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Sizzling Entertainment
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Written by Diana Nabiruma
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Wednesday, 08 July 2009 15:29 |
A public memorial service for Pop Star Michael Jackson was held on Tuesday at Staples Centre in California. But before this, Ugandans had converged at several bars to mourn the man who brought the moonwalk.
The organizers included Pastors Peter Ssematimba and Martin Ssempa. Among the people in attendance was veteran educationist Fagil Mande. Before your jaw drops, yes, Uganda once boasted of real dancers. They may be a bit thick around the waist now, but decades ago, they could wriggle, moonwalk, break-dance and shake it. Some, like Sematimba, still do.
I cannot imagine the Rubaga Division Chairman or the now burly sports journalist Mark Ssali spinning at 360 degrees. But they once did.
Peter Ssematimba
Ssematimba basically moon walked back into Uganda from his long sojourn in the USA in the early 1990s. Many will remember Ssematimba’s first song in whose video he was very [like] ‘Michael Jackson’. Long before [opening] his Dungeon Studios, he loved to perform Smooth Criminal and sang it at concerts and in clubs on occasion. No wonder at the Sabrina’s pub MJ tribute night last weekend, he left the crowd mesmerized by how flexible and ‘Michael Jackson’ he still is.
At the inaugural PAM Awards in 2003, he opened the night with Smooth Criminal.
He says that he could do “what MJ could do” – and is quick to point out that Michael was not a break-dancer like everyone says he was.
“He was a free stylist and I am like him. A free-stylist blends many strokes and that is what MJ and I did,” he adds.
Pr. Ssematimba still dances, not for the public though.
Does he think that organizing memorials for Michael Jackson is returning to a secular lifestyle? No he does not.
“People who make that statement don’t understand the Bible. They are religiously shallow”.
Pastor Martin Ssempa
Before Pr. Ssempa went about preaching the gospel and fighting homosexuality, he was a dancer. He used to do it like Michael Jackson too and confesses that “I used to watch MJ videos when I was part of the All African Disco Championship in 1986. I was his fan and apart from his crotch-grabbing, I thought his dancing was inspirational.”
At these national and regional (East African) competitions, he emerged winner.
“I wanted to watch the competition but did not have money so I joined the competition as a participant. I hoped that I wouldn’t have to go through [it all] since I didn’t think I could dance and hoped people would boo me off [the] stage. They didn’t and I won.”
Pr. Ssempa still dances and if you want to catch him doing his thing, then you should visit his church, Makerere Community Church or catch him at a Papa San Concert or Prime Time at the Makerere Swimming Pool. He admits though that he is an “off-layer” when it comes to “break dance”. He does not divide the world into secular and sacred therefore he does not think that holding memorials for MJ is secular. Well, that rests our case over what he was doing on WBS’ Jam Agenda then. He was mourning a great man.
Roger Mugisha
He describes Michael Jackson’s death as unfortunate and claims to have been a “carbon copy” of MJ in his Mr. SMACK days (1993-1995). He however formed his own style later on – with the Shadows Angels before he found God and hang those boots as well.
Timothy Kalyegira
For those who did not see Timothy dance, can you just imagine him [on the dance floor]? Seriously, this is a guy that comments on serious political matters, is not fascinated by cars and once vowed never to own a mobile phone.
Though he is connected now. But, dancing!
He says, “If there was a dancing competition, I would be noticed. I would not be a champion, but I would not be missed either.”
“Just because I discuss serious [issues] does not mean I cannot dance. You should ask people who saw me at David Ouma [Balikowa]’s wedding. When it comes to dance, you put editorial matters aside,” he says.
Kalyegira was a dancing champion while at Namasagali College and says that like every child that age, he danced like Michael Jackson. He moon walked and did the break-dance though he says that MJ’s break-dance was really “light wave”.
“People like us could do the real break dance”. You don’t say!
Other dancers inspired by the troubled King of Pop who died last week at 50 after a suspected fatal dose of prescription drugs, include sports journalist, Mark Ssali, Phillip Odida (Second Secretary, Embassy of Uganda in Brussels) and Michael Ezra. Pr. Ssempa recalls that Odida, whom he calls the “dancing diplomat”, was the dance champion before him, in 1985 and Ezra who was “incredibly flexible” was the champion in 1987.
Now gentlemen, what happened! Still, rest in peace Michael.
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