Mohammed Babangida Blogs on Jazz

As if he dose not have enough to do with his busy schedule as oil and gas consultant, businessman and polo player, Nigerian mogul, Mohammed Babangida, also blogs on jazz music.  

In his blog, Mohammed Babangida traces the roots of jazz to its African origin and follows its progression to modern jazz.  He is especially partial to blues music which evolved as an expression of the early African American condition in the south.  He is a fan of Charlie Mingus and Louis Armstrong.

As the world gets smaller and smaller, the blend of African and American music is finding its way into contemporary music.  Paul Simon's Graceland album released in 1986 was inspired by the mbaqanga sounds of the South African group, Boyoyo Boys. Paul Simon used various African jazz musicians in his album.  African jazz musicians are becoming more influential in contemporary American jazz.  By lending his stature to his blogs, Mohammed Babangida is certainly contributing to the evolution of a genre of African American jazz truly derived from both continents.

The son of former Nigerian President Ibrahim Babangida, Mohammed Babangida was educated in Europe and Harvard Business School specializing in the oil and gas industry.  He is also an accomplished polo player.  

Linus Gitahi: Biggest Booster for Kenyan Runners

There is no doubt that Linus Gitahi is the biggest admirer and booster of Kenyan runners.  He writes a blog to inform track and field fans and fans of Kenyan runners about these athletes. That is, when he is not busy with his duties as CEO of Nation Media Group, the largest media firm in Central and Eastern Africa. Now, about Kenyan runners.

Kenyan runners burst into the track and field world by winning Olympic medals in 1964 and they have led the pack since.  Some say it is the Kenyan diet, or maybe it is living in high altitude, or that given the distance between villages and lack of motorized transportation, Kenyans are naturally trained to be runners.  But many observers of Kenyan distance runners, Linus Gitahi included, opine that running is in the Kenyan's nature.  Kenyan journalist John H. Manner writes that Kenyans are born to run, having evolved in a Darwinian way to be the world's greatest runners. Linus Gitahi also writes about the Kalenjin runners.  The best Kenyan running athletes seem to come from one tribe, the Kalenjin tribe.  Berkley anthropologist Vincent Sarich writes that Kalenjin runners can outrun 90 percent of the human race and that the average Kalenjin woman, given similar training can outrun the world's average man any day.

Amazing, isn't it?