USD 4,50 | KES 450 | CAD 6 | ZAR 62
ISSUE 12 | 2019
1
MOSES MUTABARUKA editor-in-chief
HADEEL OSMAN art director
TABYLENE GATHONI coordination manager (Kenya)
PAUL KIDERO creative consultant
IGNACIO HENNIGS creative consultant
WAMBUI KAMAU-ONG’WENY staff writer, content coordinator
ENOCK OYOO head video editor
HENRY KAMAU legal team
JM
21
45
in Fir in st A A te A f rn ri G at ca io n U na w I L l in L w ds O co ind ur f U m su er L pe r f t tit in o io g n
U
S
E D A di a E R or U Tak SQ A di M ekon
w
O
16
SH M OE A S TH KE M A E N
N A on D ra t i e a c e c e e S Ugen m, p justi w do d ne ree an A sf d an
m
29
de
B
7
E R A S? P ET EE K D OC W P O H UR O Y
T P HE R O N JE A C FIS T A
55
39 9
T TO HE D NE O W B W U S I AY N ES S
A
L B Erst nist E L H A’s f i opho S T U S nda sax T a le w R ema f
49
N
O
_B
U
TS
TI
LL
ISSUE
th
EDITOR’S NOTE Dear TAP Fam, 2019 has seen Africa go through a whirlwind of changes; our cover story, Sudan, has been at the forefront of these historical changes. Sudan has a special place in our hearts as TAP. Just two weeks before the Sudan revolts started, we were honored to travel to Sudan and interacted with amazing creatives whose talent needs to be shared with the world. The new status the country holds is testament to what young people can achieve if they just have one united goal. You definitely want to read that. Another beautiful country we simply cannot get enough of is Ghana. Yes, we have more for you from our West African comrades. Fun Fact: Comrades has a slang meaning in Ghana. You will want to check out our interview with Charis Debrah, Adepa shoes’ CEO and get to know why it is one of his favorite words and his journey too as a young entrepreneur. Mukwanja is also a slang word in Kenya, meaning money. Mukwanja+money= Mookh. No idea what I am talking about? Read our piece on mookh, Kenya’s premium ticketing company, to put two and two together.
MOSES
MUTABARUKA
Editor-in-Chief TAP Magazine
Do you have a handle on your Mukwanja? Or are you living beyond your means? Well on our youth segment, we have a financial expert debunking some of the money myths that surround us. Our sports feature takes us to the surf loving waters of Morocco to chat with Internationally-acclaimed windsurfer Boujmaa Guilloul who happens to be the first African to win international windsurfing competition. Talking of firsts, our music feature takes us to the land of a thousand hills to meet Stella Tushabe - Rwanda’s first female saxophonist. The issue ends with a fashion story from nowhere else but Sudan. Once an orthopedic surgeon in London, Sahar Arrayeh felt an urge to stay in Sudan when she visited the country late 2017 and decided to pursue her lifelong passion of being a fashion designer. Fast forward to 2019 and here we are and against all odds, Sahar is launching the Nafisa Project: A fashion Story that showcases and celebrates the beauty and diversity of Sudanese women from multiple regions of Sudan.
Cover Image by O X D A | Abu’Obayda Mohamed Instagram @oxdamoe
Special thanks to the entire TAP team, to all our contributors and to everyone else who helped make this issue possible. Special mention to Abu’Obayda Mohamed (OXDA) for granting us his “cry for home” illustration that graces the cover of this issue. 6
O
EE
P
C
D
P
R
K
ET
W
A
U
O
R
O
S?
