UTTERANCE

I was drunk last night
from the keg of uttering pots
whose marrows shone
like pieces of piercing diamonds
on bended wooing knees
smiling in absent smells
of waiting kisses
and passing rush.

I was drunk last night
like a broken poet
in egg shells,
when I sang utterances
in the tunes of a gypsy song
who danced in ashes blood
of boiling incense

but why
would she make me wait
at the breast of another bread –
where the milk
is but a shadow,
and vapours stand
for sailing passion
with: “angels on
my pillows?”

and now
we would make
the liquor whisper
in voices unheard
at the sudden enchantment
of swift influences

I was drunk last night –
stuck between
the ancient crush
and this brazen me

and let The Spirit
and let the voice
become One
in my Utterance

and maybe someday
when blood
is made flowers,
I shall say the parable
of the broken kolanut.

-Kenneth Christie-Atiti.

BEFFTA award-winning Eric Reverence is one of the best and established upcoming UK artists with a style of music that has touched many lives. His team consists of a multi-national team of talented singers and musicians who are in tune with his vision to lead others to a life of true worship. His heart and passion is to fulfill what God has called him to do which is produce songs for everyone’s needs, empower and build others, especially young people with musical talent and to help them to fulfill the purpose of God in their lives.

A true positive role model, Eric has just received a prestigious nomination at the 2017 National Diversity award for his endless work with the youth which he has carried out for over 20 years. He works with the hard to reach target group, also know as the N.E.E.T (Not in Education, Employment, Training) and engaging with them and getting them back on track in life. He has done many workshops with them about life skills to build their confidence and develop the skills needed to get into education, employment or training.

Eric’s Single ‘I Give You My All’ has touched many lives and is currently being heard Premier Radio and UCB Radio. He has also appeared on a number of television and radio stations including UCB TV, Premier Radio, Believe TV and Ukentv. Eric’s achievements within four years as artist include a semi-finalists in the UK Gospel Competition, appeared as special guest artist on televised events including Just Out Of This World Final. He has ministered in various cities and towns around the UK and overseas including, Pentecost Festival, Camden Festival, Sommerset Conference and Gospel Corner at Notting Hill Carnival. His rise to success has also seen him tour and ministered at international events in the world including USA, Canada, Netherlands and Ghana .

The award-winning artist is well known for writing and composing simple and easy to learn contemporary praise and worship songs and these songs has been a hit at every event he has ministered. Eric has now released his new Single and EP titled. ‘I will carry on’ from his Live Recording Event in April 2013 and this includes music videos. In August 2014, Eric performed at the African Gospel Music Awards (AGMA) 2014 as a special guest, was also nominated for an award for Best Group of the year at Gospel Touch Music Awards and also performed as a special guest.

Eric has completed a successful charity tour in Ghana and looking forward to major tours across the globe. He also aims to release his new album in Summer 2015 followed by a tour.

THE MISSION

Eric Reverence mission is:

• To work with charities and orphanages and raise finance for a good cause
• To bring others in connection with God through songs he has written.
• To develop and produce songs that individuals/church organisations can use for their daily personal devotional needs or praise and worship
• To empower and build others, especially young people with musical talent/gifts and to help, nurture and develop them.

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS

– BEFFTA AWARDS 2016 (Best Male Gospel Act)

– PraiseTek Gospel Music Awards 2015 for Praise & Worship Artist of the year (Awarded)
– PGM Ambassador for UK 2015 (Awarded)

– Gospel Touch Music Award nominee 2014 for Best Group of the year

– Performed as Special Guest artist at Gospel Touch Music Awards 2014

– Performed as Special Guest artist at AGMA Awards 2014

– Performed as Special Guest artist at Just Out of This World Awards 2011

– Finalist at Gospel Rock Competition 2010

SINGLE & EP

I WILL CARRY ON SINGLE

I WILL CARRY ON ALBUM

Available to purchase on iTunes

MUSIC VIDEOS

*YOU ARE*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQHwYDgmBBg*

*I WILL CARRY ON*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t129395epUE

*I BELONG TO YOU*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2o8xL3Zcx0

SPONTANEOUS WORSHIP DOCUMENTARY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-7iGa-3DWY

*I WILL CARRY ON MUSIC VIDEO *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzBU43t5wWw

*GHANA CHARITY TOUR SNIP**PET 2013 (The quality of some of the sound and
picture of this clip is not that great)*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYkWfNlZzPg

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Web:www.ericreverence.com (currently being updated)

www.sworship.com (currently being updated)

