The Ugandan cultural group Ndere recently completed a very successful tour to Trinidad and Tobago as part of this country’s Emancipation celebrations. The term ‘ndere’ means flute, and this name appropriately captures the richness of the Ndere experience. The troupe was founded by Stephen Rwangyezi in 1984 to promote and develop African culture and arts, rekindle African pride, and to organize, develop and enable the artistically talented but socially disadvantaged young people to better their lives and realize their ambitions. Theirs is a mission to rekindle the sense of self, pride and confidence among Ugandans which were shattered by colonialism that branded every African cultural practice as evil, primitive, shameful, and backward.
In this interview, Stephen Rwangyezi shares his perspectives on a range of issues, including African/Ugandan culture, the contribution of the African ethos to world civilization, the debilitating effects of Slavery and Colonialism, and his visit to Trinidad and Tobago.
Continue to ‘Stephen Rwangyezi Speaks’
Last night Barack Obama made history when he became the first African-American to be nominated to lead the Democratic Party for the presidency of the United States of America. On November 4, he will create history yet again by becoming the first black President of the United States.
I have just seen the box office hit movie, Hancock, with my two teenage sons and their 12 year old cousin. As usual, after seeing a movie with the kids, we engaged in debates about the representations and subtle messages in the movie. I asked the young men if they liked the film and they all agreed that it was a great film. I asked them what they liked about it and they said that Will Smith was the greatest superhero ever. Then they asked me if I liked the movie and I said no that I did not. Why not? They all asked in unison.
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which is heavily slanted in favour of its drafters, the European Union (EU), and which the EU insists that the Caribbean agree to and sign by September 2, should be rejected and a completely new EPA drafted, which, genuinely, takes into account the social and economic interests of Caribbean nations.
BEIJING – Track and field needs a new hero. It got one Saturday night who can fly. In the most outrageous display of speed to ever burn across the Olympic Games, Usain Bolt of Jamaica rocketed to gold in winning the men’s 100m dash in 9.69 seconds — not only a new world record but the first time in the history of human beings a man has run the distance under 9.7 seconds without a significant tailwind.
By the time this column is published on Sunday, American swimmer Michael Phelps would more than likely have achieved his goal of winning a record eight gold medals. Mark Spitz, the sole swimmer among an elite club of Olympians who won multiple medals in his career, would also have been in Beijing to see this swimming phenomenon set a new benchmark in the pool.
There are two major foreign policy challenges that are confronting our relatively new and untested Foreign Minister Gopee-Scoon during the next six months the eventual outcome of which can either boost or bust her hitherto short internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 