H
E
Y
Youth LET’S TALK MONEY by SHEILA MALLOWAH
A
re we living beyond our means? Reaching into our pockets to pay for one’s lifestyle is the advisable thing to do, borrowing is not. It’s pretty easy to fall prey to the YOLO lifestyle. In fact we all have done it at some point in our lives. We are constantly lured by banks to take credit cards and by money lending companies to borrow money. The latest addition to this has been travel agencies offering trips that you can pay for later. Who doesn’t want a holiday, right? Unfortunately, this kind of lifestyle is not sustainable. I hate to be the one to burst your bubble but these are signs that you are definitely living beyond your means. Recently I was invited to speak to a group of young energetic adults stepping into college and give them some financial tips to guide them through their time in college and beyond. As I stood before them and for about a minute or so, my mind wandered off to a time when I was their age. I told them, “You do not have to live below your means, you do not live within your means, you can live your dreams, you only need to plan for it.” To the ladies I posed this question, ”do you ever find yourself desiring to buy a new outfit, or to get on that road trip with your friends or purchase the latest makeup set or hair extensions? What do you do when you discover you do not have enough money for it? What do you do when every other girl seems to have what you want but you do not? What do you do when your parents are unable to afford to buy you the things you see other girls have or
take you to places or countries other children have been to?” Thought provoking, right? This is what I asked the gentlemen: “do you find yourself wishing you had a car or house of your own, have the money to buy tickets to the rugby series, have enough money to take the girl of your dreams out on that date, go on some road adventures with the boys? What do you do when you barely have enough money to take you through the semester? Would you take up debt or do favors to get what you want if you did not have the money or would you work to earn enough to buy what you would like or do what you would like in due time? The answer to this question would determine if you are living beyond your means or planning for your dream, the difference is in how you get it. If you take on debt or do favors, you will get what you need now and you will owe a lot of people a lot of money or favors in return but if you choose to put in some good old sweat equity you will have earned whatever you will have acquired no matter the length of time it took you. Life is all about choices, we can either choose to relinquish our desires for momentary pleasures to realize your financial dreams by planning for it, or you can choose to continuously compare yourself to your peers as a benchmark for social class. There is a certain joy and healthy esteem that comes from wealth acquired through hard work. They say a budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. Truer words have never been said. Save for your next vacation, for the next music festival and for that next fashion haul to revamp your wardrobe; don’t YOLO your way through your youth. Sheila Mallowah-Mwongera is a Wealth management advisor and the Principal Consultant and Founder of Zoel Capital Limited. Her experience that spans 12 years in the financial services sector is one she chooses to use to help people, and most especially the youth, to better save, grow and protect their wealth. She draws her satisfaction from seeing her clients prosper, a mission that she pursues through various investment platforms and is not afraid to go beyond traditional investment solutions in search of the best products for her clients. The wife and mum of two holds an MBA in Marketing from Daystar University and a Bachelor of commerce (Finance and Accounting) from Strathmore University. ■ 8
THE NEW WAY TO DO BUSINESS If you want to sell out an event in Kenya you need to talk to Mookh. Events like Thrift social, blankets & Wine and many others have already leveraged on this. Want to sell products but only have a Facebook page? Just create an online store on Mookh then embed it with your Facebook page, easy-peasy! TAP team met up with the force behind Mookh, an online ticketing and sales firm to learn more about their brand.
9
BUSINESS
Images by PAUL KIDERO 10
M
ukwanja is slang for money in Kenya. It is from the need to make mukwanja that Eric Thimba and George Muchiri (a.k.a Poji) co-founded Mookh (coined from mukwanja, cool right?) and began the journey to solve the problem that made it difficult for people in Africa to buy and sell goods and services on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In the end, providing a social business payments solution for Africa. Like most startups, ideas evolve and morph. As they were hard at work on developing a solution to the problem of selling a product online, they identified another problem; musicians were trying to get their music out there. How would they sell online? How could someone from Kenya buy that dope album by Sauti Sol? Mookh, that’s how.
11
lessons
from
the
school
of
life
The two entrepreneurs could write a book when it comes to the question of their journey’s, both the good and the bad, because we know the stars didn’t just magically align for Mookh. A lot has happened since they set out in 2012 to validate what they are doing and the biggest validation has been their clients. Les s o ns …the les s o n s people! Eric and Poji have been through the school of life which has taught them how to do business, how to fundraise, how to get out of the belly of the shark and back into the water because sharks are out there. To begin with, neither of them comes from a tech background so imagine deciding to build a boat yet you don’t know how to swim; crazy, right? Or is it? Yet here they are, proving that you don’t have to be a programmer to start a tech company. As much as they have learnt a lot from the lessons, they sure hope they are done with the worst. A big win for Mookh has been the corporate partnership with giants like Microsoft, Facebook and most recently Visa. Talking of big wins, Mookh Africa was awarded a Sh5 million prize in the Visa Everywhere Initiative Sub Saharan Africa competition. Besides the cash prize, Mookh also secured an opportunity to work with Visa to develop its concept further which they consider invaluable and the best part of the win. If you know how hard the start up journey is then you definitely relate to Mookh’s story. The right partnerships can propel one’s business to greater heights. On the question of how they have dealt with competition, Eric prefers not thinking about the competition but rather to focus on Mookh’s product. How to constantly make Mookh better based on what their clients are looking for and not based on what the ‘competition’ is doing. Being three years in he feels they are still not at a point to go out talking about competition and beating their chests, it is important for them to look inwards than outwards. They do this by spending a lot of time listening to their clients which helps them to innovate around their clients’ needs.
