By Bash Mutumba

When 2019 started, Namagembe Shena aka Shena Skies Original, set a goal to write for every new school female artist in Uganda: from Vinka to Nina Roz and everyone in between; and all that she has achieved — and a little bit more. She has successfully made hits for Rema and Spice Diana, and has also written for male artists like Allan Toniks, Levixone; The Ben and Bruce Melody from Rwanda, and many more.

Born in Kawempe, Shena started writing right from her school days, and she always knew music was her calling, even though she studied Computer Science at Makerere University.

“Up to date, l think ‘Jangu Ondabe’ by Spice Diana has gone the furthest(among the songs written). I am incredibly proud of all my works ‘cause l put a lot of me in them. But l did enjoy writing ‘More of this’ for Rema Namakula with Slick Stuart & Roja, and the emotion and heart that came with ‘Bye bye X’ by Fille Mutoni was quite the story.” The versatile artist described her works with effortless fervency.

“l didn’t write Gutujja, people keep thinking l signed an NDA and l was told to not tell but no l didn’t. Or did l ” The Diva left me in unending suspense when I asked if she wrote the hit for B2C and Rema.

She also adds that she can never be paid enough to sell her style, but she isn’t complaining, and that those that like can go on to credit her in the song outros with “S.K.I.E.S”.

However, with all this success in the songwriting business, Shena maintains that she is a singer first, and then a songwriter, and would love that you check out her own music too on YouTube, like “Ayagadde Munne” which is currently enjoying handsome airplay.

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By Our Reporter

Pallaso will entertain his fans in a live show slated for this Saturday at DNA Lounge in Kololo. The show comes as part of the Bell Jamz Listeners Experience.

We have learnt that he since been hard at work with his live band rehearsing for the show. The rehearsals have been a mix of fun and artistic dedication, all aimed at presenting an above standard live music show.

With several hit songs like Twatoba, Hana (Remix), Nkwagala and Na Mutima among others to his name, Pallaso is a household name in the Ugandan music industry.

This is the third Bell Jamz Listeners Experience to be held, with the first featuring dancehall singer Beenie Gunter, and the second being headlined by the Byafayo duo, Kent & Flosso.

Launched early this year, the Bell Jamz Listeners Experience is a platform on which Ugandan artistes get an up-close and personal interaction with their fans.

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By Our Reporter

Nigerian comedian Klint da Drunk has expressed excitement about being in the country. This was during a press briefing held at Mestil Hotel on Wednesday.

“I am happy to be here,” he told media. “I have honestly been missing Uganda and baldly wanted to come back. I missed the food.”

“My favorite dish was comprised of cassava and pork because after that meal I slept very hard. I wanted to have such a nice sleep again.” He added.

The comedian who jetted into the country in the wee hours of Wednesday morning will be the headlining act at Comedy Store, a weekly comedy show hosted at UMA Show grounds on Thursday.

This is going to be the 3rd time he is performing in Uganda. He has previously performed in Uganda on the invitation of Ugandan comedians Pablo and Salvado Idringi.

Klint will be sharing the stage with a host of local comedians including Mc Mariachi, Senga Justin Nantume, T-Amale and Snake and Zoro among others. There will also be performances from musicians, Bebe Cool and Cindy.

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Jaqi Deweyi and her husband Enock Nsubuga enjoying the Nile.

By Our Reporter

Blog Trippers, Enock and Jaqi as they are known on social media have started a campaign dubbed “Meet Jinja – The Adventure Capital of East Africa”.

The campaign aims at not only throwing shine on Jinja, but the different attractions that have made the district  “The Adventure Capital of East Africa”.

June happens to be the Adventure calendar month and it’s from this background that the couple decided to launch the campaign that will see them explore, experience and review the most outstanding Adventure activities in the area.

According to the Radio and TV presenter, Jaqi Deweyi and husband, Enock Nsubuga, the couple will each week explore and review one activity that they will serialize on their Blog and on their social media channels. They will make videos, blogs articles and social media posts to document this Adventure.

