Latest news with #VJ
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Video stars: the booming VJ scene localising Hollywood films for Ugandans
On a recent Saturday afternoon in an informal settlement in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, dozens of young men sat on benches in a dark shack to watch a bootlegged version of the Hollywood comedy-horror film The Monkey. As the English-language action unfolded on the screen, a voiceover translation in the Bantu language Luganda by VJ Junior – one of Uganda's top video jockeys – boomed into the room. VJs, who liberally translate movies and TV shows for local audiences, have become an integral part of TV and film culture in rural and low-income areas of the east African country. Part-interpreters, part-comedians, they often simplify scripts and frame them in a familiar context – for instance by changing characters' names to those of local people or replacing western concepts with Ugandan examples. In one scene in The Monkey, a father explains his absence from his son's life. 'That's why I stay away, because I come with all sorts of weird baggage and I don't want you to have to deal with that,' the character says. 'Like bad stuff … like evil stuff … stuff that I got from my dad and I don't wanna pass it on to you.' In VJ Junior's retelling, he says: 'The reason I didn't want to be with you is because I carry a heavy burden – spiritual afflictions, demonic forces, curses and other things I inherited from my father.' VJs also deploy humour, exaggeration and their own sound effects, occasionally veering off-script entirely – talents that have made some of them among the country's most sought-after entertainers. Growing up in Kampala in the 1990s, VJ Junior, whose real name is Marysmarts Matovu, was a film buff who loved watching Hollywood movies translated by VJs. He got into the trade in 2006, inheriting a recording studio from his elder brother VJ Ronnie when he relocated to the US to pursue film-making. In his own words, his VJ debut, Rambo III, 'lacked a bit of skill', but he went on to master his craft by studying the works of pioneers like KK the Best and VJ Jingo. VJ Junior's breakthrough came in 2009 when he translated The Promise, a Filipino soap, for the local station Bukedde TV. 'It was a big hit and it made a big brand for me,' the 40-year-old said. 'People started believing in my work.' Ronnie's Entertainment, a video store in Katwe neighbourhood, was a beehive of activity: shoppers perused shelves stacked with thousands of VJ DVDs while employees sat in front of computers copying movies to waiting customers' flash disks. DVDs sell for 2,000 Ugandan shillings (£0.41), and titles copied to flash disks go for 1,000 shillings. The shop's proprietor, Ronald Ssentongo, said he sold hundreds of films and TV shows every day, and that some of the most popular titles included Marvel movies and the TV shows Prison Break and 24. 'These titles are already available in their original English versions, but people don't watch them,' he said. 'They're waiting for VJ Junior's translation.' Sign up to The Long Wave Nesrine Malik and Jason Okundaye deliver your weekly dose of Black life and culture from around the world after newsletter promotion Video jockey culture in Uganda evolved from the colonial-era practice of evangelists giving a person a microphone to translate Christian videos for local people. As foreign movies on VHS became more available in the 1980s, video halls started popping up. To overcome the language barrier, video hall proprietors hired VJs to translate them to local languages in real time. As technology advanced, VJs moved to distributing their work on VHS tapes, VCDs, and now DVDs and flash disks. Many have created websites for viewers to stream and download their material upon subscription. The industry is growing in other ways too. Some VJs are increasingly dubbing Ugandan movies and TV shows, and new VJs have emerged to translatie to languages other than Luganda, the most widely spoken in the country. By localising foreign films and TV shows and helping Ugandans make sense of them, VJs make audiences feel valued, said John-Baptist Imokola, a lecturer at Makerere University who has researched the work of VJs. 'They feel appreciated, they feel recognised and they feel known,' he said, though he also warned of the risk of oversimplified translations that deny audiences an understanding of the themes and messages the original films intended to convey. VJs and their distributors occasionally have run-ins with authorities over copyright infringement, with police sometimes raiding video stores and confiscating DVDs and equipment used to copy films. VJ Junior said the copyright issue was a big challenge for his business and that it was 'very difficult' to get the rights to dub foreign films. VJ Junior, who described the role of a VJ in Ugandan society as 'helping people understand movies, entertaining them, and inspiring them', said he dubbed an average of 10 films or TV episodes every week. 'You have to do research, you have to be informed and you have to be educated,' he said of the skills required to do his job. 'The industry is growing and, so is demand.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
UK's oldest WW2 veteran receives freedom honour
The UK's oldest surviving World War Two veteran has been awarded the Freedom of Erewash. Donald Rose, who is also the UK's oldest man aged 110, was honoured by Erewash's youngest ever mayor, 25-year-old Harry Atkinson, at a ceremony at his care home in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Atkinson said it was a "privilege" to present the award to the veteran. Receiving the award, Mr Rose said it was "great" and "very nice to see all the people" at the small event. "I want to say thank you very much for coming to see me," he said. "I didn't do anything that anybody else wouldn't have done." His son, David Rose, said he was proud of his dad, adding: "Bearing in mind what he's been through, it's quite something, and he's still here to tell the tale. "You start telling [his] story and you get a lump in your throat. All I can say is I'm extremely proud of the man. "Thank you to the council, greatly appreciated, and he deserves it. He also praised the work of the British Legion for supporting veterans like his father. Paul Scott, John Sewell and Paul Jarvis from the Ilkeston and Long Eaton branches of the Legion attended the ceremony. Harry Atkinson said veterans like Donald "need recognising". "We've had a generation of people that served in WW2," he said. "Some gave the ultimate sacrifice. "This is in recognition of not just Donald but to them as well. They allowed us the freedoms that we have today. "If anything, it's a shame that it's taken us this long. 110 is a bit too long I think!" The leader of the council James Dawson said it was a unanimous decision of the authority to award Donald the freedom of the borough. "It's the highest honour that any local authority can bestow," he said. "It is in recognition of Donald and his service, but also [a] special things in this 80th year of VE day and VJ day. "People who took part, people like Donald, we have to treasure the time we have with them." Mr Rose was born in Westcott in Surrey on 24 December 1914. He joined the Queen's Royal Regiment at the age of 25 and went on to train as a sniper. He served in North Africa and Europe and puts his longevity down to salty water he had to drink during his time as a Desert Rat. Mr Rose, who turned 110 last December, enjoyed a wartime-themed party at the care home where he lives in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, for VE day anniversary celebrations earlier this month. Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. UK's oldest WW2 veteran endorsed for freedom honour UK's oldest WW2 veteran on BBC VE Day 80 special Spitfire flypast for UK's oldest WW2 veteran UK's oldest man to celebrate 110th birthday UK's oldest D-Day veteran to join anniversary event Erewash Borough Council
The Independent
19-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
D-Day veteran dies at the age of 98
The family of a D-Day veteran who died a week before his 99th birthday have said 'he will be missed by so many'. Norman 'Norrie' Bartlett, from Frogmore, Hampshire, died on Monday, at Frimley Park Hospital. The 98-year-old joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16 in 1942, having been turned away a year earlier for being too young. As well as serving at Normandy, he served in the Pacific, where he witnessed the surrender in Tokyo Bay. His son Peter Bartlett said that he was very proud of his father's achievements, and added: ' Dad was always reticent to talk about his war service, but when found he could contribute to charity fundraising he opened up. 'I think the reluctance came from his experience from meeting PoWs (prisoners of war) in Hokkaido and knowing their treatment. 'He was honoured to deliver the PoW prayer at the National Arboretum on VJ day.' Mr Bartlett added: 'He made friends easily through ballroom dancing, the Hart Male Voice Choir and North Hants Golf Club – still playing less than six months ago. 'He will be missed by so many, and we may have difficulty finding a large enough church.' Mr Bartlett said that his father received the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific medals for his service – and had served on the warships Bulldog, Duncan and Barfleur before he was demobbed on HMS Victory. He added: 'He was inspired to join the Navy when his parents took him to the fleet review in Portsmouth in 1937. 'They turned him away at 15, said he was too young and told him to come back when he was 17. 'At 16 and one month, he went back to the recruiting office, said that he lost his birth certificate and signed up.' Mr Bartlett said that his father had fund-raised for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans as well as his local hospice – and after leaving the Royal Navy, he worked making nuclear submarine boilers. Philippa Rawlinson, director of remembrance at the Royal British Legion, said: 'We are saddened to hear of the passing of Norman Bartlett who was among the small number of Second World War veterans still with us who had registered with the Royal British Legion to join this year's VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations. 'We are here to ensure the legacy of those who fought for our freedom is always remembered. 'We will be marking the service and sacrifice of veterans like Norman with commemorations for VE Day in May and VJ Day in August to make sure we honour their contribution, as this will be one of the last chances the nation will have to come together with those still with us to thank them and their generation.'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
D-Day veteran dies at the age of 98
The family of a D-Day veteran who died a week before his 99th birthday have said 'he will be missed by so many'. Norman 'Norrie' Bartlett, from Frogmore, Hampshire, died on Monday, at Frimley Park Hospital. The 98-year-old joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16 in 1942, having been turned away a year earlier for being too young. As well as serving at Normandy, he served in the Pacific, where he witnessed the surrender in Tokyo Bay. His son Peter Bartlett said that he was very proud of his father's achievements, and added: 'Dad was always reticent to talk about his war service, but when found he could contribute to charity fundraising he opened up. 'I think the reluctance came from his experience from meeting PoWs (prisoners of war) in Hokkaido and knowing their treatment. 'He was honoured to deliver the PoW prayer at the National Arboretum on VJ day.' Mr Bartlett added: 'He made friends easily through ballroom dancing, the Hart Male Voice Choir and North Hants Golf Club – still playing less than six months ago. 'He will be missed by so many, and we may have difficulty finding a large enough church.' Mr Bartlett said that his father received the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific medals for his service – and had served on the warships Bulldog, Duncan and Barfleur before he was demobbed on HMS Victory. He added: 'He was inspired to join the Navy when his parents took him to the fleet review in Portsmouth in 1937. 'They turned him away at 15, said he was too young and told him to come back when he was 17. 'At 16 and one month, he went back to the recruiting office, said that he lost his birth certificate and signed up.' Mr Bartlett said that his father had fund-raised for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans as well as his local hospice – and after leaving the Royal Navy, he worked making nuclear submarine boilers. Philippa Rawlinson, director of remembrance at the Royal British Legion, said: 'We are saddened to hear of the passing of Norman Bartlett who was among the small number of Second World War veterans still with us who had registered with the Royal British Legion to join this year's VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations. 'We are here to ensure the legacy of those who fought for our freedom is always remembered. 'We will be marking the service and sacrifice of veterans like Norman with commemorations for VE Day in May and VJ Day in August to make sure we honour their contribution, as this will be one of the last chances the nation will have to come together with those still with us to thank them and their generation.'
