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thebirdandhersong · 4 years

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a list of favourite encounters with people I’m unlikely to ever meet again

just a list of interesting people I’ve met/been friends with :) I was thinking of a few of them today and thought it probably would be interesting to write them down.

I had a friend in our children’s choir called Elise(?) who had silky blonde hair, very cool glasses (can’t remember the shape or colour but I remember thinking they were cool), and who smelled very distinctly like grape juice. We smiled at each other during rehearsal once (we were both new!), sidled up to each other, and she asked me if I wanted a Starburst. I said yes please. Instant friends. Never saw her again :(

brisk, stressed-looking lady at our favourite noodle shop; ALWAYS looked stressed so my dad always made a point of telling her that the food was very good

one of my church’s youth leaders (who moved away a long time ago). He was one of the few people who took me seriously in middle school, and actually talked to me about books. He had the cutest little girl with the curliest brown hair, and would often raise his eyebrows wryly when people commented on his bald head. I remember asking him about The Girl Who Could Fly and whether or not The Golden Compass was worth reading, and he answered my questions very seriously.

another one of my former youth leaders, this twenty-something German student called Linnea. I thought she was one of the prettiest people I’d seen. She was very friendly, very outspoken, and talked to me about choosing to follow Jesus one youth night. I really liked her, and I also really liked that she told us we could talk to her about anything. She left before I had the bravery to open my mouth, though.

I had a childhood friend called Lucy and we shared a secret hideout. It was very exciting. Once she came over to give me this gigantic rock that had a plant growing in a little hole. She moved away before I could say goodbye, and before I moved out of that neighbourhood, I used to drop by our secret hideout to make sure it was still there.

speaking of childhood friends: one was called Lisa. She had gorgeous black hair (very long) and always came to church in the prettiest dresses. She was very good at art and once showed us tiny flowers she’d sculpted out of clay. She could speak fluent Chinese (she was part of the Chinese service) and I really liked her. Unfortunately when I last visited my hometown, she didn’t remember me at all. It was a very awkward conversation.

my third grade teacher was the BEST. She was a comfortable looking woman with black hair and blue eyes, and reminded me of both Marilla and Mrs. Lynde. We had mandatory knitting hour every day and went for runs in the forest every week. She had a little wooden book cabinet with glass doors, and I would borrow books from them every once in a while. She chose Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux for our novel study unit, and read both of them out loud to us. (She read the whole of Winn-Dixie in a very convincing Southern accent.) Every single one of us had our own set of knitting needles, ball of yarn, and knitting bag (she and another elementary school teacher made knitting bags with drawstrings for each and every one of us). She was the only teacher I had in that school who could calm down the restless kids, and who showed the ADHD/ADD kids compassion. When she gave you That Look you knew you had to settle down and behave. I went to visit her many years ago and found out that she’d gone in for chemotherapy - I heard later on that she’d fully recovered. I hope she’s doing well.

my fourth grade teacher (part 1). I can’t remember his name, but I remember he was VERY tall, Caucasian, and wore a sweater and a name tag on his first day. The first thing he did with us was sit down on a desk and ask us our name and something interesting about ourselves. I told him that I really liked books. He asked me which ones. I said Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Narnia. He asked me about my opinion on other Roald Dahl books. He listened to ALL of us very intently, and we warmed up to him very quickly. At the end of our introductions he went around and repeated all our names and our interesting facts. I had never felt so understood before.

my fourth grade teacher (part 2). The first one switched schools after one or two weeks, and we had Miss Payson come in. She was also comfortable-looking, with short brown hair and purple glasses. She had a purple knitted hedgehog, and spoke very kindly to all of us. We had a mandatory creative writing session every week, where we would go to the computer lab and type for around an hour. I asked her permission once to write a story about her hedgehog, and she said yes. (I was VERY happy for the rest of the day.)

my fifth grade teacher (part 1). The first was an Italian lady with black hair to her shoulders and a matter-of-fact approach. The restless kids who liked to talk back got her riled up on several occasions, but most of the time she was very calm and practical. She taught us to write comparison essays (I did one on wild vs. farmed salmon and it was a horrible essay.) She told us she was going to get married in the summer. Are you going to invite us? asked one of the boys. No, she said, and laughed. Once, a boy in my class took Jesus’s name in vain (she told us right off the bat that she was Catholic) and a steely look entered in her eye. She told him very quietly that she didn’t want to hear any such language in class, and he apologised to her immediately, rather chastened. I did some creative writing with her, and she was the first teacher to tell me that she looked forward to seeing my name on a bookstore shelf one day. I will never forget that.

my fifth grade teacher (part 2). The second was a lady from Ghana who had two children she loved telling us about, and had a very bubbly and passionate personality. She read to us in class, was VERY good at math, and often directed a certain look at us I now call an ironic glance.

this wisp of a girl with long brown hair and a slight nervous look called Valentina. She always looked nervous and a little unhappy, and I never got the chance to ask her why.

a friend from middle school with short red hair (very wild! very beautiful!) and freckles. We were both into The Hobbit when it came out, and collaborated on a novel for NaNoWriMo in 2013(?). It was a bit messy and we never really finished it, but I remember how insistent she was that we help the main character realise that the world was still a beautiful place. (I loved her for that.)

my old band teacher in elementary school, back when I could actually play clarinet. He was British, wore the same black earrings every class, was very tall, very thin, and very kind. He never once yelled at us for playing badly, or for getting distracted. Band was so much fun with him. I can’t tell you how many times we practiced King Arthur’s March, but I can tell you that it was a LOT.

someone I saw when I got off the train one day. I was on the way home, the train doors opened, and I saw the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen. I don’t remember his face at all (I don’t recall any other features of his) but I do remember that it was late afternoon, and the sun struck his brown eyes. I could see the gold in them. It was an enchanting experience.

a whole GROUP of people I dearly wanted to be friends with: this boy who I thought must be some sort of fairy: rectangular wire glasses, very floppy dirty blond hair, angelic smile, insisted on wearing a pageboy cap and clunky boots, played violin like it was as natural to him as breathing. He was a very friendly person. His sister, who also had short hair and glasses - the kind of person whose enthusiasm is contagious. (When she talks to you, you can’t help but smile.) Also another of his possible relatives (I don’t know... they were both blonde, tall, and had similar hair): this slender, elf-like girl with a pixie cut who had black combat boots, and an endless supply of flannel shirts and dangly earrings. She was into Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who (I was always at the edge of my seat, wishing I could chime in with an “I love them too!” but I was never quite brave enough). Another girl was always dressed in black (with matching purple lipstick and ALSO black combat boots), and talked about the books she liked and didn’t like (Brave New World wasn’t worth reading, she said one day). A younger girl with bouncy blonde hair and these GORGEOUS blue-green eyes. I didn’t know that people’s eyes could actually sparkle until I saw her. She was the life of the party, and was incredibly charming because she didn’t seem to be aware at all how charming she was. OH and a girl who looked like she’d walked right out of the 1940s: red lipstick, curly ginger hair, beauty mark, with an incredible singing voice. She was in love with La La Land and Phantom of the Opera (very valid) and was the darling of the group (you could definitely tell why: she was well-spoken, bright-eyed, generous). And a very tall, very quiet boy with dark curly hair who was very talented at any kind of art. Very fluent in French (French was part of the vernacular in this friend group... they sometimes slipped in and out of it and I would just sit and smile, somewhat confused). Also very kind. I remember he once asked to look at my sketchbook (I was vibrating with nervousness the whole time. You know when you’re in middle school, and want validation SO much? Or maybe that was just my social anxiety) and when he finally handed it back, he said something nice and smiled. I instantly felt more at ease. He was also a friendly person, the kind of person you could sit with for a long time in silent companionship. Also very, very kind - and more of an action person than a talking person.

#it occurred to me that I've met a LOT of very interesting people #i miss them all in a way #it's strange how our lives brush with other people's lives #i hope they're all doing well..... i hope that they're happy

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jumoonjae · 4 years

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I’LL NEVER LOVE AGAIN- THE STORM

PART 1 PART 2 PART 4 PART 5

Pairings: Ji Changmin (Q) X Reader X Jaehyun (Hyunjae) Ft Kevin Moon Genre: Fluff x Angst X SLIGHT SMUT Word count: 21,562 words

Summary: A talent show will take place in three week times and you still struggling with putting emotion in the song that you choose, a masterpiece by Lady Gaga, ‘I’ll never love again’. You meet Changmin who you fall for instantly after he jumps in to help you figuring out how to perform the song. Will he manage to help you? Or will he be the one who cause you to sing the song for him? Image are not mine. Credit to Google.

Changmin

He came late to his group gathering after sending her back to her dorm after another sleepover last night which he had a hard time saying goodbye with a long make out session in his car before he had to let her go and promised to meet her after her class end tomorrow evening.

“Changmin-ah.” Jaehyun call as soon as he get into the restaurant.

“Hyung.” He smiles and walk straight to him giving him a long manly hugs before greeting the other and Kevin who was oddly silent.

“How are you? Isn’t it your semester break too? If you told me you’re here during your break, I’m not going back and hang out with you instead.” Jaehyun pat his shoulder as he took the seat between Jaehyun and Kevin.

“Yeah it was. But I’m helping my girlfriend out with her performance next week, then I’ll be spending the rest of my break with Ghana afterwards.” He didn’t realize how Kevin’s eyes almost popped out from its socket after he heard the words girlfriend. He leaned forward to get Changmin’s attention asking for explanation but the guy just pushed him away playfully and there’s a glint of shyness plastered on his face.

“Girlfriend? Wow. I’m happy for you. Finally, its almost a year now am I right?” Jaehyun smiles at him and he nods. Its no that can’t move on from his ex or anything, its just tiring dealing with the heartbreak. He needs to start over in relationship again sooner or later and she just came into the picture. He was more than happy to claim her for himself.

“Yeah. We just made it official. I think you know her too because she’s Kevi..” He stop at his words when he saw the name of the girl he has spent the whole weekend with a heart emoji and a candid picture of her smiling so sweet holding a flower bouquet admiring it pops on Jaehyun’s phone waiting for Jaehyun to answer, his heart drop dangerously a thousand feet, free falling. The picture probably taken way back because her hair was black and she still look exceptionally beautiful that it hurts him so bad.

“Excuse me guys. Baby hey, why aren’t you answering my calls?” Everything around him seems like a picture that it has stop for a moment, he didn’t move or say anything it's like his body is shutting down, a shock is an understatement to describe how he feels, he was numbed that he couldn’t process what was happening, it was happening so fast that he think that maybe what happened during the weekend was only a dream. Or was it really? He felt a hand squeezing his shoulder and look to his right to find Kevin giving him an apologetic look and that was when he felt the pain, and then anger.

“Kevin. What is this?” His voice came out shaky but loud enough to make the other stop talking and all the attention was on him. He couldn’t believe that the girl he fell hard for which he spent his whole weekend with was the one who his hyung always brag about all the time. How he wish he could turn back time and.. he don’t even have a clue what to do if he turns back time. Falling for her was never an option, it was not something he can control. Maybe it was his fault for falling for her and he has no idea what to do or how to react. He was hurt. No. He felt betrayed and he had to control himself so he wont snap on anyone by balling up his fist tightly until his knuckles turns white.

“Its not what you think Changmin. You need to give her chance to explain. It’s a lot more complicated than what you think.” Kevin grab his shoulder gently try to calm him but he felt otherwise. He was furious but he want to heard it from Kevin if its not from her. Well at least he has a clue about the situation.

“Tell me then Kev. Tell me the truth.” He was about to lose his mind but he couldn’t snap at Kevin because it wasn’t his fault and he couldn’t blame her either because he needs to know from her side of story too.

