the whole public that they are still together. One of the Quartet of blood brothers, Spax the Gyaldem Spoon told us that despite the fact that they have been recording a few individual projects, the family squad is not going to split and he dismissed the whole story as tasteless and baseless.
Asked why one of the group members, Mossad hasn't been with them of many occasions on stage, he Spax informed us that their brother has been in Europe but that very soon he will be joining them back.
Word tells us that the Family Squad will be launching their album featuring some of their greatest hits like Tuve Kumihanda, Lonely, Champion, Zuenah, Apologize, Jina Lako and many more...
Watch this space for much more about the quartet of Spax, Mossad, Nazil and Si Mchezo... The Family Squad!

Brick & Lace to rock Gisenyi with Redsan this Saturday..

Of late, what i have been noticing has not ceased to amaze me, especially on the local entertainment industry... When the P-Square came to Rwanda, i thought it was a big joke [Read my previous post..]
Now i have to admit i must have underestimated the fact that Rwanda is different from a couple of years ago, as far as appreciation of music concerts by Rwandans is concerned.
Hardly a month on, 4Real Promotions unleashes Brick & Lace featuring Redsan of Kenya in the biggest summer event at the Jungle Party, on Saturday, June 26th 2008.
This highly celebrated artists, mostly known for their hits, like Love is Wicked and Never Never together with Kenya's King of Ragga are coming to Rwanda courtesy of FESPAD RWANDA, 4Real Promotions and Serena Kivu Hotel. Entrance fee is 10,000 RwF.

A Big Joke!! Here We Go Again....

The Rwanda Office of Tourism, ORTPN is magnifying this year's Gorilla naming ceremony by bringing the Nigerian Duo of Peter and Paul Okono famously known as the P-Square to Kigali late this month.
I don't want to presume but from past experience, i can very politely confess that i have little faith, if any, in the success of this concert. Please hear right, considering the fact that this show is involving the 4Real Promotions, who have had their share of troubles and accusations from local artists who have been the curtain-raisers for foreign artists who have been here previously... It has come to my attention that most of these local artists had somehow decided to boycott any concerts organized or involving in anyway the 4Real Promotions.
Am not implying here that without local artists the P-Square wouldn't pull a satisfactory crowd.. To the contrary, even though the local artists play a pivotal role in such circumstances, the P-Square has had a fair bit of success with their previous releases, such as Busy Body, Do Me and many more... However, with the funny, or rather ridiculous figure i heard is going to be the entrance fee, please give me a chance to have my last laugh...
All in all, am happy Rwanda is going to be hosting great artists after some time of wannabe's mimicking greater talented artists from abroad...

What The Fly On The Wall Tells Me!

I don't really understand the aim of some fellows prying into other people's lives for a purpose of dishonouring their causes in life..
You must have been hearing these words such as "rumour has it that" or "a confidential source tells us" or the more famous one of "A source which requested anonymity"...
See, i know in the ethics of journalism there is something which allows us to conceal our sources' identity as long as there is a reason to, but some other petty things and you still don't wanna disclose a factual source??
I think i am smelling fish... The next thing you will tell me is that you weren't there but that the fly on the wall tells you it saw it all and it can narrate to you all that..
The other day i was reading a very suggestive article from a prominent English newspaper questioning what Prof. Silas Lwakabamba was doing exchanging phone numbers with the now reigning Miss Butare. The article suggested a fling between the two. Correct me if am wrong... Did this reporter get that close to know the content of their discussion or it was another blabbermouth we are used to being fed? Did the reporter hear it from the fly on the wall or the walls talk nowadays? Save me this crap..

Shall We Dance? The Black Supremacy...

From deep in his ancestry roots in Luo Land in Kenya, a man grew up dreading for the American Dream... Somewhere thousand of miles away, Martin Luther King Jr. had no idea 45 years later, this young energetic young man would be the little star shining upon the United States, and a ray of hope for the Black population.. A chance to restore their dignity.
U.S. senator Barack Obama secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination, according to agencies. The senator makes history as the first African-American to lead a U.S. major-party ticket. But Hillary Clinton said she would make no decision on her campaign's future, at least not before she meets her senior party officials. Word is that she is considering being the number two, and being Obama's running mate against their party rival, Sen. John McCain.