12
13
the silicon savannah The reception to the brand by the masses has been humbling to the Mookh duo. Kenyans have given them a thumbs up, that’s why they love testing out their products in the silicon Savannah that is Nairobi. Mookh is a through and through Pan African brand. To be a global brand would be great but being a Pan African brand is what excites them. Geographical expansion is what’s next for Mookh and at the same time growing their existing categories here in Kenya. Currently ticketing for events is what many know Mookh for and they want to dominate the ticketing space by going into conferences, sports ticketing, transport, you name it, these two brilliant young entrepreneurs want it all! ■
14
mation.setTranslateTo(Integer.valueOf(canvas.getHeight()) footer.getHeight() tVerticalMargins()/2); mation.setTranslateBeginAlpha(0.1).setTranslateEndAlpha(1.0); tFooterAnimation(footerAnimation); ellow zak = new TeachingFellow(‘Ahmed Zak’); ight(156f).setWeight(70).setSpecialty(Specialty.webDevelopment). teEditor(Editor.visualStudioCode); rkingDays(Days.monday, Days.tuesday, Days.thursday, Days.saturday); ellow awal = new TeachingFellow(‘Awal Mubarak’); eight(166f).setWeight(80).setSpecialty(Specialty.mobile, Specialty.webDevelopmen teEditor(Editor.androidStudio, Editor.visualStudioCode); orkingDays(Days.monday, Days.tuesday, Days.thursday, Days.saturday, Da ); ellow doris = new TeachingFellow(‘Doris Van’); Height(146f).setWeight(59).setSpecialty(Specialty.webDevelopment). teEditor(Editor.sublimeText); WorkingDays(Days.tuesday, Days.thursday, Days.saturday); tCodetrain().getAccraBranch().addFellows(awal, zak, doris);
ellow sarso = new TeachingFellow(‘Sarso’); Height(157f).setWeight(70).setSpecialty(Specialty.webDevelopment). teEditor(Editor.visualStudioCode, Editor.sublimeText); WorkingDays(Days.monday, Days.tuesday, Days.thursday, Days.saturday); ellow justice = new TeachingFellow(‘Justice’); setHeight(150f).setWeight(60).setSpecialty(Specialty.mobile, Special pment).setFavoriteEditor(Editor.androidStudio); etWorkingDays(Days.monday, Days.tuesday, Days.thursday, Days.saturday, Da ); ellow jennifer = new TeachingFellow(‘Jennifer’); setHeight(148f).setWeight(59).setSpecialty(Specialty.webDevelopment). teEditor(Editor.sublimeText); setWorkingDays(Days.tuesday, Days.thursday, Days.saturday); tCodetrain().getKumasiBranch().addFellows({sarso, justice, jennifer}); llow mysteryFellow = new TeachingFellow.createFromBinary(‘01000010 01110 01101100 01100101 01110100’); llow.addMysteryProperties(‘01010011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100011 01101 01100101 01110011 00101100 00100000 01100101 01100001 00 01110011 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101100 01100101 01100101 01110 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01110010 01100101 01110000 01100 01110100’); tCodetrain().createMysteryBranch(‘01001110 01100101 01110111 00100000 01111 01110010 01101011’) addMysteryFellow(mysteryFellow); Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); setGen(Gen.twelve).setFullName(‘You are our next student’).setBranch(Bran etLevel(Level.beginner); Student student2 = new CodetrainStudent(); setGen(Gen.six).setFullName(‘Student 2’).setBranch(Branch.kumasi).setLevel(Lev ate); Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); .setGen(Gen.twelve).setFullName(‘Student 3’).setBranch(Branch.kumas Level.intermediate); Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); setGen(Gen.twelve).setFullName(‘Student 4’).setBranch(Branch.Accra).setLevel(Lev ; Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); setGen(Gen.five).setFullName(‘Student 5’).setBranch(Branch.kumasi).setLevel(Lev ; Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); .setGen(Gen.thirteen).setFullName(‘Student 6’).setBranch(Branch.Accr Level.beginner); Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); .setGen(Gen.thirteen).setFullName(‘Student 7’).setBranch(Branch.Accr Level.beginner); Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); setGen(Gen.ten).setFullName(‘Student 8’).setBranch(Branch.kumasi).setLevel(Lev ; Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent(); . s e t 15 Gen(Gen.ten).setFullName(‘Student 9’).setBranch(Branch.MysteryBranc Level.beginner); Student student1 = new CodetrainStudent();
transforming people into professional app developers
www.codetraingh.com
)
+
nt).
ays.