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/reverence.eric

https://www.facebook.com/sworshipevent/

https://www.facebook.com/EricReverenceMusic/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Spontaneous_16   

ANOTHER AFRICA

Africa has become a grey haired toddler
on her mother’s broken back
whose many pampered thoughts
make for owned clanging chains

Africa whose cry was strong
at early birth on crown’s night
only now drinks the infant milk
from soured breast at nipples grave

Africa has lost her coloured face
in the drunken scotch of timely mesh
and staggers amongst faint inanities
where cowries are stones at road sides

He loved her
but she lied
and only asked:
“what have you done for my
father who brought me forth, and my mother who holds me still?”

and then these maiden men
singing praises of
their many manly maids in mass contortions not like the harmattan wind

Africa bears not her own burden
but is frozen in delightful myrrh
where her native strength of old
is far sunk in wintry cold.

-Kenneth Christie-Atiti.
©2017.

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT – IN REMEMBRANCE OF SONNY OKOSUN, THE LEGACY OF AN AMAZING MUSICIAN

Sonny Okosun towers among the giants of contemporary Nigerian music — assigning his signature fusion of reggae, highlife, Afro-funk, and traditional melodies and rhythms the catchall description “ozziddi” (or “message”), he tackled head-on the most incendiary political and social issues gripping the African continent. Born in Enugu, Nigeria, on January 1, 1947, Okosun was the son of musicians, although his chief formative influences were rockers like Elvis Presley and the Beatles. As a teen he taught himself guitar, and in 1964 founded the Postmen, a British Invasion covers band; a year later Okosun visited London for the first time as part of a theater group. In the wake of the early-1966 government coup d’état that led to the Biafra conflict, he and his family settled in Lagos, where he forged a career as a television actor. Okosun returned to music in 1969 as a member of Victor Uwaifo’s Melody Maestros, a group noted for its contemporary pop approach to traditional Nigerian music. After touring Japan and Europe with the group, he formed his own psychedelic rock unit, Paperback Limited, which he helmed until 1974. Upon dissolving the group, Okosun again reinvented his approach, this time channeling influences like soul, funk, and reggae — the resulting group, dubbed Ozziddi, crystallized the progressive musical and lyrical path he followed throughout the remainder of his career. “All my mates were singing love songs,” Okosun later said. “I was trying to talk about what was happening to black people.”

With 1976’s “Help,” Ozziddi scored their first major African hit, and a year later reggae giant Eddy Grant mixed their LP Papa’s Land. Follow-up Fire in Soweto was recorded in London and scored via the title track, which protested apartheid abuses in South Africa. Okosun nevertheless sidestepped the militant politics of contemporaries like Afro-funk icon Fela Kuti, promoting African unity and black pride over radical broadsides. After completing work on 1978’s Holy Wars, Okosun toured Nigeria with reggae greats Jimmy Cliff and Toots & the Maytals. With 1981’s Third World, Okosun inked a licensing deal with London indie Oti, with the U.S. imprint Celluloid agreeing to reissue Togetherness two years later. In 1985 he reached the apex of his international fame as the lone African artist to contribute to the all-star anti-apartheid album Sun City, and a year later his “Highlife” featured in the Jonathan Demme-directed feature film Something Wild. By the late ’80s Okosun‘s popularity was waning, but in 1994 he resurfaced with the comeback vehicle Songs of Praise. In all he recorded more than three dozen LPs over the course of his career, with sessions cut in locales ranging from the U.S. to France, and maintained a high profile at world music festivals across the globe. After battling colon cancer, Okosun died in Washington, D.C., on May 24, 2008.

CULLED FROM “ALL MUSIC ”

DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS,

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW MONTH FILLED WITH GREAT MANIFESTATIONS, SUCCESS STORIES AND GOOD HEALTH.
BELOW ARE MY SERVICES FOR THE MONTH OF MAY ALSO WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UPDATES ON A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE AFRICANS IN THE DIASPORA ONLINE NETWORK

I am Dean Okai, I am 42 years old and originally from South London. I grew up on two housing estates in South London until I moved out of my Mother’s house at 18. Young Men don’t necessarily make the best decisions and me moving back to New Cross to be around certain friends wasn’t the smartest.

Within a couple of years I can say that I was surrounded by petty criminals on the establishing rungs of the ladder. Yet regardless of the environments and circumstances I found myself, I always knew exactly who I was going to be and where I was going to be. I had that same spirit in school, when I would hear teachers tell me I couldn’t do this or that.

