Hardman is back!

After lying low for more than three years, Tanzanian artist Hardman is back in the game! For years he has been a notable figure in the Reggae/Ragga scene in Tanzania and East Africa. His last album which did very well went by the title Ni Wewe.
 

This time Hardman has started by releasing his single Ujio Mpya, now being played by various radio stations throughout Tanzania. The video is expected out soon. The single is an introduction of his upcoming album, produced by Tanzanian-based Danish producer, Jakob Poll. The video is being mixed and mastered at Studio C4 in Copenhagen.

Photo and text courtesy of Maisha Music.

From my photo archives

Recently I came across this old photograph of some famous Tanzanians. From left: former Prime Minister John Samwel Malecela (1990 - 1994), the late Bernard Muganda who held senior positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the late Prime Minister Edward Moringe Sokoine (1977 - 1980), the late Mrs. Ezerina Malecela, and Mama Maria Nyerere, former First Lady and widow of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanzania's founding president.


The photograph was taken during a presidential visit to an Eastern European country, probably the former Yugoslavia.

Le's travels: Bolivia

After climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with me in 2008, my friend Le continued with his travels. He sent me the following photos and text from a visit to South America.

...It was the times of the Chamaj Pacha, the times of flood and darkness. Evil spirits roamed the lands and there seemed no end to the suffering of the world.

Then... Lo! From an island in the middle of crystal lake arose the God Viracocha! Standing on a rock, he commanded the Sun and the Moon to rise, the two primordial energies for all life forces. He then created the first human beings, Mallku Kapac and Mama Ocllo and commanded them to go out and populate the world...

Photo: Totora reed boat, a feature of Lake Titicaca

Thus they were sent in search of a place for the children of the Sun. The Andean ancestors have since migrated to other places via subterranean canals and settled in rivers, mountains, turning them into sacred centers. In the end, the spirits of the dead will return to their origin at the lake... so goes the Andean mythology.

The rock where the God Viracocha stood is known as 'Titi Khar'ka', meaning 'Rock of the Puma' in the Aymara language as it is in the shape of a Puma, a saced animal representing the world of man in Andean cosmology. Lake Titicaca owns its name from the rock and, naturally, the island where the Sun has risen is called Isla del Sol.

Photo: Le soaks in the sun on a sacrificial relic from the past

Today, Lake Titicaca is often described as the highest navigable lake in the world. It is certainly one of the largest splash of sapphire water body, a gem in the middle of the arid altiplano region. With lots of imagination, visitors to the Isla del Sol can admire the Titi Khar'ka rock, edged with the face of the God Virachocha s well as the shape of the Puma. Numerous pre-Inca and Inca ruins dot the islands on the lake where in ancient times sacrificial ceremonies were supposedly performed.

Not all sites are easily visible. A vast temple structure completely submerged under the lake just north of Isla del Sol was discovered in August 2000. We can only know more about this fantastic Bolivian Atlantis in the near future. No wonder Lake Titicaca is a contender for the new seven natural wonders of the World!

I believe we reached agreement during the 2008 Kilimanjaro climb that if I gain enough experience with mountaineering, we will one day launch an assault on Mt. Everest, at least up to Mount Everest's Base Camp.

Posts related to this one:
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2013/05/les-travels-morocco.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2013/04/les-travels-mexico.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2013/02/les-travels-mayotte.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2012/05/kilimanjaro-club-member-le-huynh-native.html

My World Cup predictions

Here are my first round predictions for the soccer World Cup which kicks off at Johannesburg, South Africa on 11 June.

My predictions are partly based on the FIFA World rankings, but slightly based on hunch. I hold no credentials for making these predictions; I am a keen follower of soccer only when the World Cup approaches. However, knowing how unpredictable match outcomes are, it is unwise to discount my predictions.

Here goes: these are predictions that name the two teams which will advance to the second stage, the last 16.

• Group A - France and Mexico
• Group B - Argentina and Nigeria
• Group C - England and USA
• Group D - Germany and Serbia
• Group E - Netherlands and Cameroon
• Group F - Italy and Paraguay
• Group G - Brazil and Portugal
• Group H - Spain and Switzerland

I am assigning a point each to a correct prediction per team, and a zero for a team that does not go through to the next round. If I get a 75 of my predictions right, I will consider changing careers and move into predicting future events.

You may also like:
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-root-for-underdog.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2013/05/letter-from-butiama-if-taifa-stars-can.html
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2013/02/letter-from-butiama-when-and-how-to-say_4.html