SHOES MAKE
lty.
THE MAN
ays.
0101
1111
0000 0101
1001
nch.
vel.
si).
vel.
vel.
ra).
A young African Santoni lets us in on the art of shoe making.
ra).
vel.
ch).
16
A
head of the upcoming Glitz Style Awards Ghana 2018 and Exclusive Men of the Year Awards where he has been nominated, it’s all go for Charis Debrah as work must go on at Adepa shoes. For the CEO of Adepa shoes, the fashion landscape looks bright. The brand is making a breakthrough all over the world through its diverse clientele. A graduate from the University of Ghana with a bachelor’s degree in Political science, combined with professional certifications in project management and digital marketing to boot, it might seem odd that Charis went into shoe design… well not as odd as the fact that he heads a management team made up of a mechanical engineer, aeronautical engineer, a procurement professional, an IT specialist and a pilot! The shoe virtuoso talks beards, Ghana’s hidden treasures, and working as a shoe designer in his beloved country.
How did you get into design in the first place? Our quest to be different and stand out no matter the occasion led us into shoe design. Tell us a bit about your upbringing Well, Life was tough because our parents couldn’t always provide for most of our needs. We had to learn to fend for ourselves at a tender age. What do you love about being a shoe brand in Ghana? The fact that we always exceed people’s expectations and being able to provide what most thought impossible to achieve in the field of shoe making right here in Ghana. Why men’s shoes and not women’s? Women are special and it takes a lot to understand their choice of style and what goes into their selection of shoes. We are still researching to come up with shoes women will fall in love with.
“Women are special and it takes a lot to understand their choice of style and what goes into their selection of shoes.”
17
Entrepreneurship
What are your inspirations? Apostle Engineer Kwado Safro is my all time inspiration. A diligent and selfless man whose inventions have put Ghana and Africa on the map. His can ‘do spirit’ spurs me to keep striving for the best. Is there a brand with which you’d imagine a “dream” collaboration? To collaborate with other African owned brands in any part of the world is the goal.
Do you prefer customizing or making ready to wear? We cherish every shoe we make whether the client is known to us or not. That notwithstanding, our ability to craft a shoe according to the client’s specifications and exceed the client’s expectations gives us impetus to do more.
“The Adepa shoe man is one who embraces uniqueness and is not ashamed to be connected to his cultural roots.”
Who, in your opinion, is the “Adepa shoes” man and why? The Adepa shoe man is one who embraces uniqueness and is not ashamed to be connected to his cultural roots.
What materials do you work with? We use suede, velvet, cordovan calf and exotic leathers like croc and ostrich leathers. We use only the best of what is available to us but import when the need arises.
What other shoe do you wear as opposed to your own? We have a plethora of designs to choose from for every occasion so I hardly ever wear any other brand except maybe sneakers.
Have you employed any youth or are you mentoring any? And how many employees do you have? Our team is a diverse mixture of those who are experienced in the craft and those who we have taken under our wings to train. Often we do take in interns to polish up their knowledge. Our employee strength reaches eight, three of whom are permanent and five are casuals.
A cardinal shoe rule to live by? Care for your shoes as you care for yourself and they will last forever. Your biggest shoe sin? My biggest shoe sin… hmmm… going out in unpolished shoes.
What is a typical day at Adepa shoes workshop? A typical day begins with our head of production (my brother and an engineer) who discusses client orders with the team. Every shoe is made with special attention to details at each stage.
18
Short sleeve or long sleeve shirts? Depends on the occasion but I prefer to wear long sleeve for formal events or occasions. Beard or no beard? Well trimmed beard, I love the beard gang lol. What skill do you wish you possessed but don’t? Painting. I wish I could draw all my abstract imaginations. Which famous African, dead or alive, would you wish to custom make a pair of Adepa shoes for? Fela Kuti. I wish I had met him before he died. What do you think is Ghana’s most hidden treasure and also biggest misconception? Ghana’s most hidden treasure is our human resource just waiting to be tapped and biggest misconception is that locally manufactured products are inferior to imports. Favorite Ghanaian slang word “Chale!” which means comrade. What are your three shoe milestones? Getting people to see Adepa Shoes as a brand worth patronizing, receiving the Best Entrepreneurs Award at Ghana’s young Entrepreneurs Awards and getting the opportunity to make shoes for well respected gentlemen in Ghana and several parts of the world. ■ 19
20
Boujmaa Guilloul First African Windsurfer to Win International Windsurfing Competition
21
Interview by FAYTHENOMAD Images by IGNACIO HENNIGS 22
T
. he best stories are those that surprise you, those that are unexpected yet intended. On a recent trip to Morocco we met an interesting guy who does an interesting sport that he loves. They say your environment more or less shapes you and the ocean did just that for Boujmaa Guilloul. He is a windsurfer. He grew up near the beach and, well, here is Boujmaa’s story from Boujmaa himself; a professional windsurfer, a Moroccan and a citizen of the world though he puts no limit on what he wants to be.