More Bars Than Households? You Must Be Kidding...

Just somewhere around Kanogo a friend of mine is driving slowly pointing on what looks like a deserted hill nearby and says:"See that place Nasty, am putting up a bar there very soon!" Ironically or coincidentally; (depending on you!), just around the corner there is a huge billboard erected for East African Breweries Ltd.
I pretended i hadn't heard him but as he kept murmuring about how great he wants his new bar to look, my thoughts had already wandered miles away asking myself many questions, most of which were rather rhetoric.
What has become of us? Are we resorting to alcohol in quest of quenching our thirst, or there is a hidden agenda behind this? Is it true we are great football fans eager to cheer on our favourite football clubs on a giant screen or we are just finding reasons to hang out at the bar without having to give many explanations to our spouses? Is it true that after that long day at work the best way to relieve that stress is cuddling a bottle? Is it true that the most profitable business in Rwanda and exclusively in Kigali is owning a bar? Is it true that Bralirwa is the most profitable company on our land? Is it true that there are more bars than households in some neighbourhoods in Kigali?
Is it true that the first step to addiction is denial? I prayerfully hope your answer to most of these questions is not "No", since the number of addicts would be increasing per minute..
Anyway, one for the road please! (I mean one sober man to drive you home)... Lest you forget... there is something called an alco-blow [Is this the word?]..

Dady de Maximo... The Mobutu You Should Envy?

So funny how i can intrude into someone's life but the one Dady de Maximo leads, is definitely worth a mention in some context. A good friend of mine, but also a man of endless ambitions.. When you talk about his achievements so far, it would sound like one is on a mission to impress someone's daughter to take the man for a potential groom! [Rumour: He is seriously considering a bigger step.]
Anyway, back to what am posting this blog for, Dady is making his name in the fashion industry not just here in Rwanda but abroad as well. Electric engineer, Stylist, Model, Journalist, Reporter, Mediator, and owner of Dadmax Agency. [The business card I have reads: Representative]...
That is just to name but a few of what shapes the big picture he has under his sleeves. This all-rounder perfection portfolio makes him refer to himself as "more like Mobutu" according to his website, dadmax.com!
Still, this man has won himself a number of accolades here and there, including the 2nd runner-up trophy he recently won at the Mod'Afric Collection 2008 in Cameroon. But so much has been said about Dady, especially after resignation from Contact FM where he was a programs anchor.. So, with so much praise and criticism, will Dady stand the test (Or is it taste!) of time? Watch this space...

Photo: Courtesy of dadmax.com

Are Kigalians Sitting on a Time Bomb?

I don't like using initials, but W.T.F. is wrong with these guys at ATRACO and City Council? now i hear they are starting something they are referring to as "Taxi Rotation System" [Or whatever the ..... they wanna call it].
Anyway, you definitely remember the time they threw all Matatus (Ma-three) out of town to 1930 or Prison, and later, after Muzehe Gakuru of Flash FM, Ka of Contact FM and some other local Kinyarwanda presenters shouted out loud and so did the print media colleagues in pointing out disappointment and weakness of the City Council/Atraco, these fellows realized they weren't doing justice to the commuters or the minibus owners...
And now here comes another surprise: Taxi Rotation System..
According to Atraco, this will help de-congest some overcrowded terminals such as the infamous Kwa Rubangura and the likes by allowing these buses anywhere in town and no-one will be required to gather at Rubangura's especially in the rush hours..
This might sound like music to the commuters' ears, but has the City Council thought of the possible havoc they could bring to the Central Business District? Is this a reason of not building a decent bus Terminus, fast enough, to accommodate these vehicles? C'mon guys, i must have missed something in the whole story... Could the man in charge please stand up and tell Kigalians their fate? Has plan A failed and we are now swiftly shifting to plan B? Or is it an Atraco business strategy? Someone come out clear...