Their first activity saw them explore and experience “Tubing on the Nile”, an adrenaline type of Kayaking using a tube.

Jinja has been known as the Adventure Capital of East Africa because of the variety of activities one can enjoy, mainly centering around River Nile. Notable activities including; Tubing the Nile, Nile horse backing Safari, Nile Cruises, Nile Sup and many more.

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By Our Reporter

It is no surprise that live band music sessions have become a popular weekend starter pack among party goers these days. The much-celebrated traveling Tusker Malt Music Lounge series will once again host one of Uganda’s best leading afro-fusion bands, Janzi Band this Friday at Fusion Autospa in Munyonyo.

The live band music series has since grown a fan base as it features the best in the business of rich African and contemporary music from Janzi Band.

Janzi, is undoubtedly Uganda’s best afro-fusion, contemporary and world music inspired group that has made its name in playing live renditions of some of the most popular songs from around the Africa and the globe. Ever since the release of their nine track album, Eka, last year, the band has partnered with Tusker Malt to play and bring musical bliss to revelers around the city.

The Janzi Band experience is now one of the leading live band deluxe events in town with 100% rhythm that gets you groovy plus free entry to all the shows for party goers and lovers of live band music.

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By Our Reporter

One of Uganda’s most popular social events, the Royal Ascot Goat Races, which curved a special place as the most anticipated event on Uganda’s social calendar returns this October.

At an official announcement made Thursday at Kabira Country Club, the organisers confirmed the ultimate fun show in Uganda will be happening on Saturday, October 12, 2019.

This event which will be hosted at its customary venue of Speke Resort, Munyonyo promises to recreate one of the most eagerly awaited weekends of merrymaking and extravagant fashion, which were the hallmarks of the Goat Races for years.

“The Goat Races are more than just another event in Uganda, it’s a place where people can come and network and mix along with business, pleasure and have a fun humorous time with good food and drinks all day long,” Ruparelia Group’s Managing Director Rajiv Ruparelia, the organisers of the event, said.

The goat races will entail eight races over the course of the day, with each race featuring eight goats. Anyone can sponsor a race, or buy a goat to participate in a race. The proceeds generated from the races will then go to a selected charity.

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By Our Reporter

On Friday, UK-based Ghanaian artist Eugy brought a huge portion of his afro-inspired musical finesse to Kampala’s top happening nightspot, Club Guvnor for the DJ Snap Off party.

The Industrial based night club hosted the musical artist as their headlining act while celebrating three years of their exclusive popular DJ Snap Off series powered by Singleton.

Kampala party animals could not contain their excitement as the star attraction of the night, Eugy walked through the entrance with the air of “party time” bouncing from all over the walls of the night club welcoming him to Kampala night life.

Eugy treated his fans to a night of rap magic as well as some of his most popular Hip Hop songs such as “LoLo” “Tick Tock” “Body” not forgetting the highlight of the night, “Dance For Me” that featured Mr Eazi which sent the crowds into singsong word-for-word like a timeless classic.

The star entertainer who grew up in the UK is known to infuse and celebrate his Ghanaian roots through his music in a fun upbeat bubbly persona while also incorporating his own signature sound from his London upbringing.

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By Our Reporter

DNA Lounge in Kololo was the scene of mass enjoyment on Saturday when Pallaso and his live band took the stage for the Bell Jamz Listeners Experience.

The evening got off to a slow start on account of the rain, but the venue was packed by 10 pm as Team Good Music and Leone Island warmed the stage right before Pallaso delivered an electrifying performance of all his hits.

A surprise guest performance from songstress Spice Diana ensured the crowd kept on their feet as the mood was set for an evening of dancing.

During the performance, Pallaso reflected on some of his struggles before achieving success including spending time in prison as well as a particularly depressing period in 2017 after his “Soma” show at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds received an extremely low turn out.