23
SPORT MY WH Y Windsurfing is more than a hobby, it is my life. I have built my life around windsurfing. The passion I have for the ocean and for my sport is beyond the natural. I feel connected to the ocean and the elements when I surf. I don’t know how to explain it but as recent as the other day, I went kite surfing and as I took off I heard the ocean. Strange I know but I could vividly see it and feel it next to me and touching me. It is an insane feeling that is a form of meditation for me. That is why I do what I do; it is my why.
THE GENESIS OF IT ALL I grew up literally a ten minute walk from the ocean. As children, my brother and I would sneak out of the house and go play football on the street or go fishing. Once when out fishing, I saw tourists surfing. At first I thought wind surfing was out of reach. To be honest it was one of those things assumed to be for tourists. Then I thought floating on a piece of wood cannot be that hard so I went home and took the top of the table and tried to spin on it in the ocean. When I was twelve years old I performed well in school and my mother paid for my membership at a centre near the beach. This allowed me the opportunity to practice with a board and gear and to try many different things. I tried the wind surfing board and I loved it! It became my opium. I learnt a lot of tricks and skills training with my friends from the centre. We did not necessarily have skilled training; everyone just came with what they knew and we taught each other and we passed it on. I promised myself that I would always see the beach everyday and so far I think I have stuck to my promise, except when I am on a plane.
24
BASICS 101 OF WINDSURFING Windsurfing requires an adventurous personality especially in a country where the sport is not popular. You have to want it so much to even go out in the waves but the ocean is not to be underestimated. It makes you feel like the king of the waves but if your fitness is not good you are in for disaster. My mother was never for my love of windsurfing, she thought I would drown when I started out. A novice may see a spot where the weather is breaking and think it is the best spot to swim yet it is not safe, you have to learn the ocean.
WHEN OPPORTUNITIES PRESENT THEMSELVES‌. In 1998 my friend and I came to Sawera and I worked fixing the boards and maintaining them. Some internationals, Stardust, came and saw me windsurfing. They thought I was quite good and could compete. They saw something in me and ended up paying for my ticket to Hawaii in 2000. To this day they are still my sponsors.
PAYING IT FORWARD I came back here because I wanted to grow the sport here at home. I try organizing events here as often as I can. I managed to bring the world cup here in 2018 for women windsurfers. We had 87 participants and it was pretty cool for the community. Surfing magazines and a lot of French TV covered the 12 day event. The ocean blessed the event because we had the biggest waves throughout the event, it was amazing!
There is a huge industry in water sports and wind surfing is changing lives. There are trainers with diplomas and surfers who, if not for the sport, would be either farmers or fishermen like their parents. I want to push kids to join the sports and be a good influence for them. If you want it, you can have it especially in this age of YouTube that can teach you new skills. I remember my first board was a gift from my mother who sold her television to buy it for me. She knew I wanted to get better which needed practice.
WINDSURFING SPOTS It takes more than just surfing to love a place. I love to go to Hawaii because of the good waves, strong energy, the people and the lifestyle. The wind and waves in Hawaii are also very consistent. If you are looking to just windsurf Cape Verde is the place, it has the best waves for windsurfing. An epic day for me is one surfing in Cape Verde with endless waves. I have been thinking of visiting Somalia because it has huge potential for surfing but is the least advised to travel to given the political situation. The logistics of getting there are not easy but I’ll go. Fay the Nomad told me about a surfing school run by her friend that takes in ex child soldiers and trains them as a form of rehabilitation. I have been to only South Africa, Mauritius, Madagascar and Kenya and I would love to visit more of Africa. In places like Namibia, which is awesome for windsurfing, it is hard to visit. There is no diplomatic representation in the country so you have to get a visa before you get to the country. Diplomatically, Africa is changing and people will be able to move around more in time.