There was never a stage in my life when I would base what I was capable of, based on other peoples limitations. Everybody you come across that is threatened by your confidence will try to convince you out of your position, by selling you fear and doubt. Don’t buy it, there is something innate in your spirit that knows your path and destiny.

Having established that at my core I was always a big brother and an entrepreneur, I made a decision that no matter how many businesses I had that went down and how much I lost a by product, that I would never sit still and continue evolving and sharpening my pencil with regards to mastering business processes and acumen.

In the year 2000, I lost two phone shops in South London after three burglaries that left me with £260 in my pocket. My MO was always to get a job for six months and take advantage of all of the resources around me to re-establish myself and save the stake money to bet on myself again. I’d make myself as small as possible and save until I reached my number and then leave for another Dean Okai adventure.

You will find a common thread with many entrepreneurs in that we have had many incarnations to give us 10,000 hours of practice, to master our environment within the business landscape. There is nothing easy about being in business, because as business people we are choosing to be problem solvers. When you look at the matrix of challenges in front of you such as a shrinking economy, new technology that reduces your customer base, marketing that has become more streamlined to attract niche markets, all whilst paying the commercial land lord, who is raising the rent.

Did I mention that you have to do all of this and manage the dynamic of personalities within our companies and manage Family life at the same time. Having a job is not practice for running a business. This upsets many people with jobs, who have aspirations to get off the plantation and become architects of their own destiny. You need to just do it. Do your research, surround yourself with expertise, emerce yourself in the industry you want to enter and be aware that you have a number of transferrable skills.

Because of my experience I have always been aware that I had a number of transferrable skills, which is why I never listened to anyone else about the limitations of my capabilities. I was encouraged to get a job and work for someone else from my earliest memories, this is how we first betray our children, which is why I home school my son and enable him to be an entrepreneur.

Getting around to my current business, Suits Direct on Camden High Street, which was only an opportunistic means to an ends to provide a daily income, whilst pursuing everything else that I do. It provides me with choices that enable me to advocate on the ‘Transition of the Black Pound’ projects, raise and spend time with my son to guarantee that he will permanently be his own boss. As Black people we need to practice self preservation that serves our Families and our collective interests first.

As Men we are obligated to pay the rent and feed our Families, whilst climbing the ladder to fulfil our dreams. Being an entrepreneur is the perfect way to do that, which is why I advocate for teaching our children to be financially literate and run their own businesses. From the age of 9 I always wanted to work for myself, inspite of the fact that my Mother always encouraged me to get a proper job. My son will never know the pressures of those conflicting interests and be happy to follow the desires of his heart.

Dean Okai

The City of London came alive on Saturday the 30^th of may, as heavyweight champion,  Anthony Joshua defeated Wladimir Klitschko at The National stadium in Wembley in a thrilling bout filled with colour, action and drama

Joshua has achieved 19 stoppages in 19 contests in his four year career and he managed to finish off his counterpart in the 11^th round.

Although winning did not come easy , the triumph of this young man continues to unfold gracefully

Excerpts from the transcript “A Kaleidoscope of Efik migration to the UK” presented at the Black History Month at the House of Parliament on 27/10/2016 by Richard Duke

“If history were taught in the form of stories it would never be forgotten”
Rudyard Kipling

•A little background into this presentation is that it’s part of my unpublished research work titled “The Slave Kings of Calabar, Liverpool and London”.

•As part of the Black History Month we should be able to update our knowledge about events that shaped our destiny. Many of the stories about Black History have been from a Westerners perspective but over the past decades (with the availability of digitally archived resources) Black historians have been able to tell their own story. Koomla Dumor the late BBC Africa reporter once said in a TEDx talk that “if the hunted fails to tell its own story, the story will always glorify the hunter”. This is the story of the migration of the Efik people of Calabar to the UK. 1767. Hold the thought there.

•How many of us here have never been to Africa before? Awesome!
Calabar is a coastal city in West Africa and was the capital of pre-colonial Nigeria. It was also a major slave trading port. Around 2 million out of the 10 million slaves shipped out from West Africa came from the region of Calabar (1/5th). Anyone from Jamaica in the house? In Jamaica there is a Calabar High School, I learnt it’s the best school in Jamaica. It’s named after a place called Calabar in Jamaica where ex-slaves from Calabar settled and named the place after their origin.

•If I am able to provide a short narrative about how one of the earliest African ethnic groups pioneered the migration of Africans to UK would that be a good use of our time?

•Black History Month gives us the opportunity to learn the stories of those we may not have known much about until now. So, in the
interest of deepening our well of historical knowledge, let me share with you a brief narrative about the migration of Africans from the Efik tribe of Calabar to the UK.