Photo: courtesy of Josh Carl

With or Without a Condom... Make a Choice

You most definitely have been noticing these billboard around town with writings such as "Nyigisha Uko Bakoresha Agakingirizo". Am not campaigning here but honestly speaking, isn't that some food for thought?
I feel appalled when i hear of sounds like those of young kids asking parents to teach them how to use a condom. Please hear me right, I honestly doubt if there is anyone out there who still thinks we are in the Stone Age. Just in case there might be anyone with such a backward thinking, this is the 21st century and some people prefer calling this the Information Age. Those kids shouldn't be asking.
If some parents are keeping their mouths shut confusing sex education to immorality, we need the biblical Moses to drive them to reality.
Whether they like it or not, these young boys and girls are more informed than their parents are ready to believe. (Am sure they [parents] know but they simply hate to hear the truth.)
Anyway, in a few months or so, there is this new brand of condoms hitting the local stores, branded "Plaisure", French for "Pleasure". Quite an impressive work of art with flavors and studded. An aspiring medic tells me they are something to look forward to. If you are to have sex, which am totally comfortable with, please have it the safe way, use a condom and save a generation!

Miss Butare.. Why i don't care who gets crowned!

I wonder if it is because this is a new fancy thing in Rwanda and now it is just attracting young hot looking girls into running for the crown, or if they really know what goes along with that Miss title...
If they do, i would be very disappointed so squarely! I saw Miss Butare 2006 and the subsequent.. very good looking to make a man almost drop a tear for them.. I saw Miss Carine too! She looked gorgeous at the catwalk in Asia! But if this anything to go by, I would expect these young ladies to be at the forefront in doing lots of charity work all year round to support our youths in many spheres of life..
Unfortunately, most of them, as smart as they seem to be, and as eloquent as their tongues can articulate, they are not willing to be at the forefront in supporting their 'OWN' goodwill projects...
They would rather have a 'Kiraka' at the Imbuto Foundation or expect PACFA to roll them on a part time job!
As i always say, these young ladies should stand out of the crowd and prove that they are really different not only at the "hips & smile" asset, but also in personal initiatives...
My boy is at the catwalk at the Butare Univeristy Auditorium, he promised me he will give one of them on my show tonight to put them to task... Tune in on Nasty & Mc Tino Hot Seven @ Seven music countdown as usual on Flash FM...
This one doesn't know what FESPAD stands for!!!
Maybe these girls need to be spoonfed, as usual... God knows what else they might want you to do for them! Make a wild guess...

MTN Vs Rwandatel... The Battle of Wits!

Did anyone hear this or it was just me? Come August 2008 (Read: 2 months away!), Rwandatel has promised Rwandans that they will be rolling out their GSM network. For those of you who might not understand that language, this means you will be in a position to only buy a Rwandatel SIM Card and use it in any telephone handset... You will no longer be required to purchase a phone from them, as it is today, to access their network.
Furthermore, they are promising cheaper rates and top notch services.. Is this REAL or another stunt to make me and you hope for a ghost paradise? Maybe me and you might be finally having a choice of telecommunication. Maybe the long wait has finally come to and end and just maybe, we might be approaching the end of the tunnel... (Notice how often am using the word 'maybe'???)
And now MTN, are they now feeling a shock wave? This is what i call the HEAT of the moment and tro me and you, it might be to early to celebrate, but if a better, cheaper, and efficient telecommunication is in the looming, i have a great reason to be smiling...

Goodbye to Tuvugane or it's Just a Fool's Day Bluff??

It was a pleasant environment in town to see that the Tuvugane Operators in the Central Business District had been swept off the streets...
Did I say pleasant? Now that one depends on whether me and you have been seeing them as a nuisance or if you once in while you have relied on them to make that quick call without necessarily having to load more airtime on your cellular...
Huh, there is this friend of mine who owes me a few coins and whenever i could call to find out when to expect my payments, he always simply kept my phone on hold... Tuvugane did the trick two days later...
Okay, let's also be honest to each other! These guys might not have been as orderly as we expected them to be, sometimes acting just like the minibus 'touts', but they deserve bread on their tables at the end of the day. A friend of mine was suggesting that there is a possibility most of these youngsters who've been on the streets might finally head back to school... Wake up and smell the coffee!! How on earth are they gonna go back to school when in some cases they have been the bread-earners of their families? Someone pinch me and i might agree with him...
Once again, is someone tickling me or those guys were serious there is no more Tuvugane?
And what would have this fuss of 0833 been about all along? Someone enlighten me!

