Best entertainment events in 2014
Sudhir’s daughter gets married
It was one wedding that left people talking. Sudhir Ruparelia’s daughter, Meera, 20, got married to Ravi Kotecha, 23, who she had dated for eight years. It was a week-long wedding during which different flashy and glamourous parties were hosted at Speke Resort Munyonyo. At the last party, the mother of them all, attracted almost every notable citizen of Uganda.
The young couple had earlier on got married at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park, one of London’s most exclusive hotels. The wedding was attended by only 200 guests, which called for another reception, two days later that had 900 guests at the Grosvenor, another exclusive London Hotel. Sudhir flew hundreds of guests from different parts of the world to London.
But that wasn’t enough as it called for a Kampala ceremony that coincided with Valentine’s Day. The week-long do was the Ugandan and precisely real wedding, which also incorporated a lot of Indian customs.
Kotecha is a Kenyan businessman, also born to one of Kisumu’s real estate and haulage honchos. He met Meera when he frequented Kampala where his uncle, Bhasker Kotecha, owns Midcom, a giant mobile phone dealer in Uganda.
Kadanke Beach Carnival
The teenagers were out at the beach as early as January, just before they went for their first academic term. It was the ‘Kadanke Beach Carnival’ dubbed the ‘General Assembly’ of prefects (read artistes) and students.
The assembly was at Aero Beach in Entebbe where there were no speeches but every reason to party and dance to performances by artistes; Rabadaba, GNL Zamba, Big Tril Fille, Sheebah, Don MC, Maro, Andy Music and Woods.
Organiser and brainchild Ibrahim Ssebatta noted that this was a double as Kadanke, a youth branding initiative through entertainment, celebrated two years of engaging youngsters in a positive way.
Hipipo Music Awards
The Hipipo Music Awards improved in organisation this year. For a second year running, Bebe Cool bagged more awards than any artiste. Most of all, he was Artiste of the Year. Hipipo seeks to reward different players in the local music industry.
The award ceremony did not go without a share of drama as Bebe Cool refused to present an accolade to Rema Namakula who had just left his Gagamel Entertainment Crew.
A rainy experience at Tubonge concert
It was a rainy experience at the Tubonge concert where fans braved the cold and raindrops to see their favourite singer Jose Chameleone in action. This was at Lugogo Cricket Oval where Chameleone made a fashion statement by stepping out dressed like a Roman empire warrior, complete with a metallic vest and helmet. For footwear he had Aladin shoes.
He used his time to announce that he wanted local music to take back its place on radio, on television and in Ugandans’ lives.
For this he promised to offer quality songs and music videos. “If we can buy expensive cars, then we can do good videos,” he said.
5 Star A-Side Football Tournament
In April, Daily Monitor and Kinetic partnered to bring together bar owners and revellers together in a football tourney dubbed ‘5 Star A-Side Football Tournament’ under which teams battled for the top spot.
It was a unique concept because the football matches were played under floodlights at Lugogo Hockey Grounds.
The tourney run for two months and the winner Akashaka won a cash prize of Shs3m. Teams of the bars mainly comprised patrons and each would field a lady and not more than one professional footballer.
Participants included Zone 7, Panamera, Route 256, Fat Boyz, Asylum, Cayenne, Just Kicking and Legends.
Koffi olomide works up Kampala
The average local music lover could have least expected that Lingala was still popular in Uganda. Koffi Olomide proved to them that Lingala is that genre that can get people off their seats to wiggle their waists.
Years after Lingala was replaced with our local music, Olomide showed that he is a powerful entertainer beyond what we are used to, of our local stars nodding their heads and jumping around the stage.
It was a charity concert, held at Lugogo Cricket Oval where for the first time college buses were seen parked outside the oval as students also partook of good music.
Olomide threw fans into a frenzy, lifting his queen dancers as he went on with his stage frolics, performing all-time favourites such as Papaplus, Malembe, Elixir, among other cool Lingala tunes that made this economist drop his profession for his music passion. In the house were notable people such as Vice President Edward Sekandi, Prince David Wasajja, Uganda’s Ambassador to Kinshasa James Kinobe and D.K.Lee, the Trustee of the Rotary Foundation.
Legends’ Balls
Conventionally, when a reveller goes into a nightclub, they dance to music played through speakers. The Legend’s Ball concept changed the nocturnal experience as music stars Moses Matovu, Tony Ssenkebejje, Frank Mbaliire and Eddy Ganja took to the floor to perform live to fans at Guvnor, every quarter of the year.
The four Ugandan music legends brought back memories from as far back as the 1960s when Ssenkebejje was only cutting his musical teeth, through 1990s when Matovu did Speed. Their emcee, Andre Patrick Luwandaga, is an old timer and a man who has walked the journey with Afrigo as a fan, so he would relevantly contextualise the songs according to year, memories and sometimes the story behind them.
Like that, revellers were always expectant of a memorable night out because organisers made sure these nights fell on a day before the weekend or a public holiday, so they would be no worries for attendants to work the next day.
New awards
A new set of awards, Zinna Awards, launched on the social calendar, seeking to recognise and reward artistes for their efforts and works. Radio & Weasel scooped the biggest number of awards, four of them including Best Music Group of the Year, Best Overseas Collaboration, Best love Song and Song of the Year. Their mentor, Jose Chameleone won two awards for Best Artiste of the Year and Badilisha concert winning the Best Concert of the year for 2013.
Viga Awards reward gospel artistes
The annual Victoria’s Gospel Music Awards (VIGA Awards) rewarded efforts of Christian music players at Theatre La bonita with a surprise of some of the big names in the industry not winning accolades. Pastor Wilson Bugembe did not win any of the awards in 35 categories. Judith Babirye won Album of the Year award.
Best of Bebe Cool concert
Juliana Kanyomozi opened way for secular artistes to up their stakes and perform at upscale Kampala Serena Hotel. Bebe Cool put up a good concert that sold out at the hotel’s Victoria hall.
It was his silencer to critics who never thought he could pull off a show at the venue since he has always held his concerts in outdoor venues. Bebe performed live all night. He called on Annette Nandujja and her traditional Planet dancers with whom he performed Kamungolo.
The concert was dubbed the Best of Bebe Cool and one aspect Bebe proved to be best at, was his wardrobe. He changed into different attires over seven times.
Geoffrey Lutaaya marries Irene Namatovu
It was one of those weddings that can be described as lavish because a lot of man was injected into it and unlike the usual one kasiki (bachelor parties), Geoffrey Lutaaya and Irene Namatovu held three kasikis.
The singer with the New Eagles Production sealed their 10-year-old relationship with a mother of weddings in Masaka were drinks flowed till there were hardly any more drinkers and food so much so that for two days people enjoyed all three traditional meals, non-stop.
Mafikizolo fire up Serena hotel
They had been meant to perform at the ‘Club Mega Fest’ but did not. When they performed at a VIP concert at Kampala Serena Hotel where, Mafikizolo put up a powerful characterised beautiful choreography.
Theo Kgosinkwe, Nhlanhla Nciza and their queen and king dancers were simply off the hook. From Tchelete (goodlife), Makhwapheni, Inkomo, Sebenza, Sebuyire, Nisixoshelani, Mas’thoknone, to Khona and Happiness, revellers kept wiggling their waists, tapping their feet, nodding their heads and throwing their hands in the air.
The band’s connection with the audience made the concert memorable. There was a moment when she called on a male fan to dance with as Kgosinkwe called out for a beautiful lady to dance a slow song with. It was one of the best concerts of the year.
