Culture

Zambians celebrate late gospel artiste Matthew Ngosa in churches and pubs

Published

4 months ago

August 5, 2024

Zambian music artistes and entertainers have been celebrating the life and times of popular gospel singer, Matthew Ngosa, who passed on last week from liver cancer in churches and clubs around the country.

Some of the country’s top musicians on Sunday performed at a concert to mourn the 46-year-old Ngosa a day before his burial in the capital, Lusaka.

According to local media, adoring audience joined the concerts to belt out his beloved hits at the Praise Christian Centre, with the musical jamboree shifting to nightclubs and pubs where his popular songs were played to mark Ngosa’s over a two-decade career.

“The venue in Lusaka was packed with fans, friends, family and government officials,” a media report said.

“His older brother Boyd, also a musician – popularly known as BJ – led mourners.

“Matthew started out singing with BJ and his younger brother Hezron when they were still at high school, often singing a cappella.

“They knew they wanted to make a career out of their music – not an easy ambition in a country where piracy means most musicians get little money from their music.

“Matthew and Hezron formed a duo called The Ezma Brothers within a larger group known as The Tribe Called Christians.

“Later, at Lusaka’s Northmead Assemblies of God Church, Matthew joined The Christ Ambassador Choir, where he polished his skills.

“In 2004 he released his highly successful debut album Umutima Wandi (My Heart), which dominated music charts.

“Gospel hits including Ukulolela (Waiting) and Ndakunkula (Rolling to God in Praise) followed – those two also becoming anthems for clubbers.

“Matthew Ngosa never made it rich, but was able to make a decent living from his hits before he was diagnosed with liver cancer in January.

“He died two days before he had been due to return to India for a check-up,” the report added.

His brother, Hezron, who spoke to journalists, said told he would miss his brother’s sense of humour.

“He would go out of his way to make people happy. He was very strong even in sickness. He was a man of faith.”

Another top gospel musician, Kings Mumbi, said:

“To me, he was a mentor. When I recorded my first song, I took it to him to critique and that’s why I have never gone astray. He was more than a brother.

“When a pastor invited Matthew Ngosa to their church to sing but couldn’t pay him, he would not bother that pastor because for Matthew, singing was part of his ministry. He took it as a way of spreading the word of God.”

President Hakainde Hichilema also conveyed his message of condolences to the family while his predecessor Edgar Lungu visited the funeral house on Saturday.

Ngosa, who had two daughters with Tasila Ngombe, once served as a civic leader in Mr Lungu’s party, the Patriotic Front.

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Culture

DRC authorities arrest six over break-in at Lumumba’s Mausoleum

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say six people have been arrested over a break-in and vandalism at the mausoleum of the country’s assassinated independence leader, Patrice Lumumba, in Kinshasa, the country’s capital.

The police had announced the six arrests late Wednesday and said they were still looking for two more suspects.

Interior Minister, Jacquemin Shabani, said in a statement that during the break-in which occurred on Monday, a case containing a single gold-capped tooth, the only part of the former leader that remained after his assassination, was broken by the vandals.

“We assure that the relic is secure and it is protected,” the minister said, without offering more information.

The return of Lumumba’s tooth from former colonizer Belgium in 2022 had been celebrated around Congo, with the tooth taken around the vast country so people could pay their respects.

Lumumba is widely hailed as the nationalist activist who helped end colonial rule in the DRC and went on to become the country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was assassinated within a year in 1961.

His body was dismembered and dissolved with acid in an apparent effort to keep any grave from becoming a pilgrimage site.

For many in Congo, Lumumba is a symbol of the positive developments the country could have achieved after its independence but instead, it became mired in decades of dictatorship that drained its vast mineral riches.

A military coup toppled Lumumba, who was arrested, jailed and later killed. His assassination, blamed on separatists, cleared the way for the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country he later renamed Zaire for decades with support from Western powers until his death in 1997.

His one remaining tooth was kept by the Belgian police commissioner who oversaw the destruction of his body.

The tooth was returned to Congo after the visit of Belgium’s King Philippe, who expressed regrets for his nation’s abuses in Congo when it was a Belgian colony.

Culture

Miss SA opens up on why she withdrew from Miss Universe pageant

Published

1 day ago

November 20, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Reigning Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux, has opened up on the reasons behind her withdrawal from the Miss Universe pageant which was held in Mexico, where Nigeria’s Chidinma Adetshina was the first runner-up.

While narrating her experience in a video she shared on social media on Wednesday, le Roux said her body was taking so much physical strain.

“Hello everyone, I’m back in South Africa and wanted to reach out to you all. Thank you so much for all of your kind wishes, your support and prayers,” she said in the video.

“I wanted to be transparent with you and share my story. A lot of you would’ve seen the video that I made about vertigo, while I was in Mexico at Miss Universe.

“Vertigo is a condition where it feels like you are dizzy and there’s a sense of the world spinning around you. It’s very intense and can cause major issues with your imbalance.

“Mentally I was very strong, I was ready, but physically, my body was taking strain. I had to even seek medical help in Mexico City. And even after the medical help, my condition still wasn’t improving.”

She added that during the preliminary rounds of Miss Universe, she had continued to push herself but her vertigo intensified and it became unmanageable.

She stated that while she was waiting backstage, she fell repeatedly and couldn’t stand up without support and was not in a position to safely walk on stage.

“It was not easy. As I was not doing it just for myself but for all of you in South Africa,” she said.

“I will continue to serve as your Miss South Africa, to support and uplift those who come after me. With my unbreakable spirit and an exciting year ahead, I will keep fighting for myself and for everyone with dreams and passions. I am so proud to still be your Miss South Africa,” she added.