Hasta La Vista, BB

I WAS just reading an article on the Internet earlier on that BlackBerry is shutting down its phone business after 14 years of making handsets. The company confirmed that it’s out of the Smartphone manufacturing business.

I knew this day would come. I am a die-hard BlackBerry user ONLY because I love the physical keyboard which has value if you think and talk in complete sentences.

BlackBerry 9300 Curve was my first "Smartphone" about 4 years ago, after my silver little Nokia 6030. It was a "major upgrade” from that little Nokia. I was the "talk of the town" where my family was concerned with that BlackBerry.

Man, who would have guessed 4 years ago that BlackBerry would be put out of business? I remember a time not so long ago when anyone who needed a phone for business had a BlackBerry. Unfortunately, BlackBerry (or RIM as they were known in those days) rested on their laurels and didn't keep up with a rapidly changing market. That's what happens when you don't innovate. BlackBerry became too complacent. They should have gone the Android and touch screen way the very moment others took that route.

But all in all, I will always love these Smartphones. They are so user friendly and produce amazing quality photos. I have years of good experiences to always think fondly of a once significant, though slightly elite, brand.

Oh well . . . . . I might as well get myself a second hand 9300 Curve that I can use until the end of December when WhatsApp finally stops working on non Android phones.

I will surely miss the keyboard cause I really hate finicky touch screens Hasta la vista, BB.

A Tribute To My Late Grandma

I LOST my maternal grandmother on Thursday September 22, 2016 and I have been asked to give a speech on behalf of all her grandchildren. 

My name is Kampa Senkwe and I am one of the grandsons to Ms Elina Mwale Zimba. I want to thank everyone in attendance. Thank you all for coming.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to my brothers and sisters who have accorded me this opportunity to speak on their behalf. I’m quite honored.

It is only earlier this month while I was chatting through WhatsApp with a good friend of mine Sishuwa Sishuwa from back home when he said something that really touched my heart. My fellow countryman said, “The relevance of death lies in its impact on those that live.”

Your attendance here speaks volumes about the impact that this wonderful woman had on all of us. Some of you knew Ms Elina Mwale Zimba as sister, mom, aunt, grandma, great grandma, amai Zimba, amake boi or simply Awasi Wrong.

I find it extremely hard to hold back tears as I put down these thoughts. Where does one even begin in paying a fitting tribute to someone they literally owe their life?

My first memory of my grandma goes as far back as the mid 80s. I briefly stayed with Gogo Elina and my late granddad Mr. Zimba (MHSRIP) at No. 43 Nalikwanda Street in Highridge, Kabwe.  I must have been 3 or 4 or at the time but I vividly remember one hot summer afternoon when grandma dressed up in readiness for her usual trips into the Central Business District.

I remember standing by the gate to our house while I watched her across the street as she waited for a bus to get her into town. I asked her to bring me something from town and she said okay “muzukulu wanga”. She was dressed in this flashy Chitenge wrapper and I thought she looked amazing.  Anyone who met my grandma in her hey days will tell you she was a beauty to behold. Grandma was really, really beautiful.

But grandmas beauty wasn’t just skin deep. Grandma was unbelievably compassionate, kind and generous. I was about 6 the last time I stayed at my grandparents’ home in Kabwe. I never got to see grandma until 10 years later in 1996 when she visited my mom’s family in Ndola. She stayed with us for two days and on the day she left she gave me a bottle of this expensive women’s fragrance. It’s been over 20 years but I can still remember the smell of that perfume. And now that I think of it, that was actually the first bottle of perfume I ever owned. I would safely say, grandma introduced me to the importance of smelling good.

Now, I don’t want to stand here and try to paint my grandma as an angel who was always fun to be around. I spent 5 years of my adult life with her in Kaunda Square when her house was still a two room and we had our moments.

It was only last week when I met my cousin Patricia here in South Africa. While I was chatting with Patricia our conversation turned to grandma. I remember Patricia giving me the props for staying with grandma for that long.

Yes, anyone who has ever lived with grandma will tell you she could be quite difficult at times. There were times it was impossible not to be mad at her. But in the 5 years I lived with grandma in Kaunda Square, I saw a part of grandma that some will never get to see. Grandma’s heart and generosity knew no bounds. Her door was always open- literally. She rarely locked the house. You could just walk in and people often did. Grandma’s neighbours, friends, church mates, immediate family, relatives including my own friends all knew they had a place to stay for a few minutes even a day or two to enjoy her hospitality. The door was always open and the food was always plenty.

In the five years I lived with grandma, she made me feel like I was her only grandchild. There was no single moment grandma made me feel like she never cared about me or wanted me around. There were time I felt the heavy burden of life and she would always encourage me and urge me to stay strong and to always believe in God.

When I left for my studies at the Copperbelt University, it was always a homecoming whenever I visited her during my vacations. She would show me off to her neighbours and beckon anyone she knew that passed by the road and introduce them to me. I will always cherish those moments.