“I can’t because I’m not in that place to tell you or him. She needs to tell you both herself. But I promise that all her feeling for you is genuine.” Kevin try to talk him out while the other has no clue what was going on. But his answer wasn’t enough, it drive him to the edge even more.

He rub his face harshly out of frustration while Kevin still try to calm him down but when he look out, he saw her outside walking towards Jaehyun. She look fresh with no make up on, nothing. Not even her signature red lips. She wears her black hoodie and matching back ripped jeans and he hates it because he still admires her for it and it kills him to think that she was more comfortable showing her raw side to Jaehyun than him. He prayed hard that it was all a lie. That she was just trying to pull a prank on him and hoping that she’ll walk into the restaurant and run to his embrace instead. But it wasn’t. Because she was walking into another man’s arm making his heart shattered into a million pieces. That was it. That’s the answer he’s been searching for and he wont need any explanation from anyone anymore. He couldn’t stand to look any longer before mustering all the strength he got left and stand abruptly wanting to leave.

“Changmin wait. Please let her explain.” Kevin grab his wrist but he pull away harshly. He was mad. Mad at her, at Kevin and at anyone who already knew about her and Jaehyun but just let him fall for her. Everyone is at fault.

“You and your best friend can just go to hell.” He growled before walking to the main door towards her and Jaehyun. He saw how her tensing up when Jaehyun pull out a dark blue velvet box from his pocket making Changmin stop walking and as by looking at her in another man arm couldn’t hurt enough, this time he felt like dying is a better option than watching another man was about to propose to her. He saw how she covered her mouth and she frowned when he reveals a diamond ring to her, she looked uncertain and he was disinterested to know why because he was too clouded by his anger. He was about to give up on everything because the pain was unbearable. Her eyes suddenly wanders and caught his who was staring, taking in all the hurt she had caused that he will later will use it against her while she was in shock that she didn’t even look away when Jaehyun shook her body lightly trying to get her attention back to him, the velvet box was closed and Jaehyun followed her line of sight to find him, Jaehyun was confused that he keep looking back and forth at Changmin and her. With the last strength he could muster in his numb body, he walked out the door heading the opposite way from where they both were standing.

“Changmin wait.” He heard her sweet voice calling for him while Jaehyun calls for hers but he didn’t stop even how much he want to. He fight the voice inside his head that asking him to stay and listen to her explanation, but his heart was hurting and he don’t want to cry or fall back into her, what if she tell lies? No. He wont stop or look back or even gives her the chance to play him. He got into his car and speed up without looking back to save himself from breaking apart and refuse to cry in front of her or anyone. He bit his quivering lips hard before hitting the brake stop by the park when he’s sure that he’s far enough from everyone else where he finally break down into tears. He press his eyes hard using his palm to stop himself from crying.

“How could you.” He cries letting it all out. His heart was broken beyond repair and even she couldn’t fix it. She’s broken glass that he had thrown himself into, and falling for her was like walking on a shattered broken glass, the more he tries to pull the pieces out, the more damage it causes.

Y/N

You smiles closing the door to your room before plopping into your bed shrieking excitedly. You rolled on your back and smile again staring at the ceiling and how you wish that you still staring at his ceiling instead of yours. You decided to take a bath before doing your assignment and call Changmin afterwards. You took out your phone to charge it and realize it was dead for almost 2 days, you smiles again reminiscing the past two day when nothing else matter as long as you have him with you. You turn it on after connecting the charger and it was bombarded by texts and dozens of miscall from Jaehyun washing your smile away. You had forgotten about him for the past two weeks when you were too occupied with Changmin. You were happy and you’re determined that you’ll tell Jaehyun the truth as soon as you can. You decided to check all the text before heading to bathroom.

‘Y/N I’m at Seoul now. Where are you?’

And few asking the same thing but the last and the most recent was the one that made you broke a cold sweats.

‘I love you. I have a surprise for you and for our future. Please call me back. I missed you baby.’

You know what he was about to do because before his semester break, he keep asking about what kind of jewelry do you like and keep showing you a video of man proposing and shit like that and even ask how would you feel if someone proposed to you like that. You suddenly regret for not telling him earlier and making him wait for years. You went to the bathroom to take a shower before calling him as you head out from your room.

“Baby hey, why aren’t you answering my calls?” You stop at your tracks when he greets making inside of you churns at the pet name that he gave without your permission and it somehow made you disgusted with yourself for letting another man other than Changmin calling you that.

“We need to talk. Where are you?” You said urgently, putting on your Vans before walking out of your dorm.

“I’m at the restaurant near your dorm, you want me to come and pick you up?” You know the restaurant located few minutes away just by walking from your dorm and you run. You run hoping that it won't be too late for you to tell him before Kevin does or Changmin. You pretty sure they both hang out together because you knew they both know Kevin and Kevin only have one group of friend. You run without cutting the call until you saw him standing outside the usual restaurant they always went to.

“Oppa.” You call out finally cutting the phone call and he smiles widely as you walked towards him. It kills you that you has to hurt him after knowing what he will do. But you have to, you need to choose between him or Changmin and you didn’t even need to think twice to choose Changmin over anyone else. You stare at him trying to smile back at him, trying blurt out the words you’ve been trying to tell him. But you couldn’t, you were very fond to him, he was your first best friend before he decided to confessed and scared you away. But he never stop chasing you, maybe because you never dare to hurt him or push him away. You love him as a friend but now you need to tell him to stop. You need to tell him the truth.

“Y/N. Oh my god I miss you.” He pulls you into his embrace but you didn’t wrap your hands on him like you always did when Changmin hugs you. You push him away lightly not wanting to hurt him and you hate yourself for doing so. Because you keep on giving him hopes. You don’t mind before because you didn’t have Changmin. But now you have him and you want to cut this non-existent relationship that you and Jaehyun has caught in. You want to stop giving him hopes even if you have no clue how to. You will try anything for god sake.

“I bought something for you.” He pulls out a dark blue velvet box from his pocket and your world came crushing down even you know this will come. You covered your mouth to hide the quivering of your lips when he open the box revealing a diamond ring inside it. If people who doesn’t know your situation they might be feel happy for you. But you almost broke into tears when the guilt started to eat you up. How could you push him when all you could see inside his eyes was sincerity. You stare at his sweet smiley face that was gleaming and it rip you apart because you’re going to take his happiness away. You are the one to blame when his smiles fades and you are the bad guy who will break his heart.

“Can you please marry me? You still can take your master if you want. We can sort things out just like we always did when we’re in high school.” And at the moment you prayed to god that the ground swallowed you whole and you try to avoid his eyes but somehow your eyes found at a pair of eyes that you adores so much from inside the restaurant standing still probably saw the whole thing. You could feel your heart and head stop working and all your senses numbed when you saw the hurt in his eyes. He look away and walked out the door to the opposite side from where you and Jaehyun were and you started to panic.

“Changmin-ah.” You called and started to run after him. But luck wasn’t at you side when he got into his car and drive away leaving you behind.

“No please. Changmin.” You scream on top of your lungs running to the busy road and almost got hit by a speeding car if it wasn’t Kevin who pull you away from the road.

“Kevin.” You whispered as he grab your both arms trying to get you on your senses.

“Just let him settles first. Just let him be.” He pulls you into his embrace as you break down in tears.

“Y/N.” You heard Jaehyun calling your name but you refuse to look up. You afraid that you’ll lash him out when it was your fault in the first place. You know you just broke his heart too and it will kill you to see his face now. You can’t even apologize to him. Its too late now for everything. Its too late to apologize, its too late to explain. Its too late to fix thing and everything was your fault.

“Take me home please Kevin. Take me home.” You plead and you could feel he’s turning his head to Jaehyun.

“I’ll call you later hyung. I’m sorry.” He said before starts walking to your dorm leaving the guy behind.

“I should have warned you yesterday I’m sorry. I just don’t think..” you both were almost at your dorm when he breaks the silence between you two which made you stop walking.

“You knew?” You push his body away from you to take a look on his face. You felt you scalp tightens and got goosebumps from his words.

“Why didn’t tell me Kevin?” You snap at him and trying to throw all the blame at him entirely because you’re being denial. You cant register what you have lose in the span of just thirty minute and now you’re going to lose your best friend too. He was taken aback by your sudden rage at him.

“I didn’t know you already made it official with Changmin Y/N. All of you three are my friend. It wont be fair for Jaehyun hyung If I told you about his plans. Do you think I have the choice? Even if I have I cant choose sides. You all are my friend. I didn’t choose to stuck in your love triangle Y/N. But I have warned you about Jaehyun’s hyung feeling and you did nothing about it. You left the poor guy standing on cliff for god sake.” You cover your mouth as his words hit you hard and pull you back to reality. He was right. It was your fault. It will always be your fault. You throw yourself into the mess.

“Don’t blame me for things that you have started. I’ve done my part Y/N.” He lashes out on you making you broke harder into tears. You feel bad for lashing on him and you run back to your dorm leaving him behind and lock yourself in your bedroom crying all night.

You didn’t attend class the next day, you decided to drive to Changmin’s apartment to apologize and explain everything to him. But when you’re sure you saw his car parked on the parking lot, you went up to his floor and rang his bell. When he didn’t answer the first four time you called him, you knock his door on repeat. But his neighbor came out instead greeting you.

“He went to his parents just now.” He said.

“But his car is downstairs.” You force a smile when you felt yourself frowning to his answer. You’re still being denial. Your sleep deprivation didn’t help much when you’re at your most fragile state that you almost broke down at every mention of his name. But you fight it because you need to find him.

“Yeah he usually take the train whenever he head to his parents. I think you can still catch him now.” He said again watching his watch and you thanked him before rushing to the station looking for him franticly. You know you’re on the right place as his neighbor told you. You force yourself to run everywhere looking at people faces even your energy was drained. You stop to catch your breath almost losing hope after running here and there for a few round. You straightens your back when you sense someone was looking at you. When you look up inside the train, you saw him looking at you without any emotion. As if you’re a stranger to him, you were holding back another sets of tear mouthing ‘please’ to him, begging for him to stay, to listen to you just once. You began to panic when the train door was closing and started moving.

“No. No please. Changmin-ah.” You call as you break down again chasing after him banging the side of the train and running dangerously close to the train. While him, he just looked away from you.

“Changmin please.” You pleaded before stop when you reach the end of the platform. You fall to your knee crying shamelessly ignoring the people who was looking at you. You prayed so hard that you have enough courage to just jump on the railways and kill yourself.

You cried and cried and cried as if no one was watching you until you feel someone wraps a jacket over your shoulder and you look up to see Kevin who was looking back at you.

Kevin

It was during class when he got a call from Jaehyun asking him to pick her up at the station that he had to rush out and take a taxi and sprint to the platform where he saw she was still crying on her knees hands covering her face. He took off his jacket and walked to her covering her petite body and it break him when she look up to him with her swollen eyes from crying. He pulls her up and keep her face covered because some people already taking video of her and take her away from the crowd.

“What are you doing there?” He asked after they both arrives at his shared apartment with Jacob and Eric. He help her settles on the couch before sitting down next to her.

“I was trying to looking for Changmin.” She said in between her sobs.

“Was he there too? Why are you alone then?” He was irritated at Changmin for leaving her alone crying like that. But he can’t blame him either after what happened last night.

“He left. For good.” She cries harder at her own word and it hurts him too to see her like that. How he wish he could just told her about Jaehyun plans or told Jaehyun about her feeling on her behalf. He had nothing to say because he know how much she love Changmin even before they started dating. He pulls her body closer to him letting her cry on his shoulder.