The evening was made extra special as a result of the presence of Pallaso’s mother. Pallaso gave a hearty tribute to his mother with the song Mama, which he used to urge the emotional crowd to appreciate their mothers.

The Bell Jamz Listeners Experience was launched in 2019 as a musical experience that features a Ugandan artist performing all their hits with a live band. This was the third edition, with the first being headlined by Beenie Gunter followed by Voltage Music duo, Kent and Flosso.

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By Bash Mutumba

To many, Zari Hassan has morphed into more than just a socialite over the years, and is now a role model young Ugandan and Tanzanian girls, and Africans in general; look at for inspiration.

The 40-year-old self-proclaimed Boss Lady, who is a mother of 5, and philanthropic entrepreneur; shocked her millions of followers when she groped a male mannequin’s groins, said vulgar things, and posted on her Instagram story for everyone to watch.

“Cause he doesn’t have a dick, Norma.” Said an exuberant Zari, to her girlfriend who constantly asked her what she was doing.

On further questioning on why she was pulling its genitalia by a clearly entertained Norma, Diamond Platnumz’ ex answered in an even more cringeworthy fashion, as she viciously told the statue, “Better have some dick, Nigger.”

You could say it was nothing serious, but in all honesty, such dry humor does not become of some individuals.

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By Our Reporter

The ongoing Mirinda Miss Teen campaign themed “Surprise and Be Surprised” has seen girls from different schools around Uganda take part and showcase their creative, ambitious and fashionable talent in a fun and positive way.

The Mirinda Miss Teens school tour that was launched in May has created a
stage for girls aged 13 to 19 to participate in the different categories including Miss Teen, Miss Fashionista and Miss Ambitious whereby three individuals are selected per category for the overall winner, 1 st position and 2nd position respectively.

The Tours that kicked off at Hana International on 1 st June 2019 have seen
schools take part including; Rubaga Girls, Seeta High School, St Peters Nsambya, and on a regional level, those in Masaka and Bushenyi have been
covered.

The judges are looking out for; a girl who is beautiful inside and out, talented, fun, cultured and intelligent for the Miss Teens Category. A girl who knows her career goals and how she can achieve them for the Miss Ambitious Category, and Miss Fashionista category looks out for a girl with a distinct fashion sense, one who can creatively put together an outfit using the material she is given.

Kwerit Sarah a student at Nabisunsa Girls, who scooped the Miss Ambitious
title remarked, “…I and my friends embarked on a project to tackle climate change as a way of preserving our environment through recycling plastic. We are working on a website which is yet to go live.”

While giving her verdict to one of the contestants at Nabisusnsa Girls yesterday, Ms. Patience Aheebwa one of the judges remarked that “…we are
looking for a girl who is confident, intelligent, and ambitious, through empowerment and being mentored.”

Ms. Tracy Kakuru the Corporate Communications Manager at CBL remarked that Mirinda Miss Teens is a confidence building platform for girls aged 13 to 19 years. The contest does not only seek for beauty, but a girl who her peers can look up to.

“A cash prize of up to Ugx10 Million will be rewarded inform of school fees for the different contestants, in addition 4 winners will travel to the best
amusement park in the world, the destination will be revealed at the grand
finale,” added Ms. Kakuru.

The grand finale will be held on 7th September, where overall winners from different participating schools will battle amongst themselves for the prizes.

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By Our Reporter

It was joy and excitement as the 2019 Miss Uganda finalists were unveiled on Tuesday evening.

The 22 finalists who were selected from different regions across the country were revealed during the presentation night hosted in the Rwenzori ballroom at Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

Despite a delayed start, the jam-packed hall was filled with exuberance with several individuals in the audience armed with placards, pictures and some even donning t-shirts of their favorite contestants as they eagerly waited to cheer them on.

And when Cleopatra Koheirwe, the emcee of the evening, started calling out the contestants, the room was filled with deafening screams and cheers.

One by one, the Miss Uganda hopefuls cat-walked on the runway and were each followed by acclamations from the audience.

