DIARY

Life is a Bitch - a Diary Entry from a Nelspruit visit


Dear Diary

Today, many days later I'm still wondering why was I shocked when I was reliably informed that Sathane is on coke? I have been asking myself this question even at times when I woke up sweating in the early hours of the morning, and it puzzles me given that I have always suspected Sathane might be up to something not good.

See, Sathane is a multi-millionaire friend of ours, loaded with crisp cash, owns a R1,6 million mansion in one of Jozi's expensive suburbs, owns a lodge where he often lives in Barberton, an Mercedes Benz ML63, a Mercedes Benz Vito, a Mercedes Benz Viano, a BMW 3Series and a Mercedes Benz Kompressor CL65.

He's 32-years old, his wife passed away four years ago leaving him with their two kids and now he's into full-time skank-bonking. But Sathane has a lot going for him. He's got some government contracts that inject tidy millions into his wallet annually. He's nice and he talks a lot of sense when we are with him, even though when it comes to his social life he lies a lot to look macho. He tells us about ex-girlfriends who came one metre into the air when they orgasmed and let his linen damp. No ways, all lies.

Okay, our friend has bonked half of the so-called happening chicks in Jozi and he loves orgies with college students. For him taking eight chicks at a time is not an issue, as long as there's potency pills.

'Man, the way he was shoveling the muthafucka down his nose with his credit card you would have sworn you were dreaming' said one friend. The other guy interjects, 'that other weekend when he went out to the Viano I sneaked behind him and found him doing the Ferrari, veeeoooh, veeeoooh, he was killing long lines man'. Suddenly we are all laughing. The third guy who was in Jozi with them speaks, 'you know when he was at that table picking at the dust with his card and snorting it like snuff we were both like, 'no ways', we were gaping. He came back and says to us, 'these are drugs for people with money my friends'. We sort of looked at him and settled for our drinks'

So, we start discussing how in shit he really is. 'These days for him it's always Winter. He's always shaking and scrubbing his hands. When he sees you he asks for R500 for his R450 daily fix. That shit is expensive man. I told him, no ways muthafucka, I'm not hanging with you'

But then late in the evening we are driving home and reflect on the reality of the situation. My friend tells me about another friend of theirs who overdosed in May this year. 'He used to refer to coke as nthla ya thipa (tip of a knife). He was fried from work many times, expelled from school, parents called to deal with him, left Jozi for Nelspruit to find tranquility, only found e, buttons, purple haze, smack and other hallucinogens here and decided to go back to Jozi, and five months down the line he was dead'.

I'm like, 'Sathane man, that shit is like playing Russian-Roulette with five chambers of the dice loaded and only one empty chamber. Chances of dying are 5 to 1.'

That's serious business hey. But the common factor about all these folks is that they befriended the so-called celebrities who have no money but connections with drug dealers. And my Mpumalanga millionaires Club keeps losing members to the substance. One day, if Sathane overdoses I am going to name and shame the so-called celebrities who peddle this product of the devil, because I know them all and I often hang with them and decide to be loyal and not write about their binges.

So, my Dear Diary, that is the story I wanted to share with you. Your loyal confidante, Kasiekulture.

REVIEW

The Gospel Truth

Tonga (Mpumalanga) born and bred gospel musician Phillip Dube believes in the healing power of music and has dedicated his life to use this artform as his platform to reach souls in pain and spirits in turmoil.

When not resting in Tonga he travels around spreading the word of God through his performances. In 1989 he and a seven other fellow churchgoers formed a group called Phillip Dube & Sikhululiwe Gospel and started performing across the province. He however is worried that while they've been around for a long time they have not really seen support from the public broadcaster radio in the province.

"Barberton Radio plays our music a lot except Ligwalagwala FM". His group is made up of people from as far as Hazyview and other areas in the province which Dube says reflects the social diversity which makes up the group and which later filters through in their style of gospel.

Dube says the lack of airplay comes even after they released their first recording last year titled Ngibambe Jesu. The CD has ten tracks and is complimented by two instrumentals of Wena Uyazi and Jerico. Ngibambe Jesu has addictive music with catchy melodies. While many a gospel starts just pluck a verse from the Bible and play recycled keyboard sounds while repeating it this album has some form of compositions. Ba Mlandela is about the old story of how Jesus was followed by people who have just repented but is delivered with a mature harmonising that should easily market this CD. U ya Vutha is another one which plays around with the burning effects of gospel fire, not hell. Thanda uMakhelwane preaches the old 'love your neighbour' sermon but with a social message.

Then on Ntate Ngi Thuse the group puts in the LP something for those who enjoy seSotho lyrics as they sing so convincingly in Sesotho it exposes the social diversity Dube mentioned earlier about the group members. Then on another hit, Ndza nwi Tiva they switch to Shangaan which also fits like a glove given that the area where some of the members come from has it as a first language.

Overall teh CD is well arranged, professionally produced and mastered. Dube writes all the lyrics and he says that people seem to like Ngibambe Jesu and Wena Uyazi a lot. "People have told me that the two songs help to lift their spirit. One even said he wanted to kill himself due to many problems but changed his mind when he heard the songs because they told him he should not give up but should continue with life", Dube says .

He says he has learnt that when things are difficult people need to look to the creator as him and his group had to struggle for years without a sponsorship and at the end they have a CD that they can call their own.

OPINION

A case for the DALAI LAMA & the people of PALESTINE

I am the last person to condemn China for the way it treats the people of Tibet given that the Dalai Lama and his bunch of freedom fighters, who would be called terrorists in modern language were abandoned by the United States Central Intelligence Agency to the mercy of China in the early stages of their liberation struggle. Today, them getting their homeland back is as remote as that of the Palestinians getting their stolen land again.

