About music against Malaria

Editor | Tuesday August 17, 2010 00:00

No doubt she brought entertainment to the city. Other than entertaining people, Chaka Chaka, was here to help raise money for the needy and those affected by HIV/AIDS.

While she was here, Chaka Chaka, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, was briefed by the Minister of Health on the Malaria situation in Botswana. Although Malaria is endemic and a silent killer in Botswana, a lot of people are unaware of the devastating consequences that Malaria has had, particularly in the North West of Botswana.

The good thing though, is that Chaka Chaka has committed to helping Botswana in her fight against Malaria. We can only hope that something will come out of her campaign and she will most definitely help to educate people, especially Batswana about Malaria.

Other than her ambassadorial role while she was here, Chaka Chaka will have served as an example for up and coming musicians by demonstrating the value of discipline and staying focused.

Chaka Chaka, who started in the music industry some 25 years ago, has remained at the top for this long precisely because of just two things. She steered away from drugs and stayed focus on what she does best.

We all have examples of many performers, some of whom were better than her, who have since fallen by the wayside purely because they could not resist the distractions that are the source of the destruction of many a musician.

Our artists should borrow a leaf from Chaka Chaka and not be easily distracted once they have a hit. It takes patience, discipline and focus for artists to succeed and if they are not focused the overnight gratification could easily dissipate.

                                                      SADC Free tradeThere was anticipation and anxiety as SADC discussed the possibility of turning the community into adopting a customs union. The important SADC meeting postponed the important decision to December 2011.

The decision was always going to be a very difficult one, given that many of the SADC member countries belong to other organisations such as the Southern African Customs Union, COMESA and the East African Community. While SADC will continue to pursue regional integration, the community will, in the interim, take into account the Free Trade arrangements in SADC.

The hope amongst many residents of the SADC region is that while the council of ministers is thinking hard about all these, everything will be taken into consideration.

People will want to know what happens to the already existing bodies and what each country stands to benefit from a common customs union.

                                                                  Today's thought'The question was whether the five countries should remain with SACU or join the SADC Customs Union'

                                                               - Kenneth Matambo