“How did you know I was there?”

“Jaehyun was looking for Changmin too, but he saw you came out from Changmin’s apartment building and he followed your car. He wanted to comfort you, but he’s afraid that he’ll end up messing up your emotion more. So, he called me.” She didn’t react to his explanation but he know she was lost too. This is her first heartbreak and to put all the blame on her isn’t fair because it's like blaming her for being innocent. For being too nice not daring to reject Jaehyun because she was afraid, she’ll hurt him. But in the end, everyone is hurt.

“I’m sorry Kev, for everything I said last night.” He pat her head slowly.

“Its fine.”

“I’m sorry for dragging you along with this shit that I made.”

“Hush. Just stop crying. You’ll find another one.” He know it was impossible for her because she’s kind of reserved whenever she is around strangers and it’s a miracle that Changmin could get through the thick wall that she have built up to separate her from others. Even Jaehyun who she have known for years couldn’t make it into her heart after years of trying.

While he himself was a special case, he met her during registration when he and she both came late and almost got into trouble if wasn’t for him who talked the dean out saving both asses from penalties. He’s been the only person she ever talked to and became best friend ever since. He helped her deal with her anti social even she didn’t change much, but he helped her out with gaining confidence while singing by forcing her to sing with his friend Jacob every weekend. He met Jaehyun through her when she constantly avoiding the guy by hiding behind his back and he had to make up tons of excuses for her to get away from him.

“I wont say that I know how you feel because it would be a lie. But lets just focus on this week. Its your long awaited solo. Lets focus solely on that. Okay?” He caress her hair gently and she nodded.

“You can sleep upstairs, Jacob and Eric will be back soon and I don’t want them to see you like this.”

“Thank you Kevin. What would I do without you.” She lifts her head from his shoulder and he could feel his heart suddenly beating abnormally harder at the close proximate of her face with his chin that he could feel her breath tickles his skin.

He straightens his body up pushing her gently away from his shoulder to shake any feeling from forming inside him even he know it was always been there.

“You’ll live Y/N. I promise.” He looked into her red eyes and then to her red nose making him chuckle.

“What.” She whined adorably still so fragile.

“You look like a clown. Your nose.” He was about to poke it but stop himself from doing so afraid he would fall by such a simple gesture.

“You should get some rest.” He exhaled still looking at her wearing his jacket and she still look good even when she’s a mess and it hurts him to see her like that. He sent her to his room before decided to call Changmin himself. But all his calls goes straight to the voicemails.

A/N: This one a bit long but thank you anyway for reading it. Ahh Kevin, my second bias, i just couldn’t help to put some back story about him and how he’s been crushing on reader for quite sometimes. But that’s just it. He might be getting his own fics later. but i hope you enjoyed this one. Two more chapter will be shorter i promise. Thank you again.

#tbz scenarios #tbz Q #tbz kevin #ji changmin scenario #ji changmin #tbz ji changmin #the boyz #the boyz scenarios #hyunjae

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prnanayarquah · 2 years

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Black Sherif joins Boomplay’s Golden Club with Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Omah Lay & others

New Post has been published on https://plugzafrica.com/black-sherif-joins-boomplays-golden-club-with-burna-boy-wizkid-davido-omah-lay-others/

Black Sherif joins Boomplay’s Golden Club with Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Omah Lay & others

Ghanaian rising star, Black Sherif, has hit 100M streams on Africa’s most expansive music streaming and download platform, Boomplay. The “Kwaku the Traveller” hitmaker becomes the first Ghanaian artist to reach the 100M streams milestone on Boomplay after having had a phenomenal run since last year.

With this feat, Black Sherif joins Boomplay’s Golden Club, a list of artists who have clocked and surpassed the 100M streams milestone, including Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Diamond Platinumz, Fireboy DML, Joeboy, Omah Lay and Rayvanny.

“Reaching 100 million streams on Boomplay in such a short time and being the first Ghanaian artist to achieve this feat is a big deal to me. As a young kid from Konongo, who only had a dream and a voice, this brings me to the realisation that I can achieve any and everything so long as I believe and dare myself to take action. Big love to the Boomplay team for putting me on from day one till now,” Black Sherif shared.

Born Mohammed Ismail Shariff, the 20-year-old talented artist released “Money”, “Cry For Me”, and “Destiny” in 2020, which gained him some traction online. Later, he dropped “Money (remix)”, “Adea Kye”, and “Ankonam” and garnered huge buzz on Boomplay across several countries.

When Black Sherif’s “First Sermon” and “Second Sermon” were released in 2021, they went viral and brought him to the mainstream limelight. A remix of his “Second Sermon” featuring Burna Boy gave him further reach across Africa and beyond. Consequently, during Boomplay’s Recap 2021, which highlights stats and insights of music consumption and engagement on the Boomplay platform, Blacko emerged as Ghana’s 2nd Most Streamed Artist of 2021 and his “First Sermon” and “Second Sermon” were the 1st and 2nd Most Streamed Songs of 2021 in Ghana.

His story written in bright stars, Black Sherif, went on to win the four awards at the 2022 3Music Awards, held in March 2022, including the Boomplay Breakthrough Act of the Year. At the same event, he debuted a spectacular performance of his latest single, “Kwaku the Traveller”. The song skyrocketed him to African stardom and peaked at NO.1 on both Boomplay Ghana and Nigeria charts. It currently has over 40 million streams on Boomplay.

Blacko is truly a superstar in the making, and the journey continues for Kweku the Traveller! Congratulations to the son of Konongo Zongo!

(Source: Boomplay Music Ghana)

#Black Sherif #Burna Boy #Davido #Diamond Platinumz #Fireboy DML #Joeboy #Omah Lay #Rayvanny.#Wizkid

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efurutravel · 6 years

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Translation 2

It’s late but~! It was a three-day weekend in Japan, so I was busy, and then I had left my laptop at work so I couldn’t post anything.

So, yeah. This is another translation I did. It’s about Hafu experience in Japan. I offered to translate this article for a group of people. As I mentioned before, I’m just doing rough/casual translations for now. So I will post them as such. I don’t have a need at the moment to be extra with it. I have left original comments to the group I translated for as well.

Please don’t comment anything about being “Hafu” or something like that in regard to Japan or racial discrimination. There is a lot of misinformation and misconceptions non-Hafu are spreading and erasing Hafu voices. Though, if you are Hafu, please feel free to comment of course! I am also biracial, but not Japanese, so I can relate to a lot of what they experience from my home country, though our worlds are very different at the same time. There are three other stories from this article I will be translating and sharing.

Of course, any advice or suggestions are welcome to help with my translation choices!

Link to the main article: here

What is “Japanese”: A Reflection of Japanese Society and Racial Discrimination through Hafu’s Eyes.

「日本人」とは何か？「ハーフ」たちの目に映る日本社会と人種差別の実際

By: Lorance Something, A Sociologist Somewhere (sorry y’all)

What comes to mind when you hear the word “hafu”? On TV, you see the so called “hafu talent”, or perhaps several people you know from work or university comes to mind. Though it’s natural, even if I say the word “hafu”, there are many people. From roots, nationality, sex, age, birthplace, many people are bound by the word “hafu”.

「ハーフ」と聞いてどんなイメージを思い浮かべるでしょうか。テレビで見かけるいわゆる「ハーフタレント」たちのイメージ、あるいは学校や職場で知り合った人のイメージが思い浮かぶ人も多いかもしれません。当然ですが、一口に「ハーフ」と言っても様々な人たちがいます。ルーツや国籍、性別、年齢、生まれた場所まで本当に多様な人たちが「ハーフ」という言葉で括られています。

Lorance (they just mention he is a young sociologist and he is of the few sociologists) deepens the research done on the themes of “hafu” and “mixed blood” (you will find this translates to “mixed race” but a Japanese lady once told me it has a bad image with it most times, so I feel “mixed blood” may convey that more so. We commonly say ‘mixed race’ in USA without a negative meaning). Over the course of 6 years, he has gathered and introduced the stories from more than 50 people from places like Ghana, Bolivia, India, and America. I think you can know about the conflict within the knot of the word hafu and what kind of personal experience they have in the everyday life in Japan.

この記事では「ハーフ」や「混血」といったテーマで研究を深めてきた数少ない研究者である若手社会学者の下地ローレンス吉孝さんに、彼がこれまでの6年間で集めてきた50人以上の聴き取りの中から、ガーナ、ボリビア、インド、アメリカに縁のある4人の言葉を選んで紹介していただきました。「ハーフ」という言葉・括りの中で葛藤してきたかれらが、これまで日本の「日常」の中でどんな体験を通過してきたのか、ぜひ知っていただけたらと思います。

=============================================================

The Image of Hafu

「ハーフ」のイメージ

Hello. I’m Lorance, a sociologist. My mother was born of my grandfather, who was on a military base, and my grandmother, whose birthplace is Okinawa. I’m what they call “Amerasian” or “quarter.” What type of person comes to mind when you hear “hafu”? Do you picture one who is fluent in English (or a foreign language), has a good appearance, and has a role in ‘global’ activities? I, I only think of one hafu- they can’t speak English, have back pains because of old age, they clean up trash everyday as a landlord… My grandmother.

こんにちは。社会学者の下地ローレンス吉孝と申します。私の母は、米兵であった祖父と沖縄の祖母のもとに生まれました。私はいわゆる「アメラジアン」で、「クオーター」です。皆さんは「ハーフ」と聞いて、どのような人々を思い浮かべるでしょうか。英語（または外国語）が流暢に話せて、容姿が良く、グローバルに活躍する姿でしょうか。私が思い浮かべる「ハーフ」の一人は、英語が話せない、歳をとって腰を悪くした、マンションの管理人として毎日ゴミを片付けている、私の母親の姿。

In this article, I will introduce 4 hafu’s stories and episodes. Hafu aren’t the image of the world, but the individual reality of living in Japan. It is good if we can think and discuss together as we read about the reality of Japanese society from their “mundane” everyday lives.

この記事では私が出会った4人の「ハーフ」の方たちの言葉やエピソードを紹介します。「ハーフ」はイメージの世界の人々ではなく、現実の日本社会に生きる一人ひとりです。かれらの“ありふれた”日常生活からみえてくる日本社会の現実について、この記事を読みながら考えたり語り合ったりしてみていただけたら嬉しいです。

Episode 1|Sho-san (maybe)|I can’t show you my foreigners registration card|

Episode 2|Regina-san|Even if you hear about my roots, you’ll say it’s a tan|

Episode 3|Yuanisu-san|Wasn’t Jero the Enka Singer here? (may be wrong. Also this is annoying because this guy is half Indian, half Japanese. Jero is of Black and Jpns decent.)

Episode 4|Cecilia Hisako-san (maybe)| You work at a snack bar or pub, right? (The verb is “to be”, but I read some of her story and a man encountered her and assumed she must be a worker at some bar or something since she is ‘foreign’)

Episode 1｜翔さん｜「きみ、外国人登録証を見せなさい」

Episode 2｜レジーナさん｜ルーツを聞かれても「日サロ」だよって

Episode 3｜ゆうアニースさん｜演歌歌手のジェロっていたじゃないですか…

Episode 4｜セシリア久子さん｜「スナックとかパブにいるんでしょ？

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|I can’t show you my foreigners registration card|

「きみ、外国人登録証を見せなさい」

Sho-san was born of his Ghanaian father and Japanese mother in Japan. Three months after he was born, they moved (the verb is actually “migrate” AND “immigrate”) to Ghana and he lived there for three years. Around the age of three, Sho-san returned to Japan and has lived in Tokyo ever since.

