COVID-19 FALLOUTS: URBAN JAMZ AWARDS POSTPONED

The 2020 edition of the Urban Jamz Awards, UJA, has been postponed. Originally scheduled for Friday, March 20 in Douala, Urban Jamz Awards 2020 will take place on a later date to be announced.

According to its founder and President, Valery Atia, the decision comes on the heels of the Coronavirus outbreak which has clipped the wings of the world. “And the subsequent lockdown by the government to reduce and manage its spread,” he adds, in a press release, Wednesday, March 18.

In a considerate tone, the Urban Jamz Awards boss insists that the safety of participants, including artists, music fans and organizers, is primordial. He however advises potential UJA 2020 attendees to hold on to their tickets and reservations till that time when the event will take place. “Information regarding the new date will be announced,” the release reads on.

Created in 2016, the Urban Jamz Awards has become the leading music recognition platform in the Central African sub region. The annual event identifies and rewards actors who display excellence in music production including singers, dancers, managers, music video directors, bloggers, etc. All had been set for the fifth edition with expected performances from frontline artists such as Daphne, Salatiel, Charlotte Dipanda, Mr leo, Magasco, Blanche Bailly, Locko and Blaise B.

SUMMY SIDE OF COVID-19

Except heaven, there is no other utopian place. Literally translated, life is not and will never be a bell off roses. From ordinary observation, there are more undesirable moments that happy ones. Entertaining sadness would therefore be tantamount to succumbing to fate. In the days of yore, this mindset occupied enough space in the lives of people who accommodated it. Disturbing, isn’t it?

Today, things have changed, perhaps thanks to the new ICTs and social media. Not to say it has banalized everything, social media has played a positive psychological impact on people, to the point where in the face of adversity, they relax.

Just like the case with other prominent events/circumstances, COVID-19 has had its own fair share of social media memes. For the past weeks and still running, citizens have embarked on all sorts of Coronavirus-related memes. They are either motionless designed or motion pictures, brilliantly crafted to beat out the terrible feelings people have had to harbor since the pandemic came calling.

As days go by, comedians are increasingly pouring out COVID-19 skits, shared on social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp. “Each time I come across a Coronavirus skit, I quickly forget about the virus’ ravaging effect,” Ferline, a Columbus, Ohio resident told Apex 1 Radio. To her, more of such memes and skits are required, at least, for the therapeutic role they play. “We may be underestimating their role, but those comic relief content help in keeping some people alive,” she said. And added: “In the absence of these, belief me, some people who be so badly damaged psychologically.”

What has not been noticed more, is music. One would have expected situational artists to produce songs on the pandemic as rapidly as it is spreading. Perhaps, this has not been the case because COVID-19 took the world by storm and no one is yet to understand the nature of the pandemic. That notwithstanding, there have been a handful of tracks on COVID-19 released, including “Believe Love Will Triumph”, an anthem, sung by Chinese.

One of the most prominent music works on COVID-19, is We’ve Got This – Fight Against Coronavirus/COVID-19, authored by the South African Ndlovu Youth Choir. Released on March 11, the track is gathering YouTube views by the day. The thematic song cautions people against habits that could cause the virus to inhibit in them. The track makes it clear that avoiding face touching and regularly washing hands are the best way to go. Its video is a display of great artistic performance.

Hopefully, upcoming memes, comedy skits and songs would be addressing COVID-19 in the past tense. For now, let’s help ourselves fight it.

Moi Moi On The Move

Moi Moi Nigerian cuisine is an enviable aspect of the country’s cultural heritage. Apart from epic movies you would watch religiously, hugely supplied by Nollywood and the mouth-watering pieces from the country’s music outfit, Nigerian food is by every ramification, the best thing you’d take back home after a visit to continent. One delicacy that is never absent in restaurant and home menus, is Moi Moi. Moi Moi is a Nigerian steamed bean pudding made from a mixture of washed and peeled black-eyed peas, onions and fresh ground peppers. It is a protein-rich food that is a staple in Nigeria. It is also called Moin-Moin or Moyi Moyi and also served at parties. Bonne appetit!