NUGGET OF WISDOM FOR 12 YEAR OLD BOUJMAA I think I would tell him to learn to adapt to any situation and make the most of what he has. Same advice I would give to any young person actually, simply learn to adapt. â–
Hedgehog Creative Sarit Centre 1st Floor Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya
www.hedgehogmusic.online Info@hedgehogcreative.net +254 (0)20 3743520. +254 (0)717 699 236 +254 (0)736 234 473
29
U S
N A D Text and images by HADEEL OSMAN Written May 2019 30
It is without a doubt, that the African dictator is an endangered species. Throughout 2018, it became evident that Africans would no longer take the backseat and endure the effects of political partisanship and blatant corruption. And ayouth decided that their time had come. December 13, 2018 would mark the beginning of the end of Omar Al-Bashir’s 30-year old destructive regime.
31
Cover Story
32
“Fredom, peace and justice.”
F
reedom, peace and justice were the three words that echoed across all corners of the continent’s third largest nation. The majority of the population leading the movement was born under Omar Al-Bashir’s regime. That was all they had ever known and one might assume that all roads leading to a decent life were a figment of imagination and the protestor’s chant, a fictitious utopia. Yet those three words inspired a modern-day revolution, forcefully shaking Sudan’s political, social and international pillars. After all, it had been many months of queuing up for cash, bread (Sudan’s staple food), fuel and gas. Traffic was slow, morale was low and life became gloomier each day. As fast as the government ran out of excuses, people ran out of patience and this sparked the fire of change in their hearts. Struggling to attain basic commodities, the Sudanese people were willing to risk their lives for a better future and in that, they took to the streets and began the fight for what’s rightfully theirs; a life worth living. All the crimes that the crumbling Islamist regime had attempted to cover up, such as the intense human rights violations, toxic social engineering, deteriorated education, looting of resources, nonexistent medical care, and economic collapse among others were revealed in their grimiest details. People of all social classes and backgrounds had their eyes wide open and feet on the ground and the Sudanese Professionals Association organized weekly protesting schedules nationwide. Nothing would stop them now, not imported tear gas, borrowed bullets, mass arrests, excessive violence or even murder. For five months, the people of Sudan stood together in a unity that was not witnessed in the country’s modern history. In a diverse nation
33
34
35
with plenty of tribes, beliefs and traditions, being Sudanese was the glue that brought people together. Hand in hand they marched the streets, flying the first flag of Sudan in its blue, yellow and green colorways as they reminisced the golden age of the nation, whilst rejecting the pan-Arabist representation of the current one. Exquisite art and graffiti gradually filled up the brick and concrete walls in remembrance of those who lost their lives to the fight and demanding that the regime falls, once and for all. Women were at the forefront, resembling Nubian queens of the ancient kingdoms that once existed where they stood. No longer were they subordinate citizens viewed through the lens of a patriarchal society, but rather their presence was dignified in the revolution.
“This made the millions of Sudanese people in the diaspora feel a sense of true belonging to a country that was once stolen from them� The evolution of the protests on April 6 marked a new chapter. What started as an ushering of millions to step out of their homes and make their demands clear, turned into a sit-in at the military headquarters in the heart of the capital and rippled across the 17 states. Furthermore, Sudan became the trending topic all over social media, demanding more than 15 seconds of fame. Eventually, the chains that previously blocked the nation from the media and detached it from the world were broken. This made the millions of Sudanese people in the diaspora feel a sense of true belonging to a country that was once stolen from them, turning the protests into a worldwide phenomenon. Despite the presence of tear gas, live ammunition and road blocks by militias, the people were committed and life would be on pause until the regime got plucked entirely from its deep roots. The fall of Al-Bashir on April 11 brought an overwhelming rush of emotions that words would do no justice. Filling the air were sounds of honking to the rhythm of the chants, whistles, church bells and announcements on mosque speakers
36
about the sudden victory. Sudanese people of all ages and backgrounds were dancing and embracing one another on the street. Tears of joy, anguish and relief knew no discrimination as they celebrated on behalf of those who passed on, having sacrificed their lives for that exact moment. In the midst of the celebration, the battle with the regime’s shadow government continues. With talks of a civil transitional government, the corrupt regime is working overtime, trying to enforce a military transitional government led by the same evil players. Their attempts to distract, divide, diffuse and spread misinformation were clear. The people refused to budge, putting up barricades and accepting death over defeat. The nation’s new home became the military HQ. Political activists and artists previously ousted from the nation left their hiding spots and returned to the motherland. People from other states got on trains, cars and even on foot to prove their demands for a better Sudan. This has trully proven to be a 21st century revolution, as the sit-in location evolved into a fully functioning 24-hour city, equipped with food, health clinics, security check points, large screens, stages and even electrical generators to keep phones charged, speakers plugged, lights on and WIFI connected. Sudanese people demonstrated the true meaning of teamwork and it’s without a doubt that they can be entrusted with the progress of the country.
