By Matthew Mahmood
Brymo featured with rapper Ice Prince in the song ‘Oleku’. It was a hit in the Afro Hip Hop world. Brymo’s latest single is Ara (Wonders) but it is not a duet or collabo… According to a YouTube video comment, Ara is a response to another recording artist’s song, on Chocolate City label but not Ice Prince. Whatever? The song is a popular Yoruba song that some Yoruba people are fond of singing when they are underestimated, embarrassed or demoted.
Whatever happened to Brymo that ‘forced’ him to sing the song, which is mixed with his 'own' sentences, he should remember that he can always move on… but could wait until he has ‘grabbed’ enough fans or loyalists as per “akoda” or until he has 'paid' his dues because tough times are not forever!
Ara is most likely to become a hit. Chocolate City should try to provide the English lyrics to Ara chorus (ASAP), so that people that are non-Yoruba speakers could understand what Ara is all about; although part of the song is in English/Pidgin English. The alluring and instrumental version of the single could be a hit too. Rating: 8/10. We ‘cannot’ wait for the ringtone and video. Ara n mbe…
Ghana: Arrest of Gaddafi Supporters
The Public Order Act 1994 can 'clamp' demonstrators into detention, in Ghana. How democratic is the Ghanaian government? It must be emphasized that we did not support the Ghana protest in favour of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi but we were totally against the police arrest of 24 demonstrators aka ‘US/NATO Hands off Libya! Hands off Africa!’ coalition; including Mr Sekou Mwanza Nkrumah, on Wednesday September 21.
The anti-imperialism protesters were protesting airstrikes in Libya by NATO forces on the 101 posthumous birthday of the great Ghanaian leader Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah. “Members of the coalition were arrested for not abiding by a court injunction to postpone the demonstration till September 28, 2011”. Members of the coalition said that they were unaware of the court injunction. They were arrested and subsequently charged with ‘unlawful assembly’.
Activist 'Brother Omowale' of the Pan African Society Community Forum was on BEN TV (Sky Channel 184) on Thursday September 22. He said that a group was planning to lead a protest to the 'Ghana Embassy' in London and demanded the release of the detainees. *The detained members of ‘US/NATO Hands off Libya! Hands off Africa!’ coalition have been 'released'.
Nigeria: Sewage System
Still on Brother Omowale… He said he saw sewage in Nigeria and the foul odour was not very nice. He thinks the government should give the masses basic amenities like constant water and electricity supply and affordable housing etc. Has Brother Omowale ever been to Abuja? He is most unlikely to see 'gutters' or smelly sewage systems there.
The resources of Southern Nigeria were used to build FCT (Abuja) in Northern Nigeria and there was nothing that the Southerners could do about it. In fact, they were literally dragged like sheep from Lagos to Abuja when the capital of Nigeria was relocated to Abuja, under military dictatorship.
The (past and present) Nigerian presidents do not care about infrastructural development or stinking sewage that affects the health of the masses. They don’t see that as a problem. Ministers are hardly appointed on merit and the Local Governments do not provide social benefits to people in vicinities, yet Nigeria is an oil producing country with a 'staggering' revenue. There is lack of transparency on oil revenue, which enables embezzlement.
In Nigeria, federalism is not working at all. Is it not really ‘fraudulent’ to call Nigeria, the Federal Republic of Nigeria? There is nothing ‘federal’ about Nigeria. Gaddafi embezzled billions but the public hospitals in Libya are much more better than the public hospitals in Nigeria. The major problem with Gaddafi was that he refused to resign as a dictator. He also failed to give his people freedom. There is nothing like freedom.
Nigeria is not totally democratic otherwise a lot of greedy lawmakers would not contest elections for their selfish interest with bribery and corruption. Neither would the president try to impose a single tenure on presidents and governors. A Nigerian commentator once said on Focus Nigeria (AIT – Sky Channel 187) that there is nothing democratic about countries that claim to be democratic, like the Democratic Republic of Congo.
