Remembering Manu Dibango: The Jazz Legend Lost to COVID-19

Joel Savage and Manu Dibango

Jazz great Manu Dibango, best known for his 1972 hit “Soul Makossa,” has died from complications of the coronavirus, according to a statement on his official Facebook page.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove, who passed away on the 24th of March 2020, at 86 years old, further to Covid-19,” it said.

“His funeral service will be held in strict privacy, and a tribute to his memory will be organized when possible,” the message added.

Explore Cultural Diversity Through Travel, Heritage, and Storytelling

Joel Savage

Once a journalist asked Chinua Achebe, one of Africa's greatest and internationally known writers, the reason he hasn't written any book about Europe and America. Achebe responded by saying that a lot has already been written about those two continents.

Yes, there are thousands of European and American writers, but only a few write about Africa. The reason my articles and books reflect on my culture as an African, that living in Europe for many years.

The Fear Of Death Hunting Homosexuals In Africa

Homosexuality is not part of the African culture, but they are now listening to the external voice: First traditional Gay marriage in South Africa.

Homosexuality, men having sexual intercourse, is an abominable act in many parts of Africa. Africa, a continent of different tribes and clans, doesn’t approve of many things that they consider taboo.


Thus, someone caught in a homosexual act instantly faces severe punishment, beatings, and lynchings, many times leading to death.

                             

Since homosexuality is a crime in African countries that don’t permit it, those involved in such acts hide it from the sight of the public, but the homosexual movements in Europe and America today, fighting for recognition, have inspired or encouraged African homosexuals to make their voice heard.

                           

Thus, the social vice which is less popular in Africa is now becoming famous in many African countries, turning the countries into an unnerving place to live in, because church leaders and many organizations against this practice, wouldn’t like to embrace this type of culture, they call it ‘Evil’, to add to their own culture.

                         

At times, I do ask myself time and time again, do Europeans or Americans think Africa will readily accept whatever they are interested in? Africa had nothing to do with Christianity before the white missionaries ever went there. 

They thought Africans to follow the Bible or the gospel. Well, later the truth was discovered. The reason wasn’t to let Africans know about Christianity but to loot.

                       

Fortunately, many parts of Africa derived interest in the Bible and studied it thoroughly, therefore living by its teachings. An African Christian, explaining his point to defend his hate against homosexuality, would take one deep step into the Bible. 

Two of such scriptures confirming that homosexuality is an evil act can be read in 1st Timothy, Chapter 10, and 1st Corinthians, Chapter 6, verse 9.

                     

The question is: Why are Europeans and other Gay Rights Organizations now fighting for the practice of homosexuality to be recognized in Africa, when they had already been there with the Holy Bible, a book telling Africans how evil the practice of homosexuality is?” 

The teachings of the Holy Bible can’t be reversed, so I am afraid to say that Africa can never change its mind or opinion on the negative aspects of homosexuality.

                       

Africa is already overwhelmed by many diseases, such as AIDS, Ebola, malaria, and others. It, therefore, makes sense when they don’t want that practice. 

Europeans, Advanced Countries, and some Civil rights organizations are the first people whose voices are heard whenever there is a bad situation in Africa, but whenever there is an epidemic, the response to contain the situation never comes or is very slow.

                     

Aids has taken thousands of Africans to their untimely grave since the early eighties, but some rich people who were affected during that period in America are still living. 

Many believe that after Africa’s survival of Aids, Ebola, and other deadly diseases, America and Europe are destined to ruin the continent with homosexuality, just to continue to kill Africans, when any epidemic erupts.

                     

Africa has learned a lot from their misfortunes, which is the reason it is fighting against homosexuality today. Unfortunately, the path Uganda has taken to deal with this issue is totally out of course. The proposal for the death penalty for homosexuals is sheer madness. Violence against homosexuals is not an option or a solution.

                   

According to many homosexuals, they were born with it. Who feels it, knows it. Do men bear to love men? That’s really a hard concept to accept. 

The more I think about this issue, the more I get confused. African leaders must find a way to deal with the rise of homosexuality in Africa because death is not an option to eradicate or stop homosexuality in Africa.

The Ghanaian tradition behind day names: On what day were you born?

The calender: In Ghana, children are named according to the day they were born.

Ask any European his or her date of birth, and the answer is given within a second, but go on further to ask, “On what day were you born?”  That’s really a tough question to answer because the day of the week on which one is born is less important to them.

 

In Africa, especially in Ghana, traditionally, a day of the week determines the name given to a baby. We’ve often heard that a good name is better than riches. Many are given names of great people, but for ages, Ghanaians have followed the tradition of their ancestors to give names to babies.