Though I stand here to speak on behalf of her grandchildren, I’m aware each and every one of them have their own stories to tell about grandma. But speaking for myself, I would like to end by quoting the words of Maya Angelou who once said, 'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

I want to say to grandma that thank you for making me feel special through and through. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for those encouraging church hymns you used to sing to me when I was down. Thank you. Thank you. You will forever live in my heart.

As they say here in the South, Hamba Kahle Gogo Wami. I Love You!

Tupac Shakur: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

I REMEMBER on the evening of September 14, 1996 walking up to my friend George who lived next door and found him in the company of our friend Elisha. I also remember Elisha asking me whether I had heard about Tupac’s death. That’s how I got to find about Tupac.

Mobile phones had not reached this part of the world at the time and the Interne certainly wasn’t as popular as it is today. Also, a rap artist being killed hardly made it on the evening news in Zambia, so the good old word-of-mouth was how most people found out.

I can’t say the news hit me that hard. Of course I felt a little bit sad, but I wasn’t into Tupac let alone rap music back then. As a matter of fact I only came to learn about Tupac a year earlier when Elisha walked up to me one afternoon as I was listening to some Soukous music and handed me Tupac’s third studio album Me Against The World. I remember Elisha handing me a white cassette and urged me to put it in the cassette player. He said something to the effect “I want you to listen to this guy called Tupac. There is a song on this album called Dear Mama.”

I don’t know whether that was my first introduction to rap music, but I don’t remember listening to a rap song before that. Though Elisha wanted me to listen to “Dear Mama”, it was “So Many Tears” and “It Ain’t Easy” that I had an instant liking for. I felt the two songs really spoke to me in some way. So Many Tears remains to this day my all time favourite rap song.

I don’t think there is an artist dead or alive that has moved the way Tupac did. Though I rarely listen to rap music now, whenever I start to feel overwhelmed by the ugliness of the world I look to Tupac’s music and interviews. I really pity people who only remember this guy as a thug or gangster. They truly miss out on a brilliant intellectual individual.

In my opinion, there was nobody in the rap industry as good as Tupac. Tupac was all about his work which he did until he couldn’t. The man came from nothing. He created, stood on his two feet, fought, lost, picked himself up, all day every day. Every “Rap Star” after him owes him. He brought to the table rap music worth listening to.

On September 7, 1996, Tupac and his record label boss, Suge Knight left the Mike Tyson vs Bruce Seldon fight at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tupac sat in the passenger’s seat of Suge’s BMW when a white Cadillac with four occupants pulled alongside at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.

According to one witness, two men got out of the Cadillac and fired 13 rounds at the BMW from less than 13 feet away. Tupac was hit three times, one in the hip, another in his right hand with the fatal one hitting him in the chest while Suge escaped with minor injuries. The shooting occurred at 11:15 p.m. local time. Tupac was rushed to the University Medical Center.

On Friday, September 13, 1996, Tupac died after 6 days in critical condition. Tupac Shakur was pronounced dead at 4.03 p.m. His body was later cremated. He was only 25.

 There are many theories to Tupac's death; however there is a suspicion that it could have been the rivalry between the Westcoast and Eastcoast rappers.

James Bond Has Always Been A White Heterosexual Man

ENGLISH author Anthony Horowitz who is the most recent writer chosen to write a James Bond novel by the estate of Bond's creator Ian Fleming, recently sparked an outrage when he said actor Idris Elba was "too street" and not "suave" enough to play Britain's favourite spy. Mr Horowitz later apologized for his comment which some deemed as racist. Though I did not agree with author's claim that Idris is 'too street' to play 007, I found nothing racist about his statement. Idris Elba is the personification of sex in my opinion. He is a versatile actor who can certainly play suave. I have watched him play many varied roles very well indeed. He is a great actor. However, he cannot be James Bond because James Bond is a white guy with white parents. According to Ian Fleming, the creator of this fictional character, James Bond was born in 1920. His father is from Scotland and and his mother is Swiss. His eyes are blue. With that said, it would compromise the narrative to Idris Elba as bond, as worthy and capable as he is. I know someone is already calling me a racist. Let me point out that I'm a black man and I have nothing against the colour of my skin. Furthermore, I'm a huge fan of Idris Elba. He is an amazing actor and I believe he can play the part smoothly. However, the idea of a black actor playing the Scottish-Swiss James Bond is as daft as having a white actor playing Shaft. Furthermore, if Ian Fleming didn't care about Bond's ethnicity he wouldn't have mentioned it. For him to go to the length of describing the colour of Bond's eyes meant he wanted us to know his character's race. Fleming created a white character and we should respect his product. I was listening to the the cast of the latest Bond movie, 'Spectre' last night. I found it ridiculous that some thought it would be a great idea to have a woman play James Bond or that 007 be gay in future films. I'm all for equality, but James Bond has always been a white heterosexual man. 'It's who Bond is. I think people forget we're talking about a character in a movie, that is based on a series of books. This is not a race thing, it's a back story and continuity thing. It's about sticking with the character.James Bond was written as a white heterosexual male just as Shaft was written as a black heterosexual male, some things are just not meant to be altered. Perhaps I don't buy into political correctness bullshit, but are we not supposed to respect the creative mind of the person who invented James Bond? What will be next? A native American Snow? Should we have an Indian girl play Harry Potter? Why is everything sexist these days? Why is everything racist these days? Political correctness gone wrong. James Bond, in the books and films, has spoken of a Scottish dad and a white European mother. I couldn't give two hoots who plays any other role in a Bond movie but if 007 ain't a well spoken British white chap. then it ain't Bond. If certain actors/actresses [if the latter is acceptable to female actors] and/or producers etc want to create films about spies who are different, let them. But they ought not usurp the Bond franchise which has worked so well on its own merits for so long.