The contestants will now head to a boot camp where they will take part in a series of buildup activities to ready them to take on the mantle of Miss Uganda.

Organised by Kezzi Entertainment, who are the franchise holders of the Miss World Pageant for Uganda since 2011, in partnership with Talent Africa, the next Miss Uganda will be crowned on July 27th at Sheraton Kampala Hotel.

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By Our Reporter

Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists, Christopher Martin and D-Major have been announced as guest performers at the Bell All Star concert slated for 23rd August at Lugogo Cricket Oval.

The announcement was made during the Pulse Jam Fest featuring Chronixx at the Sheraton Gardens on Saturday.

Right before Chronixx’ performance, the lights went dark and the giant screen lit up with a video message from Christopher Martin and D-Major announcing their coming performances in Uganda.

“Christopher Martin and D-Major are artists enjoying massive airplay within the reggae/dancehall arena and Bell Lager is beyond excited to bring this musical experience to Uganda. The public should look forward to one of the best concerts ever staged in Kampala,” Francis Kirabira, Bell Lager Brand Manager said.

Christopher Martin is a Jamaican-born reggae and dancehall singer and songwriter born in St. Catherine. In 2007, he won Digicel’s Rising Stars competition (Jamaica’s American Idol) which saw him catapulted him to international fame. He is famous for hits like Cheater’s Prayer, Big Deal, Take Me Back and many more.

D-Major was born Damian Codlin in Kingston, Jamaica and launched his solo music career in 2005 after being the head vocalist of a music group called Q-T (Quality and Togetherness. He cites his musical influences as Beres Hammond and Stevie Wonder and is famous for hits like People Make The World Go Round, Speak The Truth and Can’t Get Enough among others.

The Bell All Star Tour, launched in 2017 is an annual Ugandan music celebration of that provides a platform for Ugandan artists to showcase their talent and interact and engage with their fans.

Last year’s tour finale was headlined by Jamaican-American reggae sensation, Tarrus Riley. This year’s tour, which kicked off in Mbarara will also feature music celebrations in Gulu, Kabale and Masaka before culminating into the finale concert featuring Chris Martin and D-Major.

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By Our Reporter

Best known and admired for his melodic voice and a unique ability to tap into different narratives that relate to the “everyday Ugandan”, Kenneth Mugabi last evening stamped his stature as one of the country’s finest artistes when he launched his “Ugandan” album at the Design Hub in Bugolobi.

Mugabi, who uses his story telling techniques to craft beautiful music, showed why he has garnered such a passionate following with a launch performance that his fans will remember for a long time, not least for the surprise acts that the singer brought out on stage to help him deliver the songs they collaborated on for the new album. These included Lillian Mbabazi and Angela kalule, who took the celebration to the next level with Lillian not only performing her collaboration “Inkusubwabwa” with Kenneth but also performing her smash hit “Dagala” that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

He also perfomed songs like “Ekigo” a collaboration with Maureen, “Olugendo” done with Irene Namubiru, “Nkakwanye ntya” an inspiration from a high school crash that he had and last but not least “Oliwa”, all off his Ugandan album.

“This album is a very special one to me in many ways than one; it helped me open myself to fresh ways of creating music hence tapping into a new audience base that I didn’t know I had. Thank you all for the support. I am more than grateful,” said Mugabi.

Mugabi also performed songs like “Naki” and “Nkwegomba”, a fan’s favourite that had show-goers humming along to ever word. The event that was sponsored by Johnnie Walker Highball was nothing short of fun as the cocktails kept coming throughout the night.

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By Our Reporter

Last weekend, Radio presenter Jaq Deweyi and husband Enock Nsubuga continued with their new campaign; Meet Jinja and this time they went on a Quadbiking Safari.

To explore more, the two introduced a new feature; “Eating At The Most Reviewed Places In Jinja” according to TripAdvisor.

In this new feature, the couple goes around on a food tour, reviewing different eating places that have been most reviewed on TripAdvisor; what makes them tick?

