Vera Sidika’s before (R) and after look

By Bash Mutumba

“Never be defined by your past. It was just a lesson; not a life sentence. Feels good to be back!!! Black don’t crack”. This was the moving caption on socialite Vera Sidika’s instagram post, in which she revealed her new (or is it old) dark-skinned look, accompanied with hashtags like #BackToBlack #MissedMyMelanin #StillBeautiful and #BlackBarbie; which all glorify black beauty.

Vera has always been open about artificially altering her skin complexion to look lighter, and many commentators sight her as the epitome of plastic surgery due to this.

Realistically speaking everyone has a right to do whatever they which with their body, and skin, so it shouldn’t be a problem what Vera chooses her skin color to be. But if I may ask, do you like her new look?

The video below shows comedian Eric Omondi excited about the look.

View this post on Instagram

SHE IS BACK!!! BLACK IS GOLD…ONCE YOU GO BLACK😎😎😎😎 Welcome home 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂 @queenveebosset ue

A post shared by Eric Omondi (@ericomondi) on Jul 8, 2019 at 11:36pm PDT

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By Our Reporter

Mbale town got its first taste of the epic glow of Tusker Lite’s Neon Rave party as the series made its debut in the town on Saturday.

The neon-speckled music fest visited eastern Uganda for its fourth edition, treating revelers to a night with Uganda’s most celebrated artiste Eddy Kenzo who serenaded crowds with hit after hit for close to an hour at Thatch Gardens.

Kenzo, the main star of the show was given a thunderous welcome as he took no time owning the stage with his popular tracks like Mbiro Mbiro, Zigido, Disco, Soraye and Jubilation among others. The excitement was palpable with the audience more than happy for a chance to groove with one of their favorite artistes performing in their home town.

The music fest lit up the town with other amazing performances by Roger Kent and Wendy as well as fun dances with the Party Animal Crew.

The Tusker Lite Neon Raves have given several towns a taste of the fun-filled glow fest party while storming towns across the country starting with Jinja, Mbarara, Fort Portal. The party heads to Gulu town next and will go on well into next year.

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By Our Reporter

Part lovers in Jinja were treated to a fun-filled evening as Evoke Night came to the Stone City on Saturday.

Hosted at Forever Resort, revelers who started trickling in as early as 7pm enjoyed an evening of spoken word, dance showcases, and dj mixes before the evening was crowned with a performance from new music sensation John Blaq.

Despite his late arrival, the “Do Dat” hit maker did not disappoint when he finally stepped on stage. He was welcomed with wild cheers from the audience that had been waiting in so much anticipation.

He wasted no more time and dived straight into the business of the evening, belting out song after song.

Blaq had the crowd singing and dancing as he performed several of his hit songs which included “Tukwatagane”, “Do Dat” and “Obubadi” among others.

When his performance was finally over, it was clear everyone had had a good time as they departed at leisure.

The Club beer-sponsored event is aimed at celebrating raw talent by providing a platform for young and gifted performers to showcase and express themselves through art.

Here are some photos from the event:

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Mary Bacia, the CEO House of Bacia.

By Our Reporter

The Kampala Fashion scene is about to get a whole lot better this July as a new fashion power house will be launching on the scene.

House of Bacia, a UK based online store is set to launch in Kampala soon, with focus on unisex causal and street style driven clothing and accessories.

The franchise’s CEO, Mary Bacia says the store is on a mission to revolutionize fashion in Kampala, and also make shopping more convenient for its customers.

“The idea came to me one day after I watched a TV advert for Pretty Little Things, which is one of the leading online stores in the world. And it hit me that a lot of Ugandans probably face challenges while online shopping, and that is what we are here to do. We are working to make shopping a smooth and amazing experience for our customers,” Mary explains.

The online store is set to be launched later this month, with amazing offers and discounts on selected items set to be unveiled on then. The store will be a 24 hour operational shopping hub, with shoppers being able to make purchases using their Visa, Master Cards and Pay pal options.