翔さんは日本でガーナ人の父と日本人の母のもとに生まれた。生後3ヶ月でガーナに移住し、その後3年間はガーナで暮らした。3歳の頃日本に帰国し、それ以降は東京都内で暮らしている。

What kind of experiences did you have in elementary school?

About three months passed after I entered school where three upper classmen bullied me on 2 instances. From that moment I realized, “of course, I’m going to be made into a big idiot”. That was a bit difficult for me mentally, I guess.

――小学校ではどんな経験があった？

入学してから3ヶ月ぐらい経ったとき、2つ上の上級生3人からいじめを受けてさ。その時から「俺はやっぱりすごいバカにされてるんだな」ってことに気づいて。あれはちょっと精神的につらかったかな

Did they call you names or anything?

Names? It was already pretty crazy. If it was just names, that’s doable, but when it got violent, I understood from that day that I was really being bullied.

After that, I began to dislike school. I would often just go back home on my way to school. My parents also had to take me to school by car at times, too. My parents were worried, so they made me go to this school for students like me who had ADHD. It was just once a week though. Thanks to that school, I was able to change.

It was mostly those younger than me who did the teasing. They called me things like “chocolate” and “baked senbei”. I kind of hated being different from everyone. Kind of like, “you’re the only odd one out”. So, there were days when it was only me. The only around to give advice were the teachers and my parents. I felt like there I didn’t really have friends I could talk with (about being hafu). But, in 8th grade, I got really good at track and field, devoted myself to practicing, and forgot about the bullying. Though I said the school from earlier changed me, track and field changed me, too.

――何か言葉で言われたりとか？

言葉というか、もう暴力という感じだね。言葉だけだったらまだいいけど、暴力になると「俺はやっぱりいじめられてるんだな」っていうのがその日からわかった。

それ以来学校行くのがちょっと嫌になって。登校する途中で自分の家に戻ってきてしまうっていうことがあった。親に車で学校に送ってもらったりしたこともあった。

困った親は、俺みたいにADHD（注意欠陥・多動性障害）をもってる子ども達を対象とした児童学校に行かせたんだよね。週1回だけなんだけど。その学校に行ったおかげで、自分を変えられるきっかけにはなったんだよね。

年下からもからかわれたことはあった。「チョコレート」とか、「焼きせんべい」とか、いろいろ言われてたね。

みんなと違うっていうのがちょっと嫌だったかな。「君だけ仲間はずれ」みたいな。だから一人でいた日もあったし、相談に乗れるのが先生か親しかいなかった。相談に乗ってくれる友達があんまりいなかったって感じで。

でも中2からは部活動（陸上競技）でレベルがだんだん上がってきて、そこからいじめのことは忘れて練習に打ち込むようになって。さっきの児童学校が俺を変えてくれたっていうのもあったけど、陸上も俺を変えてくれたものの1つなんだよね。

The bullying was intense/severe, huh….

Maybe it was also that I had no pride. Though I was bullied, it’s not that I didn’t fight back because I was calm or because I thought “there is no use in fighting back”… (sorry, not too confident about this part). I think I just didn’t have any pride.

I kind of just thought “is this over yet?” Even now I think the same. At work and all. Despite being bullied, I’m used to it. So, I just ignore it like, “oh, yeah… What’s up with that?” I can just think I can completely ignore people who say stuff.

――いじめはきつかっただろうね…。

いじめに対しては自分にプライドがないっていうのもあったかもしれない。いじめられてもやり返さなかったのは、冷静でいたわけでも「やりかえしてはいけない」って意識でいたわけでもなくて。ただ単にプライドがなかっただけなんだと思う。

いじめられても「もういいかな」って感じで。今でもそうなんだけど。仕事でも。いじめられるのに慣れたから「あ、そう。それがどうした？」って流すような感じで無視してる。「言ってる人にはひたすら無視すればいいや」っていうふうに思えた。

Oh, I see. It’s been pretty difficult, huh. What is work like?

When I worked at kaiten sushi, the manager on shift would ask “can you speak English?” each time he came by me. Even customers would ask “Where are you from?” and say things like “Oh, your Japanese is so good!”

I often got stopped by police during the day among other things. They’d say, “Hey you. Show me your foreign registration card”. I thought, “What? I don’t know anything about that.” I would say, “I’m Japanese!” but they still would say, “no. You have to have your foreigners card”. I thought, “wow, they’re persistent.” Just at that time, my mother came by chance. She explained, “He’s Japanese! He doesn’t need a freakin’ foreigners card!” and cleared things up. When it’s just me, they don’t believe me at all. That really worried me. (sorry. Not confident in that either)

――そうか、そこにいくまでは結構つらかっただろうね。仕事での経験はどう？

回転寿司で働いていたときは巡回するマネージャーから「英語喋れるの？」って毎回聞かれたり、店のフロアでもお客様から「きみどこから来たの？」って、そういうのを毎回聞かれてた。「きみ日本語上手だね」っていうのも、1日に1組からは絶対言われてた。

よく昼間に警察に止められたりすることもあって。「きみ、（外国人）登録証見せなさい」って。「は？そんなの知らない」と思ってさ。「日本人ですよ」みたいな感じで言っても「いやいや登録証がないとだめだよ」って。「しつこいな」と。

ちょうどその時母親が偶然通りかかって、「彼日本人なんで登録証必要ありません」って説明したら一発で納得してくれてさ。俺のときは全く納得してくれなかったのに。そういうのには本当に困った。

They just randomly asked about the foreigner’s card?

Yeah. They already judged with their eyes, right? It’s really cruel. If I said I was Ghanaian, I wouldn’t think that. I’ve always lived in Japan, so of course I would think “I am Japanese.”

But, of course, based on appearances, one would think, “uh, something’s a little different though, yeah?”

It starts with the skin color -- “you’re completely different from Japanese people”. There are many others besides that. If you put it simply, I look foreign based on appearances. But if you look inside and at my soul, I’m Japanese. I think in this way.

Because I was able to change completely, I am who I am today. I had some bullying in my childhood and dealings with ADHD though. I met many people, learned many things, and improved myself. Even if you’re not hafu, even human, you should challenge everything. I hope our future selves can laugh.

――いきなり「登録証見せて」って言われるんだ。

うん。もう見た目でしか判断してないよね。本当あれは酷かった。自分が「ガーナ人」なのかなって言ったらそうとは思わない。むしろずっと暮らしてるのは日本だからやっぱり「自分は日本人だ」という認識の方が強い。

だけれど、やっぱり見た目で言ったら周りから「ちょっと違うのかな？」って思われてしまう時がある。「日本人とはまったく違う」っていうのが肌の色から始まるんだけど。それ以外のいろんな面でも。簡単に言っちゃうと、見た目は外人と思われるけど、中身とか魂は日本人だみたいな。そういう風に思ってる。

やっぱり自分を変えてくれるきっかけがあったから、今の自分があるってわけで。小さい頃のいじめだとか、自分が抱えてたADHDのこととかもあったんだけど。いろんな人に出会ったり、いろんなものを学んだりして、改善して、今の自分があるっていう感じかなとは思ってる。ハーフじゃなくても人間何でも挑戦すべき。未来の自分が笑ってられるように。

*Under pic*

Sho-san works as a social worker. His co-workers are very kind. Sho-san said, “it’s a good work environment” with a bright facial expression (Japanese is so oddly detailed at times, like wut. I guess I could have said with a smile…). However, there is always the reality of being seen as a “foreigner” by the glancing eyes whenever he goes out. As well as the frequent stops by police demanding for a foreigner’s card.

翔さんは現在福祉関係の仕事で働いている。仕事場の同僚は非常に優しく、翔さんは「働きやすい環境だ」と明るい表情で説明してくれた。しかし、一歩外に出れば、彼を「外国人」として眼差す視線が日々待ち構えているという現実がある。警察による路上での外国人登録証の提示要求はその典型とも言える。

#efurutravel #30daytranslationchallenge #japanese study #studyblr #langblr #japanese studyblr

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kofiboateng10 · 7 years

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Back to the Grind

(Day 1/365)

So this is my first day in the life-type post, and I definitely have a lot to share!

I took a weekend trip with one of my best friends from Westerville, Michael to see two of our friends from right outside Indianapolis, Nick and Simon. We left last Thursday, and got back on Sunday afternoon, so I could go to church with my parents for the annual New Year’s Eve Service.

On the trip we played a lot of ping pong, saw The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman, and went to Nick’s mom’s retirement celebration/holiday party, and Shelby, (Simon’s little sister, WHO JUST GOT INTO VANDY)’s birthday party. My favorite part of the weekend was the movie for sure. The CGI was not great, but the music, dancing, Zendaya, and a lot of the deeper points really hit home for me.

There’s a point in the movie where the opera singers says, “Sometimes I feel like I don’t belong here”. This was because she was born in the lower class, and her voice and talent has propelled her to the upper class because they I guess are the most appreciative of her art, and have the money to make her famous. She says this because it becomes increasingly easy to see that Hugh Jackman’s character (P.T Barnum) is losing his sense of self in the attempt to get the upper class to accept him. This is something I feel like I struggle with as a black teenage boy singing opera. My family is from Ghana, and I am first-generation. My parents saw my first ever opera performance as Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, and they did not understand it at all. Sometimes, it is hard to try and find the balance between chasing success with the people who understand and appreciate opera, and continuing to be humble, and not forget where I come from.

Anyway, that has been on my mind lately, and it’s good I get to write it out because it helps me to think better.

Anyway, the service went fine, although I could barely play the bass guitar because my hand was cramping up, but I made it. I found out halfway through the service that I was supposed to go to work this morning at 10:30am, and I accidentally slept through that alarm because when I got back from Indiana, my new Echo Dot was waiting for me, and I spent all night setting it up, and updating my calendars, and generally having fun with it. I’m really excited to see what kind of use I can make of it.

Speaking of my calendars, I have a lot to do before I leave home, hence why I called this post, Back to the Grind. I have to update my resume so I can apply to internships, and update my FAFSA just to get it out the way. Also, my voice professor just texted me a new practice schedule and I’m super excited to get started with that. I have to go to the government office tomorrow, and I also have lunch with one of Mr. Kridler’s friends, Dwight Smith.

I also found out over the weekend that I will be singing Pontifex in J.S Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion in April, and I am singing on a masterclass for the famous tenor, Stanford Olsen in February. The Concerto Competition is in 20 days exactly, and I have not sung in 3 weeks. Hopefully I can get into good vocal shape in two weeks or so. Auditions for next fall’s opera are also in the next two months, and I’ve got to find some summer programs to apply for.

As you can see, I have a lot on my shoulders, but I’m looking forward to tackling the year, reading more, taking more pictures, and generally getting back to a place of productivity and happiness that I have not been at for a few years. I feel the motivation now, but I know that it will have to become discipline in the next few weeks to keep this up. I’m excited, and I hope you all are too! Let’s do this!

#onthegrind #2018letsdothis

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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WAFU Cup semifinal preview: Intensity makes hosts Senegal the favourites

Hosts Senegal face a stern test when they meet Mali in Wednesday’s WAFU Cup of Nations semifinal, with Ghana set to square off with the Ivory Coast on Tuesday in the other final-four showdown.

The Teranga Lions have impressed on home soil, taking control early against Guinea-Bissau in their opening fixture, before dispatching Benin in Thursday’s quarterfinal.

They attacked vibrantly and fluidly in their first match, and while the Bissau-Guineans threatened a comeback after pulling one back, the midfield duo of Moustapha Name and El Hadji Mackie Kane represented a fearsome defensive barrier as Senegal saw out the contest.

The hosts boast a physicality and intensity that no other teams have matched, and naturally, passionate home support gives them an edge which makes them favourites to clinch the title.