•The migration of Efik people to the UK had been in various waves. The first set of migrants were children of Efik Chiefs brought to the UK in the 18th century by various British slave trade ship captains as part of commercial trade arrangements to train the children in U.K. schools for a couple of years.

•The next wave of migration to the U.K. by the Efiks was in the 19th century. Lots of children of the middle class and elite in Calabar migrated to the UK in large numbers by ship from Calabar and Apapa ports. Most of them went in pursuit of education and many of them settled in U.K. without returning back. According to the shipping records archived by Ancestry.co.uk, there were over 800 travellers by sea from Calabar port to Liverpool and Bristol between 1835 and 1935, 90% were Efik migrants.

•The final wave of Efik migration took place in the 1950’s-1960’s by lots of educated Efik young adults who were looking for the next step in higher education and out of resilience took the 21 day trip by sea on the Elder Dempster ship to Liverpool.

•In 1767 seven Captains of English vessels ( 3 from Liverpool 3 from Bristol and 1 from London) berthed their ships at the shores of Old Calabar in West Africa and massacred 450 Efik people in order to double-cross their slave business partner. They also took away 500 slaves on discount and kidnapped 3 family members of the slave trading Chief.

In 1767 these 3 Efik princes were taken on a long journey through 3 different continents and finally landed in the UK, against their will. The story has been recently captured in the book ‘The Two Princes of Calabar’ by Professor Randy Sparks.

•If you don’t learn from history, history will end up teaching you a lesson. The lessons of history are not about blood, sweat and tears, it’s about learning the lessons and not allowing history to repeat itself on your watch.

•On our watch the history of migration to the UK is repeating itself again. Migrants from Africa are taking the perilous journey from Northern Africa to Europe by sea on a daily basis and are also dying at sea on a daily basis. No one in the media is talking about it, it’s our responsibility to highlight the self-enforced plight of our brothers who may never make it by sea.

•It’s time to reflect and ask ourselves if we have done enough to be part of the solution rather than complain about the problem.

•History is a social mirror which we use to project the image of the past into the future. If you don’t like what you are seeing in the mirror, as a change agent, you can realign the spectrum and impose your societal ideas.

•Conclusion:
I like playing Chess since I was 6 years old. On the Chess board, the white player always moves first. The white player always has the advantage. On a balance of probability, the White player should always win a game of chess. The White player controls the game. For the black chess player to win, they need to be more strategic and have positional awareness. The odds are stacked against them.

When you are a black player on a chess board, black is black. In the mind of the public policy makers in United Kingdom there is no Black African or Black Caribbean. To them you are just an IC3, a black crime statistic.

However, when they want to divide us, they will bring out education statistics and state that Black Africans perform better at schools than Black Caribbeans.

•You can’t compete with someone who is always one step ahead of you but you can position yourself to take advantage of your opponents situation and turn things around.

•Black History Month is always a good time to reflect and see how many pieces you have left on the chess board.

•Don’t pressurise your children by telling them that they have to work twice as hard as their white counterparts in order to get to where they are. That’s what our parents used to tell us.

•When it’s their move on the chess board teach them how to strategise, position themselves dominate their environment.

•Because when a people don’t learn the lessons from history, history has a way of teaching people lessons. May the Black History Month teach you a positive lesson and thank you very much for listening.

All roads lead to Slough this Sunday the 30^{th h} of April , as an amazing initiative called “Panzvimbo” will be organizing the very best in Entertainment featuring  Bridget Gavanga at The Slough Cricket Club, Upton Court Road, Slough, SL3 7 LT    For more info, contact  07766716490

,

Come and Network and be part of a colourful day, Come and have fun, party and let your head down as the warm season of summer unfolds

The future is filled with many great beginnings, Our vision is to promote community cohesion among Southern  Africans, the best is yet to come

Nox is simply an African Urban Contemporary Artist, Born Enock Guni better known as Nox on the 6th of September 1983; He grew up in the ghetto of Kuwadzana, Harare Zimbabwe, and Attended Kuwadzana 2 Primary School from 1990. In 1997 he enrolled at Ellis Robins High School in Malbereign, till 2000.

In the year 2001, he enrolled for A- Level at Morgan High School in Braeside/Arcadia where he started his music career in 2002. He was doing Economics, MOB and Geo and was one of the top students and came up with 12 points.