Reynoldsburg Gets New Healthy-living Product

Congresswoman for the Ohio 3rd District, Joyce Beatty has accompanied the local authorities of Reynoldsburg and the dwellers in welcoming the city’s latest health-based nutrition product. Raider Nutrition was presented to the public this Saturday, March 14 during a ceremony to inaugurate the juice bar.

Just as excited as the Congresswoman, Reynoldsburg’s municipal official, Meredith Lawson-Rowe, representing her council, endorsed the product, pointing out that it was the best option for everyone at this time. “Raider Nutrition is a product everyone must to check out for,” the Councilwoman recommended.

Healthy eating has always been the number one recommendation to the people of Reynoldsburg. Local authorities of this municipality have never relented in their efforts to make this a reality. Fortunately, Reynoldsburg city dwellers have been heeding to this and are contributing enormous to promote this habit, through their community service initiatives.

Raider Nutrition also comes at a time the food industry in the United States is looking for ways of improving and encouraging healthy eating. It is the hope of consumers that more healthy foods will get into the market such that concerns of nutrition-related problems should be a thing of the past.

 

COVID-19 TITBITS

SILENT SABBATH

March 15, 2020 is by all indications, the rarest Sunday in the history of time in Ohio and other States in the United States. Ordinarily, as early as 7am and in some cases, before, church doors are flung open to let Christians in for the day’s service (mass for Roman Catholics). But at 8am, time of scribbling these notes, Church premises, including parking lots, maintained the mood they had had all week long with doors closed. This follows the official declaration of nationwide state of emergency by President Trump and the lock-down by Ohio’s number one executive, Governor Mike DeWine. These prohibitions that is affecting one of the most significant Christian requirements – keeping the sabbath day holy, came as a result of rising rates of people testing positive for Coronavirus in the United States and Ohio respectively. So far, Ohio fields in 26 positive cases while death toll in the United States has climbed to 50. How a Sunday with silent and uninhabited Church halls and pulpits would look like, is yet to be determined. But with modern technology at its best, Christians would still commune with fellow brethren and God. Other mediums included, Facebook, YouTube, Skype, WhatsApp, would do the trick. Otherwise, prayers and worshipping are always supposed to be a daily thing. God is still with us and hopefully, COVID-19 will check out sooner than later.

SILENT SHELVES

Arguably, grocery stores, are the most visited economic activity milieus in metropolitan settlements. Naturally, people need food, more than anything else, daily to survive. For that reason, grocery store traffic is most often dense, day-in, day-out, all year round. To keep life going therefore, restocking store shelves is the commonest activity you would notice at the markets. Usually, stockers won’t wait for shelves (including refrigerators) to run dry before replenishing. They would do that as soon as an item leaves. With the COVID-19 scare, the scene has changed. For the first time, store shelves have been emptied of their content and there are no signs of replenishment. Interestingly, items that stayed longer on shelves have suddenly become highly sought after and whisked away. Perhaps, the height of it, is the new scarcity of bread, affecting big groceries markets across Ohio and the United States. “When it touches bread, then we are in for harder days ahead,” said a customer of a well reputed grocery store, situated at the Northern belt of Columbus. He went on: “Bread is life and without it, life is miserable.” For over a week now, people have been stocking their homes with food, for fear of the unknown. What if COVID-19 becomes even more present and they are not allowed to leave their homes? The answer to that question has obviously laid in the huge food purchase going on. Food scarcity is certainly the need battle. Hope COVID-19 checks out sooner than later – hunger could be dreadful.

