Discourses

Lentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Vestibulum tortor quam, feugiat vitae, ultricies eget, tempor sit amet, ante. Donec eu libero sit amet quam egestas semper. Aenean ultricies mi vitae est. Mauris placerat eleifend leo.

In its 75-year history, the prestigious American Ballet Theatre (ABT) has never promoted a Black to the rank of Principal Dancer, its highest rank. The petite, 32-years old Misty Copeland, until recently a soloist ballerina, has reached the rank. She was promoted to the Principal Dancer rank of ABT on June 29, 2015. For most observers, it was overdue, as she has become the ultimate symbol of dance theatre in America and across the World.
Misty Copeland was promoted along other ballerina and dancers. She had sought the title for some time, mostly, according to her, 

The legendary guitarist and Blues singer Riley B. King,  known as B.B. King, has died  in Las Vegas on Thursday May 14, 2015 at age 89. Known for his soulful velvety voice and his unique style of blues, he is credited for making Blues one of the mainstream music genres around the World.

The King of the blues, as he was affectueusly known,  was born in Mississippi from where he got the inspiration of what he called "Delta blues roots". His music has influenced a lot of music stars and music genres, including rock, R&B,  pop, and of course blues. Rock, R&B, pop,  and blues

He is well known for the hit classic songs "Stand By Me"  and "Save the Last Dance for Me", that he sang with soulful voice. That voice  that generations  of listeners have learned to love with devotion has become silent. The voice is of the  soul singer Ben E. King who died  Thursday, ni New Jersey ay the age of 76.

Ben E. King, whose full name is  Benjamin Earl Nelson, was born in North Carolina, USA. His parents moved to  Harlem, New York when  King was a

"Stand by Me" is a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, inspired by the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me," plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2--3.

There have been over 400 recorded versions of the song. Benjamin Earl Nelson (born September 28, 1938), better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me," a U.S. Top 10 hit in both 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name)  and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group The Drifters.

Stand by Me by Ben King

“There is no such a thing as “good death”. Be it by genocide or war. Slaughtered in revenge killings. Perished in a accident or died from illness. The dead loved ones, wherever they are, are praying for us. There is no worst thing than death. Even though Genocide made me an orphan. But it cannot make me lose empathy for others. They also suffered from crimes, not qualified as genocide. Those brothers and sisters are, too, humans. I pray for them.  Those brothers and sisters are, too, humans. I remember them.” These are some of the lyrics that have landed the Rwandan renowned gospel and soul musician Kizito Mihigo into jail in 2014. He was condemned to 10 years today on February 27, 2015. The sentence was reduced from 15 years, because he admitted the guilt and had asked for forgiveness.

Did you watch the new TV Show called "Empire"? If not, do. Please do! The runaway success of the  show about a family-run hip-hop music company has surprised the experts since it has started to air, four weeks ago.

“When I live down in the ghetto, every day I have to jump fence, police try and hold me, ya dig? Not for a week – for years! Years, till we have to get free now. It’s either you a bad, bad man and they shoot you down, or you make a move and show people improvement. It doesn’t have to be material, but in freedom of thinking," Bob Marley, the Rastafarian, iconic musician and freedom fighter told New York Professor Vivien Golman in 1979. Vivien Goldman, a former Public Relations for Bob Marley,  teaches a course called "Marley and Post-Colonial Music".

The director of the classic movie "Gandhi", Richard Attenborough has died in London at the age of 90.  Better known for directing  Gandhi, for which he won 2 Oscars,  he has also appeared in several feature films, as a leading or supporting actor. His better know movies include Brighton Rock, The Great Escape and Jurassic Park.

12 Years A Slave: A Movie I invite Everyone to Watch; A Journey of Overcoming, Hope, and Optimism, and To Freedom

Today, I watched the movie “12 Years a Slave: The Extraordinary True Story of Solomon Northup”. I can’t find words to describe the experience of watching the movie, directed by Steve McQueen, which is based on the true story from the 1853 autobiography Twelve Years a Slave by Salomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery. It is the first time that I watch a movie and hear so many moviegoers cry and sob. When the movie ended, I realized how many people in the

Professor of Communication at Western New England University
1215 Wilbraham Road, Massachusetts 01119-2684
United States of America

Massachusetts, USA, March 6, 2024.

1-Introduction

     Beatrice Munyenyezi’s trial that started on January 18, 2022, ended on February 28, 2024, in Nyanza after two years of controversial hearings during which “ubwenge,” a cultural feature of traditional Rwandan society was prominently on display. Rwandan prosecutors lined up witnesses who delivered fictionalized charges against Munyenyezi. All of them claimed to have met her as a Hutu militia leader in one capacity or another. For instance, some claimed she had been their classmate at the National University of Rwanda (UNR). Others alleged they had seen her overseeing a roadblock at Hotel Ihuriro manned by Hutu militiamen.

On July 1, 2023, Rwandans commemorated 61 years of independence.  In fact,  sixty one years ago, on July 1, 1962, the nation of Rwanda gained independence from colonial powers. I was then almost 1 year old  growing up in Congo - Kinshasa.  As Rwandans have been annually commemorating the independence, they have been under one of the most brutal dictatorships in Africa for the last 29 years, according to reports from various independent organizations, reputable media, and governments.  From these reports, it appears clear that while trying to project progress, development, peace, and security, through a well crafted propaganda machine and greedy allies, the Rwandan dictatorship, under an oligarchy led by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and an absolute ruler, Paul Kagame, has become one of the most despised brutal regimes in Africa, especially in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Hence the prevalent question today, to both Rwandans and friends of Rwanda, is: are Rwandans Building their Nation on a Rock or Sinking Sand?