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By Our Reporter

Navaa Grey, who is undoubtedly one of the best female vocalists in Uganda, will be serenading her fans in a live music showcase later this month. This after she was  confirmed as the headlining act for the “Live at Fezah” event slated for Saturday, July 27th.

Naava Grey who is known to make rare but memorable appearances at most corporate events will now take center stage performing for the first time on the Fezah stage at the Johnnie Walker highball sponsored night.

With this upcoming event, we expect to see her grace the stage to perform her hit songs like Nteredde, Follow You, Soka Lami among others.

“Live at Fezah” is a live music event that takes place once a month at the Design Hub in Industrial Area.

Tickets to the show go for UGX70,000 Ordinary, UGX100,000 VIP and a table is going for UGX700,000 with the early bird ticket going for as low as 50,000 shillings.

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By Our Reporter

As Mirinda Miss Teens traversed the Eastern parts of Uganda, the contest saw 9 Schools being hosted at Mbale Secondary School, while 6 others converged at Iganga Girls Secondary School, in search of a contender with an ambitious, fashionable and creative concept to be presented before the select panel of judges.

While at Iganga Girls S.S, Onyag Bridget beat her colleagues to the Miss Ambitious crown after convincing the judges with her paper bag business concept.”

She affirmed that she loves the environment and making money, adding that anyone who loves both knows that the paper bag project is the way forward. She added that it is why she opted for it.

Elizabeth Nandera who was crowned as Miss Ambitious at Buddo S S relayed that “during my Senior Four vacation, I started trading in accessories including watches, perfumes and handcraft jewellery,” adding that, “My parents passed on to me a saving culture at a tender age, thus from my savings I was able to invest in the accessories business, however I am looking at expanding my business through purchasing high quality material so that I can compete favourably on the market”.

“We are looking out for the girl who has a unique business idea that she wishes to venture into and can well convince the judges why she deserves to be considered for the Miss Ambitious accolade. This person will represent her school at the national level,” remarked Patience Martha Aheebwa, one of the Mirinda Miss Teen Judges.

Other categories comprising the search include, Miss Fashionista a category
seeking to find a girl who can creatively come up with a design from scratch by making use of the material availed, and Miss Teen who is a girl that can confidently express herself, and articulately respond to the questions set before her by the judges.

The grand finale will be held on 7 th September where girls from different competing schools will battle for the grand prize including, school fees payment for a full year for the overall winners, a fully paid trip to an amusement park which will be revealed at the grand finale.

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By Our Reporter

Western Uganda’s own Kiga Flow sensation, T Bro, showed why he is considered musical king of the region during the ongoing All Star Tour in Kabale. Agaba Center was filled to healthy levels as Uganda’s Fresh and New artists took the stage.

The event got off to a late start but by 10 pm, revelers had showed up in large numbers and enjoyed the party till the wee hours of the morning.

T Bro, was the crowd’s favourite, however, as he took the crowd through all his favourite hits like Duuka, Jazza, and Omukiga.

The Bakiga are known to be avid dancers and they did not disappoint as they indulged in the traditional Ekitagururo dance with other native artists like Jazz and Simple T were among the performers.

The typically cold Western Uganda town received its first show since the tour’s inception that saw Fik Fameica, John Blaq, Nina Roz, Vinka and Bruno K warm the crowd with amazing performances at the indoor venue.

This year’s tour kicked off in Mbarara, went to Gulu and is headed to Masaka on the 3rd of August before finale in Kampala being headlined by Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists, Christopher Martin and D Major.

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By Our Reporter

After doing several activities on water in her ongoing “Meet Jinja” campaign, radio presenter Jaq Deweyi has decided to learn how to swim because water activities are not about to end.

As she learns how to swim, Jaq will be sharing her journey with fans as well as give tips and tricks for any swimming beginners.

In Lesson #1 Jaqi learns how to be comfortable in water, learn how to control her breathe in water and learn how not to fear water, but simply respect it.

She noted that, “one of the major differences between swimming and other sports is that learning how to breathe under water is a skill on its own.”

Watch her in video below.

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By Our Reporter

The third edition of the annual Kampala Restaurant Week is right around the corner starting next week August 1- August 10 for a full 10 days of deliciously creative scrumptious meals served by some of Uganda’s finest restaurants.