SILENT SCHOOLS

School grounds are usually noisy places. “Of course, noises made by kids as they recite poems, sing, repeat after their teacher, are desirable – this is called making useful noise,” a parent told Apex 1 Radio. The Westerville (city in the Columbus metropolis) parent was reacting to the fact that COVID-19 would be affecting schools. “I want kids and their teachers to be safe, but I regret that such a calamitous health crisis should be befalling us at a time we need kids in school,” she continued. The concerned parent went on: “They are talking of three weeks without projecting into the possibility of going beyond – what if Coronavirus numbers continue to rise, don’t you think we can get to a point where we will be entertaining kids at home for months?” Though worried, other parents have expressed same concerns, but have preferred to have their kids at home at this critical time, than having them exposed to the dangers of COVID-19. Monday, March 22 was supposed to be the last day of school in most districts in Ohio, but a Gubernatorial decision whisked the day off the calendar. Schools are only expected to resume, after the Spring break, in three weeks, as opposed to the usual one week this holiday has always had.

MORE COVID-19 UPDATES COMING UP…..

LIFE HAPPENS EDITORIAL – June 2018

In a quick aftermath thought, following the popularity SWEET MOTHER had enjoyed, the author of the timeless and universal highlife masterpiece was challenged to package an equivalent for fathers. Prince Nico Mbarga had been confronted with complaints of fathers not having their fair share in the SWEET MOTHER buzz, whereas they too pull a mighty weight in the family movement.

Nico Mbarga of blessed memory had no other option, than to pay the much-needed tribute to the Governor of the family – the father. Whether the succeeded track to SWEET MOTHER, titled GOOD FATHER turned out to be a success of not, or whether its buzz was far less impactful than the former, is not what is important. What is salient in this discourse is that the legendary highlife artist, just like his audience, saw the need of the father and the importance of this male figure being celebrated.

But just as we take a lot of things for granted, many of us can still not define who the father is. Life Happens may provide the academic definitions of the father who is the male parent of a child. The show may also go further in explaining that besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. We can also join Wikipedia in defining him as the biologically male genetic contributor to the creation of the infant, through sexual intercourse or sperm donation.

But, it would be more interesting if we look at the father in the true sense of our African society or communities. In the days of yore, the father figure was an embodiment of strength, respect, order, authority and an incarnation of family growth. If in a post-colonial African setting, both parents were career workers, in a typically traditional environment where work was attached to one parent, it was the man – the father. The father understood and did so without any mistakes that it was his utmost responsibility to provide protection to the children he fathered and to his family as a whole. By protection, we mean the provision of shelter, food, medicines, education, the list continues.

The kids felt warmth in the presence of their father and trusted their confidence in him. As a follow-up, the man ensured that he implemented every strict and stringent rule required for a better upbringing of children. His authority reigned.

And so instead of calling him darling husband, his wife would rather call him Papa Ogundele or Papa Eposi, a clear indication that the role of father exerted immeasurable strength. When a woman had lived with the father of her children for a long time, the letter gradually and naturally started happening on her like a father figure. It was not stranger therefore to find women referring to their husbands as Papa.

As time went on and career started meandering its way into the family narrative, things began to change. The father tree started being uprooted gradually. It fast became common to find women who at times because of advocacy education, would pit their children against the latter’s father. Stories of “your dad doesn’t care about you and so why should you care about him” became commonplace.

What about women who would openly disrespect their husbands in the presence of the kids? In their tender ages, some women would let their kids know that their dad is an irresponsible man who spend money on everything else except his home and so such a man did not deserve any respect. This would happen even when such allegations are unfounded.

An uglier picture is children who have openly disrespected their father and some have gone as far as engaging them in physical confrontations. Sad! The same children have been unable to make their father proud and would rather present poor academic results, poor behavior returns and the list is long.

If some fathers have just been unfortunate to have bad wives and children, others have been bad fathers even when they are blessed by good wives and kids. These ones have unrepentantly made their wives victims of matrimonial cheating and their children victims of delinquent male parenting. We have therefore not been blind to fathers who have vehemently refused to pay school fees for their children and would rather teach them bad habits such as drunkenness, cheating, laziness, and carefree lifestyle. These one have rather been a disgrace to their children. Sad indeed!