More clubs flooding the country...

Wonders will never cease! There is a new club in Gisenyi town to rival to more common clubs there! The owners are said to be looking into giving revelers value for their money!
Good news indeed! But here comes my usual sense of pessimism again! Clubs are opening day after day especially here in Kigali! I heard Virgile's joint, known as Mu Rugo or passadena has renovated and so are more investors looking into the same business on the waiting queue! But are they really minding me and you in terms of hygiene?
I recently entered one of the Kigali Clubs and could not handle the stuffy smell from the sweating revelers! REASON: The air conditioning broke down! Huh, funny....
And the urinal?? A water pipe was cut by a moving car a few minutes before i got there! A gentleman calling himself the manager told very defensively!
See, am not really against people's businesses, but as long as they only care about the thousands of francs i spend there and not my well being or the security of my car, i will always shout out loud against these conmen! Sorry to Say...
Put on your dancing shoes and let's meet at Silk in Gisenyi and let's Keep rocking!
One Luv

Amavubi... To buzz they manage, but can they sting?

Sudan Vs Rwanda 5-1 Aggregate...
I don't know if i should be rejoicing or mourning the barren draw (1-1) which left the National Football team, Wasps, licking their wounds at the expense of the Sudan Team at the Nyamirambo Regional Stadium!
See, maybe am just to much of a pessimist, but only the blind might be brave enough to say that our football team will stand the test of time. Just not many months ago, this is the same team we faced at the finger-licking encounter of the CECAFA final in TZ which, even though we lost the trophy, i was brave enough to support our team donning the National Colours while watching it from the Kenyan Capital, Nairobi...
And come the day i was calling the show down in Khartoum, we get so embarrassed so squarely, coming back home with a 4-0 deficit! As far as i can remember, this hadn't happened in quite some time... Not even on the CAN opener, where despite reckless tackling and so much pressure of being in an unfriendly environment, we managed to score!
Anyway, I heard the honourable minister of Sports and Culture dish out warnings to the team that those allowances would be scrapped if the team didn't meet the Rwandans expectations... (And how embarrassing indeed, these guys can't even sing the first stanza of the National Anthem!)
Ladies and Gentlemen, next year Rwanda is hosting the Juniors' CAN! Is there a goodwill fellow who will save our country from embarrassment of being eliminated in the knock-out stages! The repercussions would be unbearable to most of us the soft-hearted!
Proudly Rwandan

Manchester or Chelsea? Don't bet your money on the lame horse!

I am absolutely not a fan of any of those two teams but i have a huge stake into this final! Kazungu, Patos, Muhire, Barasa, GK Hunter, Hamza Nkuutu, Jean Lambert Gatare and many sports anchors in Rwanda will try "to sound so neutral", but i bet it will not be that easy...
Having been a victim on the night where it was too tough for my club to sail to Moscow (or Moskva as the Russians say!), I will not bet on a starving horse!
Don't get me bad, am not claiming to be a fortuneteller, but Man U has got a huge ground to stand on. Seeing another exodus, "similar to Arsenal's", of the Drogbas and the likes (Finally money can't buy happines for him).. and though the "Abromovic" guy might name any price to lift that prestigious metal on his home ground, Sir Alex is proving to be the mighty in the UK as for now... And who knows what the near future holds in FA football! I saw an Ad on TVR last night claiming that they will be screening it, trust me, finally cable TV won't be so necessary to miss this encounter of the Red Revolution or the Bout of the Blues... Till next year, i will keep my Liverpool Jerzy in the closet!!
Spacba!

Finally... The Revolution

It is taking time for us to finally get to know who is the guy in the empire of entertainment... Strong Emcees have come and conquered... Greater amcees are even on there way... How about the artists? are there any of them struggling to get noticed when they actually deserve to?? And are there any claiming the crown when they deserve to be on the wall of SHAME? What about if me and you had a chance to take entertainment to a higher level, would you be willing to hold hands with me? Fuck it, let's just do it.