Organisers of the show, The Pearl Guide Uganda revealed on their social media platforms that this year’s fine dining restaurant showcase will be coming in from 40 participating restaurants around the city who will serve a three-course meal at discounted prices.

For food lovers, the Kampala Restaurant Week is food heaven. It is during this time period that ‘foodies’ get to hop from one venue to the other enjoying top-notch meals at discounted prices in addition to a complimentary Tusker Lite drink.

Participating restaurants across town will have starter meals and desserts for as low as UGX15,000, with the main course package priced at UGX25,000 and UGX35,000 for the casual dining and signature dining participants respectively.

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By Our Reporter

Liquid Silk Bugolobi has been closed. This is according to a statement released by the management indicating that they are shifting to a new location.

“Dear esteemed client, we sincerely appreciate your continued support. We wish to inform you of intended relocation from our current location effective 24th August 2019 to mitigate high operational costs,” an excerpt of the notice reads.

To however make sure that they keep serving the many customers who have been accustomed to eating their lunch from their Bugolobi Village Mall branch, the notice stated that they will start delivering the same quality food to the different venues where their customers will be stationed.

“To ensure continued service delivery, we have in place a mobile kitchen to serve lunch & dinner buffet uninterrupted. We remain committed to continue providing you with quality affordable meals at your convenience,” the notice added.

The officials that we talked to from Liquid Silk mentioned that a new venue will be communicated soon enough. And emphatically stated that the customers will be served to their satisfaction through the order mediums available until they have fully moved.

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By Our Reporter

The Uganda International Fashion Week (UIFW) is back for its 6th edition. Founded in 2003, UIFW is an event that showcases the best of Uganda Fashion together with designers from the rest of the world.

The three day event is slated to take place from 2nd to 4th August, 2019 at Kampala Serena Hotel with tickets going for Shs 250,000 for the front row seats, Shs 100,000 for ordinary and Shs 200, 000 for V.I.P.

This year’s theme THE BUSINESS BEHIND FASHION aims at encouraging the adoption of Fashion as a career capable of absorbing unemployment in Africa.

The show will see topnotch designers from Uganda including Santa Anzo, Fatumah Asha, Abbas Kaijuka, Paula Butagira and Atai Stella gracing the event alongside Jan Malan Umzingel, a world renowned producer and director of major international fashion weeks such as New York fashion week.

The highly anticipated UIFW will open with the fashion tourism on August 2nd at a yet to be identified tourist destination outside Kampala, where the beauty and tourism potential of fashion will be showcased.

There will then be a business symposium on August 3rd at Serena Hotel where the International Fashion producer Yan Yale will be discussing about technology and globalization versus African fashion and a key note address from the South African Department of Arts and culture, will also present the strategy of the South African Fashion industry.

Santa Anzo, the brains behind UFIW who doubles as the CEO Arapapa, will wrap up the day discussing “the business behind fashion”.

The Grand finale will be on August 4th where the different designers will showcase their work.

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By Our Reporter

Nigerian star Skales has been confirmed as the international artist gracing the 23rd edition of Blankets and Wine.

House of DJs, the organizers of the show, have been playing the enticing game by unveiling their artists one by one and now that the jig is up we have learnt of the collection of Afro-fusion local artists set to grace center stage at the music festival for its August edition.

Raoul John Njeng-Njeng commonly known as Skales seems to have a fondness with the Pearl of Africa as this will be his second time visiting Uganda to perform for his fans since 2017. He has also made a number of collaborations with some of Uganda’s top entertainment gurus like video director, Sasha Vibes on the hit song ‘Fire Waist’ that still blares on in Kampala night clubs.

He will be sharing the stage alongside other artists like Mo Roots featuring CTRL AD Band, Herbert Ssensamba, Mugaba from Rwanda, DeeMike from South Africa and Eli Maliki from Kenya.

The Tusker Malt-sponsored event will take place on Sunday, August 25 at Lugogo Cricket Oval.