MY THOUGHTS ON OSCAR'S RELEASE FROM PRISON

SPRINTER Oscar Pistorius who was supposed to be released from a South African prison on Tuesday was apparently released Monday night after serving one day shy of a year in prison for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14, 2013. It is thought his early release may have been to prevent the media from trying to catch a glimpse of the gold medalist as he was driven away from prison. Pistorius, 28, will now serve the remaining four years of his five-year sentence under house arrest. He also will face further attempts by prosecutors to charge him with murder in the death of his girlfriend. Pistorius who was convicted of culpable homicide in September last year has been released from prison under South Africa's guidelines that allow non-dangerous prisoners to be freed upon serving about one-sixth of their sentence. Now, I'm not going to claim I know anything about law let alone the South African law. But in my opinion, I don't think "good behavior" should get a murderer out of prison in a year. Oscar was in prison not a local pub. There were guards and other nut cases in there with him. How the hell do they think he would behave? Practically speaking most convicts could be released under those "good behavior" rules. Why can't it be, behave "good" for half of your sentence, then we'll consider parole and after considering we would say NO? Thanks to this stupid law, this cold blooded murderer is now home in a mansion in a very upscale neighborhood, having steak and eggs in the morning as Reeva's blood keeps crying from her grave for justice. I call Oscar a cold blooded murderer because I don't believe his account of what happened on that fateful night. I read and saw few things on this case and clearly this man intended to kill her. Pistorius killed Steenkamp by firing bullets through a closed bathroom door on Valentine's Day. His defense was that he believed there was an intruder in his home, and had no idea that Steenkamp was on the other side of the door. Well , now that he is back home, Oscar might want to leave the bathroom door open at all times as he does his business.

NO JUSTICE FOR CECIL THE LION

ZIMBABWE has announced that it has abandoned its bid to press charges against a US dentist who killed Cecil the lion, saying his papers "were in order" and that he did not know he was committing any offence. I don't know what is going on in Zimbabwe. That country seems to be driven by very dark forces. Something has to be done at international level to stop the brutal killings, torture and abuse of animals by these serial killers like Walter Palmer. That is a crime against humanity. In this day and age, why do we need to hunt for sport? As human beings, we need to go above our egocentric and self-absorbed needs for unnecessary killing of animals. If that sorry excuse for a man has $50,000 or Euros to throw around, why not give it to a charitable cause? That dentist, or whatever he is, exemplifies what is wrong with the world. Maybe Palmer's papers WERE in order. However, I don't feel that trophy hunting is ethical by any stretch of the imagination. Palmer says he "thought everything was in order". I don't believe him, since he lied years ago about "legally" shooting a bear. I still hope his practice has suffered because of the outrage. There are many who disagree, I'm sure. But that's the way I feel.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

I WENT to see Straight Outta Compton last night at The Zone in Rosebank and it left me amazed at how far rap music has come.

Now, probably someone is wondering how a movie that was released on August 14th, 2015 can still be in theaters, two months later. Well, apparently the movie only premiered here in South Africa on October 2.

Though I have been looking forward to seeing this movie, I will admit that it far exceeded my expectations. I don't really have a favorite part. But if this counts, my favorite part of the movie is the whole first 40 minutes. It was funny, sad, entertaining, inspiring and brought back old memories. Every music scene in the movie hit hard in the theaters, the bass and just the way it was filmed was amazing.

Straight Outta Compton is definitely up there among the best  biographical drama films ever produced. This movie should and must definitely win an Oscar!

Also, I never thought this movie would be great to watch or even draw me closer to  Eazy E. Watching Straight Outta Compton really made me feel for this guy. It referred many times to the fact that he admitted he wasn't smart or anything like that; which makes sense as to why he never knew about HIV or AIDS.

The movie is also more or less about the hardships that surround trying to start something that has never been done before. Seeing what these rap pioneers went through and looking at what has become of rap music today just makes me wanna cry.

Man I don't know where I'm going with this, but If you have not seen this movie yet, you are missing out. This is hands down a classic. Go see it, you won't be disappointed!