37
The Alliance for Freedom and Change is maintaining the people’s demands and conducting meetings with the stubborn military council. Politicians are now deliberating, the people are reflecting and understanding the true meaning of freedom, peace and justice, to undo all the regime’s knots and iron out the fabric that is the new Sudan. A Sudan that is truly inclusive, economically independent, open to the diaspora to pour in their expertise and ready to embrace healthier international relations. The journey has just begun and the Sudanese people are aware that it may as well take years for the nation to be completely released from this 30-year prison sentence. ■
Illustration from Sosu’s Call
Publishing Children’s Books since 1992
STELLA TUSHABE RWANDA’S FIRST FEMALE SAXOPHONIST
Images by ONYANGO ODHIAMBO 39
MUSIC
STELLA did her undergrad in International Economics and Post grad in digital marketing. And because all work and no play makes STELLA a dull girl,she plays the saxophone. I recently read a pun that defined the saxophone as the instrument for intelligent people. If Stella Tushabe and all she has accomplished both in career and music plus her role working with AIMS are anything to go by, this is one pun that is true.
Please tell the TAP Fam a little about your background I was born in Masaka in rural Uganda. I schooled there all through to my O-levels and then I moved to Rwanda where I’ve been since. I did my undergrad in International Economics followed with a postgraduate in Digital marketing. I currently work in Communications at African Institute of Mathematical Sciences. AIMS job is to train and enable Africa’s brilliant minds to become innovators.
How was it growing up in Uganda? For the most part life was actually fun because of the diversity in people and in cultures. On the downside, I was regularly reminded I did not belong. It was a relief to be back in Rwanda because I didn’t have to be ostracized anymore. With Rwanda, I found a place where I belonged and everything else fell perfectly into place. Nothing beats the feeling of belonging.
40
With your education background, how did you land into music? Did you find music or did music find you? Music found me. My friend says you do not choose an instrument but the instrument chooses you. I think she is right,this is the story of how a car ride, a ringtone and the saxophone conspired to introduce me to music. In 2013, my friends and I were heading for a retreat. My friend’s phone rang and the ringtone had a saxophone intro, it was beautiful. Every time it rang, I would just close my eyes. I didn’t know what instrument that was, so I asked my friend and she said it was a saxophone. I asked if she thought I could learn how to play it and she was convinced I could play if I gave it my all. Now all I had to do was find a saxophone here in Rwanda which would turn out to be next to impossible.
So how did you overcome this challenge? I spoke to my uncle who lives in the west and I asked him to send me one. At first he was confused as to why I wanted one and he sent me a trumpet instead but of course it wasn’t the trumpet I fell in love with so I asked him to send the Saxophone. It came in a huge box. Now that it was here I needed to learn to play this beautiful instrument. I wrote on Kigali live website ,‘looking for a saxophone teacher…’.
You put out an advertisement? You were serious about this... I was. A few weeks later I got a reply from a saxophone player called Herbert Rock. ” I saw you were looking for a saxophone teacher”, said Herbert. That is how he became my teacher. He still plays the saxophone in the Rwandan music scene. I am forever grateful to him and my friends too who would sit in my house and encourage me as I practiced, cheering me on and telling me I was doing well even though I knew I sounded horrible.
41
Was music ever an ambition of yours? It was not. I really just wanted to be able to play the sound I heard that day on my friend’s ringtone. How I got here as the first Rwandan female saxophonist, I cannot explain. I think it was just God’s way of pulling strings for me.
What does your family think of Stella the musician? They are proud to have a musician in the family, I think. I played at my sister’s wedding and that is when they found out about my music.They had actually never heard me play before that day. My mom first came to one of my earlier performances, when I had just started out. I played her the classic “ Mother how are you today”, an oldie but a goldie.
What kind of challenges have you faced thus far in your musical journey? Challenges in this industry are many. Saxophone accessories are hard to come by and are expensive. We have to buy them online and getting them here at times can prove difficult. In the beginning , getting gigs or bands to play with was hard because people just did not trust me, did not trust my skill. Things are different now because I made a conscious decision to step out and look for the opportunities. I had almost given up then my sister advised me to try playing at cafes. I played at The Portifino in Kigali and the support and response was positively overwhelming.That was last year August and i have not stopped since.