“It’s so important for us to win, to make sure the supporters continue to come to the stadium,” attacker Assane Mbodj told ESPN. “It will be so again, in our following game, to keep them coming.

“God willing, we can make up for Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations [the Teranga Lions were defeated by Algeria in the final], and we’ll do everything to win the cup.”

Their first victory was secured without four players from domestic champions Generation Foot, with the quartet away in Egypt on CAF Champions League duties.

Ultimately, their game against SC Zamalek was cancelled, and two of the four immediately stepped into the starting XI for the quarterfinal victory over a talented Benin side, with Khadim Diaw particularly impressive in defence.

While teams at the WAFU Cup have struggled to consistently create throughout matches, to impose themselves and to construct fluent attacking moves, the presence of the intelligent, hard-working Mbodj behind leading forward Youssouph Badji has ensured that their midfield links to their forward line better than the other contenders.

However, Mali have quality of their own, and are certainly capable of causing an upset.

Notably, the Eagles have taken early leads in both of their opening games; Issaka Samake fired them ahead from the penalty spot after three minutes in their opener against Niger, when the Menas panicked and brought down marauding wideman Mamaye Coulibaly to give away a spot kick.

Mali ultimately cruised to a 3-1 victory, with Moussa Kone scoring twice.

In their quarterfinal against Sierra Leone, they again took command early, with Ali Badra Sylla heading them into a fourth-minute lead from which the Leone Stars never truly looked like recovering.

“Our match [against Niger] wasn’t very open,” said Eagles coach Diane Nouhoum in his post-match press conference, “but technically, we had more than our opponents, so we had chances and that always gives us hope.

“We know, again, that we have to do all we can not to concede, and we know that against Senegal that won’t be easy.

“Our defensive unit must work together, and we must find a good balance between our offensive work and our defence if we’re going to have another good game against Senegal.”

Coulibaly, a tall and ungainly winger, has been key to their success; contributing a magnificent assist for Kone in the opener, before setting up Sylla again in the second match.

How Senegal negate his threat could decide the outcome of Wednesday’s semifinal.

The least impressive of the four semifinalists, Ghana, have yet to truly shine in the competition so far; they laboured to a 1-0 victory over The Gambia in their opener, with Joseph Esso scoring the only goal of the game, before requiring penalties to dispatch Burkina Faso in their quarterfinal following a 1-1 draw.

Esso was again influential in this contest, dovetailing well with Mumuni Shafiu and providing the assist for the equaliser after Ilias Tiendrebeogo had put the Stallions ahead.

Ghana’s midfield are combative and solid, while Augustine Okrah provided a touch of class after being introduced from the start against Burkina Faso having been benched for the opener.

There is hope that the Black Stars will continue to improve. The players are short of match sharpness following the suspension of domestic football, while Asante Kotoko players only joined the squad late following their CAF Champions League commitments last weekend.

These caveats mean that Maxwell Konadu’s troops deserve the benefit of the doubt ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with the Ivory Coast, where the team’s brittle optimism will certainly be tested.

While some of Ghana’s players have voiced concerns about the team’s preparation and readiness for the competition, the Ivorians are a united and confident collective who have come to Senegal to win their first WAFU Cup title.

Their opening 4-1 victory over Cape Verde – the most convincing display by any side in the First Round – looked even more impressive in light of the latter’s triumph over Nigeria, with Laurent Magbi and Aboubacar Doumbia scoring two goals each.

Then they downed a well organised Togo side in the quarters, with penalties settling the contest following a 0-0 draw.

If Ghana can neutralise the Elephants as Togo did, then they have a fighting chance, and while Ivorian celebrations at the conclusion of their victory demonstrated the belief and the confidence of the group, they may yet prove premature.

The Plate

This year’s format means the eight teams who lost their First Round fixtures dropped into the plate competition, while the winners advanced to the cup.

Regional giants Nigeria were dispatched by Cape Verde in their quarterfinal, comfortably the smallest nation in the region, and the islanders will be confident that they’ll see off The Gambia to reach the final.

In Wednesday’s plate semi, Guinea – defeated by Benin in their opener – meet a plucky Liberia side who have been one of the more refreshing stories of the competition.

Supervised by the charismatic Robert Lartey, who has overseen the development of many of these young Lone Stars players at club level, Liberia were beaten in the First Round by Sierra Leone, with a defensive mix-up allowing the Leone Stars in for the first-half winner.

Paired with a much bigger, stronger Niger unit in their quarterfinal, Liberia rode their luck at times – and were the beneficiaries of a bizarre refereeing call – but their individual quality in the final third ultimately saw them strike a winner through the excellent Kelvin Potis.

The wideman has been one of the breakout stars of the tournament, and despite hobbling out of that encounter with a foot injury, has confirmed to ESPN that he is back in contention for the semifinal clash with Guinea.

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myriadmuzik · 8 years

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http://myriadmuzik.com/artist-interviews-mike-kensah/ #ArtistInterviews @MikeKensah

Recently we got to sit down with up and coming Hip-hop artist Mike Kensah and talk about a variety of things from influences, music’s purpose, heritage and more. Check out the full interview below

1. How did you get started in music?

Mike: Growing up I’ve always liked music and everything about it. Besides that my aunty (Georgia Agyei), ie my mother’s sister is an established gospel artist back in Ghana. My grandmother also used to be a singer, so i can say music has always been apart of me subconsciously or consciously.

2. At what point in your progress did you realize that you were good enough or could be good enough to do this?

Mike: I was about 15 years old when i first recorded a track in a professional studio.

Anybody that I played it for couldn’t believe it was actually me. They said i sounded like a pro already and i had confidence in my voice. Bottom line they liked my style. Since then I’ve always enjoyed the writing, recording & mixing process.

3. Who/what are some of your main non-musical influences? (movies,books,public figures, actors etc..)How do you feel their influence correlates to your music? And is their influences directly applicable to your music?

Mike: Doctor Kwame Nkrumah, a very respected Man/Leader who gained independence for Ghana, the first country to gain independence in the whole of Africa. So you can see how easy a kid will be influenced by such bravery and power. Especially Ghana being my origin of birth and motherland. Another great figure that influenced me is Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcom X and everybody else that influenced the world and changed lives.

4. You also cited Tupac, Big L, Nipsey Hussle, Akon, & Chris Brown as some of your musical influences, that’s a wide range of very different artists, what do you take from each of those guys specifically?

Mike: first of all i respect every Artist doing music on a major platform, every artist that has passion for his or her music thus consistency and a goal of changing lives through their lyrics and lifestyle.

What i take from Tupac: Bluntness, motivational messages in his music, standing up for something, his respect for women etc.

Chris Brown : His over all talent, it seems whatever he put his mind to, he does it. causes that guy sings, raps, dances, back flips, he shows you, you could do anything you put your mind to and be great at it. At least that’s how Chris influences me.

Nipsey Hussle: The whole independence thing. Owning your own, cutting out the middle man. Nipsey’s music speak to me in a lot of ways i relate.

Akon: We both share similar story for the fact that he’s an African like myself, and migrated with his family from Africa. None of that stopped him from succeeding majorly in the American Music industry, that alone motivates me and gives me hope that i can make it too.

5. You’re Ghanaian, explain how your culture and background effects your music?

Mike: In Ghana my culture is an Ashanti Culture, if you do your research, the Ashanti Kingdom has been around since the 1600’s. we’re known for Gold being out major products. Prior to the Europeans invading us and trading Golds, slavery etc. with all that being said i think you can find that in my music.

6. What do you think music/art’s role is in the world and society and do you think it is fulfilling it’s purpose currently?

Mike: i think without music the world would’ve been a crazy and boring place. And yes its fulfilling its purpose people use music to escape from depression, problems, reality etc. like i said without it, i can’t imagine.

7. If you had to do one other art form besides music what would it be and why? And do you have any plans to ever implement this art form to your music if possible?

Mike: Drawing, i always to start with a blank mind, just like the blank page. I drawing what I imagine and i keep drawing as i keep imagining so to me i feel that freedom in creativity is everything and there’s no room for mistakes for that matter cause i create as i go. I very much implement every bit of it in my music since i like to go to the studio with a blank mind and start creating from scratch, i always like that challenge and freedom than to go in with a concept already, it keeps me limited to stick to the script or whatever.

8. In Hip-Hop we constantly hear about it’s lack of originality or diminishing quality..Do you believe there is such a thing as “bad” music?

Mike: I don’t believe that at all, i think people feel however they wanna feel about music. With that being said, we all cant feel the same way or like the same music. People relate differently so everybody is entitled to their opinion, me being an artist i don’t expect everybody to like my music.

9. If you had free reign to do what you wanted and complete creative control what would you do artistically? (if you could put on a certain stage show, film a documentary, perform at the super bowl etc..)

Mike: Put on a free stage show for everybody, poor, rich etc

10. Where do you see your career going and what goals do you hope to attain?

Mike: I see my career on a major level, i hear my name being mentioned amongst the greats that ever did it dead or alive. I see myself being apart of hip-hop culture. I see my Albums in people’s favorite categories. I see my works changing lives of listeners that need it.

Links to social media

http://www.insidemanagement.net/

Twitter- https://mobile.twitter.com/mikekensah?lang=en

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mikekensah/

Music:

https://itun.es/us/wViphb?i=1195150897

https://m.soundcloud.com/mikekensah

https://open.spotify.com/album/1HpXWBTvyBbFXqCPYHAm60

#artist interviews #indie artist #indie artists #hip hop #independent hip hop #east coast #new music #new artist #new hip hop #dope #interview #music interviews #music interview

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footballghana · 4 years

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Archdeacon: Ex-UD soccer player making a difference

Our nation was built on dreamers and such is the story of Isaac Kissi.

Some 14 years ago he was coming out of a chemistry class at the University of Ghana when he was told there were some American college coaches at the soccer field and they were looking for talented players.

“It was the last day before they were leaving, so I said to our coach, ‘Let me try quick. You never know,’” Kissi recalled. “I actually borrowed a friend’s cleats and hopped into the action and the guys all got me involved.

“Afterward, Paul Souders, the (assistant) coach from Dayton, said he liked the way everyone was drawn to me and my coach said, ‘Yeah, and he’s smart, too.’

“And that’s when Coach Souders said, ‘How would you like to play soccer at the University of Dayton?’

“I’d had chances in the past to go play in Europe, but my parents felt I was way too young to leave home and besides, soccer wasn’t guaranteed. But this was a chance to play and get an education. To me it was a no-brainer.

“I had no clue where Dayton was, but I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t care. It’s somewhere in America!’ And back then every kid in my neighborhood had hopes of coming to the U.S.”

In those days he said he embraced a popular world view of America:

“America was the beacon of hope for everyone. There could be turmoil in the rest of the world, but America would step in and say, ‘Hey, knock it off! Get it together!’

“I had dreams of being a part of all that. I had dreams of making a difference.”

And since leaving Ghana, the 33-year-old Kissi has done just that.

•He starred at the University of Dayton, leading the Flyers in goals and points as a senior and being named the team MVP and an All-Atlantic 10 first team selection. He got his degree and was drafted in the third round of the 2010 MLS Draft by Chivas USA.

He played three season with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL before knee injuries all but shelved his career. He did return in 2018 to play for the Rochester Lancers of the NPSL, is the general manager of the Roc City Boom, a UPSL team in Rochester, and now he’s helped open a pipeline of talent from Ghana to UD that’s brought the Flyers some top players recently.

•He also graduated from the University of Rochester nursing school in 2016 and now is a registered nurse who’s spent the past several months working on the front lines in the COVID-19 battle.