Black Lantern Restaurant was first on this list with over 138 reviews and indeed the place lives up to its hype, considered to have the best Pork Ribs in the whole of Jinja, a claim made by most Reviews.

The couple will continue with Jinja Sailing Club, before they go to White Water Rafting at Kalagala Falls the weekend after.

The Campaign Meet Jinja – The Adventure Capital Of East Africa aims at throwing shine on Jinja and her beauty.

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By Our Reporter

On Saturday, foodies were treated to a mouth-watering meat fiesta at the East African Meat Festival held at The Gardens in Najeera.

Food enthusiasts traded their regular Saturday afternoon programmes for deliciously cooked meat of all seasons accompanied with free-flowing beer and lively Utake music all day long going into the night.

The carnival party animals reveled to the sounds of East African music and fun Ugandan beats that left many dancing in tune as others lounged about for the ultimate weekend plan laid out on the outdoor green setting.

The senior chef, Mark Kaheru, owned the kitchen showing his specialty in scrumptious meals while serving his special guests a deliciously cooked all meat menu.

Revelers were spotted savoring their favourite ‘meaty’ delicacies cooked in many different mouth-watering styles and fashions, with many washing it down with a cold Tusker Lite.

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By Our Reporter

Big Brother Naija returned for season 4 with housemates making their way into the house on Sunday.

Twenty-one new housemates for the season were unveiled at the premiere along with the surprise announcement that the show has been extended by one extra week taking the new season to 99 days in total!

The new housemates bound for BBNaija household-name stardom include: Seyi, Esther, Ella, Frodd, Omashola, Avala, Khafi, Ike, Tuoyo, Kimoprah, Isilomo, Jackye, Khafi, Nelson, Sir Dee, Thelma, Gedoni, Diane, Mercy, Tacha, Mike and Jeff.

The new housemates have an array of exciting career backgrounds including a part-time stripper to a Lawyer and a music video vixen.

Speaking on the return of the highly anticipated reality show, John Ugbe, C.E.O. of Multichoice said, “We’re proud of the work everyone has delivered to bring this show to viewers’ television screens and devices. Our customers are in for a treat and this season is going to be even bigger and hotter.”

Viewers were treated to high-energy performances from award-winning artists Teni and Burna Boy with DJ Neptune entertaining the crowd as the night’s resident DJ during the premiere live show.

The new season will be themed “Pepper Dem”.

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By Our Reporter

Jahazi Pier in Munyonyo was the place to be on Sunday when Jose Chameleone and Myko Ouma’s band entertained revellers at Roast and Rhyme.

The day got off to a slow start as heavy rains pummelled most parts of Kampala, but by 3pm people were at the venue with their grills and meats.

This specific edition of the event was dubbed the Storytellers Edition and aimed at presenting artists who tell stories through their music. Tamba and Sam Kimera took the stage first to showcase their wonderful talents, and later, Salvado Idringi held the crowd with plenty of jokes after which he sang a number of reggae songs backed up by the band.

A welcome surprise was a performance by Red Banton, who went through most of his great hits like Noonya Money, with the crowd singing along to every word. Afterwards, Jose Chameleone took the stage to perform songs from the beginning of his music career. Tunes like Mama Mia, Kipepeo, Dolotia took the crowd all the way back through time and they danced and sang along throughout.

Towards the end of his performance, Chameleone was joined on stage by his brother, Weasel, with whom he performed the smash hit, Bomboclat.

The event, sponsored by Bell Jamz, is held every few months and presents Ugandans with the opportunity to enjoy lots of meat and drinks while they enjoy live music by the lakeside.

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By Our Reporter

The second edition of The Koroga Festival took Kampala food lovers on a mouth-watering ride as “foodies” gathered together on Saturday for an exciting afternoon cookout at The Gardens in Najjeera.