And so as the world celebrates father’s day, where can we say is the standing of today’s African father? He has lost that authority because his wife and children have despised the African value of respect for the head of the home or his is missing in the realm of respect because he cannot comport himself like a gentlemen? Every father knows where they belong – but in such challenging times, there is a high need for reflection on the kind of fathers Africa and the world should be grooming today – the father who is a pride to his home, community and society at large. A father whose children can stand up any day, anytime, hit their chest and declare him the best dad in the universe.

Happy Father’s Day to all dad! Be the darling dads we love to showcase!

Welcome to LIFE HAPPENS as we launch Season 2 of your talk show on Apex 1 Radio. My name is Gracee Boycee and the show is produced by Ernest Kanjo.

Let’s set the ball rolling with music and we shall be back to formulate our topic for the edition.

NO TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!

For all social vices that have stayed around longer than expected, domestic violence against women has been conspicuous. Despite frantic efforts in curbing this practice, advocates against domestic violence, from all indications, are having a hard time putting the math together. Why should the woman, described as mother of humanity, be subjected under such pain, has been their utmost worry. Even more disturbing, is the fact that domestic violence has gone on, despite accelerated strives to combat it. Fortunately, advocates have refused to throw in the towel and the more the social ill is perpetrated, the more energized they are to face it squarely. Within the framework of the fight against domestic violence, a bevy of ladies, reputed for their civil society efforts in issues related to vulnerable populations, have put up a come-together to discuss domestic violence, as women the world over reflect on their lives this month. A conference to that effect takes place in Maryland, USA this Saturday, March 21. Ahead of the event, its host Roy Mamah, accompanied by speakers, join us on radio to explain more. They will be guests on APEX SNAPSHOT few hours to the start of the discussion.

The show begins at 9am EST

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URBAN MUSIC ARCHTECTS BRACE FOR ANNUAL RENDEZVOUS

Music could be said to be the epicenter of art. It is present in every other form of art and used in for everything, everywhere by everybody. Therefore, music is everyone’s culture. That perhaps, explain why its industry has the tendency of staying afloat under every circumstance, even when others face difficult times. When he created this recognition concept, Valery Atia (entertainment promoter and blogger) aimed at consolidating the frontline posture of music and at the same time, pay tribute to the people who make the art and its industry tick. Over the years, URBAN JAMZ AWARDS has grown into a monumental platform that does not attracts interest but mobilizes people to celebrate music and its actors. The 2020 edition of UJA that comes up this Friday, March the 20th, promises to exceptional. Since exceptional things require attention, Apex 1 Radio will take its equipment and reporters to the Akwa Salle Des Fetes, Douala venue to pick up the sound and images and transmit live to our audience. Join our special broadcast as from 1pm EST (6pm gmt+1) this Friday on www.apex1radio.com – tunein app – Facebook live at Apex 1 Radio-www.apex1radio.com – Take the appointment!

2020 Race Moderators

2020 is determinant for people who live in the United States, including immigrants. How better or stagnant their lives would be thereafter, depends on choices they’ll be making at the polls. For Apex 1 Radio, we offer a platform for reporting the stories and using experts to educate our audience on the elections process. Be part of the show!

An Obama come-back via Michelle?

His name would be printed in bold letters upon scoring a spectacular victory at the 2008 race to become the first Black tenant at the White House. The succeeding eights years would thus be a memorable chapter in the golden book of American history, to be read by generations upon generations to come. But far from the man, Barack Obama and his administration, one element stood out tall in the era of the maiden Black President in the world’s most powerful nation. Michelle Obama!

For some obvious reason, America’s First Lady, from 2008 to 2016, observers had held, was an incarnation of excellence. Strongly molded with beauty and brains, Michelle smartly grabbed the show from the popular man-at-the-helm, her husband, leaving the former president with no choice, than to overly hail her at every single outing.

