MY DINNER WITH THE EGYPTIAN COUPLE

“Is it halal?”
“The meat or everything else?”
“The meat, my friend, the meat.”
Dr. Mohammed Kharib (not real name) is gingerly holding the delicious fried chicken. After assuring him it is halal and that I actually do not eat pork we continue dining in peace. An hour later we have all retired to the living room, drinking, chatting. We are waiting for Haifa to get ready to sing.
By the way this is not the famous singer, model and provocative Haifa Wehbe from Lebanon. Haifa is just an assumed nickname of Dr. Kharib’s wife, Wahida; an amateur musician.
She and her husband have been my friends for many years since the days I visited Cairo for the first time. I have always been fond of Egyptian people who I find warm hearted and sincere.
Long time ago I use to work in the Egyptian Embassy in Dar es Salaam as a translator and receptionist. I have memories of those wonderful Egyptians helping me stutter through Arabic greetings.

MUSICIAN REMMY ONGALA - Obituaries in English and Swahili

FOUR PHASES IN THE LIFE OF REMMY ONGALA AND RECALLING HIS LAST GIG IN LONDON

I would like to divide the life of excellent musician Remmy Ongala who died on Sunday night into four phases. First, his early years growing and entertaining in Kivu, Eastern Zaire where he was born on February 10^th, 1947. Those grounding years included playing guitar, kit drums and saxophone. This passion for music was pushed by sadness. Both parents died when he was quite young; his father, Etiennes Kalimangonga was a percussion player while his charismatic mother, Aziza Moza Mayokei passed away in 1964 leaving the lonely boy heart broken in standard five.

The late genius musician, Rama  Zani Mtoro Ongala, was a man of incredible lyrical skill...