He worked in the ICU unit at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, where he was engulfed in the nonstop life and death struggles at the height of the pandemic in New York. And now he is doing COVID-19 testing in Rochester for the government.

•And in 2017 he proudly became a United States citizen.

Through all of this, Kissi has fully eclipsed some of those skewed theories and negative stereotypes too many people are embracing these days. Their narrow view of America is not what Kissi grew up idolizing and it certainly is not what made America great.

Our strength has come from a diverse collection of dreamers from all over who make a positive impact in our melting pot nation.

Kissi is that in many ways. He is:

—An immigrant success story.

—A black life that matters in so many ways.

—A guy who puts himself on the line every day to help get the rest of us through the perils of COVID- 19. And in the process he is a voice of caution and reason when too many people are floating false narratives about the deadly pandemic.

And along with all this, he’s also dealt with a heartbreaking loss of his own.

His beloved father, Samuel Kissi – who did so much for him and his three siblings when they were growing up – had been in declining heath for the past several months.

Last year Isaac had begun the procedure to bring his dad to America to get better medical treatment. But even though all the proper paperwork had been done for months, he said he was told by government officials he needed more proof that this was his dad.

But the unnecessary red tape took a deadly toll.

His 63-year-old father died in Ghana a couple of weeks ago. The paperwork finally had cleared a few days earlier, but by then his dad was too sick to travel.

Although he’s continued with his COVID-19 testing work, Isaac was forced to drop out of the classes he was taking to become a nurse practitioner. He wouldn’t be able to finish the semester.

He is headed back to Ghana in eight days and the family will hold his father’s memorial service on Aug. 1.

‘This is not fake’

Samuel Kissi and his wife Comfort raised their four children on the principles of hard work and the strength of family.

“My dad worked with all his might and strength to put us all through college,” Isaac said. “He worked as a driver and transport officer with the electricity company in Ghana. He would take the engineers to different sites.

“He saved everything he could, so instead of staying in hotels on those trips, he’d sleep in his car or stay with a friend or just sleep on a bench somewhere. That way he could save those extra bucks and put them toward our tuitions or maybe get me those soccer cleats I had been pestering him for.”

All four of the children did go to college.

It helped that Isaac got scholarship money to go to UD, but he admits it still wasn’t easy for him in the beginning:

“It was a big culture shock and I had to adjust to the weather – I didn’t have warm clothes – and I had to get used to the food, too.”

What compounded his homesickness – something he said he told almost no one about – was that before he’d left Ghana, he and a young woman there had had a baby daughter.

“It surprised us both,” he said. “Our daughter was a gift from God. That’s why I named her Gifty. Her mother was amazing. She understood the situation and my parents got involved, too, but I never spoke about it in Dayton. I didn’t know how people would react.”

Eventually he felt overwhelmed.

“I remember I’d just gotten out of class and was walking past the athletic building and met Coach Souders. He was like, ‘How’s it going? Talk to me.’

“And that’s when I just broke down. There was all the craziness of a new place and my daughter at home and on top of that, I’d just lost my wallet and all my money.

“Coach Souders and Coach (Dennis) Currier both spoke to me and they gave me avenues to follow and resources that were available at school and that went a long way.

“Most of all I had to come to the realization that I wasn’t just living for myself now. I had a daughter. And I had a whole lot of other people looking up to me. And with my dad, I just wanted to make him proud.”

He did that on the soccer field and in the classroom.

And when injuries shortened his athletic career, his older sister, Gloria, who’s a nurse in the Navy, suggested he try nursing because he was good in the sciences and had had some first-hand experience with his own medical care.

He became a traveling nurse and worked in Fayetteville, N.C. and Syracuse. And he was at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo when the COVID-19 surge began.

“In the ICU I’d turn the intubated patients, run the drips, look at the vital signs,” he said. “We took care of lot of people. We discharged a lot and saw a lot die, too.

“Because their family and friends couldn’t see them, you became more than just their nurse. You became family.

“The older population sometimes can’t operate their phones so you make the calls for them. You try to set up FaceTimes with their families and you encourage them to eat.

“And sometimes you didn’t even get to say goodbye. You’d go home and the next day they weren’t there. You were told, ‘We lost them overnight.’

“But there was no time to grieve because we had more and more patients. It was scary at times. We were reusing PPE. That’s something you’re not taught in nursing school.

“It was tough. My mind went to some dark places during those times. It got to the point where I sometimes questioned my faith: ‘Why is God making this happen? These are good people and through no fault of their own, they contracted this.’”

Now he’s working at a COVID-19 testing site set up at Monroe Community College in Rochester.

“In the past two months we’ve tested about 16,000 people,” he said.

After being immersed in the coronavirus battle, he said: “It hurts me to hear people politicizing this and saying the virus is a hoax. I try to educate them. I tell them I’ve seen people drop like flies.

“I’ve seen so much pain and sadness. This is not fake.”

‘A great place for me’

He continues to give the best care he can no matter who he ends up treating.

“I’ve taken care of people with swastika tattoos and peopled dressed head to foot with the Confederate flag,” he said. “But you suspend all that and try to go above and beyond.”

He said, now with so much getting polarized and politicized, we instead “need to pull together more than ever.”

Back in Ghana – a nation of just over 31 million – there have been some 18,000 COVID-19 cases, but as of Thursday night, just 117 deaths.

He said people there bought into the precautionary steps early and adhered to them since.

Yet, for all the fractures he now sees here, he said he still believes “America is one of the greatest countries in the world.”

He appreciates the multiculturalism of the nation: “It’s the only super group country where you can add your native country to your designation. We have African Americans, Italian Americans, Irish Americans. That’s not the case other places.”

After his father’s memorial he plans to bring Gifty – she’ll be 15 in November – back to Rochester with him. And he’s hoping to get paperwork cleared to bring his mother, too.

He’ll go back to the University of Rochester to finish the nurse practitioners’ program and he hopes to keep his hand in soccer, both playing and giving personal 1-on-1 instruction to young players.

He said one day he wants to return to Ghana and open a small clinic with his sister:

“We want to mimic the health care system we have here so when you’re back home and you hear someone in your family is sick, it doesn’t mean it’s a death sentence.”

Another hope for him is to one day return to the University of Dayton:

“I’d like to be involved with Dayton someday. It was a great place for me. The decision I made to come to UD as a teenager, I‘d make it 100 times more now. I was able to do so much thanks to Dayton.”

He’s an immigrant success story.

He became an American citizen.

And just like he once dreamed, he has made a difference.

Source: journal-news.com

source: https://footballghana.com/

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thekolsocial · 5 years

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The Conservation Issue #4

New Post has been published on https://thekolsocial.com/the-conservation-issue-4/

The Conservation Issue #4

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The Conservation Issue #4 goes live at 9.00am Wed 5th Feb

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The Conservation Issue #4

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Mobile users: swipe page to view magazine[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] .embed-container position: relative; padding-bottom:56.25%; height:0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;

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(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push(); [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes” padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1475579602783background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;” bg_video=”” class=”” style=””][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1475579615662padding-right: 50px !important;”][vc_custom_heading text=”Editor’s Letter” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:46|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Is three the magical number? It is fitting that our bumper third issue falls over the festive season and New Year, the perfect time to host our launch party. Celebrate with us on Saturday 7 December at Arboretum, London’s first environmentally friendly private members club.

I am excited to see our Diversity Groups Directory grow, each issue. This month, our collective of entrepreneurs share editorial space with two important leaders of ‘blue ocean’ businesses. Percy Miller, aka Master P, leads the issue in First Word on page page 10, outlining his blueprint for success. Olivier Laouchez, Founder of multimedia brand Trace, headlines in our new business section on page 75. Both are great examples of how a minority owned business could leverage unique differences and talents to identify untapped market spaces. Perhaps they will inspire more mainstream organisations to mindfully use the power of diversity to grow new markets.

On page 25, we talk to Nana Offoriatta Ayim, author of The God Child, about her powerful debut book and why she thinks Ghana is making waves on the global front. This, the ‘Year of Return in Ghana’ sees the tourism authority expecting revenue to top $925 million, a 50 per cent increase from 2018. Ghana certainly has firmly placed itself on the map as a cultural hotspot.

With the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and World Expo in Dubai, next year promises to be a celebration of cultural diversity, which makes it an exciting time for The KOL Social team. We look forward to you being part of our future success in 2020.

Marcia Degia[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”17933″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_outline” border_color=”black”]

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[vc_single_image image=”14644″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_outline” border_color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes” padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” bg_video=”” class=”” style=””][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Featured Contributors” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The Future Issue #3[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes” padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” bg_video=”” class=”” style=””][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”14636″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”Publishing Director Zena Tuitt” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The KOL Social’s newly appointed Publishing Director Zena Tuitt has a long-standing passion for cultural diversity and inclusion in business and the creative industries. She started her career at The Voice Newspaper, followed by diversity and talent development roles at the likes of Channel 4 and Channel 5, later working in marketing and theatrical sales roles at Universal Video, Warner Bros. and Buena Vista. She has produced multiple projects including SoleSeekers film (2018) and the play J’Ouvert by Yasmin Joseph; and a number of events including World Afro Day (2017) and American Black Film Festival: London (2019). She joins us after a 14-year career at Ernst & Young in business development, marketing and management consulting. She sits down with iconic rap mogul and entrepreneur Master P on page 11.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” bg_video=”” class=”” style=””][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push(); [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” bg_video=”” class=”” style=””][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”Arts Editor Lisa Anderson” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]The KOL Social’s new Arts Editor Lisa Anderson is an independent curator, writer and art advisor, with a background in International Relations and Human Rights. In 2015 she developed @blackbritishart as a curatorial enquiry into the contemporary art practice of artists from the African Diaspora in the UK. She has curated and sold works of award-winning artists for firms like Latham and Watkins. She participated in the International Curators Forum ‘Outside the Frame Programme’ for emerging curators between 2017 and 2018. She is an advisory board member for Addis Fine Art and Uchenna Dance. In 2019 she founded Lisa Anderson Art Advisory. Read her interview with artist Michaela Yeardwood-Dan on page 44 lisaandersonartadvisory.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”14637″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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afrikanza · 6 years

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10 African Cities Known for Music

Music is the voice of a people’s culture. African music is the sound of the continent’s culture.

While every community in Africa has its own kind of music, there are certain countries that have more established music centers than others.

We are going to consider African cities where music is dominant in terms of music infrastructure and the culture of music as a people’s way of life. Here we go!

10. Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou is the capital city of Burkina Faso. Baptized by the legendary Thomas Sankara, this city is famous for its traditional music setup.

However, you can still find a blend of modern music, in addition to traditional musical entertainment. Ouagadougou is also known for its spectacular cultural displays, especially traditional clothing.

Some of the popular music venues include Le Bateau Ivre, Le Calypso, Dancing Acapulco, Byblos, and The Mask, among others.

9. Accra

Accra is the capital city of Ghana. It is the original home of the Pan-Africanist movement, established by Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.

Renowned musical artists that have made Accra their base include Ria Boss, Rvdical The Kid, Alex Wondergem, FOKN Bois, Gafacci, among others.

Some of the popular music venues in Ghana include Clear Spice, Chez Afrique, Kona Café & Grill, Labadi Beach, +233 Jazz Bar, Plotseven, Champs Sports Bar & Grill, Republic Bar & Grill, Rockstone’s Office, among others.

In case you are one of those who loves a mix of cultural music and contemporary Western music, Alliance Francaise and Geote Institute are some of the few places. Some of the renowned cultural groups in Accra include Afrochella.