The First Lady would soon become too charismatic to resist – her keep fit displays, her dexterous dance on TV shows, her cuisine skills on TV, her interaction with kids – the moments were aplenty. Just as would be the case with any other wife of a President, Michelle would be seen in the softer areas of life, providing needed smiles on the faces of citizens.

However, Obama’s wife wouldn’t fail to prove she is a genius who is able to jack in everything, yet master all, even in politics, for which her husband was well reputed. Her speech to the 2016 Democratic Convention assembly would lift spirits and position her in the realm of crowd-pulling personalities. Many were those who wished it were Michelle, opposing the winner of the 2016 election to the White House, after that memorable address. “Michelle in Hillary’s place would have dealt a hard blow on Trump, I’m convinced about that,” Felix, an Apex 1 Radio listener in Columbus had told the station.

Almost four years down on, such Michelle Obama sentiments seem to be returning. Prior to the Super Tuesday to select their presidential nomination, a poll carried out, showed overwhelming support for former First Lady Michelle Obama as a running mate on the Democratic ticket in November. Done by Stanford’s Hoover Institution in conjunction with Stanford’s Bill Lane Center for the American West and YouGov, the poll which was conducted on 1,507 registered voters across California from February 26 to 28, had Michelle Obama scoring a 31 percent win over California Senator and Bay Area native Kamala Harris, 19, Klobuchar, 18, Stacy Abrams, 13 percent and Steyer, 10 percent (Source: CBS)

Since then, the thought of the former First Lady returning to Washington has regurgitated with folks taking to social media to express themselves. Rhetorics such as these ones were read prior to this write-up: “What if Michelle Obama becomes Joe Biden’s running mate…” “Would Trump survive a Biden-Michelle architecture?” “Assume Biden wins the Democratic nomination, how about Michelle as running mate?”

Earlier on Thursday, Apex 1 Radio sampled some opinions on a possible Michelle Obama entry into the race as running mate for the Democratic candidate. Our interviewees responded from four cities in Ohio – Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Bryan.

BARACK OBAMA IN DISGUISE

Michelle is a replica of her husband. If she becomes Vice President, it would be Barack, returning to the White House and that would be my greatest desire. I was and am still a fan of the former president. He cared about the middleclass and so too will be Michelle, if she gets into the next administration. I’m looking forward to seeing her run alongside the Democratic nominee.” Sandrine, Bryan

SHE CANNOT STAND TRUMP

When I recall how Trump mercilessly knocked out Hillary both in the debates and at the polls, I fear for Michelle, should she run alongside the Democratic nominee. It’s no doubt that Trump will inflict hard verbal punches on her and I think Michelle is too good to be dragged in soiled waters. I wouldn’t endorse her participation in this election and even future ones. She was a great First Lady, so be it. Let her forget about the Vice President position, for, it is nothing bigger than her legacy.” Cletus, Columbus

MICHELLE IS A HEAVY WEIGHT

Michelle is not only popular, but she is loved by Americans. She is smart, knows the four corners of the White House and the politics of this country. She would be an added impetus to the Democratic campaign and woe betides Trump. With Michelle around, Trump is history as from 2021. I hope she becomes running mate to Biden.” Andin, Cleveland

NOT THIS TIME

I’m a Michelle Obama fan and have been since her husband became President in 2008. I’m one of those who have always dared to say she will be President of the United States someday. However, I wouldn’t want her to be part of a team that would not make it. Donald Trump cannot be beaten in an election, at least this time. So, Michelle’s fame would be rubbed in mud if she is pitted against the current president because she would lose obviously. Let her postpone it.” Boris, Cincinnati

GREAT FIRST LADY, NOT NECESSARILY GOOD VP

Michelle was a successful and much loved First Lady. However, will that necessarily make her a good Vice President? I do not think so. Politics is different from what we see from a distance. She lived at the White House as wife of the President and was not the one running the country. What makes people think she would be capable of running the affairs of the United States from the high office of Vice President? To me, Michelle should reject any such offer, even if the polls want her.” Paramont, Cincinatti