UNRAVELING DIKEMBE MUTOMBO

Dikembe Mutombo is a retired Congolese Americanprofessional basketballplayer who last played for the Houston Rockets of theNBA. He had visited Kenya’s Daadab camp a while back together with K’Naan. 

We threw the one-liner interview at him. Here goes…

 I’m good at
Playing basketball and socializing.

I’m very bad at
Remembering names. I can always remember names but notfaces.

The last book l enjoyed was
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. It is one of myfavourites. 

The most surprising thing that happened to me
Finding out that most people knew me thanks to my favouritesport.

A common misconception of me is
That I’m snobbish. Just because I’m famous.

One of my worst childhood fears was
Snakes. They still frighten me.

My ideal night out is
Staying indoors with my friends.

In another life l’d have been
An accountant. I loved mathematics

If I were a politician, I would
Make sure that my citizens were well catered for and alsoensure equitable distribution of resources.

The best age to be is
Any age as long as I’m happy.

The best part of my job is
Enjoying the pitch and now that I’m retired enjoying thefruits of my labour.

YOUSSOU N’DOUR IN NAIROBI TO FIGHT HUNGER

Legendary Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour talked about his visit with communities that have been badly affected by the ongoing famine at the Dadaab refuge camp.
"Whenever there is a problem it is the Westerners who are in the foreground, where are the Africans?" Youssou said, speaking after a visit to Kenya's giant Dadaab refugee camps as an ambassador for the UN children's agency.
Youssou and Somali rapper K'naan are planning a series of events across Africa to raise funds and awareness about the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.
"I think Africa should be at the forefront," he added.
Youssou was joined by UNICEF Regional Director for Southern and Eastern Africa Elhadj As Sy, on Tuesday (Sept 6) and spoke about the specific needs of children, the response of the humanitarian community, what more he believes needs to be done to alleviate the current suffering faced by so many, and what the future holds for the millions of children caught up in the combination of drought, rising food prices and insecurity in many parts of the Horn of Africa.

K’NAAN TO SHOOT ROMANTIC MOVIE IN MWANZA

Rapper K’naan will have to take on a mushy role in a new romantic movie set against Belgian Congo's decolonization in the 1960s. K’naan will star in the movie titled The Catastrophist alongside actors Steve Coogan and Stephen Dorff that will be shot in Mwanza, Tanzania.
Produced by British director Nick Broomfield via his Lafayette Films, Paul Miller of Escape Pictures and Blighty's Channel 4 with line producer Donall McCusker ("Hurt Locker") the movie will tell an endearing l0ove story.



According to Variety, Broomfield believes The Catastrophist will give Tanzania's fledgling film biz a similar boost. While McCusker expects difficulties -- such as finding the period vehicles and set pieces to recreate the Belgian Congo of the 1960s -- Tanzania has enough of a barebones industry with equipment and local technicians to support a foreign production.



Meanwhile, K’naan was in the country together with retired basketball player Dikembe Mutombo and Cindy McCain the American businesswoman, philanthropist, and the wife of failed presidential candidate John McCain. The trio visited Dadaab, the main refugee camp on the border of Somalia and Kenya.