8. Abidjan

Abidjan is the capital city of Ivory Coast. Ivory is the most populous French-speaking city in West Africa.

French has a great cultural influence in Ivory Coast. As such, music in Abidjan has been greatly influenced by French. There is a great Franco-African fusion when it comes to music.

Indeed, Abidjan is often referred to as Africa’s Paris. Many big names in Ivory Coast started off their music career in Abidjan and later on relocated to Paris to make an international appeal.

7. Luanda

Luanda is the capital city of Angola. It is one of the fastest developing cities in Africa, thanks to its booming oil and diamonds industries that have financed its rapid expansion.

However, it being the most expensive city in Africa, plus being predominantly Portuguese speaking, it has discouraged a lot of musicians from other parts of Africa.

Angola is one of the few countries in Africa that are Portuguese speaking. As such, its music is heavily influenced by the Portuguese dialect and culture. Semba is the traditional music in Angola.

However, it has undergone a lot of Portuguese influence such that you can hardly distinguish it from the Brazilian Samba.

Apart from Semba, other music genres that have native influence include Kizomba, lKiduro, Kilapanda, Zouk, and Merengue.

6. Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. It is also the capital city of Africa – being home to the African Union (AU) headquarters. Addis Ababa is probably the oldest city in North-Eastern Africa.

Ethiopians have a well-established ancient culture pre-dating the Biblical times. As such, compared to most Sub-Saharan cities, Ethiopia has a very authentic culture that was less influenced by colonialism. It is the only country in Africa that was neither enslaved nor colonized.

Ethiopians as a people are very proud of their culture. This can be observed in their music, religion, language, and even form of writing.

5. Lagos

Lagos, though not the capital city, is the biggest city in Nigeria, and so far the biggest in West Africa. This coastal city boasts of being a melting pot of West African cultures.

From music to film, Lagos has cut out its special place in West Africa. Although it faces competition from the capital city, Abuja, in terms of infrastructure, Lagos is more livable than Abuja.

Thus, more people find it a great place for leisure and entertainment.

4. Dakar

Dakar is the cultural capital of West Africa. Through deliberate effort by Senegal’s first president, Leopold Senghor, to promote music and Senegalese culture, Dakar became a prominent city with musicians from neighboring countries finding it a welcoming music base.

3. Nairobi

Famously billed as the ‘City in the Sun.’

Nairobi is not only the capital city of Kenya but also the largest city in the Eastern and Central Africa. As such, it has a reasonably good music infrastructure.

Most upcoming musicians from East and Central Africa find it more convenient to establish a base in Nairobi as they nurture their skills and talents. In Nairobi, you can get famous names from DRC, Tanzania, Uganda, and Somalia carrying out their music venture.

Chibalonza of DRC, Jose Chameleon of Uganda, and Diamond Platinumz of Tanzania are just but a few of the recent ones to have a base in Nairobi.

2. Johannesburg

Johannesburg is a melting pot of cultures, predominantly African and European cultures. During the long period of Apartheid, Johannesburg used to be predominantly a European music capital in Africa. However, after the end of Apartheid, Indigenous African music started permeating every facet of Johannesburg.

Though there are not so many big music names coming from Johannesburg, this capital city has a world-class music infrastructure. As such, most music recordings by big names in Southern and Eastern Africa are done in Johannesburg.

Big music names from South Africa include Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube, among many others.

1. Kinshasa-Brazzaville

Kinshasa is the capital city of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, or simply Congo-Kinshasa), while Brazzaville is the capital city of the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). These are twin cities only separated by a river which forms the national border between these two countries.

It is common to have musicians crisscrossing from one side to the other for music production and live performances. Sometimes, it is hard to distinguish whether a given musician is from Kinshasa or Brazzaville.

Kinshasa is known as the Lingala capital of Africa due to the dominance of the Lingala music (a music genre that blends French, and local dialects).

Some of the famous musicians from Kinshasa-Brazzaville include Franklin Boukaka, Franco Matiadi, Tabu Ley, Kofi Olomide, among many others.

The music blends naturally into the indigenous lifestyle of the people of Congo. It is the traditional way of life that is expressed in almost every other social activity.

The final note

You cannot meaningfully talk about Africa without mentioning its unique kind of music. With over 5,000 ethnic groups, Africa’s music beats are diverse.

Nonetheless, visiting music scenes in Africa’s capitals is the best way to have a one-pot recipe for a fused collection of dozens of those cultures in each respective region.

The post 10 African Cities Known for Music appeared first on Afrikanza.

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torixus · 6 years

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Fans reacts to Uyo Meya Music Video

A Nigerian Artist Teni released a mind motivational song which she named 'Uyo Meya'

After listening to the song it can make you rethink about Your Goals and Will make you stand no matter any condition you find yourself. She combined Ondo Indigenous language which basically means "I have rejoiced with people, it is my turn to be rejoiced with..." Many Fans of Hers have reacted to her NEW release through her YouTube Channel to thank her for a wonderful work Read fans reaction below Flavie mobio THAT MY LOVE OOO TENI 💖💖💖💖💖✌😙 Naijamp3zone TV Who's here for TENI, hit the like button Tolulope Seyi-Daniel Yaaaas!!!! My fave song right now. Thank you Teni wish you a mind-blowing music career growth in 2019. Ondo to the world 🌎 ❤️❤️❤️ Edith flawless If u tink Teni's voice is everything Hit d like button, thank u. Cashmoney Skystar If u pray for success in this New Year..... thumb up 💯✊ King Kay I don’t know why but there’s something spiritual about this music,who feels that too?❤️🇬🇭🇬🇧 Naijamp3zone TV TENI Go Blow this year, if you agree with me hit the like button Ever Kings Golden Voice.. Teni For Grammy, Who Agree? julius Adedeji Is all about teni documentary ...if teni can make it very sure we all can make it in this 2019.100k for teni Austin Osaretin The chorous of this song can u make rethink your life❤ TH-BLs,kpop,blythe dolls and 9japop in my soul Uyo meyo means it time to rejoice over my own success .(ondo dialect ,traditional yoruba) olatundun solomon Teni want to kill me oooo am actually crying too 😂 😂 😂 😂, much love our sister 😍 ❤ , hit me if you love teni 🕺🕺🚀🚀🚀🚀🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊 teni to DA world 🌍🌍🌍🌍 Nacybella Nacybella Who is watching and reading comment at the same time let me see your hands up🙌🙌 Ekow Amissah 🇬🇭 Ghanaians Love 🇳🇬 Nigerians like if u believe Dickson Michael Like my comment for no reason❤️ Roselyn Agbarakwe to think that i checked for the video yesterday and it wasn't uploaded yet. Then i just checked now and it was uploaded 47 mins ago,early bird. i love her musical expressions. thumbs up girl. cantonment boy icekid Am a Ghanaian 🇬🇭🇬🇭 but i love Teni more than the Nigerians even do. I wish you all the best in your career. And because of you ,i will marry a Nigerian cantonment boy icekid Leroy Lifestyle Our next rated ❤️🔥 keo roth You will be a legend like 2face ..u just unique hit like if you believe she will be a legendary musician 👩‍🎤 Seyi classic FUTURE OF NIGERIAN MUSIC!! Abena Afriyie Love from Ghana ❣️ Prince Tee Oh my this girl is just good. Teni come lemme hug you Michael Ako-Adounvo live from 🇬🇭! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽Lyrics translation please 😭 REX S TAMBA JR 😢 I don’t know why I feel so emotional 😭 listening to this song, this is my motivational song for the beginning of this year. Only if you believe you can do any thing if you work hard, this song is all about me. Thank Teni I love you ❤️ DJ Mannie ENtw Dream do come through guys keep pushing ❤❤❤ paul njau am kenyan her voice is absolutely amazing walahi.....@2:24 didnt think that guys was gonna handle the weight ..the video is amazing even though i dont understand the naija words id love to thought this ís soul satisfying ....brings peace to the year man.......this should go viral..here b4 it hits 10 mill...... Allan Kakame I'm a Ugandan that knows good Music when I listen to a song...This song almost made me me shed a Tear 😢😢😢 even if I wasn't understanding the language..but with the few "Struggle hard english words" in the song it has got me emotional This chic is on fire....🔥🔥🔥🔥 Ehigiator Henry On behalf of Nigerians living in diaspora.... I approve this music video to aired Lunga Viva Italia Nortey Wilson I was the 13 person to watch the queens new video.... Borga Gh She never go flaunt her nudeness buh surely she go go far...Thumbs up if you believe in her talent...❤️from 🇯🇵...#TeniTheMagicVoice Ozueh Emmanuel Chidera If you think the song is inspirational hit the like button.. Thank you Azemazi Gilles Teni has gone mainstream mehn.. We ain't going back... Kudos gurl ✌🎉🎉 Your fan from Cameroon 🇨🇲 Yinka Sodiq This is just so beautiful...Am I the only one who got goosebumps watching this. I know it’s January buh we just might never get a better song out of Nigeria this year. Thank you Teni✊🏽❤️ Emeka Harrison ☺️ 👕 This is Alex, he is 0 years old 👖1 like = 1 years old for Alex Best Comedies And Gags - Latest Comedy Nigerian I shed a tear for how long i been following Teni’s talent, and to see her get this big and stay original to her true self is overwhelming! Love you Dideke Bright If u see wizkid hit like❤🙏🔥 Am a Ghanaian 🇬🇭🇬🇭 but i love Teni more than the Nigerians even do. I wish you all the best in your career. And because of you ,i will marry a Nigerian cantonment boy icekid via Blogger http://bit.ly/2GWFDCI

#quotes life relationships feelings love quotes relatable quotes heartbreak heartbroken spil

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lifeartmuzic · 6 years

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Moshito beats on louder than ever

Now in its 15th year, Moshito Music Conference enters a brave new phase of expansion.

South Africa’s premier music market that has become an annual destination event for music practioners around the world will kick off on 5 September 2018.

Attracting over 16 music markets from around the world, Moshito 2018 steps into gear with a per-invite-only opening concert at Newtown Music Factory. In the morning after the night before two days of conferencing from the 6th to the 7th of September will see the grandest gathering of delegates from as far afield as China, Brazil, Zanzibar, Uganda, America, France, Germany, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and from across the country, just to mention a few.

Speaking at the Media launch held in Rosebank today, Dr Sipho Sithole, chairperson of Moshito said: “the 15th edition of Moshito is a gathering of a people who find fulfilment in the rhythm and texture of a society expressed through words and sound. We will receive music practitioners from South Africa and abroad, who through music, have walked a long journey to find the meaning of society and what it has in store for them. This year we will use this journey through music to walk in the footsteps of the icon of our struggle and hope to discover ourselves in the process. We hope that Moshito 2018 will reach out to the multitudes of our people to find a purpose in life through music and in turn be the legacy for generations to come.”

The Board of Moshito resolved to join the nation in observing the centenary of the late Nelson Mandela by choosing a theme “Long Walk to Music: Be The Legacy” as a reminder of the role music played in keeping the story of this great icon alive through those artistic voices who crafted a narrative full of trials and tribulations of a nation that refused to die.

The theme also challenges those with a talent to use this period and paint vivid pictures through word and sound and to forever be mindful of how such expressions can change people’s lives if they are channeled positively. In aligning with the theme, Moshito has recognised one of South Africa’s living legends, Julian Bahula, by appointing him as this year’s face and ambassador. During his exiled days in England, Bahula worked in with the Anti-Apartheid Movement and was instrumental in organising a concert to mark the 65th birthday of Nelson Mandela which also helped raise the international profile of those languishing in apartheid prisons. Bahula is a recipient of the Order of Ikhamanga for his contributions to the arts. As is the culture of Moshito to always recognize young artists, the Board also appointed one of the mostly travelled cultural export, artist and performer this country has seen in the last few years, Moonchild, as the second ambassador.