In 2003, Nox enrolled with Midlands State University for a Bcomm Honors Degree in marketing which he completed with flying colors in 2007. By October 2011, Nox had released many hit songs from his 6 albums and some of the hit songs are Iwe Maria, Nguva Ichauya, Chigutiro, Ruvarangu/Juliet, Kunerima, Washanduka, Ndinoshuwa, Kudakwashe, Iwe Rudo, Garandichauya, Wandinoda, Tanakirana, Ini Ndada, Andipengesa, Wenera and Fona.

He has performed with almost everyone in Zimbabwe, and has done duets with a lot of people including Oliver Mtukudzi and Alick Macheso. He has now become popular across the globe. Early Life Born in a family of 6 and now based in Midrand, South Africa. With 9 successful albums to his name since 2002, singer, songwriter, performer, founder/owner/CEO of Ice n Roes…..Africa, here is the future of African Urban Contemporary Music! Career In 2002 he participated in a reality ZTV show called Superstar. In 2003 whilst studying for his Marketing Degree at the Midlands States University he joined the Shape Zimbabwe project where he was spotted by Roy and Royce and he released his first hit radio single “Iwe Maria” In 2004 Nox released his first album titled “Wandipengesa” In 2005 under Chigutiro Stable he penned Chigutiro anthem together with Blush for Chigutiro Compilation 2. He also wrote songs for Diana Samkange and Nyasha on that album In 2006 Nox released his second studio album titled “Rhythm and Blues” where the song “Nguva Ichauya” featuring Cindy reached number 1 on Power FM’s top 100 in 2007.

In 2007 Nox joined forces with Tawanda Mugodhi and Trevor Dongo and they formed Afrounik and released an album titled “Uniqueness” which had a gospel hit song called Musipo. In 2008 Nox relocated to South Africa and released his third studio album titled “Chapter 3” which had a chat topping song titled “Ndinoshuwa” featuring Leonard Mapfumo. In 2009 Nox released his fourth album titled “Music Love and Me” which had “Garandichauya which was number 1 on Zimnet Radio Top 50. The album was used on various World Cup SA 2010 stadiums and had big names from all over Africa including 2 Face, P Square, Jozi, Nameless and others. The same song was also picked by MNET for their reality show, BIG BROTHER AFRICA ALL STARS and they played it several times in the House including Nox’s other Songs.

In 2010 Nox released his fifth album titled “Zim’s Finest: Tisu tine Yese” with hits such as “Ini” In the same year Nox invited his fellow Urban Grover’s for shows dubbed Urban Loving Concert in SA that saw Sniper, Trevor, Roki, Tawanda Mugodhi and Cindy performing. Ndada Tanakirana and Andipengesa, In 2011 Nox released his 6th album called: Classic Love Songs which had great love songs like Fona which featured Decibel and Trinta, Ngatisanyadzise ft Cindy, Vasikana Vanoda, Tsime Rerudo and 5 more. In 2012 Nox under his new Record Label and Studio released his most successful album Ice n Roses which carried the single Ndinonyara which stayed on Power fm weekly top 10, number 1 position for 63 days. The song Ndinonyara was voted number 4 on Radio Zimbabwe top 100, number 11 on Power FM top 100 In the same year Nox did the Zim Ndinonyara Invasion Tour which saw him performing in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Mutare, Zvishavane and Plum tree.

He also performed at a high profile Delta and HIFA Lion Lager Beer Festival supporting Psquare He also performed at the Gtel Face of Zimbabwe He released his first video to be accepted on Channel O titled “I love you” Nox toured UK 8 times and Australia performing in London, Leicester, Manchester Coventry, Birmingham, Luton, Dunstable, Leeds, Liverpool, Chester, Slough, Melbourne and most recently China. He won the ZIMAA UK Most Touring Artist of the year award In 2013 Nox visited Jairos Jiri School where he donated soaps and snacks and spend the day entertaining them. In 2013 Nox released his eighth album titled “8th Wonder” with a single Riding Solo topping Zifm charts and a potential song for the whole African market being on number 25 on the top 40 African Songs competing for the top spot. Nox ultimate goal is to take the International Music industry by storm and for his music to be available on all parts of the Globe, and he aspires to be at the top like his musical icons Craig David, Joe Thomas and R Kelly. In 2015 Nox released his Ninth album titled “Road to Africa’s Best” with Hits like “Number 1,” “Chandakatadza Chii,” “Gumbo Mudoro ft Jah Prayzah,” “Ndibatsirei,” “Angelina ft Okoye Swag,” “Fake” and “How Does it Feel?” 2016 will see the release of is Tenth Project titled “Africa’s Best”