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By Our Reporter

Food lovers from around the city gathered together for another deliciously organized ‘East African Meat Carnival’ on Saturday for an irresistibly tasteful meat fiesta at The Gardens in Najeera.

The fast-growing series of food events sponsored by Tusker Lite had guests
trickling in as early as 2:00pm as they enjoyed the afternoon’s outdoor cooking hosted by Senior Chef, Mark Kaheru.

Kaheru who is wildely known as a master in the kitchen was seen serving guests ‘meaty delicacies’ inspired from over the border such as Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania not forgetting our very own Ugandan recipes.

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

Revelers were spotted savoring their favourite ‘meaty’ delicacies cooked in many different scrumptious styles and fashions, which left many licking their fingers in satisfaction and others wishing for a second helping of the dishes served.

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By Our Reporter

Renowned Fashion producer Jan Malan will be one of the key guests at the 6th edition of the Uganda International Fashion week slated for 2nd to 4th August, 2019 at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

Malan, who specializes in the production and direction of special events for stage and television in the fields of fashion, lifestyle and music, will be speaking at the fashion business symposium where he will be discussing technology and globalization versus African fashion.

The symposium will happen on August 3rd.

Who is Jan Malan?

Jan Malan is a show director/producer that has staged high profile productions in 38 cities on four continents. He specializes in the production and direction of special events for stage and television in the fields of fashion, lifestyle and music.

Apart from a myriad of productions in Africa, Malan has directed several shows on schedule at New York Fashion Week between 2000 & 2018. This included working for Fern Mallis, New York Fashion Week founder as a venue manager.

He has had some of the world’s most sought after models on his runways. Industry icons such as Karlie Kloss, Alek Wek, Liya Kebede, Behati Prinsloo, Maria Borges, Chanel Iman, Lara Stone, Coco Rocha, Tyson Beckford and Freja Beha Erichsen, as well as legends such as Pat Cleveland and Grace Jones.

In 2013, he won an Award from African Fashion International for Outstanding contribution to African Fashion.

Malan is constantly looking for fresh and captivating venues for his shows, which have been held in unique locations such as train stations, bridges, art galleries, piers, city halls and theatre spaces.

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By Our Reporter

“Short Na Lessu” is back for its 4th edition this month. Slated for Saturday, August 24, the organizers are flying in Nigerian Star Nonso Amadi to headline the event.

Born September 1, 1995 Nonso is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer whose first single “Tonight” took the world by storm becoming a worldwide hit and hence opening up doors that have today made the young star a household name in Nigeria.

He has garnered respect and admiration in Nigeria collaborating with some of the countries big stars including Banky W and Maleek Berry.

He will be performing alongside numerous Ugandan Artists like Kohen Jayce of Bantu vibes, Route 316 Band featuring DJ Siza among very many others.

Sponsored by Ciroc, it is an annual picnic style event that fuses contemporary and traditional culture through music and art.  It will be taking place at Dungu Resort Munyonyo Lake side under the theme “Roots and Paradigms of Modern Living”.

Tickets to the event are going for UGX50,000 advance and UGX80,000 at the gate.

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Jan Malan poses for a photo with Santa Anzo, the brains behind the Uganda International Fashion Show.

By Our Reporter

Celebrated global fashion producer Jan Malan is in the country. The fashion icon will direct the sixth edition of the Uganda International Fashion Week slated to take place this Saturday, August 3rd to Sunday, August 4th at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

Jan Malan will also be a guest speaker at the Fashion Business Symposium scheduled to take place on Saturday from 9am to 1pm at the Serena’s Victoria Hall. Malan will discuss technology and globalization versus African fashion.

He has staged high profile shows in over 37 cities on four continents and has a clientele that boasts of names such as Elton John, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton and Mercedes-Benz.

Malan said Uganda is one of his favorite countries to go to in Africa and he promised all the fashion enthusiasts a scintillating showcase at the grand finale that will take place on Sunday at Serena’s Victoria Hall from 6pm to 10pm.

“Precision. I don’t do mediocrity. Surprises. I take each designer’s vision and interpret what they are trying to do with the collection. I will create the music, the lights and the choreography too,” said Malan about his preparation for the show.