Here are two scenarios one needs to understand. In Palestine, Britain had the power to decide the fate of the region when it finally withdrew its mandate there in the 19th century. And what do the English do? They abandon the Palestinians at the mercy of the Jewish Butcher Squads some led by people who are today celebrated in Israel as heroes.

The same was done by the CIA when it abandoned the people of Tibet at the mercy of China. Now, China wants to host the Olympic Games and the issue of Tibet comes up again. Some European countries are threatening to boycott the opening ceremony inorder to register their dissatisfaction with how China treats Tibetans (who are not Chinese). Indeed China is doing a lot of shit, if I may call that. It then accuses the Dalai Lama of instigating the current wave of monk uprisings in Lhasa which might spread to other provinces.

The poor Dalai Lama is exiled in India where he's heading a government in exile. It's a government which's de facto monk ministers are gradually dying and a chance of the youth taking over the struggle seems fading. Not with MIXIT, YouTube, MTV and Google preoccupying them when it's not Playstation 4 or Nintendo.

And now the world cries for Tibet and wants to show their anger by extinguishing the Olympic Flame in Greece where when the Olympics were held even wars were paused for the sake of the games. They don't succeed in extinguishing it in Greece then they move to London where the same attempt fails. And it moved to San Francisco where people protested by letting their statements glare at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I should say I'm impressed with the intenational patriotism portrayed by the whole world. I am inpressed with George W Bush calling for a boycott of the opening ceremony, including the European Union suggesting it. I am impressed with Thabo Mbeki saying Africa is succeeding while Robert Mugabe is in the process of stealing elections. Damn I'm impressed with all the people with fire extinguishers who are trying to blow off the flame and I wish them success at one of the continents. But my question is; if the Olympic Games were going to be hosted by Israel, would we hear the same rhetoric coming from world leaders and human rights activists. Would we see loads of people attempting the Olympic Flame before its final destination at Tel Aviv. Think about it, because I did.

PROFILES

THE GOSPEL TRUTH

After a long spiritual lull which meant going out in search of the true meaning of his life in different churches, Thulamahashe gospel singer Phindi Dzimba says he has finally found a spiritual retreat and haven in the million member strong Zion Christian Church. So comfortable is 24-year-old Dzimba that he has released his first gospel CD titled Rikona Kaya (There's a Home) which is ten tracks long and has intoxicating melodies. "I'm saying that there is a home for all of us in heaven. For me my music is an extension of my preaching. Now that I'm not in a position to can stand infront of people and preach to them, my music does that for me", he opens our conversation.

He says he started to sing when he was barely six-years-old where he was leading Sunday School and a Family Boys Choir. "I used to get comments from people but because I was a little kid I didn't take anything into consideration as I was just singing for fun" he declares.

Later in life when he realised that he indeed had talent he went to Johannesburg where he says he collaborated with Pastor Francis Soprachi from Nigeria. "What I was doing was to translate his English songs to siSwati and then he would sing them and I would back him", Dzimba says. Right there you had a Nigerian singing in siSwati - clever huh.

His own CD has same sounding tunes and one track that stands out. Senzeni Na interplores the infamous Senzeni Na toyi-toyi but soon carves its own root with a harmonious gospel feel and talented backing voices. Oleseng Shuping's influence can be heard everywhere in the album and Dzimba admits that that's where he draws most if not all his inspiration. Some people allege that 'imitation is the best form of flattery'. We still beg to differ.

Overall Dzimba's album has songs for all occassions, especially for lovers of religious music. He sings in three languages (xiTsonga, Sesotho and siSwati) which should make his market easily available in Mpumalanga and beyond.

He's a talented young man who if he continues with the work he's doing is meant for greatness. There are funky gospel tunes like Ema o Tsamaye. Rikona Kaya is a good album worthy of a second listen.

THE GOSPEL TRUTH II

Easter holidays are not for drinking beer and causing trouble but to remember the sacrifice that was made on the day. Gospel musician Thabisile Mnisi, known as Thabi urged South Africans just before the holidays that saw more than two hundred lives lost on the country's roads. Mnisi shared her message with Kasiekulture, immediately after the release of his first gospel album titled Bambelela, a 12 track album that fuses good keyboard programmed and synthesized music with intelligent well-thought lyrics.

The first track, Masibambaneni exposes the chocolate voice of this Thulamahashe native who was born 22-years ago and started seriously singing in 1999. Asked why she chose the genre of gospel in a country where youth culture is defined by groovy tunes and the club scene, Mnisi said, "I think because I am a born-again Christian and I don't find it difficult to write gospel songs as they just come to me and I just put them down"

She however admits to also finding R&B and house to be intoxicating genres that she likes as well, "but I rely on gospel because it's not only music to me but food to my soul"

A product of the famous Silk Voices choir, Mnisi ranks fellow gospel singer Kedibone as her inspiration. Her influence comes out in the title track Bambelela which comes across as a duet layered over funky keyboards and delivered with sincerity that should make the Devil blush in shame.

Mnisi is not only a singer but a community worker as well as she says, "I conduct singing and dancing classes for young people between the ages of eight and 22-years".

Her album was released this month and is being self-marketed by her. Owning a recording studio is one of her short term goals, she says, where she can make her other albums instead of going to Johannesburg to record as she did with this beautiful gem.

Bambelela is a beautiful album made by a truly humble gospel singer who deserves all the success gospel music can bring its practitioners. "I want to see myself reaching the nine South African provinces, including outside of South Africa", she says. It's an achievable ambition, given the talent she has and the music she is doing. Gospel means 'the word of God' and half the world is Christian, which should make it easy for Mnisi.