 

A male child born on Sunday is given ‘Kwesi’, and ‘Akosua’ goes to a female child because Sunday in the Akan language is called ‘Kwesida ’. ‘Kodwo or Kojo’ goes to a male child born on Monday, and ‘Adwoa or Ajoa’ goes to a female child because Monday is ‘Edzuda’. ‘Kobina’ is given to a male child born on Tuesday and ‘Abena’ to a female child, because Tuesday is ‘Ebenada.’

 

DOES A GOOD NAME WORTH MORE THAN SILVER AND GOLD?

Gold bars

The name given to a child after birth is very important. Parents are the best people to tell you the reason they chose that name for the child. In the African culture, a country like Ghana names a child according to the day he or she was born.


Others, too, are named after someone due to the good things or what the person achieved before finally leaving the earth.

Many names are taken from the Bible by Christians all over the world. You often see someone called Joseph. In the Holy Bible, Jesus’ father was Joseph, and also Mary, because Jesus’ mother was Mary. 

In the Christian life, these two people were good. But no one likes to name their daughter Jezebel, Athaliah, etc, because they were very bad people in the Holy Bible.

Like superstition, many keep away from names that have a bad history or record, from Biblical history to our present human history. 

I have yet to meet someone called Jezebel anywhere. Due to what Adolph Hitler did, the family name Hitler had completely disappeared, evidently letting people know that a good name is worth than gold.

I have never heard someone called Judas until I read of a boxer in Ghana called Judas Clottey. Judas, everyone knew betrayed Jesus; therefore, this has been a name not often used for a child, yet Mr. Clottey named his beloved son Judas because he probably doesn’t follow superstition or one inheriting the bad ways or character of others named after.

My question is, “Does a bad name influence people?” According to research, badly chosen names for babies could influence them when growing up. But in what way? Low self-esteem? 

Underestimation, low education, and smoking. Imagine naming your son Ananias and your daughter Sapphira.  Ananias means “Jehovah is gracious,” but he wasn’t faithful to himself. He and his wife sold a plot, gave part of the money, and concealed part of it. When the truth was discovered, both died tragically.

However, if names influence people, what about those with good names but are thieves, armed robbers? And mafias? In my opinion, a name given to someone doesn’t matter as much as the upbringing of the person. 

Bringing up a child to be a responsible person in the future is a very difficult responsibility, yet it's the parents who have to give him or her the best educational, shape, and pattern of life to the child, to be a responsible person in society.

Mory Kanté Brings African Musical Magic to Mano Mundo Festival

Mory Kanté


Mano Mundo, a nice and interesting festival taking place yearly under the umbrella of the Antwerp Province, kicks off on the 12 and 13 May 2012, respectively. 


In the past, the festival had hosted famous musicians from different countries globally, including Tutu Puoane, Manu Dibango, and a host of others to entertain the people at Schorre in Boom.

This year, among other musicians to perform at the festival is the great Guinean musician known as Mory Kanté. Mory was born in Guinea on May 29, 1950. As a vocalist and player of the kora, a traditional harp, his golden voice and skills on the kora made him a genius among other traditional musicians from Africa.

In 1987, Kanté became internationally known for his hit "Yeke Yeke," which was one of Africa's best-ever-selling hits as well as being a European number one in 1988, making it the first-ever African single to sell over one million copies. It was in Munich, 1988, that I heard this great song pulling everyone to the dance floor.

In 1994, his international stardom excelled when the German techno duo Hardfloor created a dance remix of "Yéké Yéké." He also appeared in 2006 as a vocalist on British DJ Darren Tate's release, "Narama." On 16 October 2001, Mory Kanté was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

CAMARA LAYE's THE RADIANCE OF THE KING - Le Regard du Roi

Camara Laye


"The Radiance of the King" is one of Guinean-born Camara Laye's symbolic novels. A white man called Clarence has just arrived in Africa, but has already lost all his money at gambling. 


As a result, he has been thrown out of his hotel; he finds refuge in an African Inn.

Clarence goes out to find the African king of the country to enter his service. The king arrives on one of the rare occasions when he does appear in public, but Clarence cannot get more than a glimpse of him. 

He is joined by an impudent beggar and subsequently by a pair of boys, Nagoa and Noaga, who are full of bounce.

Rethinking Tradition: When Cultural Practices Hold Africa Back

Culture of disgrace in Africa


Some traditional values, such as female circumcision, polygamy, and other outdated customs handed over by ancestors to tribes, are doing more harm to Africa than good. 


Female circumcision has caused more health hazards to females than ever imagined, but this old tradition of female genital mutilation is still widely practiced in many African countries.