SEKO SIA SHAMTE (Age 30)

FILMMAKER (ALKEMIST MEDIA) / DJ

URL: youtube.com/alkemisttanzania / facebook.com/mkwawamovie

Our DreamCatcher this week is Seko Shamte, a young woman who has proven that if you do want something really bad and in all respects it is for the right reasons-you will get it! The stars literally aligned for Seko when she set out with a dream to be a filmmaker.

All she had was passion and an idea when she took the plunge into self-employment at the age of 26 to set up Alkemist Media, a production company that is responsible for bringing the remarkable story of one of Africa’s greatest history-makers to the silver screen.

‘Mkwawa‘, her first film, premiered late 2011 in Dar es Salaam and is still making its rounds with the latest screening being ZIFF (Zanzibar International Film Festival) where it showed this Sunday after being nominated.

I caught up with Seko a week ago to find out what inspired her to make this film and of course, learn more about her DJ ambitions! I’ve got to say, this is only the beginning for Seko and her film, Mkwawa, which she said, ‘was made for Africans’. In every way, the story of Chief Mkwawa is an inspiration and Seko’s journey to this moment is a worthy read.

FULL ARTICLE »

 

At what point does it all end? Life, Love, Peace, Music, Education, Experience…The River Nile The thought of everything that life holds is extremely overwhelming-all the factors that go into a full 24 hour day.

If you’re religious or superstitious you are probably thinking about all the near-misses; bad wishes, bad thoughts, karma, walking under that ladder. If you are an empathetic person you are thinking about the myriad of injustices that go on in the world today-pollution, desertification, child labour, money laundering and all the evil concieved by the Human race.

FULL ARTICLE »

Tandi Kathembe

Radio host/Aspiring writer

Tanzania

BRIGHT PINK TOES

I had pretty feet once
Flawless, smooth and unlined
And I loved to show them off
Like trophies of a life without hardship

Now I cover them up
To hide accumulated scars
Unwanted blemishes that carry stories
Stories of effort, toil and injury

Tonight, I paint my toes bright pink
Representing hope, faith and prayer
The light that will one day illuminate my dark existence
Pink, against a backdrop of black and brown

I wish that one day I will love my scars
The imperfections that define my life
Knowing that the journey is finally over
And let the peace of the Lord wash over me

GAME ARENA

FUNKY’S, MASAKI, DAR ES SALAAM

TEL: +255 788 176 766

Business Hours: Weekdays  2pm-7pm, Weekends 10am-10pm

 URL: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GAME-Arena/133716016745537

Located in the food court at Funky’s is every (BIG AND LITTLE) boys dream-35 monitors, every Xbox game you ever wanted to play, with the option of up to four players to set off just enough competition to get your adrenaline pumping!

I’m talking about Game Arena! This relatively new establishment is run by Steve Swai, an entrepreneur who just relocated from England and since its official opening in January of this year, it has been a hit with the kids who frequent Funky’s. I have tried my hand at video games a few times and I know enough not to play too often because I couldn’t deal with an addiction like that at this point in my life, however, it is very easy to picture Game Arena as a major success in the few months to come.

I visited Game Arena on a quiet, Monday afternoon to interview Steve about his business and what the future looks like.

 

How did you come up with this idea?

‘I have a son and I would take him and his cousins out on most weekends and realized there are not many places to go or activities we can do together. I’d take them to the beach, out to eat but one ting for sure, is that and every boy loves their PSP’s and Playstation games so I put two and two together and Game Arena was born. For Tshs. 5000 an hour kids can come and play whatever Xbox game they want.’

What are the main attractions?

XBox games. We have everything from football games, Modern Warfare and car-racing games. The most popular though, are Modern Warfare 3, Fifa 12 and Star Wars. FULL ARTICLE »

 

I once asked my friend Kate if she had a blog, after following her on Twitter for some time, to which she replied, ‘I have a hot one!’

It seems only natural for a young, African with such passion for life and a wealth of knowledge to document the one thing she loves most-Africa.