Moshito won’t be enough without a jammed packed entertainment and showcase programme; a very important platform for festival promoters and bookers from all over the world. Delegates and the public will be treated to two (2) concerts and one (1) festival, Afro World Night Concert on 6thSeptember at the Market Theatre, the MTV Base Showcase youth concert on the 7th and Moshito’s signature free street festival at Newtown Junction Mall the 8th of September.

Over the years Moshito has received local and international delegates from across the music value chain and this year will be no different as Moshito also announces new cooperation agreements recently signed with Musica Mundo (Brazil), Sauti Za Buza (Zanzibar), Azgo Festival (Mozambique), and soon to be signed agreements with Visa for Music (Morocco), National Arts Council (Seychelles). Moshito will soon be announcing the sharing of marketing collateral with the leading world music conference, WOMEX, as well as its continued long-term partnership with IOMMA in Reunion Island.

Over 270 international delegates and artists have attended Moshito in the last three years comprising music practitioners, musicians, bands, festival promoters, print and broadcast journalists, bloggers and the International Music Managers Forum.

The Department of Arts and Culture represented by Charles Mabaso expressed its full support. Mabaso said Moshito was a flagship property in the department and he commended the board and staff of Moshito for their concerted effort to ensure that this music market does not only resonate within South Africa but finds it expression and recognition to other international markets doing similar work. “With the good work that Moshito has done over the last 15 years as a department we continue to support it,” he said.

word of support was also offered by this year’s media partner, MTV Base and BET. Speaking for them, Monde Twala said their media house have been observing with envy the event that has become a destination for music practitioners and artists from around the world. “We are happy that finally our brand is associated with an event of this nature particularly where youthful urban expressions find a platform to be heard.”

Ticket info for Moshito 2018:

For the 2 days conferencing package at Computicket- R200.

Full package to attend all Moshito 2018 events at Computicket- R550.

Afro World Night Concert powered by BET is R150 at Webticket

MTV Base Showcase Night @Moshito is R50 at the door.

Social Media Handles: Facebook: MoshitoRSA - Instagram: moshito_rsa

Twitter: @MoshitoRSA

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viralyani · 6 years

Link

List of English models, including models born in England and female fashion models of English descent. These women from cities like London and Yorkshire are among the hottest women ever to walk the runways for designers, and girls around the world look to these sexy ladies as role models. Here are the hottest English fashion models ever to do commercials, print ads, and fashion shows.

For decades, supermodels such as Janice Dickinson, Cheryl Tiegs, and Gisele Bündchen have been called on to don couture gowns, casual clothing, swimsuits, and sexy lingerie. They make these clothes look their best to sell them in magazines, catalogs, and TV advertisements. Famous for their hot bodies and beautiful faces, entrepreneurs like Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum have crossed over from modeling into TV hosting. Other famous models like Milla Jovovich and Brooklyn Decker have launched successful careers in film.

The women on this English model list hail from all over the world, including the New Zealand, Ghana, and the good ol' USA - and there are many mixed-race models as well. Vote for your favorites to move them to the top of the list, or press re-rank to create your own list of the best English models.These British models (or UK models female) are some of the sexiest women alive. Who do you think is the hottest British model?

1-Lucy Pinder

Lucy Katherine Pinder (born 20 December 1983) is an English model and actress. She came to prominence in 2003 after being discovered by a freelance photographeron Bournemouth beach and has appeared in such publications as FHM,[1] Nuts, Loaded, and the Daily Star.

2-Kelly Brook

Kelly Brook (born 23 November 1979) is an English model, actress and television presenter best known for her modelling work in the UK, and in the US for her role in the NBC sitcom One Big Happy, as well as a regular panelist on Celebrity Juice. She has featured as a guest on a number of shows including Strictly Come Dancing and The Nightly Show.

Brook has been called a sex symbol and style icon. She was crowned FHM's Sexiest Woman In The World in 2005 and as of 2015 had appeared in every FHM 100 Sexiest countdown since 1998.

3-Keira Knightley

Keira Christina Knightley is an English actress. She began acting as a child on television and made her film debut in 1995. She had a supporting role as Sabé in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and her first significant role came in the psychological horror film The Hole. She gained widespread recognition in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham and achieved international fame in 2003 after appearing as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. Since the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Knightley has become known for starring in period drama films such as Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Silk

4-Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

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Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley is an English model and actress. She is best known for her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret and for being one of their prestigious brand 'Angels' too. She has also worked for Burberry and was the face for their 2011 brand fragrance 'Burberry Body'. Also she is well known for her supporting role as Carly Spencer in the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third installment in the Transformers film series.

5-Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth Jane "Liz" Hurley is an English actress and model. She has been associated with the cosmetics company Estée Lauder since the company gave Hurley her first modelling job at the age of 29. It has featured her as a representative and model for its products, especially perfumes such as Sensuous, Intuition, and Pleasures, since 1995. Hurley owns an eponymous beachwear line. As an actress, her best-known film roles to date have been as Vanessa Kensington in Mike Myers' hit spy comedy, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and as the Devil in Bedazzled. In the 1990s, Hurley became known as the girlfriend of Hugh Grant. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of int... more on Wikipedia

6-Emma Watson

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is an English actress, model, and activist. Watson rose to prominence as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, appearing in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011, previously having acted only in school plays. The franchise earned Watson worldwide fame, critical accolades, and more than £10 million. She continued to work outside of the Harry Potter films, first lending her voice to The Tale of Despereaux and appearing in the television adaptation of the novel Ballet Shoes. Since then, she has taken on starring roles in The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring, made a brief appearance as an "exaggerated" version ... more on Wikipedia

7-Alice Goodwin

Alice Goodwin is a British glamour model from Stoke-on-Trent, England. Goodwin attended Keele University studying English and Education before she was discovered by talent scouts from Daily Star while sunbathing on Bournemouth beach. As well as appearing in the Daily Star, she has also modeled for various men's magazines including Zoo Weekly, Nuts and Maxim. In 2009, she was voted Zoo Weekly's hottest topless babe of the year. ... more on Wikipedia

8-Abbey Clancy

Abigail Marie "Abbey" Crouch is a British lingerie and catwalk model and television presenter. She is married to footballer Peter Crouch, was the runner-up of Britain's Next Top Model, Cycle 2 and won series 11 of Strictly Come Dancing in 2013. ... more on Wikipedia

9-Danielle Sharp

Danielle Sharp is a model from England. Her full name is Danielle Kristie Sharp. ... more on Wikipedia

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10-Helen Flanagan

Helen Joyce Gabriel Flanagan is an English actress, model, and television personality. She is best known for playing the role of Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2000 to 2012. She was voted the most attractive British candidate in the 2013 FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll. ... more on Wikipedia

via ViralYani

#IFTTT #ViralYani

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soccernetghana · 4 years

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Former Ghanaian footballer Isaac Kissi making the difference in America

Our nation was built on dreamers and such is the story of Isaac Kissi. Some 14 years ago he was coming out of a chemistry class at the University of Ghana when he was told there were some American college coaches at the soccer field and they were looking for talented players. “It was the last day before they were leaving, so I said to our coach, ‘Let me try quick. You never know,’” Kissi recalled. “I actually borrowed a friend’s cleats and hopped into the action and the guys all got me involved. “Afterward, Paul Souders, the (assistant) coach from Dayton, said he liked the way everyone was drawn to me and my coach said, ‘Yeah, and he’s smart, too.’ “And that’s when Coach Souders said, ‘How would you like to play soccer at the University of Dayton?’ “I’d had chances in the past to go play in Europe, but my parents felt I was way too young to leave home and besides, soccer wasn’t guaranteed. But this was a chance to play and get an education. To me it was a no-brainer. “I had no clue where Dayton was, but I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t care. It’s somewhere in America!’ And back then every kid in my neighborhood had hopes of coming to the U.S.” In those days he said he embraced a popular world view of America: “America was the beacon of hope for everyone. There could be turmoil in the rest of the world, but America would step in and say, ‘Hey, knock it off! Get it together!’ “I had dreams of being a part of all that. I had dreams of making a difference.” And since leaving Ghana, the 33-year-old Kissi has done just that. •He starred at the University of Dayton, leading the Flyers in goals and points as a senior and being named the team MVP and an All-Atlantic 10 first team selection. He got his degree and was drafted in the third round of the 2010 MLS Draft by Chivas USA. He played three season with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL before knee injuries all but shelved his career. He did return in 2018 to play for the Rochester Lancers of the NPSL, is the general manager of the Roc City Boom, a UPSL team in Rochester, and now he’s helped open a pipeline of talent from Ghana to UD that’s brought the Flyers some top players recently. •He also graduated from the University of Rochester nursing school in 2016 and now is a registered nurse who’s spent the past several months working on the front lines in the COVID-19 battle. He worked in the ICU unit at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, where he was engulfed in the nonstop life and death struggles at the height of the pandemic in New York. And now he is doing COVID-19 testing in Rochester for the government. •And in 2017 he proudly became a United States citizen. Through all of this, Kissi has fully eclipsed some of those skewed theories and negative stereotypes too many people are embracing these days. Their narrow view of America is not what Kissi grew up idolizing and it certainly is not what made America great. Our strength has come from a diverse collection of dreamers from all over who make a positive impact in our melting pot nation. Kissi is that in many ways. He is: —An immigrant success story. —A black life that matters in so many ways. —A guy who puts himself on the line every day to help get the rest of us through the perils of COVID- 19. And in the process he is a voice of caution and reason when too many people are floating false narratives about the deadly pandemic. And along with all this, he’s also dealt with a heartbreaking loss of his own. His beloved father, Samuel Kissi – who did so much for him and his three siblings when they were growing up – had been in declining heath for the past several months. Last year Isaac had begun the procedure to bring his dad to America to get better medical treatment. But even though all the proper paperwork had been done for months, he said he was told by government officials he needed more proof that this was his dad. But the unnecessary red tape took a deadly toll. His 63-year-old father died in Ghana a couple of weeks ago. The paperwork finally had cleared a few days earlier, but by then his dad was too sick to travel. Although he’s continued with his COVID-19 testing work, Isaac was forced to drop out of the classes he was taking to become a nurse practitioner. He wouldn’t be able to finish the semester. He is headed back to Ghana in eight days and the family will hold his father’s memorial service on Aug. 1. ‘This is not fake’ Samuel Kissi and his wife Comfort raised their four children on the principles of hard work and the strength of family. “My dad worked with all his might and strength to put us all through college,” Isaac said. “He worked as a driver and transport officer with the electricity company in Ghana. He would take the engineers to different sites. “He saved everything he could, so instead of staying in hotels on those trips, he’d sleep in his car or stay with a friend or just sleep on a bench somewhere. That way he could save those extra bucks and put them toward our tuitions or maybe get me those soccer cleats I had been pestering him for.” All four of the children did go to college. It helped that Isaac got scholarship money to go to UD, but he admits it still wasn’t easy for him in the beginning: “It was a big culture shock and I had to adjust to the weather – I didn’t have warm clothes – and I had to get used to the food, too.” What compounded his homesickness – something he said he told almost no one about – was that before he’d left Ghana, he and a young woman there had had a baby daughter. “It surprised us both,” he said. “Our daughter was a gift from God. That’s why I named her Gifty. Her mother was amazing. She understood the situation and my parents got involved, too, but I never spoke about it in Dayton. I didn’t know how people would react.” Credit: Journal News/ Tom Archdeacon source: https://ghanasoccernet.com/

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