True or blatant lie? You decide.

From The Sydney Morning Herald...

SIDNEY, Australia, Sept 24 – Grace Gichuhi sobs quietly as she considers her future.

"They use a knife. Just a knife, no medicine," she says. "They circumcise you and maybe you die or you survive."

The 22 year-old fears deportation to Kenya, where she will be genitally mutilated, while a bill that could prevent that fate awaits parliamentary debate.

The Mungiki sect that killed her mother for refusing to have her mutilated has threatened her life for the same reason, Ms Gichuhi said yesterday.

As it stands, Ms Gichuhi does not meet refugee criteria. However, she and a fellow Kenyan, Teresia Ndikaru Muturi, could be protected under legislation introduced to Parliament.

Called complementary protection, the changes would expand rigid criteria that require a refugee's fear of persecution to be based on ''race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion''.

This means people facing genital mutilation or torture for other reasons can miss out.

In forced mutilation, 10 men hold the woman down, while another brandishing a knife performs the cut in front of as many as 30 onlookers, Ms Gichuhi said.

For Ms Muturi, 21, refusing circumcision has angered her family. Five years ago, after her mother accepted 10 cows from a 70-year-old man for her hand in marriage, Ms Muturi ran away.

Both women arrived in Australia in July last year on tourist visas for World Youth Day. They then lodged protection claims with the Immigration Department which were refused.

"Under the refugee convention, they weren't found to engage with Australia's international obligations," a departmental spokesman said.

An appeal to the refugee tribunal failed and a subsequent plea to the Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, to overturn the decision was rejected.

A ''repeat request'' for Senator Evans to reconsider is before the department now, incorporating more information.

Sister Aileen Crowe, a Franciscan nun fighting the deportation, wants the minister to stop all women in similar circumstances from being deported before the new laws are in place.

Five other Kenyans facing genital mutilation were granted protection without the need for appeals. ''There are some immigration officials who follow processes to the letter of the law,'' she said. ''It all depends on who they get to interview them.''

Her "plight" has caused outrage triggering an alliance between political adversaries, lawyers and refugee groups who want the Immigration Minister to intervene.

Commercialisation of Gospel music?

I have to constantly pat myself on the back because a year ago, I consistently told anyone within earshot that 2009 will belong to gospel music. True to form, this year, some of the best songs on air right now are gospel tracks, some of the best concerts we have experienced have been gospel tracks and Kapungala has been the definition of anything gospel.
Many doubted me but I could tell going by their creativity and the reception they had started to generate, it was only a matter of time. And this trend is set to continue because even though the secular guys are doing their thing, gospel still rocks!
This success is good for everyone who is a fan of gospel songs but I think the artistes are pushing it a bit in the wrong direction and very soon, there will be an over saturation of gospel music and guess what, we will go looking for something new and fresh.
It may not be a problem of their own making but I think this success is getting to people's minds and they are no longer true to the cause anymore. Because of the success, gospel music has now become the "right thing" to do for any upcoming artiste and what we are listening to is not entirely meant to uplift or rejoice to the Most High!
It has turned out to be secular music but in past tense. I can bet that majority of the gospel tracks out there today have a line that goes thus; "Nilikua nikihanya, nikiwaka..." (Used to be a drunk and promiscuous...) True or false?
That's why I say its secular music delivered in past tense because the same line in a secular track would go like; "Ninamanzi wakuhanya, pombe niwake..." (I got gals in droves...)
I agree its important for the artiste to show where God has brought him from, but is that the only thing there is to sing about if you are into gospel? Strangely enough, those kinds of lyrics are only found in Hip Hop, Ragga and pop tracks because I have never heard such lines in a song by Ruth Wamuyu or Eunice Njeri?
If this is the way gospel is headed, then, I am sorry, we have lost the meaning. I should be able to know a gospel track when I hear it not until they utter the word God which is the main thing with some of the tracks we are listening to.
We may keep saying gospel has swagger but shouldn't that swag be on a higher level than that of secular artistes? I am not judging anyone, just that, if you want fame and think gospel is the way to go, you on the wrong place.
I can bet you that very soon, we will have a gospel track with half naked girls on it all in the name of swagger if something ain't done soon!

Tusker Project Make-up!

Was it just me or does one Mitch Egwang leave your TV screens all greasy after the Tusker Project fame show? Well, that was one thing I don't want to do again for I hope someone will knock some sense on the make-up artists.
Don't Mitch and Sheila look like they have sores on their face that were covered with some jelly? Last week, Mitch looked like he couldn’t see and the green jacket he wore did not help matters.
I am not a guru when it comes to matters fashion but doesn’t take a genius to tell that the green from both the anchors was reflecting badly on their oily faces and in turn left my screen all messy just like the whole show was.
If they can’t, then I propose they be scrapped together with the bad make-up on the hosts!
The contestants were as bad as they come when it came to doing reggae songs and will someone tell them to stop moving around the stage so much? The poor wanna-bes are always out of breath by the second verse.
Still looks or sounds like their main theme, like the Sunday before; the main theme at the performances was “Off Key”. I almost feel like all the voice coach is telling them is 'let’s piss off these people and see what happens’
Back to dressing, who thought of putting that thing on Sheila’s head? She has good hair, weave or not, but whatever that thing was (and I swear I saw it move four times through the show) it did her no justice.
I know someone will yell they were keeping up with the theme of the show but I won’t buy it for one bit. What happens when they will be doing rock? Paint them white and add silver piercing complete with tattoos of some skulls?
Theme can only be stretched so far, and after that, it just becomes ludicrous especially when it gets to the hosts. The wanna-bes can do the theme but the hosts should always be different like is the case with the judges and the teachers.
If the theme issue continues, I can bet you they will start telling the audience to dress the part and I hope to be in attendance when they go all Indian!
Finally, I think that guy Ng’ang’a should leave. He has no voice and I agree with what Ian told him that he needs to know whether he is a comedian or a musician. His voice, with all due respect, reminds me of those Wakorino singers you find on the streets and it gets hilarious when he sings songs in English because he sounds like he is joking. For him to win the show, I suggest they let him sing in Kikuyu for the rest of the season or join Kajairo in song comedy.
Big Brother Africa is back from today and they had better have a good Kenyan representative because I am still recovering from the effects of one Jeff Anthony.