The food festival attracted a large crowd of soul food enthusiasts who were gearing to show off their cooking skills as early as midday, with “food gangs” divided into groups of 10 with a mission to cook a satisfying meal.

Each party was given six kilos of goat and chicken, cooking ingredients and a crate of Tusker Lite for the day’s cookout adventure, and they soon got completely absorbed into preparing a scrumptious meal which later turned out to be a delightful afternoon of munching on tasty ‘meaty delicacies.’

“This second edition has been more interesting than the last. We witnessed the different tasty meals from the many teams that cooked and I must say, it has been a delicious experience. We are looking forward to doing this again come December,” said My Food Network’s Mark Kaheru, the organisers of the festival.

Revelers were later treated to a silent disco evening with the Almost Famous DJs on the decks.

The Koroga Festival is a popular annual event that has its roots in Kenya. Its name is derived from the Swahili word “koroga” which means “to mix” or “to stir”, and is an apt representation of all that happened on a day centered around food and drink.

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By Our Reporter

It was a fun-filled evening for Gulu revelers as the All-star tour made a stop in their town over the weekend.

Hosted at Acholi Inn on Saturday, revelers enjoyed musical performances from the “fresh and new” artists who included Vinka, Nina Roz, Beenie Gunter, Fik Fameica, John Blaq, and Spice Diana among others.

Revelers who started making their way to the venue as early as 6pm were welcomed by music mixes from DJ Frisco with MC Young Money on hand to keep them engaged and dancing. Dj Ali Breezy would later take over from Frisco to the keep the party going as the crowd continued to wait in anticipation for the big performances.

The main performances did not start until almost midnight. John Blaq opened the performances and was received with loud cheers from the audience. He entertained the crowd with several of his hit songs that included Obubadi, Do Dat and Tukwatagane among others, before paving way for Nina Roz.

Nina’s performance ended prematurely after she felt disrespected by one of the fans in the audience following a bad touch. She expressed her displeasure calling for respect of women and left the stage.

The show carried on smoothly thereafter with the next performers, Spice Diana and Vinka both staging powerful performances and enjoying lots of lovefrom the audience. The audience sang and danced throughout their performances.

Fik Fameica who came on next enjoyed the same love, but his performance did not go on as smoothly. Fik fired up the crowd with hit after hit, and even at some point took off his shirt and gave it away to the crowd. It was all going well until a commotion erupted in the ordinary section. The pumped up crowd turned rowdy and started throwing bottles into the air, and even some revelers had to invade the VIP section for safety. It remains unclear what flared the tempers.

To restore calm, it was at this point that Gulu’s very own rapper Ezzi was invited on stage. He was received with excitement from the crowd and a semblance of calmness restored.

He later paved way for Beenie Gunter who concluded the nights performances. Beenie had brief showcase as the police unceremoniously ended the show.

This was the second stop of the Bell All Star Tour. It started in Mbarara last month. It will next  be heading to Kabale on July 20th.

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By Our Reporter

Media personality,  Jaq Deweyi and her hubby Enock Nsubuga have been exploring Jinja in their campaign; “Meet Jinja: The Adventure Capital Of East Africa”, that aims at throwing Shine on the town.

Well, this past weekend they took on a more adventurous and fun activity that saw them rafting 22km of the white Nile, going through 9 graded rapids from 2 to 5.

Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.

That simply means that the water around this section of the river runs so fast that if a person fell off a raft/boat without protective gear or support from a trained team of experts, one could end up injured or worse.

The rapids are graded according to how fast and tough the water is along the Nile.

Companies like Adrift have since created an activity around this section of the river, called Rafting, which is basically a high adrenaline sport of navigating a river in an inflatable raft/boat.

It’s a challenging but extremely fun activity and with the right training, using the appropriate equipment, taking all the required safety precautions, it is an enjoyable and exciting adventure sport.

After the rafting experience, the couple retired to the luxurious WildWaters lodge which is also surrounded by another grade 6 rapid on one side and a calm river on the other, making canoeing the only way to reach the lodge.

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