Entertainment

Nosy Journalist Captures Pope Francis Sneaking Into Record Store

Published

2 weeks ago

January 15, 2022

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has always wanted to sneak out freely onto the streets to meet people and even be able to buy a good pizza in the city.

“I miss going out into the streets; I truly long for it, the tranquility of walking down the street, or going to a pizzeria to eat a good pizza… I have always been ‘of the street’,” he said.

On Tuesday the Pontiff handlers organised for a cab and the Pope sneaked out onto a street corner to visit his old acquaintance operating a “Stereosound,” a record store whose owners he has known since his days as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Although the Pontiff handlers thought they had concealed this short visit, there was a nosy journalist whose lens was cocked ready to grab anything- then he saw the pope and pressed the shutter button.

On 11 January, Spanish journalist Javier Martínez Brocal was passing through Rome’s Pantheon area and saw the Pope leaving the record store named “Stereosound.”

The black and white photo of the Pope exiting the “disc-store of the Pantheon” – as local Romans call the locale – carrying a classical music record given to him by the owner of the store, Letizia Giostra, and her daughter Tiziana, went viral on social networks within minutes.

The Pope himself saw the photo and thanked Brocal for this “noble” post.

Pope Francis grew up listening to the opera on the radio, is a fan of tango and milonga and thinks Mozart “lifts you to God.” But it still came as a something of a shock to see him coming out of a downtown Rome record shop.

Pope Francis sent a brief letter to Rome-based journalist Javier Martínez Brocal that recently photographed the Pope leaving a record store, and encourages reporters to fulfill their journalistic vocation even if it makes others uncomfortable.

At the same time, he wrote, “one cannot deny that it was a ‘terrible fate’ (a misfortune, ed.) that, after taking all precautions, there was a journalist waiting for someone at the cab stop.”

The Pope immediately clarified in his letter that this remark was a light-hearted joke: “We must not lose our sense of humor.”

He also encouraged reporters to “fulfill their vocation” as journalists, “even if it means embarrassing (‘mettere in difficoltà’) the Pope.”

Pope Francis is no stranger to trips ‘out-on-the-town’, having visited an optician’s store in 2015 and then an orthopedic store in 2016.

He had ventured out late Tuesday afternoon to the music store in the heart of Rome to bless the recently renovated premises.

IHe chatted for about ten minutes with the owner, an old acquaintance of his from the days when he stayed as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in the “House of the Clergy” in Via della Scrofa.

Entertainment

Reggaeton King Don Omar To Perform At Miss World Finale

Published

2 months ago

December 7, 2021

Staff Writer

Miss World 2021 finale session will be like no other as the self-styled “The King” of reggaeton, Don Omar is scheduled to perform before a very large audience.

Omar will appear in the grand final of Miss World 2021 to be held in Puerto Rico on December 16, the organization of the event reported on Monday.

Don Omar joins the also Puerto Ricans Pedro Capó and Víctor Manuelle, the Cuban duo of Gente de Zona and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ángel Vélez, as the artists who will perform in the evening, to take place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, in San Juan.

Almost 100 contestants from an equal number of countries, a symphony orchestra of more than 60 musicians, entertainers and dancers will perform on stage in a production that will be televised live with 30 cameras.

Miss World 2021 is one of the largest events to be held in the history of Puerto Rico with a great opportunity to project the island as a top tourist destination before an audience of over 1 billion people in more than 100 countries.

Miss World is the oldest and most prestigious international beauty pageant, created in 1951.

The winner of the title will become the image of the organization that supports different social and charitable causes around the world.

Entertainment

Video: New Rwandan Film, “Poetria La Muse” To Be Screened Soon

Published

2 months ago

December 7, 2021

Staff Writer

A young Rwanda film artists, NINA Aziza Umutesi Salim, has released a trailer of her masterpiece, Poetria LA Muse.

Poetria LA Muse is a story of a muse who came from another world,sent by the destiny to inspire poets whom she lived with in a cave. Poets would go for inspiration in that mystery cave, terryfying one. But one night Poetria couldn’t take it about her feelings.

She made a big mistake of loving a human being while she was not supposed to love humans.

The destiny which sent her decided to punish her. She would suffer before dying. While she was trying to escape, poems of those poets attracted her and blocked her. Death was also very near. Poetria tried to stay alive because love was her strength but in vain.

About the director:

Nina Salim is a Rwadan young artist, screen writer, poet, theater writer, and actress, born on May 19, 1992 in Bujumbura, Burundi. She has been writing short stories, poems, theatre scripts and quotes for 17 years.

This is her first full movie. She told Taarifa that the movie will be screened soon in Kigali.

Entertainment

Olomide’s Concert Goes On Despite Criticism

Published

2 months ago

December 3, 2021

Staff Writer

After a week of criticism and the battle of words between fans and petitioners, the Intore Entertainment has raised a green card for Koffi Olomide’s concert that is expected this weekend.

Petitioners have been contesting Olomide’s concert since the week back, following the circulation of his coming to Rwanda.

Despite the huge criticisms, the organizers of the event, Intore Entertainment confirmed that the concert slated this Saturday will go on at Kigali Arena.

“From our entertainment perspective, we also respect thousands of fans who have expressed interest to participate in this concert and will do our best to deliver a safe and entertaining event on the 4^th December 2021 at Kigali Arena,” the Intore entertainment communique read.

The petitioners whose claims seem to lose eligibility after Intore communique argue that Olomide’s track record in violating the rights of women would encourage young males and detrimental to positive masculinity in case he is allowed to perform in Kigali.

Feminists are exchanging words with fans while laying dissenting views on the concert that is sponsored by SKOL.

Meanwhile, the lead petitioner, Sylvie Nsanga, has been advocating for the cancellation of the concert before and after the organizers released the announcement.

Through #CancelKoffiKigaliConcert, Nsanga’s latest tweet about the matter said that men and boys have the right to favor the feministic side of opposing their fellow men who are not respecting the rights of women.

“Thanks for standing for what is right and for showing solidarity and this time, we need it the most. Men and boys need to have the courage to say no to the ‘boys men’s club’, they need to fight sexism and rape apologists,” she wrote congratulating a male supporting feminist.

High profile figures and politicians have also joined the debate, an example is a Valentine Rugwabiza, the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who wrote that no one should be a bystander or neutral for gender based violence.

Koffi Olomide has remained silent on the matter. He shared a video on Friday morning promising to deliver a great show.