I wasn’t disappointed by this Tumblr blog bursting with colour and information on everything from magazine spreads to vintage pictures and music from Africa or inspired by Africa! It is quite the journey! I fear you might get lost in it, so do spare a bit of time to dive into katebomz.tumblr.com

Compiled by T.Soul

 

Akbar Thabeet

Communications Student/Photographer

Twitter: @iamfrsh183

‘Everyone can hold a camera but not everyone has an eye for photography’- Words spoken by the one guy that can turn even the most basic idea into a work of visual art. You’ve definitely spotted the cool, calm and collected Akbar Thabeet; a constant feature in all the hotspots, either partying or watching you party from behind the lens of a Canon 5D Mark II.

I met Akbar to discuss photography and the future. He’s currently on a break from studying for a Communications degree and during this time he has earned himself a name as a much sought-after photographer, booking photo shoots with various personalities and individuals around Tanzania.

How did you start?

‘I got my first camera when I was 17. I just like taking pictures. People got to see my work and from there more and more people asked if I could photograph them.’

‘I don’t consider myself a professional photographer. There are people I think are better than me but I don’t feel I have gotten to that level’.

FULL ARTICLE »

This Thursday was marked by two trending topics on Twitter that dominated the timelines in two East African countries almost simultaneously! Twitterers in Kenya and Tanzania grabbed this opportunity to air out their sentiments regarding events in their home countries. It was a spectacular show of patriotism, humour and criticism.

Here are some of the funniest tweets I came across!

#YouKnowYouAreInTZWhen

☺RT @MissiePopular: #YouKnowYouAreInTanzaniaWhen@FlavianaMatata tells you,This is my home country

Mariam Marion Ndaba ‏@MissiePopular

#YouKnowYouAreInTanzaniaWhen you meet a Tanzanian complaining about this country..BUT the moment you insult Tanzania, you are in trouble!

FULL ARTICLE »

 

Ground floor, Seacliff Village, Masaki

Tel: +255 784 786 688

URL: www.facebook.com/Africana

Business hours: Mon-Sun, 8.30am til late

 

AFRICANA sells itself as a Smoothie and Salad bar but I found out that whatever you are looking for, this intimate haven will provide. It is a dream for the avid book-reader and a dream if you’re looking for the perfect shrimp salad, omelette or if you’re craving a corner to relax with a good frapuccino.

I particularly love it in the afternoon over a late breakfast. It’s comfortable, the service is impeccable and the food is served fresh and tasty. One particular element that excites me about Africana is their attention to detail. From the bookshelves that line one wall of the café to the array of herbal teas on the counter to their loyalty cards which add a playful touch to the entire experience-this is my new addiction.

FULL ARTICLE »

 

The human race has come a long way. We have broken boundaries scientifically, technologically and morally in ways the Homo Sapiens 1000 years ago wouldn’t have been able to fathom. Sure, it must’ve crossed their minds the same way the writers of Star Trek and The Jetsons imagined Earth centuries from now and brought ‘the future’ to our television screens, but what is happening today would shock our ancestors.

Development is a good thing, but are we truly better off?

There are side effects to 21^st century ingenuity. The obvious is global warming which summarizes a whole myriad of factors like erosion due to deforesting which is a result of the growing population in the world and hence large scale expansion of concrete jungles. We could also throw in gasses emitted by factories, vehicles, mass plundering of natural resources and not to mention the diminishing life expectancy rates.

FULL ARTICLE »

 Adam Issara

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Twitter: @AdamIssara

My mind…

 

In my mind,
A mind of dreams,
Ambition and intrigue,
An imagination that has no bounds or borders,
I see a world,
Where we all abide by God’s orders,
A world where no problem exist,
And every fear vanishes,
With the morning mist,
A touch of heaven on this earth,
A world unlike today’s,
Sculpted and molded by ideals,
Belief, faith, trust and love,
A world I feel can never be real,
For I know this world can never heal,
And so this heavenly world remains
But in the echoing thoughts of a boy dreaming mind.