Tickets for the business symposium are at Shs 10, 000. Fashion fanatics and designers will be lectured about the business behind fashion.

Different fashion designers will be showcasing at the grand finale. The designers to look out from South Africa are Judith Artelier, Alvado Creations and the duo Mmuso Maxwell.

Our very own fashion designers Santa Anzo, Fatuma Asha, Abbas Kaijuka, Stella Atal and Paula Butagira will be representing Uganda on the runway.

Tickets for the grand finale can be bought at Arapapa and Serena. Front row seats will cost Shs250,000, V.I.P goes for Shs200,000 while the general tickets go for Shs100,000.

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By Our Reporter 

Fans of Afrocentric live band music were taken to musical heaven on Thursday evening as Gulu star Tempra Omona alongside Qwela band took over the stage at Jazzville Restaurant and Bar, Bugolobi.

The charismatic and vibrant singer had many of the revellers up on their feet and singing along excitedly with lots of soul as a couple of fans joined him on stage for an easy fun-dance episode with Qwela taking the lead on the instrumentals in what was the first of the many Afromix band nights to come.

“Qwela” which means ‘pure’ in Rukiga truly lived up to its name as they presented their guests with the best of pure music against a blend of many different cultural backgrounds. The additional bonus was the forever celebrated classics that stole the crowd’s attention as they sang to their heart’s content.

The Afromix show which closed the day at the stroke of midnight left many revelers wanting more of the fun and exciting music experience.

The Afromix show comes as part of the Tusker Malt Music Lounge series which is known for delivering unique sounds of afro-soul.

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By Our Reporter

Singer Vinka has released a brand new single,  her first project since clinching a record label deal with Sony Music. Dubbed “My Baibe”, she premiered the video on Friday in an interactive session hosted at MTN Uganda offices in Kololo.

Speaking to media, Vinka revealed that she is very excited about her Sony deal despite the mixed reactions it received from fans. “It is exciting but also scary,” she said, adding that “there were some negative reactions, but everyone has a different journey to success and I am very excited about this journey.”

The song was produced by D’Marion and Mudrah, and can be got on Tidal, a global streaming service.

Meanwhile, Vinka has remained true to her word and continues to release a brand new video every month this year.

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By Our Reporter

Musician John Blaq was the star performer as the NSSF KAVC International tournament opened on Friday at Lugogo Hockey grounds.

The singer was welcomed on stage with wild cheers from the crowd that eagerly awaited his performance. He did not disappoint as he had the audience singing and dancing along as he performed his popular songs including “Obubadi”, “Makanika” and “Do Dat” among others.

When he left the stage, DJ Shiru took over as he did his magic on the turntables. He carried on the party and kept the crowd on their feet dancing till midnight.

The 3-day tournament which is in its 23rd edition has attracted the top volley ball teams from across East Africa as well as teams from Ethiopia and Burundi which are competing for the first time in the tournament.

The games kicked off on Friday and will conclude on Sunday where the winner will walk away with USD 2500, first runners up USD 1500 and second runners-up USD 1000.

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By Our Reporter

Jinja food and cooking enthusiasts gathered at Pit Stop bar on Saturday for an ultimate battle of the sexes to decide who can whip up a more scrumptious meal in an epic cook-off dubbed “Women Vs Men”.

The outdoor friendly competition kicked off around midday as the culinary skills of both men and women put to the test. Participants were tasked to creatively prepare different categories of local dishes and cuisines paired with a Tusker Lite as they faced off in various competitions throughout the day.

By night fall, women had conquered the throne as ‘Kings’ of the kitchen and were ultimately announced the winners of the day. The judges of the day came to the decision as they were impressed by the consistent cleanliness, creativity and the deliciously prepared meal served by the female teams.

The awarding ceremony had the overall winners handed various prizes by sponsors of the event, Tusker Lite, Shell, Mashalla Foods and Coca Cola.

The diners and guests were later treated to a full bar with good table service as well as games and music mixes by DJs as the partying continued late into the night.

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