”Through my Sax, I want to empower women to join the fields that they think should be for men. I want to encourage girls to be daring, to join music, to just do whatever they want to do”.
42
Do you ever feel pressure? Pressure is always there, peoples’ expectations are very high.With every day and every concert I play, I learn something new and learn to overcome and grow so with each performance I have something new to offer. You have to remain true to yourself and be proud of it. This is how I deal with all the pressure that comes my way.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years as a saxophone player? I want to have reached greater heights with my music; record a few songs. On my mind currently is a song about empowering women to join male dominated fields. When I started my Saturday gigs I couldn’t find a female pianist to play with and this made me really sad. I couldn’t believe that in a city like ours there weren’t more women instrumentalists. I also love children and I would love to start a music school for kids. When I play you can see their excitement, I want to nurture that. I even have a name for the school,“Little Notes”.
Do you want to do this on a full time basis someday? I do not know if I want to be a full time saxophone player. Right now I am really enjoying my job. Also, I want to be that sax player that can draft a contract, close a sale, sell an idea and still play the saxophone well, you know? I want to acquire different skills that will help me and others in the day to day career life. Eventually, I want to change the face of music. I want to do more than play an instrument.
What gets you up in the morning? Hope. That and the desire to do more. In the context of music, every performance get’s better than the last.
International women’s day message? Step up,be daring and follow your dreams. That thing that you would love to do? Do it. Also, rise above the challenges that come, because they’ll come. ■
43
“I also love children and I would love to start a music school for kids. When I play you can see their excitement, I want to nurture that. I even have a name for the school,“Little Notes”.
www.endasportswear.com
44
SEKONDI - TAKORADI
Images by THEUNSTTLD
MASQUERADE
#TapTravel #travelAfrica #Ghana #Easter #Sekondi #Takoradi #masquerade #YesuAsor Every Easter Holiday, the city of Sekondi-Takoradi in Western Ghana is transformed into a colourful festival, where fancy dresses and raffia masks are worn in what it becomes one of the largest carnivals in the region. â–
47
no_butstill Shaïness I take pictures and sometimes, I let words come out of my mouth. Moroni, Comoros
“My name is Shainess I’m actually very old. Hahah 24 yo.”
49
.
ART
“My passion has been photography for a while now...”
“Mostly iPhone.”
50
“Sometimes I ask before I take the picture (but that usually doesn’t make good pictures)”
“And sometimes it’s just natural because there is an implicite authorization to do.”
51
“I always feel akward when my subjects know I’m photographing him/ her.”
52
“The most enriching part about travelling is meeting people and discovering their country through them.�
53
DAILY FLIGHTS TO LAMU
skywardexpress.co.ke
THE NAFISA PROJECT
Images by PAUL KIDERO 55
FASHION
Sahar Arrayeh is a fashion Designer from Sudan. Once an orthopedic surgeon in London, she felt an urge to stay in Sudan when she visited the country late 2017 and decided to pursue her life long passion of being a fashion designer. Fast forward to 2019 and here we are,front row seats to the Nafisa Project: A fashion Story.
56
57
S
udan, the culturally ambiguous country, or so people think. Rather than being ambiguous, Sudan is one of the most culturally diverse countries. Every region has its history, traditions, and is very racially diverse. The Nafisa project is all about introducing the cultural diversity Sudan has to offer, it all started with the designer’s fascination with her alter ego; Nafisa. Nafisa is a woman from the Khartoum/ Jazeera Region. She was born in Altakala where she went to school. She is traditional but also has the tendency to defy expectations and has a mind of her own. She wears her hair in braids (mushat) and wears her favorite pair of earrings; fidaw. Nafisa has a story to tell, and so do all the characters in the Nafisa project. Each character represents a woman from a certain region in Sudan, each sporting their traditional dress and accessories. Through this project, the hope is to shed light on the richness and diversity of Sudan.
58
A Fashion Presentation The Nafisa Project is a fashion brand that is simple. Funky, traditional, and to the point. The first line consists of jackets with various characters on them, each representing a different region in Sudan. The The showcasing of her collection has been choreographed in a Sudanese setting and will show models sporting the jackets and wearing traditional Sudanese accessories in a setting reminiscent of Sudanese culture. The models will be asked to walk around in the space of the presentation and perform Sudanese customs. There will also be a small band of 3 playing Sudanese music to add to the general atmosphere. The presentation will run for 15-20 minutes, followed by a jam session by the band. â–
59
60
